• Is there a fee we haven't thought of? The search for new fees continues. For example, car rental companies used to give their best customers big breaks when they rented from them. Warren Atwood used to rent from Hertz in Los Angeles County and return his vehicle to Orange County. Technically, he would have incurred a drop-off fee, but because he was a frequent renter, that fee used to be waived. Not anymore.
''Now I have to pay (a drop-off fee),'' he says. ``I guess I don't rent from them enough.''
Maybe. But maybe Hertz, like many other car rental companies, is just looking to make the most money from its cars.
Nothing wrong with that, of course. But, when it comes to these clever fees, I have a feeling the car rental industry is just getting its second wind. In the past, they've found ways of passing along the cost of everything from their car registration (vehicle license recoupment fee) to getting rid of old tires (tire disposal fee).
The only way to avoid these surcharges is to check your rate quote to make sure the fee is disclosed. If it isn't, you can -- and should -- argue to have it removed from your bill.
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