How small does the mesh have to be to still catch the little bits?

Sounds like he just meant stop overthinking it.

That "fuel surcharge" line is a classic. I had a buddy ship a truck from Denver to Chicago and the driver hit him with a $200 "gate fee" at drop off, cash only, no receipt. He paid it because his truck was sitting on the street and he just wanted it gone. He tried to fight it after and the broker just stopped answering emails. Credit card chargeback was the only thing that got him anywhere, so you're on the right track.