Toronto Man Billed $5,900 for Driving Nearly 30,000 Km in One Week

Imagine returning a rental car after a week-long family vacation, only to discover you've been charged nearly $6,000 for driving almost 30,000 kilometres.

That's what happened to Toronto resident Yuehao Huang, who rented a vehicle from Avis in Montreal for a road trip through Quebec and Ottawa with visiting family members.

By the end of the seven-day trip, Huang's phone had recorded approximately 1,400 kilometres of travel. But according to Avis, he had driven an astonishing 28,933 kilometres.

To put that into perspective, he would have had to drive at roughly 172 km/h, nonstop, for seven straight days. No sleeping, no meals and certainly no sightseeing.

Avis charged Huang an additional $5,900 for exceeding his mileage allowance, on top of the more than $1,000 he had already prepaid.

Huang disputed the charge and provided evidence of his actual trip, but weeks went by without a resolution. Even a dispute through his credit card company failed to get the charges reversed.

Finally, he turned to CityNews' Speakers Corner for help.

Within a day of being contacted by the news outlet, Avis acknowledged that a data-entry error had caused the incorrect charge. The company apologized and confirmed that a refund was being processed.

After the experience, Huang has a simple piece of advice for anyone renting a car: always photograph the odometer when picking up and returning the vehicle.

A few seconds with your phone could save you a $6,000 headache.