Travel Troubleshooter: Budget Rent a Car charges bogus fees for refueling and cleaning

Q: I rented a car from Budget at Los Angeles International Airport recently. I returned the vehicle with a full tank of gas after stopping at a station a few blocks away.

After I dropped off the car, I received a receipt that indicated they would charge me a $90 fuel service fee. I immediately called Budget, and they agreed to reverse the charge.

Today I received a letter from Budget stating that they will charge me $125 for a cleaning fee. I absolutely dispute this.

I contacted Budget again and asked them to remove the cleaning fee. Budget refused. Supposedly, they had to send the car to a detailer for cleaning. They sent pictures of the car, but I am still disputing the charge. I feel as though I am being scammed. Can you help me get rid of this $125 cleaning fee?

A: If I didn't know any better, I'd say Budget was trying to make a little extra money off your rental — first with the refueling charge, then with a cleaning fee.

I'm glad you could get the refueling fee removed. Always remember to keep the gas station receipt and to take a picture of the gas gauge on "full," which will help prove that you returned your rental car with a full tank.

But the cleaning fee is a mystery. Budget sent you photos, but you say they are not of the car you rented. I'm reluctant to intervene in disputes like this. It's difficult to advocate in a "he said, she said" circumstance where no proof is available.

Sometimes, the car rental company makes a mistake. I recall a Budget case last year where the company tried to charge a customer $450 to clean up after his dog. He didn't have a dog. Could this be one of those times?

It looks like you did your best to resolve this in writing using the proven Elliott Method for resolving consumer complaints. You also reached out to the Budget customer service executives I publish on my consumer advocacy site, elliott.org. But Budget wouldn't budge.

I was on the fence about your cleaning bill until I read your invoice. According to Budget, you returned your car on the day you picked it up. Since you had rented the car for a week, that was impossible. Maybe Budget confused you with another customer?

I asked Budget about your cleaning fee. In response, Budget told me it would waive your cleaning fee. It also contacted you and zeroed out your bill.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit consumer organization. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.