It came as quite a shock to Hertz customer Joshua Lee when he saw on the receipt for his rental — a Tesla Model 3 — a $277.39 additional charge for gas. According to Hertz, that was the cost of “refueling” the vehicle. Unfortunately for Lee, the further he pressed the company for more information, the more Hertz doubled down. When Lee first questioned the car rental company, he explained that not only is Tesla an electric vehicle that doesn’t need refueling, the car was returned with a 96% full battery, the exact same state of charge it was picked up with. Even if the vehicle would have needed a full recharge, it should have only been the specified $35 fee, $25 for Gold Plus Rewards Members. Making matters worse, a Hertz customer service administrator responded by email saying: “Your signed rental agreement will also be our basis that you are fully aware of the fuel option that was added on the contract.” Let's recap: Not only did Hertz acknowledge that Lee was charged for refueling an electric car, which isn't possible, but it defended that claim on the basis that the agreed-upon service was provided. How? Where did the fuel go? Even if we were talking about a gas-powered car, what make and model is knocking back $277 for a full tank of gas? Lee has been a longtime Hertz customer, so much so that he has President's Circle status, but he told them that this rental will be his last with Hertz. Meanwhile, when news of Lee’s exorbitant charges hit the Internet, Hertz executives reached out to Mr. Lee, apologizing and issuing a refund for “this erroneous charge.”
