Tolltag and Pikepass have been a great thing to help speed along traffic on turnpikes. For Pikepass, there is a $135 fine for running a gate. If you fail to pay, they put a "hold" on your tag renewal until you pay. You also risk getting a $180 ticket if an officer witnesses you running a gate. So, a $10 fee is minimal compared to what you could pay. Looks like the system is giving a huge discount to car rental companies.

What the rental car companies are saying is total bull. I got 2 of these citations somewhere DFW airport and still haven't figured out how. I just get a letter in the mail that says they have charged $25 to my credit card. How is this costing the rental car company money? How are we going to get these toll roads marked coming out of big airports so visitors know what they are doing? This is def innately a profit center for the rental car company and the state

If you dont like it then dont rent a car, or rent a car and dont drive through the tolls without paying! If the tolls confuse you, then maybe it is time to hang up the old driving gloves, eh ?

My company uses Violation Mgt Svces. They give
the renter an opportunity to resolve their violations
with the agencies issuing the summons. The surcharges
are issued when the consumer fails to follow through.

Another affirmation that "the Customer is always WRONG"! not like the old days when customers were right. Everybody is out to make a profit from you and me, joe average.

I rented from Enterprise in Florida. I went through an automated toll booth in Florida and was so used to having SunPass that I forgot in the rental car I didn't have it. Enterprise sent me a bill for $1.75, the exact cost of the toll I did not pay. Enterprise was very fair and polite about it. I sent them a check for the $1.75 mistake. The point is, not all rental agencies are gouging the consumer.

red tape for red tape -i didnt read the whole article but the company is taking time to pay the ticket --your corrupted point? they should do this gratis????

red tape for red tape -i didnt read the whole article but the company is taking time to pay the ticket --your corrupted point? they should do this gratis????

This doesn't justify being a top story on MSN. It's not free to match up, manually, the date of the toll and then verify the validity, and who had the car, track them down, and then collect it.

This isn't profiteering, like with the gasoline scam that these rent a car companies enforce.

What a "no brainer". The rental car agency just tacks on a $16 sur-charge to the rental contract. The driver would have to go thru a toll gate 10 times to equal that. When the car is returned the driver is told the fee will be debited back to his/her credit card company, minus any unpaid toll fees and charges after a 30 day waiting period.

I work for a rental car company in NC and its not only the toll violations that people are getting but parking and other moving violations that are sent to us. We had a customer that received over $800 in parking tickets from NYC in 3 days. NY's law state that we can not transfer the responsibility over to the renter and of course the renter never paid the bill. Now this is an extreme case for an example, but it took us a little over 6 months of sending in the rental agreements and statements before they said they would impound any car owned by us if the bill was not paid. We do charge a deposit when the car is rented but it takes at least 2 months to receive a citation from any state. By this time most of the renters have moved or don't care about paying a bill. Hiring a service to find them is a good idea because it does cost us as the company thousands annually.

I think it is totally bull a rental company only makes $20 per rental. HA. If anyone out there wants to rent my vehicle for $180 per day or even week, come and get her. We had to rent a car to drive 105 miles one way. Cost: $149 plus pay for a FULL tank of gas, $60. They make money hand over fist. Don't let 'em fool ya.

they used to say no one washes a rental car. appar ently, no one pays their fines, either.

who should pay your fine, if you rent a car then don't pay the toll? it isn't the rental company's problem

Oh, please. I've rented a car in Houston before where they have one of these e-toll-only roads, and the signs make it very clear that the road is e-toll-only. Anyone who is confused by that signage needs to seriously question why they're driving at all! Pay attention, pay the fine, and quit belly-aching.

unamerican you say ! What about all the toll roads that are owned or operated by forign companies ? Their all over the the country and getting worse. Our crooked politicians are steadly giving away the country. When are the people going to wake up and stop them!

This exact thing happened to me recently. I'm from the Dallas area and was in town for a friend's wedding last November that took place on Hwy 121. Last month (January), I get a bill from Avis stating that I ran a tollbooth and incurred a 20-cent charge. My fine from Avis: $25 that was automatically charged to my credit card that they had on file for the rental. It's a system that's utterly ridiculous and set up to trap drivers into paying outrageous fees. I've driven in that area many times and don't even recall running through a toll booth on this trip.

I think it is very unfair for companies to expect travelers who are unfamiliar with the area to know about these toll fees. I received a bill recently for unpaid toll fees in the DFW area which i found rediculous because the rental company never warned me about the possiblity of toll fees. Plus half the time, many of us lose our way and end up going through these areas without wanting to because we are unfamiliar with the area. I think it would be a smart idea just to add a flat fee to all agreements to cover these fees.

Here's another one for you to add to the rental car rediculousities...<

If you are so stupid or careless that you don't pay a toll in a rental car, the rental car company should be able to charge you as much as they want. This article is so whiny it is sickening. Pay the tolls (or more correctly: don't break the law) or face the consequences.

For 6 dollar a day we drove in Orlando with a epass equip rent a car.

How wonderful! Another "profit center" for the rental companies! Return the car more than 4 hours early - be charged a higher rate. Don't top off the tank beyond full just before you return the car - be charged a fee. And don't forget to take before and after photos to make sure they don't try and hit you for a scratch one of their own employees probably caused. These guys make cable companies seem honest....

And sometimes the car rental places try to stick you with things that you have not done. We rented a car and after we got home they tried to stick us with damage to the car which we did not do.

I purchased an automobile from a local dealership last year that was a rental car company turn in. When the title was transfered the toll collection company picked up on the transfer and sent me a collection notice with a photo of the car on it. The dealership took care of it, but how many people would pay up to avoid the hastle.

The solution is simple. Go back. Rent another car, purchase the outrageously priced collision insurance, and play demolition derby. They will collect for the repairs, but lose the (rental) use of the car while it is in the shop. Or, just juce the wear & tear. Rent the car and lock it in first gear and drive it everywhere (including the tollway) like that for the period of the rental. Then pop it into normal drive to return it.

There is never a "violation" driving on 121 because the billing is done strictly by looking at the license plate and sending an invoice. You are not required to have a tolltag (it's certainly not a violation if you don't), but if you happen to have one, they will bill that directly for "convenience". It's actually a different system from the NTTA system of toll roads which uses the tolltag. On 121, there are no sensors to even read the tolltag. All the billing is done by license plate photos.

What the rental car companies are doing sounds bad. They should provide a tolltag and give you the opportunity to pay your tolls without penalty, but there's a difficulty. Because the tolls are processed by license plate and by a separate company from the one that does the tolltag billing, it may take some time after you've returned the car before the charges show up against the tolltag account.

It would be good if you would tackle the story of the Texas government (and other places, I'm sure) selling off the public commons to private companies like the one that runs highway 121. That is by far the most egregious thing going on here.

My EZ Pass tag failed to register while going thru a toll lane in a dealership loaner car. The Penna Turnpike Commission allows rental agencies to inform them of the identity of the driver of the car, and and then the PTC goes after the individual. I recieved a violation notice, with the photo of the car, and an appeal form, and the car dealer never had to pay a cent.

And what compounds it for any new driver to these areas with restricted toll roads are other bits of technology: GPS units and web mapping and direction sites routing drivers onto these "special" toll roads without clear warnings of the rules. There are usually options to these roads, but GPS units nor webmapping rarely offer a warning such as "Special Equipment Required to Transit This Road" and provide a different route.

