Let Me Top That Off For You: Rental Car Ripoff?

MSNBC's Red Tape Chronicles has a story about some rental car agencies charging an extra fee to consumers who return their cars with a full tank. This "top-off fee" is being charged even if consumers present evidence they have that the tank is full.

Here's a sample of the "gotcha" text:

"Gasoline Policy: Vehicle must be returned with full tank or local refueling charge applies. If car is returned full a $2.00 top off fee will be applied." As they'd say on South Park, "You Bastards!"

The customer went all "paperboy" on the company "I want my two dollars" and he eventually got the money back (more on principle than anything else).


According to Dollar / Thrifty the rental agency that charged the fee was a franchisee and has some leeway to assess such charges. Currently corporate owned Dollar/Thrifty do not assess the fee.

This new level of creativity in the rental business arrives at the same time that consumers are complaining about increasingly crappier cars on rental lots.