Car hire fuel - fill up or not?

We have all kind of gone 'off topic' here as the original question was about car-hire companies charging (or over-charging!) for a full tank of petrol. The discussions above are interesting but maybe we should stick to the topic and if any other questions arise 'off-topic', then starting another topic may be better.

Caer Urfa wrote:Ive been using Drivalia now since last year.

Hi Caer Urfa,
Does Drivalia charge for a full tank of petrol? Never heard of them, where are they based?



Jan.

They give you the option return full or empty. I always take the full full option so not sure what they would charge if i took it back lets say quarter full.

They are based just outside the airport, a bus is waiting when you arrive, it takes you to their place which is about 3 minutes drive away.

Well I now know what they charged me for the fuel.

To briefly say what happened; the car hire company was Dickmans; my card was debited with a total amount of £407.90 (pounds) at their office just before I picked the car up and this included; the returnable deposit, a charge for a full tank of fuel and also a 'service charge'.
They have now refunded £309.27, which means that the fuel and service charge is £98.63.
Personally, I think this is a bit much, it certainly was not made clear when I booked the car (if it was in the small print somewhere I missed it). I returned the car a quarter full so probably used no more than £40 of fuel. I feel sorry for those who use less, there is no choice in paying this charge!!