I just rented a car in Dallas, and when I did the agent at the Budget counter told me there were tolls, but that there was no way to pay them. I asked what I was supposed to do, and she said there was nothing, that they would get a bill and pay the charge. She brought up the toll issue, but never stated that I would be charged large fees for going through them. It will be interesting to see if the fees were already built into my rental or if I will receive subsequent billings. The rental companies should provide Toll Tags in areas where toll roads are common, and build that into the fees charged.

I have worked for Hertz @ the World Wide Reservation center in OKC for 17 yrs. We offer the "pike pass" to our customers. Plus we disclose every possible fee in our rates.

I agree with the article with one exception:" privatizing that process and adding even more to the cost seems positively un-American." Quite the opposite, this is very typically American. Everything from war to water supply is being privatized. Our entire government is for sale to companies whose only motivation is maximizing profit.

I worked for a rental car company and that is one of the biggest problems....tickets... Customers receive parking tickets, traffic violation tickets, etc... Instead of them paying it, they think it is our responsibility to pay it. Unfortunately, the rental car company doesn't find out about the ticket until 30-60 days later when it is not paid w/in the 30-day time limit. By that time the ticket has double or incurred extra fees. What my company does is mail the ticket to the customer, who rented the vehicle at the time, to let them know they have to pay. It is a 50/50 chance they will pay. The majority of the time we go back and forth with the customer about who is responsible. I really don't understand why people expect for the rental car company to pay for a ticket that the customer received. If you let a friend borrow your personal car and they receive a parking ticket, wouldn't you expect for them to pay the fine or are you going to pay the fine for them?

CAR RENTAL COMPANIES SHOULD JUST HAVE TO SUPPLY THE NAME AND ADDRESS TO THE MUNICIPALITY AND THEY SHOULD HAVE TO COLLECT THE FINE. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH PROFIT FOR A CAR RENTAL COMPANY TO HAVE TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY THE FINE. THEY DO NOT COLLECT FROM MANY OF THESE PEOPLE

Car rental companies should make available the EZ pass for all clients at a fee. The propblem is that when you are driving in a state that you do not know the roads or that there are exact change toll booths where you would like to exit they should inform you of this prior to leaving with the rental car. Some kind of map which would give you a head up of what is needed for each road. Then the person renting the car would have no excuse.

You should also include in your report to the consumer that they should check their receipt for the $50.00 charge for the fuel option even though it is declined at the time you pick up the rental. This has happen to me twice.

What irks me with car rentals is the pressure they put on you to take additional items. I had an agreement with National for a full size car for two weeks for $298.00. They wanted me to include other items in the rental which would have brought the cost to almost $700.00. I got the sales person to shut up when I informed him he was going to be reported to the main office.

Another scam. The state of Florida, out of the Tampa airport, charges a user fee or local fee, then adds it to the bill and then charges sales taxes on the rental and the fee.

Dan

Regardlees of who owns the vehicle, all charges
for these sorts of things should be charged to the driver, as the responsible one as the rental agency
has no contol over their customers driving habits.
If a renter knows, his/her driving priviledges could be at stake, they may tend to be more careful.

sure there is a solution - simply put electronic transponders in all rental cars - and put the actual cost of the tolls onto the rental bill. There is always a credit card involved. It would be no more or less complex for the rental company than billing for a half empty tank.

I don't think rental car companies should be liable to begin with, let alone collect from the renter.

When I rent a car I responsible for moving violations, so why should toll charges be any different?

The rental company should simply give the driver information to the enforcement agency, and any collection should be between the agency and the vehicle driver.

recent trip to jackson hole wy, rented from dollar rent a car, returned the car and was charged the rental fee, then noticed 2 weeks later on the credit card statement a seperate extra charge of $47 ? I called and found out they charged me for not honoring the reservation, which obviously I had. If I had not checked I would not have known, they said the reservation and rental were not "married" ? A Convienent computer error for them! How many others are overcharged? defrauded?

It's obvious the rental companies are in a no-win situation. However, there should be a cash payment option on all toll roads. Why didn't the people living around Texas 121 speak up? Lots of people live on a cash only basis with no bank account and no credit cards.

The rental car companys chould purchase the receivers and put them in the cars

Ha!! We had one toll road in our county and finally after many years managed to get it taken out. (The cost of the toll road had been paid for many years ago). If Texans are so dumb as to decide that is how they want to pay for their roads, then good luck to them..... Bread and Circuses, that's what you voted for....

The consumers should have the option to pay online.

Here's another way to get 'em back. The next time you rent a car from the agency, just drive off to a convenient location and pop off ofne of the spark plug wires (this works best with a v8, or v6) and drive it that way for a while. Swap dead plugs so that you excess wear the whole engine. Then reconnect the plugs and return the car. If it starts pouring blue smoke, you know that you have definitely gotten your revenge.

Another reason why tolls are bad. We need to find a better way to fund roads then what we are doing now.
I am not sure putting tolls on every major highway is going to solve the problem of lack of funding.States are all having trouble repairing two lane highways and tolls are unpractical on those roads.Just like everything else. Taxes will have to be raised to pay for it.

This is just another way to tax the public. If they have the technology to take the picture of the car license number, they have the technology to add the toll to the final cost of the car when you return it using the rental car’s computer. This is just like the speed camera’s that is used. The camera company is getting rich, while leeching from the city government. Perhaps there is a kickback here somewhere????

My car was totaled in early June. The car rental company that my insurance agency uses (a major one, by the way)was paid by my insurance company, but then also withdrew the cost of the rental (two weeks of having the car) from my checking account! My insurance agent went after them and I was finally reimbursed, but I and my insurance company will never use this rental company again because of this and many more smaller problems we experienced with them.

Another great reason to drive my own car rather than fly and rent a car when I travel.

Florida and Thrifty have a monopoly on such games. I was forced, due to heavy traffic, through the E-Z lane. Three months later my Master Card was charged a $25.00 fine by the state, $i.25 toll and $25.00 by Thrifty for "administrative costs" $50.00 for a $1.25 fee is pretty good return on your money. Inquiries to Thrifty said they processed nearly 1000/day in Florida alone!

Florida and Thrifty have a monopoly on such games. I was forced, due to heavy traffic, through the E-Z lane. Three months later my Master Card was charged a $25.00 fine by the state, $i.25 toll and $25.00 by Thrifty for "administrative costs" $50.00 for a $1.25 fee is pretty good return on your money. Inquiries to Thrifty said they processed nearly 1000/day in Florida alone!

The average American blue collar worker is already taxed WAY beyond it's means. How much longer do the "establishment thinks we're gonna take it?

It's time for another Boston tea party, folks.

This is becoming very typical.
Companies doing anything to improve their bottom-line.
Its an invasion of pricacy without due-process.
Dave

Last summer I was in NY on business and had rented a car thru National. I left for the airport early from my motel and the toll booth was unmanned with a note that I (the rental company) would receive a note to pay. National charged my credit card $15 for an $8 dollar toll. I then received a notice from NY that the ticket was unpaid and if I didn't pay a $31 fine it would be turned over to collection and reported to credit agencies as well as IL as a violation. National took no responsibility for not paying it so I got hit twice for a total of $46. Don't rent from NATIONAL.

