My wife recently rented a car in Columbus, Ohio, from Dollar Rent A Car. She is not a frequent traveler so she called me at the rental car counter that day to ask me if she should accept their insurance coverage charges that they were trying to add to the contract. Since our current auto insurance policy covered rental cars, I told her not to accept their charges.

She specifically told the Dollar Rental car agent in Columbus to not include the $20 a day insurance coverage on her rental agreement. However, these charges were added.

I have contacted Dollar regarding an insurance charge of $104, but they refuse to make any type of adjustment or issue a refund. The customer service person at Dollar said my wife's electronic signature when she checked out the car is proof that she wanted the insurance coverage. The Dollar counter in Columbus has a small electronic signature unit, and my wife would have had to scroll through many, many pages to see various charges via this tiny signature box unit.

What steps can I take to get a refund?

– Ted Van Anne, Colleyville, Texas

The technology your wife used at the time of her rental should have helped her instead of leaving her with an overcharge of $104.

Car rental companies have installed electronic counter systems in order to avoid any misunderstandings with customers. Dollar's included a series of digital screens that had to be read and acknowledged before finishing the rental process.

Two of the screens dealt with any additional options purchased, their daily cost, and then the estimated rental total, including all options, taxes and fees. When I checked with Dollar, it said it moved to the system to better explain charges and to disclose any potential issues, such as traffic or toll violations.

If your wife wasn't used to the system, she probably remembers what it was like before these countertop gadgets. Back then, you simply told the agent you were declining the insurance, and then the employee fixed the contract.

The Dollar employee should have informed your wife that she needed to decline the options on the screen, and cautioned her to read the options carefully.

She would have had several opportunities to see the final rate and then make a correction at the end of the rental process and when she returned the car. Waiting until after she returned from her trip limited her options for recovering the insurance fee she was wrongfully charged.

At the same time, it is in a car rental company's interests to keep the rental process as confusing as possible. Why? Optional insurance is highly profitable to car rental companies.

I think there's no question that Dollar could have been clearer about its insurance. I've used the digital screens myself and there's a lot of small print; if you're in a hurry, it's asking a lot to read the whole document.

Still, your wife should have done her due diligence. And so should anyone else who rents a car in this age of surprise surcharges.

I contacted Dollar on your behalf. A representative said that although the records show your wife signed off on the insurance, "It is quite evident that Mr. Van Anne will continue to escalate this issue and remains very concerned with how he feels this charge was applied." Dollar refunded the $104.

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