Phoenix Airport Gas Ripoff
 

Returned home from Phoenix a week or so back.

My intention was to fill up the car rental after exiting the expressway and before entering the airport.

Not only did I find no gas stations in the area but it took me a half hour of circling to find the car rental return. I just kept following signs (and using gas).

Eventually I gave up (I had a plane to catch) and paid 6.50 per gallon at the car rental to have them refill the car.

Just part of the trip, I guess.

Another reason I use my GPS gas station locator.

They told you what it would be at the time of rental I suspect.

Gretchen,
They didn't have to tell me. I knew.

I've always been able to find a gas station between an expressway and the car rental return.

Not in Phoenix.

I forgot to mention.

I picked up the car in Las Vegas and got charged and extra $100 or so because i wasn't returning to the same location.

Interesting that they gave me a car with Arizona plates to return to Arizona for them.

They should have paid me. Not charge me.

Two people got charged for the same thing. I just undid it for them.

This isn't uncommon.

Charlotte used to have the same problem.

Boston has a gas station on the airport with reasonable prices but it is confusing to get to.

Philadelphia was not simple.

Laguardia was easy to find but there is no choice.

Columbus was easy if you don't mind sketchy neighborhoods.

As to the dropoff charge, if you were surprised by it,why didn't you just go to another rental car company?

This is nothing new - for example, finding a gas station that is conveniently located off the major highways leading to Newark (NJ) airport is almost impossible.

When I rent a car I always make a mental note if there are any gas stations close to the airport and the approximate price of gas. If there's nothing close I plan on buying gas well before I get to that particular airport - if you fill up the tank within 10 or 15 miles of an airport the gas guage will still read "full" when you drop off the car at the rental place.

Sorry you had a bad experience, Myer.

On June 5, we found gas on our way back to the airport without using our GPS. We exited off I-10 east just before the airport exit and made a right, away from the airport, on Washington (can't find DH's receipt to verify location). About two-three blocks in, on the right, is a gas station though I will say it is the only one we found in the vicinity and I think we just got lucky.

There is a large sign on the Dollar rental car counter that gives renters three options for refueling--bring it back empty and pay dearly; refuel yourself, or, pay in advance to have the company refuel at $2.99/gal, which, at the time, is what we paid at the station so it would not have been a bad deal.

Funny you should mention this! When we rented a car in Phoenix in February, we had a very difficult time finding a gas station, as you mentioned. We wound up in the airport before we knew it and had to exit and circle back. This past trip, we remembered the inconvenience and exited a couple exits earlier. We went left off the freeway, then still ended up circling a bit as there were no gas stations. After we did find one, the price was reasonable and it was easy to get back on the highway. But I agree, Phoenix is not easy!

Ackislander,
I wasn't surprised by the drop-off charge. I knew that was what inflated my car rental charge. I was prepared for it.

I just thought it was interesting that they got two people for the same car and I was doing them a favor by returning it to the source.

I may write to the car rental company and let them know that in view of this I should get a refund for the drop-off. It's the least they could do since I brought the car back (though quite dirty) for them.

I left myself almost 4 hours from the time I left Sedona to my departure time.

Since I had never seen cactus before, I got off the highway a few times to take pictures. I still had more than enough time.

Had I known, I would have gotten off an exit early and filled up. Then, following the signs to the car rental return added a good half hour and before I knew it I barely had an hour before flight-time.

I wasn't about to exit the airpoort area an go looking for a gas station. I just bit the bullet and paid for it.

I just thought I'd let people know that Phoenix Airport doesn't make it easy to fill up on your own.

FYI, I've lately been filling up my rental car quite a ways before returning to the airport. That's because what they seem to consider "full" is just that the needle is on "F." And in many cars, that could be a gallon under the tank being completely full. Since I have received many rental cars that way, I certainly have no issue returning them that way.

I've even driven 30 miles (compact car) after filing the tank and returned the car with the needle still on "F" and never had any problems or been charged extra. So I now never stress over filling the tank immediately adjacent to the rental car return. Just note how the fuel gauge behaves when you fill the car up and what it reads when you pick it up.

I always ask before I rent if there is a drop off charge. Some car companies like Hertz usually do not have drop off charges.

joe,
Whether or not there's a drop-off charge isn't the issue. It's the total price.

