Travel Troubleshooter: Do I really have to pay this $450 rental-car cleaning fee?

Q: I rented a car from Budget for our family trip to Niagara Falls for 10 days. We also drove to Toronto and Montreal. After I returned the car, I received a bill for $450 for cleaning for what it called “excessive dirt and sand.”

I called Budget today using the customer service number provided in the bill. When I spoke to the representative I asked for pictures to substantiate the claim. Once Budget sent them, I refused to authorize the charge to my credit card.

I don’t think I should have to pay a cleaning charge. The amount of debris left behind would be vacuumed during their normal processing of a vehicle to the next renter. Can you help me?

A: I agree with you that $450 is too much for a cleaning fee. Yet Budget and other car rental companies have been charging these fees to drivers, and often for what appears to be a normal cleaning.

Question is, was this a normal cleaning?

Budget’s initial answer is yes — and no. After I began working on your case, a Budget representative contacted you and offered to lower the cleaning price to $150, which is much more reasonable.

You also sent me the pictures of the car. Clearly, you had taken the vehicle on a 10-day family vacation in it. There was sand on the floor, and although you say you had cleaned the car, it appeared there was more cleaning to be done.

What does your rental agreement say? Under the terms and conditions of your rental it says you will have to pay a reasonable fee” for cleaning the vehicle’s interior or exterior for “what we determine in our sole discretion are excessive stains, trash, dirt, soilage, odors, or pet hair after the vehicle is returned.”

In other words, Budget gets to say what is dirty, and it gets to set the cleaning fee. Unfortunately, the company also doesn’t offer any guidance for renters about what constitutes above normal use. Is it a few candy wrappers? A little dust from that memorable hike in the red rocks of Sedona? A few sea shells from your Sanibel beach adventure? Who knows?

There’s no doubt that there was some sand and dirt left in the car. I would have found a vacuum cleaner before returning the vehicle. You never want to give a car rental company an excuse to charge you extra.

Just to make sure, I also checked with Budget. My contact at the company confirmed: “The charge is valid.” You appealed the charge and Budget agreed to lower the cleaning fee to $75. Good work!

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