In general, this is a problem that the municipalities need to solve. In Orlando, for example, you are pretty much forced to go on a toll road to get to the airport. If you don't have enough coins, and you drive into an unmanned toll both, you're screwed. The municipalities should supply tags to all rental companies, and give them real-time billing information. I don't mind paying an extra dollar or two for the convenience of being able to drive through the toll-tag gates.

National charged me $20 for "processing" my unpaid 50 cent toll. The "processing" involved sending Georgia Motor Vehicle Dept. my name, license, and address information. Georgia - MV, in turn, charged me $25 fine for toll evasion. 50 cents turned into $45. Capitalism at it's best.

National charged me $20 for "processing" my unpaid 50 cent toll. The "processing" involved sending Georgia Motor Vehicle Dept. my name, license, and address information. Georgia - MV, in turn, charged me $25 fine for toll evasion. 50 cents turned into $45. Capitalism at it's best.

The rental agency's have your credit card info and you have agreed to pay all charges. Charge the fee only to the card. If there is no card ,then send a letter requesting payment. Only then should a collection firm be used. Also the rental agency should inform customers if there are tool roads in the area.

Rental car companies should furnish the transponders in their cars that are likely to be using toll roads and charge the customer according to usage upon turning in the vehicle. It would be just part of normal checking in of the car.

I went to Denver, CO a couple of years ago and while i was on the 470 that circles the city of Denver... Well at one of the booths i exited it was a cash only and all electronic booth... they did not even have a change machine... I had dollar bills but the toll was only 50 cents and they did not have a change machine (like the toll booths in southern California)... so next to the coin collector was an envelope that said "As long as you mail the toll and it is postmarked withing 48 hours of the violation you will not receive a fine" so i dropped 50 cents in an envelope and put a 37 cent stamp on it, mailed it and never heard from them again.... I would be nice to see happen at all placed instead of receiving fines each time... especially if you are not familiar with the area.

My wife and I just came back from Maui to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. We rented a car with Hertz. When we picked up the car, there were only 2-3 people working the counters but there were 5-6 computer stations. It took over an hour to get our car (we requested a soft-top Jeep months ago and got a convertible Mustang instead, even though there were 3 Jeeps in the parking lot). It was just like going to Wal-Mart.... 42 cash registers and only 3 open with long lines at each one. The girl tried to talk us into paying some huge up-front gas charge so that way we didn't have to worry about how much gas was in the car when we brought it back. We just finally said we'd bring it back full. Then she tried to talk us into the extra insurance, extra this, blah blah. What happened to the days of just picking up a car? I guess they have to protect themselves from the people that rent cars with a "why take care of it, it's not mine" attitude. The rest of the week was glorious but we certainly didn't get a warm welcome from Hertz. When we turned the car in and were told there would be no additional charges, we were very surprised. It's been a month and no additional charges or fees from Hertz yet. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

I'm confused. Are you talking about two separate situations? The toll on Texas 121 is charged to drivers without tolltags and mailed to their homes (or the rental car agency). That can add up to a few dollars. But it sounds like you are talking about rental car drivers without tolltags who actually drive through a tollbooth that says "Tolltag only." Are these the people who are charged $25?
I do not like these e-tollroads. I do not think it is fair to charge me more as a once-a-year user than someone who uses a tolltag. Put in a tollbooth for those who want to pay the toll at the time of usage. How much money do they save from not having to man a tollbooth versus manpower to mail out bills?

All toll roads should be required to have at least one cash lane. Requiring cars to have proprietary electronic devices is ridiculous.

After renting a car in Texas, how does one go about knowing if they have a toll ticket due? As the article implies, if a visitor unfamiliar with the toll system in Texas rents a car, that person may not know he's going through an e-toll road. Then a $25.60 bill shows up in his mailbox weeks later. How does this person know he had a 60 cent toll due in the first place. Most everyone I know will pay a 60 cent toll if he knows about it - he's not intentionally ripping off 60 cents from Texas, but the rental car companies seem to be ripping off the customer $25. In addition to $10/gallon gas charges if you don't have a receipt that you topped off the tank, damage expenses for dings that were there when you picked up the car, the insurance fee - or the waiver of insurance fee - and the host of all other fees that make a $20/night rental cost almost $50.

It's so sad to think that every business or government entity that we do business with is trying to cheat us in one way or another. What ever happened to justice and fair play?

The rental agencies in the States are not nearly as bad as the ones in Europe though. Check the car out completely before you rent a car in Europe because when you turn it in they will charge you for every dent and scratch no matter how small -- with a hefty collection fee tacked on. That's why I stopped vacationing and doing business in Europe.

We're dealing with sickos everywhere we turn and it's really starting to hurt us in so many ways. For example, the only time I got a speeding ticket the cop was feeling the grip of his gun the whole time he was talking to me -- even after he determined that I had my wife and three kids with me on the way to church on Father's Day. Why did he feel it necessary to intimidate me by using threatening gestures? Does he do this to everyone? Was he going to shoot me because I was 7 mph over the limit early on Sunday morning without another car on the road?

Heaven help these sick people.

Rental Car companies should be able to purchase a yearly sticker for their fleet, say for $300 a year and add $2 to the day rate as a toll fee.

Rental Car companies should be able to purchase a yearly sticker for their fleet, say for $300 a year and add $2 to the day rate as a toll fee.

Of course rental car companies profit off of those who don't stop and pay tolls. But that's not the only thing they profit on. I was a manager at National Car Rental and each agent is taught to sell customers insurance they don't need! Really, 99% percent of the time, you do not need the rental car insurance. The object is to make you think you need it. Save you money talk to your insurance company before you rent your car. Watch out for the tricks at National, Alamo, Budget, Thrifty, Dollar and Hertz. Enterprise is fairly honest as is Avis. They just pad their base rental prices, which can be high.

with the current trend in fuel prices, rental car companies, as well as toll highways may find there revenue stream somewhat depleted soon.

I keep some electrical tape with me and make a small adjustment to the license plate number. This has kept me out of hot water (so far as toll booth cameras go). Just remember to remove the tape when you return the car.

When I habitually drove thru an EZ-Tag only lane in Houston while driving a rental car when my car was in the shop for repairs, I got the bill directly from the Tollroad Authority, just like if I had driven my private vehicle without the proper tag. I did not have any extra fees tacked on by the rental car agency (of course I paid a fine to the Tollroad Authority)

I own a truck rental company in Illinois and we are just now receiving toll violations from 2006. I think the person who rented the vehicle should be the one to foot the bill to the state. The rental company should just forward the customers information to the state and let the state deal with the guy who thought he would run through the toll without paying. I think this article is just another way to attack the American businesses. We have suffered over a thousand dollars in toll violations and the majority of these transient customers cannot be found or just flat out refuse to pay. How much money are the businesses supposed to spend trying to recoup these costs. Maybe it's the states problem and not the businesses problem. Ever wonder why so many people are losing their jobs???? Because businesses, especially small, cannot afford to keep cutting their costs and eating the bills for ignorant customers who can't SIMPLY pay attention. SO LET's ATTACK the small business who is fighting to keep the doors open. LET's NOT ATTACK the jerk who ran through the toll without paying the fine!!! FINE ARTICLE.....NEED I SAY MORE!

