nytraveler

Doesn't your receipt indicate thaat the tank was full? Usually there is a spot on the receipt for them to indicate the amount of gas in the tank.

StuDudley

>>Doesn't your receipt indicate thaat the tank was full? Usually there is a spot on the receipt for them to indicate the amount of gas in the tank.<<

We dropped it off at the Nice airport at about 6am, before the rental offices opened for the day. We filled the car up with gas in Nice the night before. We probably indicated that the tank was full on the rental agreement we turned in, but without confirmation from them I guess that it was my word against theirs - and they were the ones holding the money.

Stu Dudley

janis

TC: This happens frequently. You probably were photographed by a traffic/speed camera. The authorities contacted Avis, and Avis sent your particulars to the police. Avis (and most other rental companies) will assess a small processing fee when asked to provide license/address info.

Then the police decided not to procede with prosecution/fine (or they might yet contact you).

This isn't a scam - it is just a fact of life in places where traffic cameras are so widespread. Most people don't know when they have committed an offense until the ticket comes in the mail.

auntgrapes

Several years ago this happened to us. We received a letter from Avis (I believe)several months after renting a car in Germany. The charge was an $11.00 admin fee. The ticket was for speeding by a hidden camera. Nothing ever followed and we have rented many cars since then. We half expected to pay a fine the next time we rented in Germany.

TC

Thank you Janis and AuntGrapes. I appreciate your explanation of the situation. We have never received a citation prior and this just seemed so completely unusual. I am still unsure as to what will happen -- whether we will receive some notification from the Italian police. It seems odd to get the administration fee prior to receiving any notice of the misdemeanor. I guess the wheels of justice turn slowly in all countries. I will await the outcome with AutoEurope.

BTW: Stu - you should pay all those parking tickets. Knowingly violating the parking codes and disregarding the citations is not a great representation of the American traveler, IMHO. Seems YOU have gotten off easy.

Woyzeck

I don't want to jump into the bickering here, but I would like to relate a brief related personal anecdote.

About 2 months ago I rented from AutoEurope. I returned the car to the airport on time, but within 4 days I had received the invoice which included an extra 30 EURO charge for fuel and the service fee. I had filled the tank about 10KM from the airport.

I wrote a firm complaint letter to AutoEurope, demanding the money back, and they complied within 2 days.

In my case, I was lucky. I can't help but wonder about these rental car companies, however. Perhaps they try such a thing on a few customers a day, and hope that not all are assertive to challenge them. I hope this was an honest mistake, but you hear so many stories...

FTP

Interesting thread. We have rented from Autoeurope many times with no problem whatsoever. Several years ago we rented from them in Bolzano (Europcar) around Christmas time. We returned the car Dec. 26 after a beautiful week in the Dolomites. Being a holiday, we were supposed to leave the keys in the lockbox outside. We had left cars before without "checking in" in Ireland, Paris and Lisbon. This time, however, the lockbox was a wooden box outside the rental garage. It was broken away from the wall and totally unsecure. After trying to call to no avail, checking with the Sheraton hotel next door and checking with our patient taxi driver (we had train reservations soon), we locked the keys in the car and left a note in the broken box with our phone numbers and proceeded to Rome. Bad decision? We didn't hear from them, but when the Amex bill arrived (I had prepaid in November), I had been charged 3000 Euros. They explained they couldn't get a key until January 10 and they charged us for gas also (we had fueled 5 minutes before returning the car. It took 5 months, but Amex resolved things for us (but still paid them 600 Euros). We should have left the key in the unlockable lock box.

StuDudley

>>About 2 months ago I rented from AutoEurope.....I can't help but wonder about these rental car companies, however. Perhaps they try such a thing on a few customers a day, and hope that not all are assertive to challenge them. I hope this was an honest mistake<<

Considering the title of this thread, I just want to make sure that readers know that AutoEurope in no way was involved in this "scam". They are just brokers based in Protland, Maine. Everyone who touched your car after you turned it in was either an Avis, Europcar, Hertz, etc. employee - not a AutoEurope employee. AutoEurope does not process the final invoice - it comes directly from Avis, Hertz, etc. AutoEurope gets an electronic copy of it, however.

In at least one instance. AutoEurope just "ate" a disputed charge I claimed, just to make sure I would rent through them again. I'm guessing that they did this with you, even thought they did not make the "mistake"

TC - about paying the parking ticket. You are correct in suggesting that I should have paid the ticket. I would have, but when we looked over the slip stuck to our windshield - we had no idea whatsoever HOW to pay the ticket.

