Warning--Car Rental Orlando--Gas Station RIP OFF

[ech39]

:mad: I just wanted to let all fellow cruise critic members to be aware of a gas station named SUNCOAST ENERGYS @ 5928 BUTLER NAT'L DR. ORLANDO, FL 32822. This station is directly across the street from Thrifty & Hertz Rental car location closest to MCO Airport.

 

We went to returned our rental car on Sat. 2/23/08 (after a great cruise) and had to fill up the gas tank before returning(or pay 6.99 per gallon) this station charged us $ 4.499 per gallon..What a rip off. They should be ashamed of them selves screwing people like this.

 

After some research it appears that this has been going on for sometime, they are the only one close to the airport and car rental places so they know that can screw travelers.

 

There are no signs outside the station listing prices so we should have know better, but they are praying on the traveler being in a hurry.

 

Why the state of FL has not shut them down is beyond me. FL relies so much on tourism that I can't beleive they let them continue to RIP OFF THE PUBLIC....

 

So anyone flying out of MCO and renting a car, PLEASE go about another mile and fill up your car.( If I had only known that before) Save your self some money. Tell all other Cruisers if you can!!

[trock]

Check this out..

 

http://gaswatch.energy.gov/

[KenMo]

It's been my experience that gas stations always charge more near the airports. For just the reasons you mentioned.

 

Yes.....they suck.

[ech39]

Thank You!! Great site..I reported it, !

[trock]

;)

Thank You!! Great site..I reported it, !

;) good for you! let us know if you hear back

[ech39]

It's been my experience that gas stations always charge more near the airports. For just the reasons you mentioned.

 

Yes.....they suck.

 

Yea, but thats BS to screw people that badly.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

click the link the previous poster gave you AND contact the state of florida. look at their official state website for more info.

[SeaDays]

Sorry you experienced this.

 

I've been traveling to Orlando for both business and pleasure for many years, and this place has been getting away with this for a long time. No posted prices -- definitely out to rip off tourists.

 

There's a Citgo just a little further down the road that is market priced. It's easy to get into, and you can exit on the side street and make a left back to MCO. There's another station on the other side of this intersection as well.

 

I'm surprised that Florida doesn't require reasonably sized posted prices.

 

I'm glad you posted the warning.

[Mikew0805]

Please don't take my statement wrong, because I would be pi$$ed as well, but in the end, isn't is just supply and demand? They have the gas, and the demand that close to the rental return is high. I certainly see a difference in this vs. someone who takes advantage of a emergency situation, to price gouge.

 

Nevertheless, it is good for us to know.. so that we can avoid the same mistakes... so thank you for the information.

[Mikel1733]

Check this out..

 

http://gaswatch.energy.gov/

 

 

Excellent suggestion trock:)

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

From the state of Florida website: To report business frauds and price gouging, contact the Attorney General's Fraud and Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-966-7226 or, to file a complaint online, visit http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contact. See what happens. Let us know. I want to say that there could be laws in some states that prevent retailers from selling too far above the average market price? I know there are some laws about selling less than but not sure about the opposite. Check it out or google it. You can also click on the link below and ask a question and get a email response from the state regarding gas price laws. http://myflorida.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/myflorida.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_sid=I_1lCkZi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=1308&p_sp=Z2FzIHByaWNlIGxhd3MmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1nYXMgc3RhdGlvbnM*

[chandom]

This has been going on for years with that gas station.

 

 

 

Letter from Chevron Consumer affairs: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6695877&postcount=30

 

News report of the station: http://www.local6.com/news/12885910/detail.html

 

Some thing from June 2005: http://www.orlandogasprices.com/Forum_MSG.aspx?master=1&category=1131&topic=126566&page_no=4&FAV=N

 

A posting on Cruise Critic from 2007: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=11447700&postcount=29

 

 

Unrelated to this... I have heard of people seeing the sign at a gas station marked at one price and only having one pump at the marked price.

http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/08/19/news/nebraska/doc46c79a4d2a842761110357.txt

 

Moral of all this... make sure you read the what the cost is in the display prior to filling the tank.