This really just comes down to common sense. If you don't have a way to pay a toll and you don't have the easy pass sticker as they call it in Houston, then you don't use the toll roads. It is that simple really. Of course these companies are going to charge more for the fees. The customer is not going to come back to the store when returning the rental car and say "I used the beltway toll road 5 times while I had this car do I need to pay you". They of course know that there is no toll sticker in the car and there is no person for them to pay so what do they really think is going to happen. The rental company will get a letter from the toll road association letting then know that they owe tolls and fees and they then have to find out which customer had used that vechicle on the date of the fee. It is just like going to the bank and paying for research on your account. It takes time and they have to pay the toll association so they charge for the time it takes. People need to start taking responsibility for their actions. If you have a toll tag you can contact the toll association and change the car it is assigned to and it will come out of your account, if you think about doing this. You can always change the car on the account with no problems, as I have done. No I do not work for a rental car company but I figured the average human being has more common sense.

I travel TX Hwy 121 almost every day. I have TollTag in my cars by sometimes it doesn't get scanned. Last week I got a bill from TXToll (which is different than NTTA that issues the TollTag). They told me that I couldn't move the charge (and related penalties) to my TollTag, but would have to write a check. This, and I HAVE the transponder that's supposed to work with that toll road with no toll booths.

Your reported fine/overcharge amounts are way TOO low! I went through the Dallas North Toll Road WITH a viable Toll Tag....which was misread by the equipment - TWICE. With no warning or other report, my credit card sustained two charges for over $300.00 EACH. Resolving the issue was successful, after hours of phone calls and faxes.

my friend & I will be flying to clearwater, fl for 5 days in april; we will probably have to rent a car...i hope we dont run into these problems....

Just for everyones knowledge, Hertz and Budget actually have transponders in their vehicles AKA Plate Pass. This system will keep renters from receiving high priced toll violations, it automatically charges the renter the cost of the toll when they run a toll and adds it to the final cost of the bill when the renter returns the car. I would hope that people would do their research before making sensational liberal claims. The people who dislike the speed cameras are the ones who are habitual offenders, if everyone wants to put the speed camera companies out of business so bad STOP BREAKING THE LAW!!!!! It's as easy as that, don't be mad at the companies that you cannot drive like a human being be mad at yourself that your not smart enough to know the difference between a yellow and red light (by the way yellow means slow and red means stop) As far as the speeders go the speed limit is just that a LIMIT not a suggestions and they give you a 10mph over the limit leweigh and that is still not enought o make people happy. Hmm... and everyone wonders why america is such a joke to other countries, because of whiny liberals.

This is a databasing communications software AND hardware issue. Using photography and having a person manually record the license # is archiac- just take a picture, have it OCR, and have a person quickly confirm RIGHT after the incident- then the car rental companies can be automatically notified and it can be on your bill when you return the car; at the end of a specified period the rental companies pay the fees- its 1 more bill a month(so maybe 50 cents in human labor?) to pay a month, and 1 more database connection(FREE!)

more importantly, it should be STATE LAW that all rental cars in the state should conform with the necessary hardware. i recommend all texans to get on that.

I worked for a rental car company and that is one of the biggest problems....tickets... Customers receive parking tickets, traffic violation tickets, etc... Instead of them paying it, they think it is our responsibility to pay it. Unfortunately, the rental car company doesn't find out about the ticket until 30-60 days later when it is not paid w/in the 30-day time limit. By that time the ticket has double or incurred extra fees. What my company does is mail the ticket to the customer, who rented the vehicle at the time, to let them know they have to pay. It is a 50/50 chance they will pay. The majority of the time we go back and forth with the customer about who is responsible. I really don't understand why people expect for the rental car company to pay for a ticket that the customer received. If you let a friend borrow your personal car and they receive a parking ticket, wouldn't you expect for them to pay the fine or are you going to pay the fine for them?

I can't believe I'm defending the rental car industry, but I think I can shed some light into this. When a car goes through an electronic toll lane w/o a proper device, it automatically triggers a violation. The toll agency (whether it's the state turnpike or bridge/tunnel authority) will immediately trace the license plate and mail the offending owner a violations bill. If the violation is paid within say 10 business days, the fine is waived. So all you pay is the toll due. But in the case of rental car agencies, by the time they receive the violation notice and track down the individual who was renting the car at the time and then reach you, the time period has passed and now, the driver must pay the full toll plus the penalty paid to the toll agency.

Yet another case of folks complaining about something that was their fault in the first place. If you don't want to pay a service fee, don't go through the electronic lane of a toll booth. If you can't read a sign maybe you should be driving in the first place.

Corporate America will stop at nothing to leach every single penny from you...

There is another hidden charge you forgot and that's "charge for driving on the road"!! I rent a car for 3 days for $80, paid additional $40 for gas, and $48 for I don't know what so called "driving charge"!!! GET YOUR OWN CAR!!

I usally spend and extra 5 minutes telling the rental agent that I have complete coverage on my personal car insurance and do not need the extra coverage. Then another few minutes saying the smae thing over again. To get the business they advertise rock botton prices hoping to make up the difference with the add ons.

Its funny listening to some of the comments. First things first, if you rent a car, be prepared to watch all roadway signs for toll collection systems. There is no excuse for people using the ez-pass/eToll lanes when they do not have the tag, exception to the rule is when a person cuts you off and you avoid an accident. But hey I'd rather pay the fine then be stuck with an accident on my hands.

I'd say just be careful when renting and using highways, when i travel (rent cars) around the northeast i always take my EZ-pass with me to avoid problems in a rental car, the other thing to do, is always carry change before leaving the rental agency counter, like a few dollars in quarters for those unexpected unmanned booths, its a life saver!!

And by the way, the person that said "that they were trying to sell you this and sell you that", yeah they are trying to make some money off every purchase, but that rental insurance is a huge life saver when someone broadsides the vehicle while parked at an amusement park, with no note left on windshield...think about that the next time you say nah its 5.00 thats too much.

Visited N.Y November 2006 rented from Budget, Trying to get from upstate N.Y. to Lagurdia via the Palisades Park Way at 4am for a 6 am flight to Miami. On entering the GWB no toll agent. Had to go thru. My Credit Card was charged $50 no contact from the Highway Toll Authority. When I disputed the charges they said I illigally drove thru the toll.
In another instance 2007 May on the approach from Rte.4 the upper level GWB was closed by an accident got charged again.
I appealed to the rental company who was indefferent to my plight and only offerd that on my next rental i rent an easy pass from them.
I know this is a rip off for customers and of the rental agencies and a blow for visitors to NY and the USA in general.

Hertz is by far the best rental car company to deal with. Enterprise is about the worst at ripping you off. Avis and Budget never have the car you request.

Don't even get me started on Enterprise Rent A Car.

Hertz is by far the best rental car company to deal with. Enterprise is about the worst at ripping you off. Avis and Budget never have the car you request.

What the HELL are we paying gas taxes fore??? if you have to pay a toll tax,to drive down the road!!!

Hertz is by far the best rental car company to deal with. Enterprise is about the worst at ripping you off. Avis and Budget never have the car you request.

