Belle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,309
Jun 28, 2014 4:39:12 GMT
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Post by Belle on Jul 25, 2016 19:08:45 GMT
***Update on page 3***
We rented a car last month while we were in California. When we rented the car, the rental agent said nothing about toll roads. We saw a few signs for toll roads and drove on them knowing we would have to pay the toll. We have toll roads at home and are familiar with how they work.
We got our bill for the tolls last week - there were 2 charges totaling $9. No big deal....I sent off the payment and thought we were done.
On Saturday a letter arrived from Budget rent-a-car telling us that THEY charge a $25 fee per toll and would be charging our credit card (the card we used to rent the car) $50!!! This fee does not go towards the actual tolls. Thank goodness we only drove on two toll roads - we were in California for a week!
Has anyone else encountered something like this? Seems like a scam to me. With so many cities using toll roads now, it would almost be impossible for an out of town visitor to avoid all toll roads, especially when relying on GPS or Siri to give directions and they tell the drive to take the toll road.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 25, 2016 19:12:34 GMT
When we were in Florida the rental place had a sign about paying for the tolls you could pay x amount per day or pay the tolls as you go. If you drove through without paying they would change you x amount per toll or day.
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Jul 25, 2016 19:13:14 GMT
Call them and tell them the tolls are paid. And send a copy of the payment receipt. This is not uncommon.
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
Jun 25, 2014 20:06:48 GMT
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Post by freebird on Jul 25, 2016 19:14:22 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go.
ETA: apparently this is not an option everywhere.... I get it already.
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,615
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
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Post by basketdiva on Jul 25, 2016 19:17:07 GMT
I just need a quick google search and it seems that this something rental car agencies have been doing for a few years. I would check the rental agreement ( if you kept your copy) and see if you can find anything about the $25 fee. Some agencies will charge you a small fee per day instead of the huge service fee you got.
Not a scam but a rip-off like all the additional airline fees. There are several articles that you how you can get temporary passes in some areas and other ways to avoid those high fees.
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,615
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
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Post by basketdiva on Jul 25, 2016 19:18:34 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go. Many toll roads are "cashless" so you can't pay as you go.
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,521
Location: NorCal USA
Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Jul 25, 2016 19:24:33 GMT
We had something similar in Chicago. There was a thing (in Ca it's called Fastpass) in the car to pay the tolls. We didn't read the fine print until after going over toll roads that if we used the rental car's pass that we would also pay an extra $12.95/day. If it was in your rental agreement you will probably have to suck it up and pay... Lucky for you California only has tolls when you cross bridges.
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Post by elaine on Jul 25, 2016 19:25:33 GMT
We rented a car last month while we were in California. When we rented the car, the rental agent said nothing about toll roads. We saw a few signs for toll roads and drove on them knowing we would have to pay the toll. We have toll roads at home and are familiar with how they work. We got our bill for the tolls last week - there were 2 charges totaling $9. No big deal....I sent off the payment and thought we were done. On Saturday a letter arrived from Budget rent-a-car telling us that THEY charge a $25 fee per toll and would be charging our credit card (the card we used to rent the car) $50!!! This fee does not go towards the actual tolls. Thank goodness we only drove on two toll roads - we were in California for a week! Has anyone else encountered something like this? Seems like a scam to me. With so many cities using toll roads now, it would almost be impossible for an out of town visitor to avoid all toll roads, especially when relying on GPS or Siri to give directions and they tell the drive to take the toll road. It took someone(s) time and energy to track you down if you just drove through toll stations without paying your tolls. Some one at the rental agency had to figure out who had the car with that plate at the time the toll stations were driven through and then forward your info to the toll agency. When we rent or even drive our own car in Florida, we pay cash at the toll stations since our electronic toll do-Hicky doesn't work down there. I would never just drive through and not pay.
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Post by myboysnme on Jul 25, 2016 19:28:38 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go. Many toll roads are "cashless" so you can't pay as you go. Yes, I found out about this when I started getting bills from my son's use of a toll road. He can't pay at the time unless he has an EZPass.
