tonymattina

In 2012 I rented a car from Hertz at the Palermo airport, and returned it a month later to the Palermo Airport, after traveling 1085 km. Months after I had returned to the United States I received a notice from NiviCredit requesting payment for a parking violation in ROME, issued within the time frame of my rental. Rome is 929 km away from Palermo (round trip 1858 km), thus it is out of the question that the car I rented was in Rome while rented to me.
I am still struggling with this, most recently with Cedar Financial out of Calabasas, Ca.
I suspect collusion between unscrupulous traffic cops and car rental agencies. I want to get to the bottom of this, and I have started a blog documenting my case in the hope that others would join forces with me and expose these scumbags.
http://pettythieves.blogspot.com/
I would appreciate the help of other innocent victims.
Here is the rub: incredibly, in Italy, if a public official (cops included) issues a citation, that citation is considered factual and accurate. It is up to the driver to demonstrate that (s)he is innocent! Guilty until proven innocent! And the "public official," at least in my case, is not required to demonstrate that, again in my case, the car was where he said it was, Rome.

nytraveler

Sorry - but traffic tickets in the US are exactly the same. Unless you go to court with evidence that you are innocent you have to pay the fine for traffic and parking tickets.

In your case why didn;t you go through you credit card - having them deny the charge based on the fact that you were nowhere near rome. That way they can;t charge it through to you.

Doubt this is anything unscrupulous - probably someone just copies down a number wrong or their handwriting was bad.

In any case - just have CC write off any charges and tell them to sue you if they want the money.

Oh - and I wouldn't use the car rental agency again.

Jean

Can you produce receipts from a hotel, restaurants, gas station, whatever, that prove you were on Sicily on the date the citation was issued in Rome?

vinoroma

It is not impossible for the car to be in Rome. I agree with the above - a receipt from sicily from the day in question would be helpful.

vinoroma

I now read your blog. First: you misunderstand the "noi che" - he meant the police and therefore they (the nicicredit) who have been given the case, are not informed.
Second: it looks like the matter is closed. Why are you still coming here and posting as if you need help in stopping the payment issue?
Third: i don't think it is a good idea to write the name of a police officer and accuse him with lying.

Rubicund

Your letter from Roma Capitale identifies the vehicle as a Hyundai. Your Hertz invoice identifies it as an Chevrolet Aveo. Unless an Aveo is also a Hyundai, which it isn't, it seems to be a case of mistaken vehicle identity.

bvlenci

Also, the car rental agency is not to be blamed for this. They are required to pass on to the police the information required to trace you to your residence. The police surely made a mistake in the plate number. They found that the (mistaken) owner of that vehicle was the rental agency. They contact the rental agency asking them to furnish your details so they can collect the fine. The rental agency does so, as they're required to do by law.

People are so quick to accuse people of theft, when much simpler explanations are more probable. I get the impression that this is especially true when a mistake happens in Italy than if it had occurred in, let's say, Norway.

Michael

<i>Your letter from Roma Capitale identifies the vehicle as a Hyundai. Your Hertz invoice identifies it as an Chevrolet Aveo. Unless an Aveo is also a Hyundai, which it isn't, it seems to be a case of mistaken vehicle identity.</i>

This happened to me in California--wrong car, wrong city. And it was a pain to straighten out because the authority concerned does everything possible to avoid direct contact with the recipient of the violation, and I was not about to drive to the L.A. area to prove that it was not my car.

drlaz

I also once received a notice of a ticket from the wrong city. I sent evidence of some credit car charges that day in my home town (400 miles away); ticket dismissed. California.

Dukey1

California is NOT Italy.

Michael

<i>California is NOT Italy.</i>

An Italian might say the reverse.

KTtravel

Mistakes happen. I am sorry this was so upsetting to you. I would furnish your correct documentation and consider the matter closed.