SteveIB

I rented from Thrifty Car Rental at the Miami Airport.It was inexpensive and the car was adequate. Unfortunately no one at the counter could tell me how to get back to the airport without going through a toll. So I thought I would try. Unfortunately I couldn't do it and I was fined (Administrative fee) by Thrifty $60. So I thought that they would understand what happened and refund my penalty and keep the tolls. Unfortunately they said it was all my fault. They are not responsible to give a tourist directions. Maybe they aren't but it sure would have helped...and a little cheaper.

J62

Let me see if I understand this correctly. You drove on a toll road in Florida and failed to pay the toll at the time of travel.

Then I'm guessing the Fla highway department fined the owner of the car (thrifty) for failure to pay a toll, and they passed it on to you.

Now you want Thrifty to take financial responsibility for your actiions as a renter/driver of the car.

Did I get that right?

happytrailstoyou

Unfortunately no one at the counter could tell me how to get back to the airport without going through a toll.

In the future you will know to research toll roads on the web and/or to travel with AAA maps which show where toll roads are located.

They are not responsible to give a tourist directions.

You're right about that.

HTtY

NewbE

You wanted them to cut you some slack, but they didn't.

I think a $60 "administrative fee" is a rip off, but it's in their contract and that means we have to live with it. I think toll roads in Florida and California that have no cash option are very tourist unfriendly. But they're here to stay and that means we have to live with it.

Btw, every car rental agency would have done the same; it's not just Thrifty.

janisj

The OP registered to post this -- I doubt he will read your responses.

Sassafrass

Well, I am glad he raised the question anyway. I rarely drive. DH does. So, I never take care of that kind of stuff. I know we have a sticker in our car window that takes care of tolls here. We are going to Florida in two weeks and may need to drive. This probably sounds like a really dumb question, but how do we best handle toll roads there? Can we buy one of those little stickers for our window ahead of time? DH isn't home. When he comes home, he may know, but thought you are all so knowedgeable, I would ask you first. Thanks.

BigRuss

>

That's because it is. Take your rant elsewhere to find sympathy or exculpation.

NewbE

janisj, do you never tire of scolding? This thread is too old to comment on, this poster just registered, blah blah blah. MYOB!

NewbE

Sorry, Sassafrass, I allowed my annoyance to distract me.
Start here:
https://www.sunpass.com/index
And then let us know if you have questions.

NeoPatrick

The OP didn't say how long he rented the car for, but be aware that rental of a SunPass on some rental cars can be more than $60 for a few days use even if you only use it once. Some companies charge you a daily fee for the entire term of the rental even if you only use it once. And also be aware that some toll roads in Florida CANNOT be paid in cash, but you must have a SunPass. It's really a kind of "no win" situation.

So it's not quite as simple as some would want to believe. Of course the OP could have looked up the exact route in advance, done research, and found that no cash would be accepted on that toll road, and arranged another advance payment method for this single toll payment on a vacation. But not everyone thinks to do that -- and there is always the plan (as he suggests) that he'd be able to find a way back to the airport without using a toll road. He didn't. But in all fairness, there are plenty of ways you can find yourself in the on ramp to a toll road and NO WAY to get back off. Once you've made the mistake, it's done.

So I have a bit of sympathy, even though somehow it's never happened to me -- I've come very close to that a few times. And frankly I agree that MOST car rental agencies at an airport WILL provide you with directions to return the car, including if possible how to avoid a toll road. I've gotten such directions several times, usually with a map of the airport area and the return route clearly marked.

NeoPatrick

Oh, and that SunPass link above only relates to the OP's situation with this:

"Most major rental car companies now offer their customers the option of including tolls with the credit card used to rent the vehicle. These rental car customers can use Florida's toll roads and not worry about carrying cash or stopping to pay for tolls. They can breeze through the SunPass ONLY, E-PASS ONLY and LeeWay ONLY toll lanes throughout the Sunshine State.

How does it work? Cameras take a photo of the rental car's license plate as it goes through the toll lane and sends a bill for the tolls to the rental company's tolling program vendor. The vendor collects the toll plus applicable service fees from the customer's credit card, and pays the toll to the road agency. The service fees are retained by the vendor, not the toll road."

And that is exactly what happened, so actually the website doesn't offer any further help than explaining that what ended up happening is pretty much the only way to deal with the situation if there are no cash toll booths.

janisj

NewBe: bite me! Said in the nicest possible way. People are posting responses but the OP is likely a hit and run-er and won't see any of them. If people still want to respond, their choice.

I'm not the only one that calls hit and run posts for what they are, but you are only annoyed when I do it. Nuff said . . .

And WHO exactly did I scold???

NeoPatrick

I think many posts here benefit others even more that the original poster. While I realize most of these complaining first time posters may never return, the detailed information I did was aimed for anyone planning a trip to Florida, or to anyone renting a car. This toll issue has become a pretty big thing.

And please note that Sassafrass used this thread to seek more information on that topic, so point made.

Sassafrass, sorry, we don't have a better answer for you. And if you don't want to plan every route and every detail of every day, it's pretty hard to figure out what your toll issues might or might not be.

sludick

So one spot of good news - that dang tollbooth that you have to pass through almost immediately before entering or after leaving the airport is being demolished. (Of course, they have already raised the tolls at other booths to compensate..)


http://www.wesh.com/news/after-years...ition/37744044

Dukey1

It would be interesting to know just which route the OP took back to the airport. I am assuming it was the expressway but it isn't as if that route isn't clearly marked as a toll road before you even get on it.

Neo, I am certain there are many people here who appreciate the information you have provided regardless of the age of the post, and I just happen to be one of them.

Bite me? Geez, talk about outdated.

NewbE

Not to mention crass, lol. janisj just hates to have her hall monitoring challenged! Fortunately, we are free to continue the discussion without her approval.

The link I posted was for Sassafrass' benefit, not the OP's. I don't think there was a simple way to avoid what happened to the OP, either.

It frustrates me that inexperienced travelers who do not routinely do loads of online research get caught in the toll Catch 22...

NeoPatrick

Thanks, Dukey, but one issue is not whether you are headed onto a toll road, but rather if you'll be able to pay cash for that toll road once you get up the ramp. Not as clearly marked, especially if you're in heavy traffic in unfamiliar territory.