You gotta read the fine print, friends…

That goes for everything in life, and it’s especially true when it comes to rental agreements.

Some hardware stores have rental trucks available to transport your purchase, but have you ever thought about renting one of these vans or trucks to transport something you bought somewhere else? It can seem like a great idea, but you have to look at the fine print.

Take a look at the story below and see how this Reddit user pulled a fast one when they almost got overcharged for renting a van.

$300 deposit.

“Just happened today, but satisfying for me.

I bid on some furniture at an online auction. I was surprised I actually won it, but very happy too.

It was mostly small pieces, but big enough that it wouldn’t fit in my car, so I decided I’d rent a van.

The major Midwest hardware store in my city has a special where you can get the van for $18.95. Their website said weekend rates were higher and I’d have to pay a deposit, but that was all.

It seemed pretty straightforward.

I figured it was still cheaper than a rental place so I went bright and early this morning and went to customer service. I asked the customer service lady about the process.

She took copies of my license and my insurance, and then plopped the rental agreement on the counter.

Cs lady: Are you transporting things purchased here?

Me: no just some furniture.

Cs: okay, without the purchase it’s a $300 deposit on a credit card

Okay I know it’s a vehicle and it’s worth more than $300, but that’s a big deposit for bringing it back in an hour.

They had an idea…

So I looked around and saw the snack cakes display…

Me: actually I will be transporting things I bought here too.

Cs: since you said you weren’t I have to have it on the same transaction.

Me: Not a problem.

Booyah!

I grabbed a sleeve of little donuts and laughed as my total dropped from $330 to just over $100. I ran my card and finished the transaction in silence.

When I returned the van it got a very thorough walk around by the manager, I got my deposit back on my card from him and saw my cashier still staring daggers at me from the back.

I was very glad I “saved big money” with their van today!”

That was a clever workaround and a delicious snack!

Reddit users spoke up.

This person chimed in.

Another Reddit user shared their thoughts.

This reader wasn’t impressed.

Another person spoke up.

That’s called “sticking it to THE MAN”…kind of…

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.