Beware of FSO Charge/Option With National Car!

[cindala]

We are EA members, and when leaving the aisle with our Dodge Intrepid this last trip, the attendant asked us if we wanted the option to have the gas filled when we returned for $1.40 a gallon. We agreed, thinking this was an okay price, and would save us time refilling on the way back.

When we received our little printout bill when we returned, I noticed that it was much higher than my reservation. Checking it further on the plane, I saw that they charged us $24.80 for FSO, or Fuel Service Option. We had only used a quarter of a tank of gas! It would have cost us no more that $5 or $6 to refill it ourselves.

I called customer service when we got home, and they explained that the FSO is a set charge, whether you use a full tank, or nothing at all. I told them that this was not how it was explained to me at checkout on the aisle, so they credited my credit card for the amount. Now I'll stick to refilling the tank ourselves, like we had in the past.

If you use this option, then make sure you do alot of driving around, and use up the whole tank of gas!!

 

[mkymouse4ever]

I thought I was the only one that this happened to! We even filled up before heading to airport, thinking this way there won't be much gas at all at the airport! Well they got me, but I will never take that again! MKY

 

[CarolA]

The Fuel Service Option is really a rip off. Yes the price is lower than if you buy it at the service station, but the car rental company charges you for a full tank of gas. So if the tank holds 16 gallons, you pay for 16 gallons. The only way this is good for you is if you coast in on fumes!

 

[cigar95]

Originally posted by CarolA
The only way this is good for you is if you coast in on fumes!

. . . Or if you use more than a full tank during your trip, as we always do. The FSO is basically selling you the entire *first* tank of gas at a slight discount. Once you refill during the trip, that's gas you would have bought anyway. And if there's still a little left when you turn the car in, that's pretty minor. (Figure it makes up for all those times I turned in rental cars when the tank wasn't *really* full, despite what the gauge said.)

 

[f-LORI-da]

Originally posted by CarolA
The Fuel Service Option is really a rip off. Yes the price is lower than if you buy it at the service station, but the car rental company charges you for a full tank of gas. So if the tank holds 16 gallons, you pay for 16 gallons. The only way this is good for you is if you coast in on fumes!

This scenario describes us exactly, LOL. We always use the entire tank of gas... so it pays for us. We take advantage of the lower price per gallon, plus we don't have to waste precious vacation time filling the tank, or worry about finding a gas station (or having the time to find a gas station) before heading back to the airport. One less stress, one less worry. Every situation is different. For us it isn't a rip off... it's a convenience.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We also used the gas option, but with Avis. I think the "discussed" rate was $1.44/gallon. But, when we returned the car, wanna guess how much was charged? I don't know the per gallon price, but it was almost $50 (on a Cadillac SLS - Cadillac.com says it can hold 18.5 gallons). Down a little further on the receipt it does give us an $18 credit, not sure what it's for, though. It should have been $26.64 to fill up the tank, looks like we were charged around $2.70 a gallon (or, with that $18 credit, $1.73 a gallon). Of course, I never saw the receipt till on the plane coming home (dad looked at the total for rental when he got the receipt, and said it looked about right - so there was "no need" for me to inspect it further).

 

[f-LORI-da]

Originally posted by CaliforniaDreaming
We also used the gas option, but with Avis. I think the "discussed" rate was $1.44/gallon. But, when we returned the car, wanna guess how much was charged? I don't know the per gallon price, but it was almost $50 (on a Cadillac SLS - Cadillac.com says it can hold 18.5 gallons). Down a little further on the receipt it does give us an $18 credit, not sure what it's for, though. It should have been $26.64 to fill up the tank, looks like we were charged around $2.70 a gallon (or, with that $18 credit, $1.73 a gallon). Of course, I never saw the receipt till on the plane coming home (dad looked at the total for rental when he got the receipt, and said it looked about right - so there was "no need" for me to inspect it further).

Last time we returned our rental car, we looked at the total, and it was right on the button. So, we paid up, and walked away.

Then I noticed the FSO charge, and asked my DH, "What's that?" He didn't know either. We had time, so I said, "Well, let's go back and ask (there was no line). The woman behind the counter politely informed us. The price per gallon was exactly as we agreed upon.

I chalked it up to a momentary lapse of memory or just an overdose of pixie dust

 

[Otisp]

We've only used the FSO option once, and that was because we knew we would be able to empty the tank. Otherwise, we return it full (we know by heart that the last gas stop coming from Port Canaveral to the airport is at Narcooseeeeeeeeeeeeeee).