Hertz is by far the best rental car company to deal with. Enterprise is about the worst at ripping you off. Avis and Budget never have the car you request.

You cannot rent a car without a credit card, so there is no reason for any rental car company to use a third party. If the rental car companys let it be known up front, then they can bill your credit card for at least any tolls you may inadvertantly incur. As for traffic tickets, slam the driver. OR why don't the car companies implement a shared database of deadbeats. You cannot rent your next car until your fines are cleared.

After renting several cars for different companys, mostly on business,I have decided Hertz is best for me. No suprises, no you drove the car 6 miles from your fill up it will be another $10.00, or none of that.
I used to use enterprise mostly but they screw up a Reservation for me once that was going to charge me double the rental. I guess all i am saying here, Go with the best and have FEWER suprises.

Why don't people just pay the toll? Cheap? Thief? If you have a problem with anything government, there's always a way to anonymously or not, cost them money when they try to rape you of yours. My gosh, get creative...they do. There are too many of us for them not to get their act together. Sure, they are the biggest liars around, but you can get a last laugh if you really want to. Just pay the toll and chuckle!

What the HELL are we paying gas taxes fore??? if you have to pay a toll tax,to drive down the road!!!

I was on the Illinois Tollway and did not have change at the unmanned booth. I went online to the tollways website, put in the information such as what exit, license plate, etc., the toll charge came up and just paid it online with my credit card. Most tollways have this system. This would avoid any "surprises". You have a receipt if otherwise.

I received a notice from Advantage in Dallas that I had gone through 2 tolls without paying within 6 minutes of each other. The tolls were 60 cents each, the extra charges were $40 each. So they wanted $81.20 from me. I was able to get the charges removed because the bill stated that the violations were at least 2 hours before I picked the car up. Make sure you keep everything and check any violations they send you!

I travel more than 40 weeks of the year by car and airplane. The hassle at the airport is NOTHING compared to dealing with rental car agencys even though I am a premium member in more than one of the agency's---thereby bypassing most of the line issues. Cars are often not clean, not working properly, people that do check you in and out are rude and the bus drivers that you have to take at most airports must take driving licenses from race drivers (at least in how they turn a curve). Charges are often inaccurate and it happens at all of them. I wish there was at least ONE rental car agency that had personnel who were friendly, knowledgeable and kept their cars in good working order. Would make life soooo much easier for those of us who travel often and long distances.

What a bunch of complainers!!! Take responsibility for your actions and pay your fines. The car rental companies are not in business to take care of your mistakes!!!

What makes all you people think that you are exempt from moving violations in a rental car. You probably try and cheat in other walks of life too.

What makes all you people think that you are exempt from moving violations in a rental car. You probably try and cheat in other walks of life too.

A bigger problemis the new "speed enforcement cameras" in places such as Scottsdale,AZ - where you are mailed a citation by the rental car company,plus a $25 fee from the rental car company. Then, if you are never convicted of the citation-you're still out the $25.

I don't know about other rental car companies, but my husband and I rented a SUV from AVIS in Houston to go to FL and we were told up front all their cars are equipped with transponders so we could use any toll without worrying about it.
So far we have not received any additional charge for any violation.

National tried this with me in New Jersey. I received a letter notifying me of a $15 administrative fee because the State of New Jersey had requested information regarding the car I had allegedly driven through a toll booth without paying. (I'm the midwestern guy who sits at the booth until the green light comes on.) I called them and told them to refund the $15 or lose my business. They reluctantly agreed and said the fee would be reinstated when I received my fine from the State of New Jersey. Guess what -- the State of New Jersey never contacted me. Does extortion come to mind?

Pay attention to where you are going and doing and you will not have to pay "fines". We cannot expect the rental car companies to process paperwork for our mistakes and not expect to pay a fee or fine. Keep complaining because i am sure it will get you far.

At 9:30 pm on a Saturday night, I accidentally got in the wrong lane at the Ft. McHenry tunnel toll booth and discovered there was no one in the booth to take my $2. There was a sign that said "Do not back up". I drove on and the alarm went off.

I tried to call the toll authority to find out where to send my $2 but couldn't get any human being other than a surly cop that I must have awakened. I couldn't fix the error.

Months later, Alamo dinged my credit card for $46 dollars for the ticket. After several calls I found out the ticket was $21 and there was a service fee of $25.

Since I had spent several thousand dollars in rental fees with Alamo in the past several months they agreed to waive the $25 fee.

I think next time I will just put on my flashers, get out of the car and go find someone to give the $2 to. If I happen to tie up traffic....too bad. The signage at the toll plaza was somewhat confusing and cash lanes were intermixed with EZ Pass lanes with signs all the same color.

Now I am careful where I go at the booth but every time I stop to pay, I hear those alrms going off one after another and think....there's another $21 for the toll authority and another $25 for the car rental company. What a fiasco.

Pay particular attention to "Red Tape Wrestling Tips" in the article. I'm not an attorney or such, but I believe, according to the U.S. Constituion, that no one but yourself, or with your permission, can plead your guilt or innocence in any type of judicial matter. So, why I'm saying this? Because when the car rental companies get a notice from a municipality that there was a toll violation, and the rental company in turn pushes it through their departments, or to a secondary collection company, and then send it you, the notice would have expired for payment, or a hearing or petition against the notice of violation. So, instead the car rental companies pay the fine on time, WHICH IS PLEADING YOUR GUILT ACCORDING TO THE NOTICE OF FAULT, and from there they send you the notice and all their fees. So, now you cannot argue in a court of law if that was you or not that violated a toll. Who gives the car rental companies the right to plead your guilt? Not in this country I don't think. ---- I have first hand experience with this a couple of years ago with Avis. They sent me a bill for $25 and a fine for $21.90 from the state of IL for a toll violation. I rented a Caravan, but the picture on the violation notice of the license plates were on a Neon. The time to dispute the violation notice has expired by the time I received it because Avis paid it and it had to go through their departments before I received it. I first called the IL Secretary of State to ask if Avis can switch plates around from vehicle to vehicle. The Secretary instructed me that that was against the law. So I informed Avis of this illegal license plate swapping. I also told them that they cannot plead my innocence or guilt, no matter what they have in their contract because that is against my constitutional rights. I also told them that they don't even have a picture of the Caravan violating a toll, and they couldn't even provide one. With all this I added a note asking them for $35 for my research fees. Well, they dropped the claim against me and refused to pay my fee. All in all, you are easily taxed on everything in life and it hurts, but you should still pay your tolls. Our governing powers really need to devise ways to keep things simple for citizens and rental companies so we are not all spending additional money. Yes, you government folks need to fix this problem for citizens and car rental companies alike!!

I went to El Paso, Texas and tried to rent a car from Dollar. I only have a debit card and they wanted to charge my card an extra $250.00 for a $55.00 rental. My bank rejected the charges and Dollar couldn't run my card back for 24 hours so I was stuck at the airport until Dollar took pity on me and sent me to Advantage to match their rate and Advantage stuck me with a $300.00 extra charge. Luckily I had called my bank and asked them to increase my limit from $200.00 to $500.00 a day. I don't have a credit card and don't want one but I won't be using my DEBIT card to rent a car anymore. And it took 3 days to get my account credited.

