Complaint Review: Dollar Car Rental - Inglewood California

We rented a car at the Los Angeles (LAX) branch of Dollar Rent A Car (9150 Aviation Blvd). The reservation was originally made with a Brazilian travel agency in my Brazilian father-in-law's name. He paid for the rental car beforehand via the travel agency. Because I'm American, my husband and I were listed as the drivers.

When we arrived at the LAX office to pick up the rental car, the attendant told me that he needed a credit card in my name, since I was the driver. I reminded him that we'd already paid for the rental car (which included insurance offered by the Brazilian travel agency). He informed me that the card was necessary just for a security hold, and that the money would be returned once we returned the car. I also distinctly remember the attendant mentioning that the gas tank would be full and that we'd have to return it full, another common rental car company practice that I didn't question.

Everything was fine with the car. We returned it at the Las Vegas Airport branch with a full tank of gas. When the "on the ground" attendant came to check out the car, he asked, "why did you fill up the gas tank? You had already paid for the gas." He showed me a code (FPO) on the paperwork that meant we'd already paid for gas. I was confused because I hadn't had any conversation of the sort with the Los Angeles attendant. The Las Vegas attendant told me I could go to customer service and get a refund on the gas charge, so my father-in-law and I went inside to talk to another attendant.

Once inside the administrative area, the next attendant talked to a manger and told me she would be able to refund the gas money. Then she confirmed the total final charge of $190.14. I told her that I was confused, since we'd already paid for everything beforehand, and any charges to my credit card were supposed to be security holds. She explained that the attendant at the LAX branch had charged me for a variety of services, including the tank of gas, roadside assistance, and some other insurance options that had not been explained to me. When I informed her that I had never agreed to those charges, she told me to get in contact via email. 

After not receiving a reply to my email, I tried calling customer service and the employee was completely rude and unhelpful. Her logic was that I signed a contract and am therefore responsible for these charges. However, their "contract" is the receipt that printed out AFTER I signed the credit card machine; therefore, I did not receive any copy of a contract to read before I signed it. I was not even informed that it was a contract that I was signing, since the employee had told me that I was signing for the hold on my credit card. The attendant told me "if the customer chooses not to read the contract, that's their problem" and "I treat my customers the way I would expect to be treated, as someone who reads contracts before I sign them." Who fed her those lines?!!??

I'm very disappointed with the dishonest way that I was charged for these services. The attendant in Los Angeles (I don't remember his name, only that he was a young man) blatantly lied to me about the charges on my card, telling me the card was only to be used for a "security hold." I was only told to sign one of those electronic credit card machines and was given no contract to read or physically sign. I never agreed to the gas/insurance/roadside assistance charges and I am suspicious that the employees receive some kind of commission for these extra services; I also can't help but wonder whether this employee took advantage of our fatigue (after 18 hours of travel) and of my lack of attention since I was translating everything for my in-laws, who do not speak English, to make a quick buck for himself. I wonder how many international customers are charged erroneously and do not have the English skills or cultural awareness to defend themselves. 

Run away! Avoid this company!!! Don't give them your hard-earned money.