Car Rental Scams About This Page:

[MichaelF]

I picked up our rental car today from National at MCO. The extra UNfriendly lady at the counter did everything she could to scare me into buying needless things. First she said if I didn't purchase the insurance for $100+ and I had a breakdown I would be responsible for repairing the vehicle. That was a complete lie. They own the cars and are responsible for mechanical issues of the car not the renter. Beside most are so new they are under mfg. warranty.
This lady also tried to sell me on buying the gas refill at $2.85 per gallon. This didn't sound so bad so inquired further. I asked her if I brought the car back and it needed seven gallons of gas then that is what I would get charged for? She said no I was purchasing a whole tank of fuel no matter how much was in it.
I just wanted to warn you in case you didn't know of these scams. Maybe its just National. I don't rent cars very often and will never rent from National again because of this.

[Her Dotness]

Sounds to me like this could easily have been someone who was dozing off during her training session or was poorly informed about what the company's policies actually are.

While it certainly reflects badly upon the company, I wouldn't call this a scam unless you are certain that what you were told is actually National's policy and not just this one employee's misunderstanding or ignorance.

If you recall her name or know at least the date and time you encountered her so that who it was could be identified, I would definitely file a complaint with National.

[Sue M.]

I never get the gas pre purchase. It's easy enough to fill up on the way back to the airport. Who would want to risk driving back to the airport on almost empty?
I think you end up paying more, having to buy a full tank.

As for insurance, I once had a counter lady use scare tactics on me too. Don't remember which company. But I have car rental insurance as an option on my home car insurance, way cheaper then what they offer at the rentals. I wouldn't rely on my Visa Insurance.

I think that was a scare tactic. There's no way they can stick you with a repair bill if their car breaks down

[bcuinohio]

I rented fron National the last time we flew into Orlando. I signed up for the Emerald Club (for free). I walked out in the lot and picked a car. I drove it to the gate, The attendant asked me about the extras and I declined. No hassle at all. She checked me out and I was on my way in a couple of minutes.

[MelissaL]

The gas option is common to most rental companies. You can either return the tank full and pay nothing, pay for a full tank upfront and return it as near empty as you want, or return it partly full and pay a much higher rate for the gas needed to fill the tank. If you are sure you will be near a gas station on your way to return the car, returning it full is the cheapest option.

[Fortissimo]

I think every rental company uses the gas option. It is a very easy way for them to make a few extra dollars. We only use the option if we know there is not a gas station within a few miles of the airport.

Not sure what she was talking about for insurance for mechanical problems. Never heard that one before.

However, even if you think your own insurance will cover damage to a rental car, call your agent and double check. They may cover the damage but they will not cover the fees that the rental company can charge while the car is being repaired. They can charge you for every day that car is out of service for them to rent. Check to see what your insurance will cover and what it won't.

[Her Dotness]

Originally Posted by Fortissimo

However, even if you think your own insurance will cover damage to a rental car, call your agent and double check. They may cover the damage but they will not cover the fees that the rental company can charge while the car is being repaired.They can charge you for every day that car is out of service for them to rent. Check to see what your insurance will cover and what it won't.

[emphasis added]

Holy Guacamole, Fortissimo! Thank you for mentioning that a rental company can charge the renter for the time the car is out of service! I never thought of that, but when I researched it further, I found that the rate you contracted to rent the car CAN continue throughout the time needed to fix any damage.

That's a very good reason indeed to take the rental company's insurance.

We surprised ourselves not long ago by checking with our agent and discovering that we hadn't added rental car coverage which we generally rely upon only when we must rent a car locally. So, don't assume that your insurance covers rental cars as we did.

[DVC_Don]

Check with the credit card company you use to rent the vehicle. Some DO pay for the "loss of use". My insurance company does not pay for "loss of use", but my credit card company does (and will also pay for my $1000 deductable).

[Sue M.]

Originally Posted by Fortissimo

I think every rental company uses the gas option. It is a very easy way for them to make a few extra dollars. We only use the option if we know there is not a gas station within a few miles of the airport.

Not sure what she was talking about for insurance for mechanical problems. Never heard that one before.

However, even if you think your own insurance will cover damage to a rental car, call your agent and double check. They may cover the damage but they will not cover the fees that the rental company can charge while the car is being repaired. They can charge you for every day that car is out of service for them to rent. Check to see what your insurance will cover and what it won't.

Thanks for the info! Now I'm going to check on my rental policy and ask if it covers loss of use. Good point!

[chillepepa]

If you rent a car with an american express card, AE has rental car insurance automatically. So we always have my mom rent the car with her AE card. I also wonder if they get a "bonus" for the number of insurance polices and extra they sell.

As for the gas option, it varies on how much drving we are actually doing, and if their will be a gas station close by. We've done it both ways.

[Sue M.]

Originally Posted by chillepepa

If you rent a car with an american express card, AE has rental car insurance automatically. So we always have my mom rent the car with her AE card. I also wonder if they get a "bonus" for the number of insurance polices and extra they sell.

As for the gas option, it varies on how much drving we are actually doing, and if their will be a gas station close by. We've done it both ways.

My Visa has car rental insurance too, but on closer look, it's limited. No 3rd party liability. So I have a car rental insurance policy attached to my car insurance.

[Splash_Lover]

something to remember to ask about in regaurds to fuel is to see if they require you to show a reciept from a gas station within a certain number of miles from the rental car agency. More and more companies are doing this and if you don't have one then they charge you to top off the tank. Just an FYI.

[HakunaMatata]

We had a very bad experience renting a car from Dollar last time, with similar scare tactics and more! I guess these agents are not particular to a certain rental company but can be at any company, unfortunately. But it does make me wary from renting from Dollar again even though logically I know it could have just been one "bad apple."

[Carousel96]

The gas tank prefill is a pretty common option. We don't use it but I wouldn't call it a scam.
We got a bit annoyed with Budget on our recent trip. We had booked an economy car because that's really all we needed. When we went to pick it up, the guy tried and tried to talk us into a bigger car for "only $10 a day more." We kept telling him no, we were fine with what we had. Besides, on a two week rental, that's real money! When we went to the lot to claim our car, it was the bigger one after all. We figure they were out of the small cars and wanted to get us to pay for the bigger one rather than give it to us free.
We were disappointed because we really wanted the economy car (the models include a couple we are considering buying) and we hated the car we ended up with for the trip.

[MichaelF]

I called this gas refill option a scam because of how the counter agent explained it. They try to pass it on as a great thing that will save you lots of money. There is no way the pre-pay gas fill would save anyone money unless they pushed their rental car back to the lot with a empty gas tank.