I agree with the comment above regarding the Car Rental companies furnishing the transponders and charging at check out. As much as I travel for work, I would much rather go with the Car Rental company who offers this as a service. Talk about a selling advantage. Not to mention, handling this issue this way ensures that the tolls get transferred back to the company expense report rather than having those niggling little fees acrue out of my pocket. The transponders themselves cost nothing. This answer is so obvious!

If a renter thinks that he or she has been wronged by a rental car company, fight back. I did, and I won.

In a nutshell, I was billed for damage to a car that did not occur while it was under my control. The rental car company could not prove that the car had been inspected prior to releasing it to me.

I took the issue to the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general. After a year the money that I paid the rental car company for the damage was refunded.

Well, I live in Texas and when I drove my very own car through a EZ tag lane I received a notification from the Highway Toll authority to pay the $1.25 toll plus a $25 or so processing fee. How can I blame a for-profit rental car company for charging $5 bucks processing fee if the highway authority itself has figured out this is a good way to milk a lot of money. (In my case the EZ tag was not properly read by the machine, so they cancelled the charge when I disputed, but thats beside the point).

REFER to the message from DENVER 10:28am DPinNH, David de Jongh, Carrollton, TX, Sent Feb 22, 2008 10:20:53 AM, John Yeoman Defiance, Ohio. Instead of being moaner, groaners & crybabies about how you were charged x amount of $ because you couldn't figure out a way to pay the toll use your logic & read the toll information. All tolls either have a form on site or you download one from the internet sites. Did you even think to inquire at one of the manned tollbooths on procedure? Do you think that you were the first and only one to not have correct change, to be pushed through a lane, to miss the correct lane? So very typical of Americans today. Problem-solving has been removed from our cognitive abilities.

Ladies & Gentlemen: REFER to the message from DENVER 10:28am Instead of being moaner, groaners & crybabies about how you were charged x amount of $ because you couldn't figure out a way to pay the toll use your logic & read the toll information. All tolls either have a form on site or you download one from the internet sites. Did you even think to inquire at one of the manned tollbooths on procedure? Do you think that you were the first and only one to not have correct change, to be pushed through a lane, to miss the correct lane?
We are not being "scammed". The rental company shouldn't be responsible for all our actions while we're driving their car. So very typical of Americans today. Problem-solving has been removed from our cognitive abilities. Take responsibility for yourself.

hell florida turnpie was built in the 1960's and it was completed an pay off by tax payers in the early 80's. but the state still charges for the use of it. othat right it was the bush family (jeb) to keep charging. the rental car taxes was vote off the tax books here in florida bush again bush said only he could removeit. so remember the rich get richer and the poor to get pooer.

I was traveling in Wa. State in a rental car from Advantage Rent A Car last Dec. A few weeks ago I rec'd a bill from VMS for $89 for failure to pay a toll. I was incredulous! It must have been at an electronic toll plaza. I am totally unfamiliar with the way they work. Does anyone know how I can fight this?

I was driving through Illinois and had to exit to get fuel. It said the toll was .75 but did NOT say that it was electronic only. The exit also left no way to turn around or otherwide NOT drive through the toll without paying. WTF are you sposed to do? (I never did hear anything about this, even two years later)

Hey, the soulution is very simple. Know where you are going and be prepared to pay the toll either with enough coin, or just bring your own EZ pass type device with you in the special envelope when you travel.

Hey it's not the best solution convienience wise but it certainly does beat getting ripped off by the rental companies or the toll road bandits.

Car Rental companies scam consumers at every turn. It's like pulling teeth to get all the information from them when you have a complaint. My husband and I rented a car from Enterprise and our insurance company covers us when we drive rentals and they still tried to push their insurance plan on us. On our way home from Ohio a rock flew up from a truck in front of us and chipped the windshield. When we returned the vehicle we were honest about the damage and took the vehicle to the auto shop of their choice to have it checked out. A representative from Enterprise came with us to the auto shop and was present for the repairs. They filled the chip in and we paid for the damage. The amount due was less than our deductible so we paid out of pocket. One month later we received a letter from Enterprise stating that there was more damage than originally thought and they ended up replacing the entire windshield and we owed $$ amount. This was ONE MONTH after our rental agreement ended with them and they sent a statement from the same auto company that was not even dated. Our agreement with Enterprise ended the moment we returned the vehicle and paid for the damage yet two years later we are still receiving calls from collections about this bill.

I would think that the rental companies would have looked at (probably have) making deals with the highway commisions using there scanners. A simple program can tract the usage periods to one person during the rental period. I'm sure (from being in the military) there is a pass system that can be checked when the car is returned for times used and amount that needs to be charged. With the amount of money being spent to recover funds this could have been in use already. I see it as a longer way to drag things out and make a buck, passing it on to the consumer who had nothing to do with the issue in the first place. Address the problem head on, not create more redtape.

If we needed another example of our weak minded and/or corrupt government officials, you’ve got toll roads. Local elected officials could not be more excited at the prospect of relieving themselves of yet another responsibility with an added benefit of a potential profit for their friends. I could not have laughed harder…when I read that Scottsdale, AZ had to refund months of ticket “takes” when it was discovered their speed cameras were on the frits. Putting big brother aside…..Coming soon you’ll see your community giving away our rights to existing roads and highways when they require routine maintenance and repair. A simple re-pave could give ownership/control to any capitalist with the cash and will to screw you over.

I was charged a year and a half later for 3 violations in an Alamo car that was in another state. For the violations to be true, I would have had to drive from Philadelphia to Chicago in 20 minutes. They finally reversed the charges.

car rental companies rent cars and hire people to help you rent one. they don't are haven't been hiring people to collect fines by drivers who use their cars...collecting tickets is another area where people are hired to process the ticket obtained by inmature drivers.

I've managed a rental agency for years in New Jersey. We have lot of e-tolls and lots of violators. I simplY send a copy of the rental contract and violation dates corresponding to the agency issuing the summons and/or call them, and they Pursue the guilty party, WITH THEIR CIVIL RIGHT IN TACK . . . NO EXTRA CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER AND THE SYSTEM WORKS FOR EVERYONE!

Jay - Manager
SmartCar Rent-a-Car
North Plainfield, NJ

If rental companies had customer service as their priority instead of profits in any way shape or form then they would put the passes in their rental cars (in areas of the country where the automated toll roads are the norm). Increase the average toll cost into the price of renting a car at that location. Then instead of slamming your customers after the fact you advertise up front that this service is included in your rental.

I rented a car in Orlando, FL - used it to go to work in Melbourne while my car was being repaired - then received a ticket in the mail for over-parking at the Orlando Airport - to which I never went. Seems the rental company gave the police the wrong info on who rented which vehicle. Makes me wonder about their record keeping!!

...it costs the rental car companies staff time and therefore money. It comes down to responsibility - if the person driving the car is "unfamilar" it is still their fault not the rental car company.

This article was much to do about nothing.

It's safe to assume that all who have posted comments here feel that they have legitimate gripes and concerns...but, at the same time, I'm wondering why nobody spends the same time and effort researching their roadtrips as they do complaining about the consequences of their actions. If you park at a meter without putting a quarter in it, you are going to be fined roughly 100 to 125 times the amount you failed to originaly pay. If you drive through a toll without paying? Why would that be different? If you are traveling to Texas for the 1st time, look these things up on the internet. Where are the toll roads, do they have cash lanes? If not, you simply PLAN another route. Car rental agencies are not cruise directors...they don't plan your trip for you. It's not their responsibility to find bathrooms, bars, diners, hotels, OR pay your tolls. Sure, they'll sell you a map...but shouldn't you already have one if you know you're unfamiliar with the area? Plan ahead and save time...AND money.