Also, why did you say that I knowingly violated the parking codes? Do you think a French person vacationing in the US knows what a yellow, white, or yellow & black painted curb means?? I never knowingly dis-obey any parking codes - in the US or elsewhere. Sometimes, I just don't know what the codes are, and get a few "surprises". You can't park on the lawn in Golden Gate Park here in San Francisco - even if only 1 wheel is on the lawn (no curbs along many roads). About 25 years ago, me & about 10 others playing volleyball in the park got tickets for unknowingly doing this.

Stu Dudley

TexasAggie

I've actually gotten a parking ticket for being parked more than 12 inches from the curb on a tiny residential street before... I had lived in Texas all my life at that point in time and had NO idea of that rule!

TC

"Also, why did you say that I knowingly violated the parking codes?"

Dear Stu; I made my statement based on your spending "2 or 3 months in Europe every year". Yes, I would expect that a Frenchman spending that much time in our country and "renting over 30 cars" would have some knowledge of the parking rules, the language, and the method for paying all those fines.

As far as my dealings with AutoEurope, they have been nothing but examplary. I have no complaint with them and have not stated one. You have no need to come to their defense. They are being most kind in helping me to sort this out. I want to do the right thing and between Am Ex, AutoEurope, Avis and Fodor's friends I hope to come away with a much better understanding. If the charge is legitimate, we will, of course, pay it. If it is a hoax, I'd like to know that too. Travel is an opportunity to learn.

StuDudley

>>Dear Stu; I made my statement based on your spending "2 or 3 months in Europe every year". Yes, I would expect that a Frenchman spending that much time in our country and "renting over 30 cars" would have some knowledge of the parking rules, the language, and the method for paying all those fines.<<<

I guess we differ on this.

See my comment about parking in GG park, & TexasAggie's comment just prior to your post, regarding knowing the all the laws. Have you ever had a parking meter expire on you when it took longer than you expected to wait in a Post Office line???.

Have you ever read a French parking ticket??? Unless you have, might I suggest that you reserve judgement on others who have actually encountered this situation. One of the difficulties, as I remember, was in writing a check in Francs on my US bank to pay this fine.

BTW, these tickets were obtained more that 5 years ago - before we retired & started to vacation in Europe 2-3 months each year. Also, not all of that time has been in France.

I guess that you do not believe me when I said that I would have paid the ticket if I could have.


>>As far as my dealings with AutoEurope, they have been nothing but examplary. I have no complaint with them and have not stated one. You have no need to come to their defense. <<

I was responding to Woyzeck's statment - not yours. Re-read the heading of this thread & don't you think someone might get the idea that AutoEurope was pulling the "scam"???

Stu Dudley

JN

Stu:
Lighten up. You'll live longer and be able to travel more.

JEAN33437

Thanks to all...I now know that I MUST keep all gas receipts,especially the last before turning car in...and more importantly, I will not be in a rush to hand it over before I have a name of the inspector giving it the final check.

Woyzeck

STU: <<I was responding to Woyzeck's statment - not yours.>>

Wait a second, what did I do? Stu, I was just an innocent bystander here - I thought my story might be interesting or helpful. Please.

StuDudley

>>Wait a second, what did I do? Stu, I was just an innocent bystander here - I thought my story might be interesting or helpful. Please.<<

You did nothing wrong. It was a very good and informative post. I was just reiterating your point that if any scam exists, it was probably initiated by the rental car company, not AutoEurope.

Stu Dudley

Hobodad

I am afraid Auto Europe are still at it - we rented a car through them that was advertised as a special offer with fully comprehensive insurance as part of the price. The car was actually rented through a tiny, cowboy outfit in Italy called Locauto (do not touch them!), on returning the car they pointed to two small scratches on a hub cap, which were not something I had thought to mention on collection, and told me not to worry as the car was insured. I have just had €277 deducted from my credit card for two new plastic hub caps which, guess what, are not covered by the fully comprehensive insurance.

adrienne

I'm afraid that you're pointing the blame at the wrong company, Hobodad. AutoEurope is a consolidator and you did not rent the car from them (which you already know). You did not have to accept a car from Locauto. If you want to blame someone then blame the car rental company, not AutoEurope.

And why are you topping a post that is 12 years old, just to complain.

Aramis

Why are you answering just to defend a consolidator?

amer_can

For pete's sake..Isn't there a time limit on this forum???
Keep receipts, take pictures of cars and enjoy what you are so fortunate to be able to experience on your trip. If anyone learned a lesson then good!!!

Michael

However, Autoeurope should know that one of its providers is apparently trying to pull a fast one, and that it should no longer deal with this provider.