One thing is for sure. The answer is NOT to be found here.

I would pay it.

We received a parking violation in Minori in mid afternoon while we were eating lunch. Apparently, that big empty parking space should have been left empty during those hours, although there was not sign to indicate this anywhere.

When I walked into the polizia station to pay it, I was directed to a window where the clerk kindly took my payment. When I inquired with whom I could contest it, she pointed to an officer at the desk. He confirmed that it was a local law, and that there was no signage. Why it was the equivalent of $87? Because most people have that much money on them all the time, he explained.

Pay up, move on.

"Pay up, move on."

Some people have a talent for doing just that, while others seem utterly unable to. I think it's excellent advice but requires that particular ability, maybe not taking it personally, then just forgetting it.

This doesn't sound like a scam at all to me, I don't know why people think that. He was in Italy, did rent a car, and has photos of the incident of the car he rented at the time he was there. How on earth could some random American collection agency come up with that or even know he was there?

You can negotiate with collection agencies IF they own the debt. It isn't clear what is happening here, if they own the debt or are just being used to collect it. Obviously they had better ability to find the OP than the Italian authorities. I admit I don't know if collection agencies ever work that way, just as a hired gun, but it wouldn't surprise me. Sometimes they do buy the debt. But the OP said they said there was nothing they could do and no way they could reduce the debt, so they may not own it. If they do, they could negotiate with you.

Using Google, you can find plenty of mentions of this happening, I don't think it is a scam (use of an American collection agency). eg
Guy in Canada with same problem, Candian collection agency after him
http://www.tercel4wd.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6960
http://www.complaintsboard.com/compl...y-c163602.html
the above is about an American who DID ignore the traffic ticket and they hired a collection agency in Los Angeles (see Oct 2010 email)

There are others, I see no reason to think this is a scam or how it even could be given the evidence and that the OP was in Italy driving a rental car at that time. Try negotiating and find out if they own the debt.

>>>This doesn't sound like a scam at all to me, I don't know why people think that. He was in Italy, did rent a car, and has photos of the incident of the car he rented at the time he was there. How on earth could some random American collection agency come up with that or even know he was there?<<<

I do think there was a traffic violation, but that isn't the entire issue here. Does a US collection company have the right to collect for a foreign country police force? In the US, you would have to provide options to the consumer whether the right to appeal the ticket, etc. You aren't automatically guilty here. I can't imagine the US would allow Italy's laws to trump our laws (including proper notification to the person in a timely manner which would mean before any extra penalties are due).

Funny story-- On one of my many trips to Naples, I parked in what I thought was a legitimate parking area, in Piazza Sannizarro. There were other cars there, so I just joined them. When I left the restaurant in which I was dining,(great pizza), there were no cars there, only mine (rented from Hertz). There was also a big cop standing next to my car. He looked furious. He wanted to know what the heck I was doing in the middle of the piazza. I told him there were many cars there a short time ago. He told me that the cars were there on official business (whatever that might be), and they all left after the official business. The car really stood out like a sore thumb out there all alone in the middle of the street. The cop told me that he would give me a large fine. I didn't argue with him, and I agreed that I was UN IMBECILE to park there. When he found out I was American, he immediately got into a good mood and was amazed how an American could speak Neopolitan with absolutely no accent. He then told me "NON LO FARE PIU!" and sent me on my way.

In these days of unsafe data, it's entirely possible that the information on the OP's car and personal details was stolen or hacked.

kybourbon is correct in what he says and I still do think that this sounds like a scam. It's OK saying "pay up move on" for a €50 fine, but when it gets to $950? As I said earlier, the original fine, if such it was, could not have been more than €100 and the amount being added on is userous and that's what raises alarm bells for me.

If I got a bill in the mail for nearly $1000 that I knew nothing about, I wouldn't just pay it. I'd check what it was and who I was paying. I'd want a sight more proof before I parted with my money. Also, if you go ahead and pay, do they want your CC details? Are you comfortable in giving that away?

Maybe you'd lose a grand and get your CC ripped off at the same time. Put the name of the "Collection Agency" and their address on here and let's see if they're legit. If they are and they say that they can't negotiate the fine, I'm very sure that their fees are more than negotiable. I'm not sure that you have any legal liability to pay fees when you didn't get the original bill in the first place.

It is my understanding that Italian authorities are required to send notification of speeding violations by registered mail. If you never signed a receipt for mail from the Italian authorities, you cannot be charged added penalties for non-payment, etc.

http://italychronicles.com/speeding-fines-in-italy/

Reading some of these posts makes me realize how rich I could get if I simply made up some stationary, got myself a website, and posed as a collection agency so I could instantly scoop up hundreds of dollars from affluent Americans so they could "move on" with their lives and not have to deal with bogus mail or bureaucratic mistakes committed against them.

I once had a collection agency try to dun me for allegedly unpaid medical bills that were 2 years old that I was fairly certain had been paid by insurance, etc. Turned out it was a rogue employee inside the collection agency who preyed on sick and confused old people, figuring they wouldn't remember whether they had paid. or have the energy to fight back. I mean, who wants to spend the last days of your life arguing with a collection agency. Lovely business.

I hope nobody EVER forks over $1000 to strangers based on mockery from anonymous Fodor's posters that failure to do so would be evidence that aren't "talented" enough to "pay up and move on" like the self-regarding snob who posted that seems to believe is the smart way to go through life.