And during the times I was checking Alamo was the cheapest. Whatever is charged is somehow built in.

Hertz has a drop off charge. Picking up on Utah and dropping off in Nevada doubles the price.

Dohlice,

But wouldn't you feel ripped-off if they gave you a car that you knew you were returning to its home.

Don't people get paid to do that?

I would fume half the way there.

Well how do you know it was going home? It may have come from Tucson...

;-0

I always give my rentals a fill long before the airport. If it still shows "F" when I get there, I'm safe. If not, I'll need less gas at airport rates when I do refuel!

Andrew,

Dollar told us specifically that gas must be purchased within 10 miles of the airport, fyi.

Ilucy,

It's still a lot closer to home. Isn't it?

<Dollar told us specifically that gas must be purchased within 10 miles of the airport, fyi.>

Along those lines, one of my rentals a couple years ago required a gas purchase within a certain distance with a receipt to prove the location of the station.

Weasel,
But they don't know if you filled up or not at that station. Just that you put in gas.

What would be the point of stopping at a station near the airport on your way to the airport, and then putting some gas in but not filling it full as per the rental agreement? I'm confused. I guess you could then drive to a different station to top it off, but that would be a bit silly. Or you could try to calculate exactly how much the tank holds and put in slightly less (so it looks full but isn't) but that would be goofy. What other explanation is there?

I'm pretty cheap but even I'm not stopping for gas twice on the way to the airport!

Gas station price gouging...

Just an FYI... the gas station across the street from Hotel ZaZa in Uptown Dallas does not post the gas prices on a sign like other gas stations.
Why?
Because the gas is about 75 cents MORE per gallon than every other station in Dallas. Usually people find out once it's too late.
This is a major gas company... like Shell or something.

In Las Vegas, National charged me 12.00 for 1/4 tank in a full size car.
I was shocked!!!
What a freakin' bargain!!!

I was just in Phoenix last week. I rented from Enterprise at the Hyatt after I was at the hotel, and I returned to airport enterprise. I dropped a friend off at the airport day before I left, and I agree finding the rental car return going by the terminal is very comfusing. The guys downtown were extremely helpful, and advised me to use the regular streets and avoid the interstate getting back to the airport. The street (Buckeye) took me DIRECTLY to the rental car return and was really easy. Plus they told me where to find the cheapest gas stations on the way. Love those Enterprise guys!

<<Dollar told us specifically that gas must be purchased within 10 miles of the airport, fyi.>>

My guess is that they won't hassle you about it if the gauge reads F. What are they going to do, charge you for a gallon of gas, because you filled up 11.1 miles from the rental car return? As I said, look at the gauge when you pick up the car. If it's not way above F you don't need to fill it any fuller than that, because they obviously didn't fill it after the last person returned it.

Andrew, with our luck they would! ;-)

I may not have explained my technique very well above. I put the gas in the night before (or earlier in the day if it's a night flight) so as to
1) get gas at a cheaper price away from the airport.
2)so I won't need to get gas at the last minute, and
3) I never have, but if I do drive so fat that the gauge no longer shows as full, I'll only need a little gas from an airport station. Worst case: if I can't find an airport station and the rental agency hits me for a top off of the tank, the car won't need much of their gas.

Just to see what happens, I sent an email to the car rental and explained.

I guess they have several options:
1) Ignore me - they probably won't do that
2) Explain their return policy - quite likely
3) Give me a refund - highly unlikely
4) Give me a partial credit on a future rental - possibly the best from a PR perspective and cost to them
5) Other

I'll respond here.

I'm guessing you will get some response with a weak apology but nothing else.

The truth is, the basis for your complaint is your assumption that you should be able to find a gas station on your way back to the airport easily, based on travel in other cities. The rental car companies, of course, have no idea which direction you will be returning to the airport and don't control where the gas stations are on whichever route you've chosen. Nor do they control where the rental car return is - in Phoenix, they are all in one place. If you should be complaining to anyone, complain to the city of Phoenix which planned the airport layout with no nearby gas stations.

But honestly, you should never have this assumption that gas will be easy to find when returning a car. I've found it is in some cities and not in others. It's just something you have to deal with. You knew the policy and you made a mistake by apparently not having a map and getting lost trying to find gas. That's not the rental car company's fault, either.