Are you serious, all I've read is a bunch of whiners complaining about having to take responsibility for their own actions. Everyone something for free, car rental companies are in business to make money not give it away to a bunch of free loaders who think they don't have to follow the rules. I work for a car rental company and I can assure you the sur-charges and taxes that are tacked on your contract by the government and the toll fees are not a money maker. If you don't like it don't rent a car but don't blame the car rental companies for all the problems.

The TX-121 Toll Road is very confusing. There are no toll booths and only a mere few signs indicating you will be responsible for a toll. If you are driving beside an 18-wheeler, you could very well miss the sign altogether. What is worse, if you happen to wander onto the service road by mistake, you are forced to go up the one-way ramp!

I hate it!

My husband got hit with a costly toll charge. One time he was driving in Maryland and he came up on a toll and he didn't have cash on him. So the person let him through, two months later he received the charge for "running" the toll and then Budget charged him an additional $50 for the citation. He encountered a similar situatioin around Chicago but the toll person handed him an envelope to mail his toll in. One lesson he learned...make sure to have cash on you at all time when traveling.

In areas with toll roads, it should be standard that car rental companies at least offer you the option of an electronic tag. They could even charge you for the equipment use, like they do with navigation systems. Even though I don't travel toll roads often, I have an EZ-pass in my personal car. I can move the tag to other cars, I just have to 'register' the license plate/make/model and don't have to pay any add'l fees - I've even used it in rental cars by going online after I p/u the car. There's a minimal $1 charge/month on the account and it automatically charges my credit card to 'refill'. I never even have to think about tolls anymore where I travel in New England. Now they're even adding 'normal speed' toll lanes so you don't have to stop at booths. It's great for work, since I can pull up the transaction record and print it for my expense reporting instead of trying to get receipts at toll booths.

A large part of the problem is the mass of incompatible systems out there. Each local area has their own system. My fasttrack works in southern California, but no where else. I would just bring it on trips if it worked. Instead I have to be careful on which lane, and worst, must have exact change for those unmanned automated collections booths.

People rent cars because it's often the only means of transportation they will have in a city, regardless if they are familiar with the city or not. Not every city has a mass transit system or taxi service like New York - so if you're in town for business, renting a car can be the easiest and least expensive option, rather than calling a car service to take you everywhere, every time you need to go somewhere. Businesses congregate around toll roads in DFW, and at times it's the least confusing route to that business. So it's not as easy as saying "just don't rent a car," or "just don't take the toll road." What rental car companies need to do is make their customers aware of the toll roads and work with them on payment options if they need to use them, rather than sticking them with hefty fines. If the car companies would simply counteract the problem instead of paying the price of losing customers and millions of dollars, then maybe some of them wouldn't be in such dire financial situations. But no, they'd rather take the easy way out and blame all the customers because of a few people who take advantage of the system.

About 10 years ago I received a note from Budget stating that a ticket for parking in a handicapped space had been issued for the rental car I had at the time. They were informing me that my credit card was being charged for the violation and a $25.00 service fee, no questions asked. As I had not even been in the city where the ticket was issued I contacted them for a copy of the ticket. I was denied because, "obviously you already have the ticket since it was issued to you." I contacted the Ft. Lauderdale police department and received a copy of the ticket. The vehicle was a silver Toyota, not quite the maroon Ford I had rented. Budget's own paperwork also showed a license plate that matched the violation but, thanks to a vacation photograph, was not even close to the one on the rental car. They were of no help whatsoever in solving the problem and never issued any form of apology once I straightened out their mess. No due process here!

I rented a car from Dollar Car Rental and got lost in Orlando. Went through a toll and the tollbooth was not manned, there was only dim lighting and no instructions clearly posted. There was no way to back up, as other cars were coming up behind me. I was simply a lost tourist, trying to get back to her hotel room and got lost. I have no problem paying the 25 cents toll and the rental company could have easily given the city authorities my name, phone number and address to send the violation to me. But, instead they took it upon themselves to charge me $25 for a 25 cents toll, which is absolutely ridiculous. I have used the company for over 5 years and never had any type of violation. Needless to say, I no longer recommend or use this company to anyone.

I don't understand why it costs $10, or even $1 to charge a toll violater. The rental car company hangs on to my credit card number. It is stunningly easy to auto-charge a credit card belonging to the person who violated a particular toll. I cannot see it, reasonably, costing even $0.01 in the age of computing and automation.

Since most people posting here do not work for a car rental agency, maybe you will appreciate the perspective of someone who does. First, it IS the responsibility of the renter to pay ANY tolls, fines, damage, etc., just as they would with their own car. Secondly, this is not just another profit center. We have to pay people either within our company or with an outside company to track down and attempt to collect these violations. They don't work for free. Go ask one of your employees or vendors to do work for free. Third, the profit margin on rentals is extremely thin. Keep in mind we pay for the lost value of the car while it is in our fleet, plus basic maintainence, registration, tires, etc. Take that times 50,000 cars. A rental of $180/wk does not make that much money when the average cost of that car is between $400-$500/month for the rental company. Most of this discussion seems to be from those who don't take responsibility and don't want to. We have many fine renters that we love and love us. We also have many who are nothing but bad debt waiting to happen. Police yourselves and you will be fine.

I own a small independent car rental. I have never been involved in a business where the customers show a total disregard for my property. Where trashing the cars out, dings, scratches,ciggarette burns in no smoking cars and general piggyness. They are always trying to get out of something and act offended if I bring anything up, like it should all be nothing to me. There are good renters, but they are the minority.
Be responsible and there won't be any suprise Charges.

I'm glad my rights are IN TACK when I drive on TOOL roads. WTF people can we even spell anymore???
I say, read the signs, pay the fines. If yuo can't master the art of the toll road then STAY OFF THE HIGHWAY.

TOLL ROADS MAKE NO SENSE TO ME. I don't understand why we have any toll roads in the first place. If the government needs money for roads, hike the gas tax. The whole toll road thing is such a waste of money to collect additional fees, hire people to collect those fees, require special boxes on cards, send bills in the mail, etc.etc. What a BUREAUCRACY!

Here's another rental car scam you will not read anything about - - rented with a major agency 2 years ago in Boise airport with a confirmed prepriced reservations - - the lady at the both asked if I "wanted the frequent flyer miles that come with the rental" - - I said yes; thinking they would be free - - WRONG! When I got the bill they added charges for the miles claiming it was required for some sort of taxes or admins fees - -just a scam to pad the bull.

I rented a car in Puerto Rico where the signs are all in Spanish, and got into the wrong lane at a toll booth. The toll was 25 cents but there was no place to put my quarter. I could only go forward, and I got nabbed by the computer, as I found out later. Cost me $50+ because my Spanish is not very good. If that ever happens again, I will get out of the car and walk to the next toll booth, pay in cash, and get a receipt! The hell with the cars behind me!

