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Dollar -- Surprise Taxes

Dollar Rent A Car •Rate Disputes •Damage Disputes •No Car Available •Surprise Fees/Taxes

Linda of Waupaca, WI, writes:
I reserved two cars through The Travel Agency located in Waupaca. Natalie suggested I reserve two cars from Dollar Rent A Car @ $189 per week, unlimited mileage for our family trip to San Antonio TX. My brother William and I picked up the car rental agreements/receipts at the Dollar Rent A Car counter at the San Antonio airport, then picked up the cars on Friday February 11, 2000. On the Dollar Car Rental agreements, we were asked to initial seven places and then the clerk showed what we believed to be a fair total of $194.89 for each car. The clerk did not mention at any time we would be charged an additional $80 in special taxes when we returned the cars. My husband and brother returned the cars on Saturday, Feb 19 at 11:10 a.m. I remained at the airport with the children to check baggage. The final invoice was $321.03 for each car. In the beginning we believed the cost of each car would be $194.89 + $46.89 (for 1 extra day due to cancelation of our flight on Fri 2/18/00--a bad snow storm at O'Hare). But another $79.25 was added to our credit card for 1) reimbursement Property T & L at $12.00, 2) concession rental $25.38, and 3) Tax 15% $41.87. As consumers, we would like to have been told this when we signed the agreement. When my husband asked for an explanation, Dollar Rent A Car said all out of state customers pay a special additional tax for the new sports stadium in San Antonio. And residents of Texas are exempt from this special additional tax.

Cities throughout the land lose no opportunity to soak tourists. There are exorbitant airport taxes, hotel taxes, telephone surcharges amd -- as Linda learned -- remarkably audacious taxes on rental cars. Frequent travelers come to expect these impositions, which doesn't mean they like them.

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