[kujobie]

Hi. I'm the Devil's Advocate. What I want to know is, why aren't you more angry at the car rental place for charging $6.99 per gallon? And, if you were planning to fill up anyways, why did you wait until you were across the street from the airport? Were you cutting it so short on time, or gas, that you were unable to turn around and drive a mile to save $20? If so, that's poor planning on your part. If this happens in the future, just put 12 gallons in, instead of 13. The guage will show a full tank and you will have saved $4.4999999

[ech39]

Hi. I'm the Devil's Advocate. What I want to know is, why aren't you more angry at the car rental place for charging $6.99 per gallon? And, if you were planning to fill up anyways, why did you wait until you were across the street from the airport? Were you cutting it so short on time, or gas, that you were unable to turn around and drive a mile to save $20? If so, that's poor planning on your part. If this happens in the future, just put 12 gallons in, instead of 13. The guage will show a full tank and you will have saved $4.4999999

 

Yes I do have a problem with the car rental company charging 6.99 per gallon, BUT they did tell us that up front when the car was rented. Also you have to show a receipt of a fill up within 10 miles of the rental center to not be charged. It sure was poor planning on my part, BUT I have never been HOSED by a gas station before and it was totally un expected. I am trying to keep other people from getting ripped off like we were. I hope you buy your gas there..;)

[standby 06.30]

Because the only direct flight we can get to Florida from Manchester UK is Virgin to Orlando, (are destination is Miami) I to on returning my rental car have used this station as a lot of Brits do to top up the car.

 

On the 10th of feb the US customers nearly caused a riot, the Brits because even at the price charged ( it is about half the UK price) remained quite, we viewed it as part of being in "the land of the free" regards

[skylock]

After Katrina, gas was not being delivered very regularly and the stations that were getting it was charging as much as $5 a gallon. I called the AG office to see if that was considered price gouging. (It was) ANd I was told an interesting fact. It seems there is a federal law on how much they can charge for gas. There is a min as well as a max. No one monitors this and a direct complaint has to be made for an investigation to be done.

 

I even had pictures I took. They were esp interested in the station that was charging $5 a gal. Months later, I saw the front page of the local paper and 10 stations had been fined for price gouging. I am not sure if it was the stations I had reported, but I reported 8 over two days.

[NCTribeFan]

Never, ever buy gas near an airport. You can fill up 10 miles away and the guage is still going to register "full" so why on earth would you wait until the last minute? It isn't rocket science. Is it gouging? Maybe. Probably. But a little common sense goes a long way with these things.

 

It's called convenience! Why do I have to pay more to eat in the airport than at the same place outside? Because of limited availability and convenience.

 

Caveat emptor!

[big_duck]

Never, ever buy gas near an airport. You can fill up 10 miles away and the guage is still going to register "full" so why on earth would you wait until the last minute? It isn't rocket science. Is it gouging? Maybe. Probably. But a little common sense goes a long way with these things.

 

It's called convenience! Why do I have to pay more to eat in the airport than at the same place outside? Because of limited availability and convenience.

 

Caveat emptor!

 

Whilst it may be considered gouging, you can bet that particular operator is getting the same gouging for lease/franchise fees, etc. Business is all about location, location location, and the best locations come at a heavy premium.

 

This is by no way an excuse for not fairly displaying the pump price.

[noblepa]

...Also you have to show a receipt of a fill up within 10 miles of the rental center to not be charged...

 

This must be different for each rental company. Last September, I flew into Tampa, rented a car and drove to a neice's wedding in St. Petersburg. IIRC, it was around 30 miles each way. When I returned the car, the gas gauge still showed full, so I didn't bother to fill it up. They didn't charge me anything for gas. I'm not sure, but I think it was Dollar.

[Love-to-ride]

Thanks for the heads up, as we'll be sailing on the Glory this may and will be renting a car in Orlando..