WHOA!!! If you travel to the Chicago area, be sure to bring plenty of quarters. There are many unmanned tollbooths and "Not So Thrifty Rent a Car" elected to put a $25 fee on my credit card 6 months after the rental (I had to call to find out what the charge was) because the %$@#&*& unmanned tollbooths did not take credit cards.

"And while some rental car offices let customers borrow the devices needed to pay e-tolls for a small fee". So, if automated tollroads will continue to be built, will the rental car companies equip their cars with the necessary devices? What is next, a charge to get an outside mirror on your rental?

There is a verry simple solution to this problem,do not rent the cars and do not drive on the toll roads.

Some of these roads were built with federal and state money and then sold to private companys when they really belong to the tax payer.

Here's the best solution: get rid of tollway systems. No one likes them, they screw up traffic, and they cost a lot of money to maintain. Illinois probably has one of the worst, with almost 50% of collected tolls going just to sustain the tollway system.

Try driving in London... If you think EZPass and all of those are bad, the Congestion Zone in London keeps growing, and if you are in a rental car and aren't sure where the boundaries are, you may end up paying close to $100 to not only the Rental Company, but also to the City of London. When I was living there in 2006, the zone was most of central London, but after I left, it expanded to include Kensington and surrounding areas. The best thing to do is to not get a rental in London unless you absolutely need one. We were taking a trip to Liverpool, and on the way back, I had to navigate through some back streets of London so we wouldn't end up in the Congestion Zone, risking getting a picture of the car taken and needing to pay a hefty fine to London and the Rental place.

Another lousy thing from Texas. Give it back to Mexico.

There are options out there for car renters. There are companies out there that understand the issue and provide a way for the casual user of the road, a renter or someone leasing a vehicle to travel the roads and use the "Express lanes" legally.

Dollar and Thrifty offer a pre-paid toll service in Dallas, Houston, Denver, and throughout the State of Florida where a renter can pay one price ($8.95/day in Texas and Colorado, or $5.95/day in Florida) and it covers all of the tolls they encounter. There is no limit on the number of tolls that are covered by the daily fee.

Clearly the rental car companies are working torwards providing a proactive solution to the issue. As more toll roads convert over to video tolling, the issue of toll violations will continue to increase. Providing a proactive solution that provides a time saving and cost benefit to the customer is key.

American Express is actually promoting a special rate with Dollar and Thrifty that includes their toll pass service in the overall rate they charge. That is a great option to have.

There are other car rental companies that are providing access to the "Express lanes" at varying costs, however, all of those are at a fee plus the tolls structure and are charged after the fact once the car is returned and the bill closed out.

In any case, the rental companies are tying to provide a cost effective solution for all involved to reduce or eliminate the costs associated with trying to find the renters who either intentionally or inadvertantly utilized the toll roads without paying the applicable toll.

If you put down the cell phone, turn off the DVD player and navigation systems, the signs indicating tollbooths ahead become alot easier to see...

How many of you get the insurance they offer?

I too travel over 40 weeks a year on business, and I agree with John G. When I travel to an area I'm not familiar with, I use Google Maps or MapQuest to investigate and make note of the best routes from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the client. I am careful to note which roads are free and which are toll, and whether I need cash or a pass (skirting those that require the pass, of course). I have not once been surprised by mystery charges for specious violations, because I have not once committed any violations. I simply have enough good sense to find out that the road leaving the Orlando airport requires $2.50 in tolls to get to the main highway, and I make sure I have that amount in quarters before picking up the car. I have also never been charged anything that I did not know about up front and agree to by any rental company (I use Avis mostly, with Hertz as a backup). I have even been involved in a minor accident that was efficiently handled by the agency and my insurance company (no, don't *ever* buy the rental insurance, it's *never* necessary) without any intervention on my part. Get a grip, whiners, and take some responsibility for your transit through this life. Stop believing that it's always someone else's responsibility but yours. P.S. to Byron Raum: Credit card companies charge the rental company 1.5% to 3% of the transaction in fees, so your statement regarding not "costing even $0.01" is incorrect.

I didn't read all the posts, but unlike some fo the absurd fees rental car companies charge, this in my opinion actually has merit. Even if they do make a profit off of it. It's capitalism. This is assuming the tol roads are properly marked of course, but overall I see nothing wrong with a rental car company going after the people who fail to pay a toll at a toll booth and collecting the fee. I also don't see anything wrong with adding a "collection" fee to the toll fee for thier time and trouble to have to collect the fee. If they make a profit off of it then that's no big deal. You shouldn't have run the toll and not paid. If the fee they add is exorbiant, then that should be addressed, but I see nothing wrong with adding a $20 or $30 dollar fee to the already owed toll fee. Heck, maybe even a higher fee would be good as it might deter people from running the toll.

As long as the rental company discloses that this is going to happen before you rent the car so that you are aware of what will happen if you run the toll and you know how much you will be charged, then what the harm in that?

The companies that are identified in this article are "collection agencies" pure and simple. They claim they are not so that when they violate the debt collections act they cannot be held accountable.

we went to hawaii a few months agao and rented from Alamo. After we returned home we received notice of a "parking ticket" that had been charged to our account. The conmpany was rude and sarcastic when I called and stated that we had received no tickets while we were in Hawaii. they said they showed the vehicle had a ticket. They would not tell the date or time and it was only after I pursued the matter through threats of legal action that I learned the ticket had been issued 3 hours before we even rented the car. And on top of that the local parking enforcement officer was receiving a "refereal" from the service agency to issue as many parking tickets to rental cars parked in the lots that this company handled. because of the time involved to fight this I was told most people just pay the 35 dollars. However an investigation showed this meter maid had issued over 80 tickets per day, all to vehicles owned by a specific car rental agency and you guessed it that had a contract with your spotlighted company. the meter maid was fired and charged but I doubt any of the other motorists were given any refunds.
Do the math 80 tickets X 25 dollar processing fee = $2,000.00 per day in graft money to this company then be conservative and multiply that time 20 days per month (5 days a week X 4 weeks) and you can figuire profits to this company of $40,000.00 per month just from one "helpful" parking enforcement officer.

If you are renting a car in an area with tolls, the rental agency should use the electronic readers for all their cars. They can add an extra few bucks to every rental agreement to cover the costs of the toll fees and everyone wins out in the end. How much can one customer run up in tolls in one day anyways? They stopped renting by mileage for convience, tolls should be same.

How about this very real scenario:
You fly to Orlando and get a rental car. The people tell you the quickest way to Disney World is by using a toll road. You think, no problem: you have plenty of cash.

Then get you get on the road and discover that the off-ramp doesn't have a person in it! It could be a normally unmanned booth or it could be at 9:00pm when the toll-taker goes home.
You pull up to the toll booth, with your $1 bill ready to pay the $0.75 toll, yet no-one's there to take your money!

What do you do? If you run the toll without paying, you've started this whole scenario... and you could have to pay $40 or $60 or $100 in "administrative costs" simply because there was nobody working the tollbooth to take the money that you were perfectly willing to pay.

Even if we assume that you were able to see the "exact change" only sign before getting onto the off-ramp, what do you do? Do you go to the next road, hoping you can pay the toll there... and then hopefully find your way back to where you want to go?

And people say tolls and fines aren't a source of revenue? I don't think so.