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Post by myboysnme on Jul 25, 2016 19:30:04 GMT
We rented a car last month while we were in California. When we rented the car, the rental agent said nothing about toll roads. We saw a few signs for toll roads and drove on them knowing we would have to pay the toll. We have toll roads at home and are familiar with how they work. We got our bill for the tolls last week - there were 2 charges totaling $9. No big deal....I sent off the payment and thought we were done. On Saturday a letter arrived from Budget rent-a-car telling us that THEY charge a $25 fee per toll and would be charging our credit card (the card we used to rent the car) $50!!! This fee does not go towards the actual tolls. Thank goodness we only drove on two toll roads - we were in California for a week! Has anyone else encountered something like this? Seems like a scam to me. With so many cities using toll roads now, it would almost be impossible for an out of town visitor to avoid all toll roads, especially when relying on GPS or Siri to give directions and they tell the drive to take the toll road. It took someone(s) time and energy to track you down if you just drove through toll stations without paying your tolls. Some one at the rental agency had to figure out who had the car with that plate at the time the toll stations were driven through and then forward your info to the toll agency. When we rent or even drive our own car in Florida, we pay cash at the toll stations since our electronic toll do-Hicky doesn't work down there. I would never just drive through and not pay. Many toll roads don't have a place to pay so you are not actually driving through without paying. You either get a bill or you use your prepay responder.
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Post by workingclassdog on Jul 25, 2016 19:33:06 GMT
Cashless tolls in Colorado as well..
What a scam though... it is so obviously just profit.....I hate car rental companies...
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 6, 2024 18:19:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 19:35:53 GMT
Rental cars in Texas are that way also (at least in the Dallas area)
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Post by KikiPea on Jul 25, 2016 19:40:48 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go. That's not how it works here. We don't have toll booths. If you do not have a toll tag, they will send you a bill.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 6, 2024 18:19:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 19:42:03 GMT
Lucky for you California only has tolls when you cross bridges. There are a few toll roads in California that aren't connected to bridges. We drove on a few when we were traveling in So. Cal.
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
Jun 25, 2014 20:06:48 GMT
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Post by freebird on Jul 25, 2016 19:45:28 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go. That's not how it works here. We don't have toll booths. If you do not have a toll tag, they will send you a bill. Huh.. interesting. I've not experienced that before.
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,521
Oct 11, 2014 3:17:29 GMT
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Post by bethany102399 on Jul 25, 2016 19:47:46 GMT
Rental cars in Texas are that way also (at least in the Dallas area) That was our experience in Dallas as well, though they warned us about it. I actually got lost trying to get out of the Dallas airport and thought the parking pay thing was one of the tolls. I had my mom in the car, and we were already about 2 inches from being at one another's throats. good times. I will say if you're on parts of I-70 going between KC and Topeka, you literally do stop and pay the toll. but there's no way you can't stop they have barriers set up.
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Post by myshelly on Jul 25, 2016 19:48:19 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go. Some places (like where I live) don't have this option. There is no way to pay at a toll road. Everyone gets a bill in the mail. No one works at the tolls. There are no toll booths. There is nowhere to pay. You can only pay by bill. It sounds like the roads OP drove on we're like this.
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Post by bc2ca on Jul 25, 2016 19:48:40 GMT
I have always been informed that I am responsible for tolls when renting a car in southern CA. Unless you have a Fastrak transponder in the car, you have 5 days from using the road to go online and pay the toll. None of the toll agencies I'm aware of will send you a bill unless you miss the 5 day deadline and then they are sending a Notice of Toll Evasion. Budget would have received this notice because the vehicle is registered to them. My understanding of any rental agreement I have signed with Enterprise is that, if they get a Notice of Toll Evasion, they pay it and turn around and charge me that amount (toll + penalty) and add in their own penalty.
I'm surprised you are getting a bill directly from the toll agency (I assume Budget gave your address to them?), but not surprised Budget is assessing a fine.
None of the toll roads around here have an actual toll booth anymore but they all have plenty of signage telling you where to go online and how to pay the tolls.
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2016 20:04:25 GMT
I think I know which toll roads the OP drove on. Ever since they went boothless, I avoid them. Anyways, I was curious and did a little google search. Apparently rental car agencies in many states, including California, now put transponders on their cars. You have to opt out of the e-toll system or you get charged. There are many complaints about it because the agencies are not really active on pointing this out to you when you rent a car! I have a feeling the OP will be stuck paying the extra fee.
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Post by myshelly on Jul 25, 2016 20:07:38 GMT
I think I know which toll roads the OP drove on. Ever since they went boothless, I avoid them. Anyways, I was curious and did a little google search. Apparently rental car agencies in many states, including California, now put transponders on their cars. You have to opt out of the e-toll system or you get charged. There are many complaints about it because the agencies are not really active on pointing this out to you when you rent a car! I have a feeling the OP will be stuck paying the extra fee. May I ask why you avoid them? I'm just curious because I have never driven on anything other than boothless toll roads.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 25, 2016 20:09:28 GMT
Yes, rental car companies now charge a daily fee if you use the pass on the car. It's ridiculous.
