StarTribune.com
Travel Troubleshooter: Returning rental car early will cost more
Christopher Elliot
6/24/07
Q We recently booked a rental car through Alamo.com for 10 days. Unfortunately, my husband's grandmother died while we were on vacation and we had to come home three days early. A few days after I returned, I discovered my credit card had been charged more than triple the price Alamo had originally quoted us. The early-return policy on Alamo's website says something about a $15-per-day fee for early returns, but our weekly rate was raised from $152 to $513.
We were not told of the higher charges when we returned the car. We did not authorize or sign a receipt agreeing to pay that amount. Alamo claims that we broke our original contract when we returned the car early, but I feel this is a classic case of bait and switch. Do I have any recourse?
XXX
A Two years ago, Alamo made a significant change to its return policy. Not only would it apply a $15-per-day early return fee, but it would also recalculate your rate, charging you the same price walk-up customers pay for renting cars without reservations. In other words, you would owe Alamo the penalty plus the rate difference, which in your case is an extra $361. You could have prevented this excessive surcharge by carefully reading the terms of your rental contract and asking about the early-return fee when you came home before you were supposed to. If you had asked, you might have been able to explain your situation to a manager, who would have almost certainly adjusted your rate in a more compassionate way.
I contacted Alamo on your behalf. Regina Barr, a senior customer service manager, said that under the circumstances, the company would honor the original weekly rate. It has issued a refund.
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