Mule

A couple months ago I rented a car to get to the Dallas Guitar Show. It was my first time doing so and Hertz seemed just as bad as any. I made the reservation before my trip. When I showed up at the counter there was a line, three people behind the desk and a kiosk with three screens and "Chat with an Expert" or something to that affect above the screens. We looked at each other in line, "Can we get our car from there? What are they expert in? I have a reservation already, are they for me?" Three people daringly stepped up to the kiosk. Two were put on hold and one got through, talking to someone on the screen via a phone.  The real humans behind the counter said "Next" If the people on hold went then the people behind them felt screwed, and if the people not on the phones went the phone people got screwed.  I picked up a phone and it said "Wait time 1 minute" Another person picked up a phone and it said  "wait time 1 minute". I imagine instead of it giving actual wait times it just automatically said "1 minute" or else no one would even pick up. We waited four or five and then hung up. I got to the counter. Remember I already had a reservation but we went through it all again, insurance, did I want to upgrade? We got to the gas.  The options given - I could pay for the gas in the car at $2.60/gallon, or I could use the gas and they would fill it back up at $10.99/gallon. Easy choice. More choices, more paperwork, and as I walked out into the lot to pick my vehicle I saw a sign including a third gas option - I refill the gas I use and return the car full. Well obviously it's in Hertz' best interests to forget that third option right? No way you are going to pay $11/gallon and unless you use every drop of fuel in the tank you're giving them free money.  $12 or so times every time the car is rented times every car they have equals big money.  At first I figured maybe there is some business reason I'm missing for that second option of paying for the full tank. But there isn't. Why even have it except for the chance of getting those unused gallons? You'll never run it dry, and if you do you'll have to fill it up anyways, which is the conveniently forgotten third common sense option of paying for what you use. It's burglary behind a mask of confusion. It's setting themselves for failure.  Who likes renting a car? No one. Eventually these crappy companies will be the Blockbuster of travel - demolished by Uber, Zipcars, etc.  They will request government bailouts, or lobby against the little guys like cities do against AirBnB and Uber. People will decry the loss of jobs when really it's they've sunk their own ship- one gallon at a time.