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2016 20:10:25 GMT
I think I know which toll roads the OP drove on. Ever since they went boothless, I avoid them. Anyways, I was curious and did a little google search. Apparently rental car agencies in many states, including California, now put transponders on their cars. You have to opt out of the e-toll system or you get charged. There are many complaints about it because the agencies are not really active on pointing this out to you when you rent a car! I have a feeling the OP will be stuck paying the extra fee. May I ask why you avoid them? I'm just curious because I have never driven on anything other than boothless toll roads. I guess i am just old school. I prefer to pay as I go, and I don't trust that the system will accurately apply my payment to the correct toll. The system on the road I used to take has only been up for a year or two. We don't get a bill, you just go on-line and pay within so many days. How do they know which car to apply that to? Yeah, a little paranoid!
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Post by tiffanyr on Jul 25, 2016 20:14:21 GMT
It isn't scam but it is a rip-off!! Texas has cashless tolls as well. When the super bowl was in town several years ago there was a big uproar about visitors being charged outrageous amounts through the rental cars.
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,521
Location: NorCal USA
Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Jul 25, 2016 20:17:07 GMT
Lucky for you California only has tolls when you cross bridges. There are a few toll roads in California that aren't connected to bridges. We drove on a few when we were traveling in So. Cal. Are you talking roads everyone pays a toll to travel or express lanes on the freeway? I know the Bay Area has express lanes now that you can pay a toll to drive in, but I wouldn't call that a toll road as you have a choice.
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2016 20:19:34 GMT
There are a few toll roads in California that aren't connected to bridges. We drove on a few when we were traveling in So. Cal. Are you talking roads everyone pays a toll to travel or express lanes on the freeway? I know the Bay Area has express lanes now that you can pay a toll to drive in, but I wouldn't call that a toll road as you have a choice. There are a few freeways in So. Cal. that are toll roads. To use them you have to pay. They are not express lanes on an otherwise free freeway. We do have express lanes also that you pay a toll to use (or free for carpoolers). Just wanted to add that the toll roads in So. Cal are not major freeways. They were made to take traffic off of the main freeways. So, you do have an option to use them or not. They are generally less crowded and are a short-cut.
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Post by disneypal on Jul 25, 2016 20:27:02 GMT
When we were in Florida the rental place had a sign about paying for the tolls you could pay x amount per day or pay the tolls as you go. If you drove through without paying they would change you x amount per toll or day. I rent cars quite often and I am aware that you pay x amount per day for tolls OR you pay the tolls as you go. Perhaps they are unaware that you paid for the tolls already - I would call the rental car place and discuss it with them. Do you have your agreement? Review it first and make sure you didn't agree to pay the x amount per day. If not, then call them. Tell them you can provide proof that you paid the tolls. Save
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Post by nlwilkins on Jul 25, 2016 20:31:20 GMT
When we were in Houston a last year, we thought we would be stopping at a booth and paying when we exited. WRONG. there was no booth. So we stopped at an EazyTag store and paid for the toll there. The lady who took our money said that if we had not stopped and paid, we would have had to pay a fine which was $65 if I remember right. In order to avoid the toll you have to drive the feeder roads and stop at evey cross street.
I just looked this up on Google and found conflicting info - but what the lady said was by the time we would have recieved the bill, our fines and all would have totaled $65
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Post by *KAS* on Jul 25, 2016 20:37:46 GMT
My experience with tolls and rental cars is that you stop and pay the tolls like everyone else. If you don't then you get a fine. The rental company got your bill for non-payment so that cost them a lot of extra money in wages, etc. In the future, you have to stop and pay those tolls as you go. That's not how it works here. We don't have toll booths. If you do not have a toll tag, they will send you a bill. Yes, I know National's policy is that the tolls are charged to the credit card on file, and then National charges you a $2.50 administrative fee per day for any day that you incur a toll charge. There is a website where you can get a copy of your receipt. This is specific to Florida where booth attendants are being phased out and you either have a Sunpass in your windshield, or it goes to the license plate. But $2.50 is a lot different than $25. That seems ridiculously high.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 6, 2024 18:19:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2016 20:51:26 GMT
There are a few toll roads in California that aren't connected to bridges. We drove on a few when we were traveling in So. Cal. Are you talking roads everyone pays a toll to travel or express lanes on the freeway? I know the Bay Area has express lanes now that you can pay a toll to drive in, but I wouldn't call that a toll road as you have a choice. In So. Cal, there are toll roads: www.ie511.org/trip-planners/toll-roads
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Post by KikiPea on Jul 25, 2016 20:57:33 GMT
I think being charged by both is a total rip off. If you pay once, you should not be charged, again.
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