rmuse00 Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 DH rents a car. He doesn't pay tolls. I know, that's his prob. But I never heard of this....he gets a letter from the rental car company saying that they paid the fine on "his behalf" and now have added a $25.00 administrative fee to it which is obviously much more than the fine. So now they are asking for the money. The letter says "in accordance with the terms and conditions of the rental agreement any such violations are reponsibility of the renter." Yes I aree and I have no problem with that. So, technically, DH owes the tollway right? If the car company paid this fee for DH is that not on them? Again, DH got his from me but when I read the letter I was like "can they do this?" Just never heard of this before. I know someone at this company so I could go to them and the amount is not the point. They are obviously in the business of making money. But I really just want to add to my knowledge here on whether or not this is something they can legally do? Thanks oh wise ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amerikaner83 Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 I have no idea...I can see how they'd be liable as owners of the vehicle if the driver does not pay ( the state would go for owners not drivers).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzle Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 So, technically, DH owes the tollway right? If the car company paid this fee for DH is that not on them? Nope, DH owes the car company. It's on him now since tolls are assessed on the vehicle, not the driver...and if the rental contract states that he's responsible for tolls, fines, tickets etc, and that they would be subject to an admin fee, then it is very much his responsibility. The last time I rented a car (from Thrifty) I didn't read the fine print, but as I picked it up the clerk made a point to let me know that ultimately I -- the renter -- am responsible for any and all tickets and things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Time Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 I'd fight it.He needs to send CMRRR denying he failed to pay any tolls and sort of vaguely accuse them of fraud and ask for copies of everything they got for the toll-people.Once he gets a response, no matter what it is, he should pay the toll amount with a money order to settle the matter, but still make it clear that he denies the allegations and that he refuses to pay them the extra $25 extortion fee. (He should call it that)Let them know that if they press the matter he will summon both the toll company and the car rental place to court to point fingers at each other to figure out which on of them is lying to try to extort money from him, or if they are colluding to do so.It'd be kind of a nutcase letter, but I'm kind of a nut, but then again I would have paid the tolls in the first place unless I was broke. Car rental companies probably have to deal with this kind of crap a lot, so you should both discuss the matter a little more before you decide what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzle Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Why lie about and fight it? He knowingly didn't pay the tolls, and the administration fee is valid. Granted $25 may be higher than we'd like, but paying $1.25 or whatever toll was would have been the least expensive solution. IMHO, rmuse00 & DH could spend far more than $25 in time, postage and energy fighting it. Incidentally, I don't live in a toll area, but I've read that sometimes the tolling authority itself can also tack on a $25 or so fee, in addition to the rental agency's admin fee, so maybe he got off easy.Back to rmuse00's original post...did you have a chance to look at the rental contract? Did it address this in any way?This is a story from Texas, but I'm sure it applies to a lot of places:http://www.nbc5i.com/news/14787183/detail.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Time Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 I'm stubborn, that's why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magdalen77 Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Incidentally, I don't live in a toll area, but I've read that sometimes the tolling authority itself can also tack on a $25 or so fee, in addition to the rental agency's admin fee, so maybe he got off easy.In PA if you don't pay the toll, they won't just charge you the actual toll, but they'll charge you the most expensive toll from the exit where you left the toll road. e.g. I miss a toll after traveling between two exits around Philly. The toll would be (if I paid it) about $1.00-1.20. Because I didn't they'd charge me for the toll to Gateway on the Ohio, which is $17.50. Then they charge you a $20-25 fine for blowing past the toll.That's why I have EZ-Pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betam4x Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 The problem with EZ Pass is they now do speed checking and mail you a speeding ticket if you go from tollbooth to tollbooth too fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Time Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Conform! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTigggers Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 The problem with EZ Pass is they now do speed checking and mail you a speeding ticket if you go from tollbooth to tollbooth too fast.I wonder how many people get out of that?That is just wrong and should not be allowed!This kind of action could lead to a lot of problems.What happens when this computer system malfunctions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magdalen77 Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 The problem with EZ Pass is they now do speed checking and mail you a speeding ticket if you go from tollbooth to tollbooth too fast.Really?? So far they haven't gotten me and I routinely do 75-80 on both the NJ and PA turnpike. Actually with the usual congestion on the Jersey turnpike, it probably decreases my average speed.If they're doing this it's just plain wrong, but I guess further evidence that Big Brother is watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merkurfan Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 It's been known to happen (timing you between EZ pass sites) but it's fightable just like a photo cop ticket. Prove it is YOU driving the car. Not just your car.Guilty till proven inocent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmuse00 Posted January 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Thanks for your feedback y'all! The fee is really not the point here, it's not much at all rather it's how they are going about collecting. The agent we spoke to was actually very surprised. She said it was customary for the Tollway to get the information regarding the driver and then collect right from the customer. She had never heard that the rental car company was paying and then trying to collect back from the customer. Forgot to mention that the toll violation was from jan of last year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insomniac Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 It's been known to happen (timing you between EZ pass sites)Has it really? I especially keep hearing this about the PA Turnpike, even before E-ZPass, but I have never personally known anyone or read a messageboard post from anyone who's actually gotten a timed ticket for reaching a tollbooth "too quickly."Here in Illinois, the executive director of the Tollway Authority has explicitly stated that they will NOT do this, fearing a backlash and people getting rid of their I-PASS transponders. Illinois DOES, however, use this to calculate travel times and feed it to the media for traffic reporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insomniac Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Forgot to mention that the toll violation was from jan of last year!Yep, the Tollway Authority has serious problems with a backlog of violations; it mostly stems from a switch to a different contractor in '06 or '07. The Daily Herald recently published a series of articles about it.I, too, find it odd that the rental car company is trying to collect. But it could be worse... unpaid tolls can increase to a maximum of 70 bucks a pop, so at least they didn't let the clock tick for a while after getting the paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Badyear Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 I suspect somwhere in the very, very fine print you can easily read with the pocket microscope you carry there is something in there about this. I have never read the fine print on a rental car contract in my life, and I rent them quite a bit. Mag, you are just out of control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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