Andrew,
Actually, this thread has moved from a complaint about gas refills to the drop-off charge on a car that started in the destination in the first place.

I agree, nothing will be done. You're vore is for 2) then.

"My intention was to fill up the car rental after exiting the expressway and before entering the airport"

I guess I don't quite get the 'ripoff' complaint. You are the one who did not adequately prepare by finding out ahead of time where there was a gas station.

A 30 second search on google maps for 'gas near phx' shows quite a few gas stations. Taking a random guess that there would be one right at your car door when you needed it was your mistake, not the rental car co.

I guess this is just another example of modern day society. "I didn't prepare so therefore I'll flame that they ripped me off"

Well, Myer, I still don't see the basis for your complaint. Rental car companies presumably don't care where their cars are licensed. Many of the cars I've rented have had out of state plates. Presumably, over the life of a rental car, it travels all over the country.

Your assumption is that the car needed to go back to Arizona, yet it's quite possible it might have been going to another state again on the next rental. Why do you assume you are somehow doing them a favor by bringing the car back to where the car was licensed?

As far as the gas is concerned, my annoyance was that there wasn't a gas station easily reached between the expressway and the airport.

I agree it's more my fault than anyboy elses. But it's still annoying.

As to the drop-off fee. If they didn't have a preference to getting the cars with the local plates back, then you're agreeing that a drop-off fee is a scam to charge extra.

If they don't care, they wouldn't get away with it as all you need is one rental to lower the price and the other have to as well.

I understood the policy when I booked the car. It bothered me but not enough to change my plans.

However, after waiting about 30 minutes for a car and then being sent to the other side of the lot when the dispatcher noticed I'm going to Arizona so that I could deliver a car for them back to Arizona, got me thinking.

It was obvious it was to their advantage to get that car back to Arizona. It was on the far side of the lot waiting for a one-way trip.

I just think that two people getting charge a drop-off fee on the same car is a bit much. More so when I returning it for them.

Again, I went in understanding the rules. Can I be blamed for trying? We all want to save a bit for the next trip.

<<As to the drop-off fee. If they didn't have a preference to getting the cars with the local plates back, then you're agreeing that a drop-off fee is a scam to charge extra.>>

No, they don't care about the plates, but they DO care where the cars are. They have to plan for how many cars are at which facilities. I'm guessing, for example, that in the summer they don't keep as many cars in Phoenix as in the winter, when demand for them is much higher. Why have them sitting there off-season when the could be renting them in San Diego?

Anyway, you can't predict where the car company needs their cars, and you can't know that after you returned the Arizona car to Phoenix that it wasn't going off to some other third state immediately.

Is the drop-off fee a scam? Sure - lots of things about travel are. I guess you can try for some sort of refund. You could claim that you didn't like the peanuts you got on the plane and ask the airline for a credit on your next flight too, I suppose.

Myer,

a drop off fee is not a "scam to charge extra."

A drop off fee is an extra charge, period and if you don't like that and didn't agree to it all by signing your name at the time of rental then you should have gone elsewhere.

How DO they "get away" with this? Simple..it is called supply and demand..you want a car and they have one.

And yes, I bet that car with the Arizona plates WAS going back to PHX and yes, they charged you to drive it there for them.

That sems to be the way it works with car rentals everywhere and yes, I agree, it can be anger-provoking...to everyone except the stockholders.

Before I return a rental car I always check

www.GasPriceBuddy.Com
or
www.GasPriceWatch.Com

to find out where I can find inexpensive gas near the airport. These sites not only tell where stations are, but also their price and hours, and whether they take credit cards.

Andrew,
And talking about peanuts on the plane.

What would you do if the person next to you was so large that they spilled over onto your side of the arm rest.

That once happened to me on both legs of a trip. Going I accepted the uncomfortable situation but returning I went to the back of the plane and told the flight attendant.

She called her supervisor who said they would move me if there were any spare seats. I moved.

Upon returning, I wrote to the airline about the trip going and they sent me a credit towards a future flight.

It was an airline I don't use very often so it took a while to use the credit but.... a bit more towards the next trip.

In the end they get it all anyway.