I'd say any of the offerings here are as smart as thinking one could obtain definitive advice on bill-paying from us mocking Fodors snobs. It's so good to have things we can count on, like sandralist mocking the mockers. All's right with the world.

Sandra is having quite the day today, snarking and mocking everywhere. Open any one Italy post and there she is. Predictable. It is truly amazing anyone here can function without her advice.

According to her, we apparently don't function. But then is regularly having to rejoin Fodors with a new screen name a model of functioning? Could be it's what sets her apart from the riffraff in Sandraworld.

<i><font color=#555555>"I hope nobody EVER forks over $1000 to strangers based on mockery from anonymous Fodor's posters"</font></i>

Or based on anything else.

This self-regarding food snob doesn't trust any bill she receives in the mail until it's been scrutinized to the last penny. If you really want to test your mettle, take on a health care bill.

I've never received a traffic violation in the mail, but if I earned a violation, I'm of the mind to take full responsibility and pay it. But I typically require some level of proof. If I received something that looked questionable, especially something grossly inflated, you can be sure I would do everything I could to track down smart advice. I'm lucky to have several friends who practice law and are a phone call away.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, many traffic cameras exist solely for the purpose of revenue. Pious bloggers can say what they want about "safety." Safety is important. But most smart, civic-minded people who vote, or have a cop in the family, know what it takes to run a city. We know the truth.

Even though it was decades ago and I was armed with all the road sign information one could get at the time, I made some ridiculous driving blunders in Italy and France the first few times I drove in both countries. The first time I returned my car rental in Rome, I drove the car in circles for one hour, because I couldn't figure out the one-way streets. The cop who watched me make mistake after mistake eventually came to my rescue. He did not ticket me after I told him what I was trying to do.

If you are alone in your car on a foreign city street and holding a map as you drive, chances are you are not going to get every turn or lane-change correct, because you can't see most street names from your driver's seat. I always came through those experiences wondering how I made it through alive. There were no cameras then.

Navigation and map reading is a little easier today if you're lucky to have a working GPS, but first time visitors still need to learn the lay of the land before acquiring some confidence. Simple mistakes will happen to the most seasoned navigators/travelers. If a camera catches you and there's no cop to listen to your story, ka-ching for the municipality.

It's my opinion that many insecure travelers will go without a car when planning a trip to Europe, simply based on these camera violation posts. Their ubiquity won't go ignored. The cameras are bad for the car rental business. They're bad business for tourism.

<<I hope nobody EVER forks over $1000 to strangers based on mockery from anonymous Fodor's posters that failure to do so would be evidence that aren't "talented" enough to "pay up and move on" like the self-regarding snob who posted that seems to believe is the smart way to go through life.>>

WOW! This is so exciting! I've marked this day on the calendar and set a reminder for next year to celebrate. I have never, ever, in my entire life, been called a snob! Let alone, a "self-regarding snob." People who know me from my many years here would probably take issue with that. But I have "arrived." (Doing a Snoopy dance through the kitchen right now.) LOL

But it's okay. Really. I'm not concerned in the least.

My point was that the OP shared with us some details that led to our conclusion that perhaps she should consider payment of the fines. If you know it was the car you rented during your dates, with photos of the violation, I stand by my original advice. Things happen and I'm not one to sweat the small stuff. ;)

Uh-oh. I have to correct that. I HAVE been called a linens or sheet snob before. That is probably true. I can stay anywhere, even a tent, if the sheets are good.

<<According to her, we apparently don't function. But then is regularly having to rejoin Fodors with a new screen name a model of functioning? Could be it's what sets her apart from the riffraff in Sandraworld.>>

Ah, that explains a lot. Couldnt figure out the notoriety in only a few months as a member. It must be nice to always be right, even if it's only in your mind.

At the risk of staying on topic, I threw away the Pisa parking ticket they mailed me a few years ago, and heard nothing more.

"If you are alone in your car on a foreign city street and holding a map as you drive, chances are you are not going to get every turn or lane-change correct, because you can't see most street names from your driver's seat. I always came through those experiences wondering how I made it through alive"

Is very true.

Add to that the fact that we Brits are driving on the "wrong" side of the road and in general most Italian men regard themselves as trainee Formula 1 drivers, then the chances are you will jus try and keep up with traffic in Italy.

As a result, the chances are that you will be very prone to receiving a ticket.

If you are alone in your car and holding a map as you drive, chances are you are breaking some kind of law to do with 'driving while distracted'.

Let's put the proverbial shoe on the other foot.

If someone comes to your home town and parks illegally or drives down the middle of a pedestrian zone and receives a traffic ticket by mail, don't you expect them to pay the fine to your municipality?

If they don't pay it or ignore it, shouldn't something happen? Someone should collect the fine, right?

Yes they should, but the OP didn't receive the ticket. No doubt he would have paid it had he done so. He is not being asked to pay the fine, he's being hit with an enormous bill for $1000. As I've said in an earlier post, it smells like a scam.

Let's put the shoe on your foot. Would you pay in these circumstances without doing some due diligence? I'll send you a bill for $10000 if you would.

To the OP, put the name and address of this Collection firm on here and let's see what we can turn up. At the very least contact the municipality in Italy by email and ask them if they use collection agencies in the US.