Will I get a refund from Budget for their unauthorized eToll fee?
 

By unauthorized I mean we were not notified at Tampa Budget that our rental had a transponder for the sunpass/epass on the Florida tollways and what fees would be added to our rental agreement. During our weekly rental we never used a toll road until we returned the car to Tampa. Knowing we were on a toll road we avoided all the sunpass/epass lanes and at our exit off 75 we expected to encounter a toll booth. No toll booth at the exit; just a sign stating our toll would be 75 cents. Since we were not given an option to pay the toll I wondered what Budget would tell us when we dropped off our car.

I was disturbed to find out, after the fact, that because we had gone on the toll road, which we could have easily avoided incurring the 75 cent toll, Budget was going to charge us $3.95 per day up to $16.75 dollars added to the 75 cent toll. We have toll roads when we live, all our cars have transponders but we also have the option of pay a toll at a booth if you don't have a transponder which I expected to do on this toll road in Florida.

When I questioned the added fees the Budget rep handed me the paper I should have been given when we picked up the car. Even then as I read the notice it tells me that my account will automatically be charged when we use the sunpass only and epass lanes which we never used.

Budge/Avis uses a third party company to deal with their eToll fees. When I called today I was told it would take two or three weeks before they would have the information about my toll charges.

My husband doesn't think we will get a credit from Budget for the transponder service fee. I always try to consider what additional fees we might encounter with a car rental but I never saw this one coming ;;) How likely are we to get this eToll service charge waived? Thanks for any comments, Deborah

Probably not. That is exact the same arrangement we had with Alamo a few weeks ago. The 3.95 charge is per day usage of the toll. So if you had one toll for the day of .75 it would be added to the $3.95 for a total of $4.70. I agree that it is an excess "service charge" for the .75 toll but that the way it is. We had the car for two weeks, mostly in the Keys, so the toll roads were only to and from the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale airports. In the end our toll road charges were $13 and some change. It was worth it for the convenience of using the eTolls. Is it worth your brain damage for $5. How else did you expect the tolls to be handle since toll booths are a thing of the past?

They are required to notify you of all charges, upfront, at least in my state. So if you've proven that you had no knowledge of the toll procedure and it was not pointed out on any document that you signed, you should receive a refund promptly from Budget. And they probably don' want to lose you as a customer over $5.

Did they tell you that you had to pay the toll charge for every day of your rental? I don't think that's the policy, it's only on the day that you used the toll.

It's possible to get the fee waived, but it may depend on your "relationship" with Budget. My spouse contacted Hertz after being charged a transponder service fee and they refunded the fee. But, we are long-time Hertz Gold Club members and have paid them a lot of money over the years in car rentals. It was simply a good business decision on their part to refund a minimal amount of money to us as a "thank you" for our patronage of Hertz and/or to keep us as a happy future customer.

But, it never hurts to write a thoughtful, non-threatening letter (i.e. no statements such as "I will never rent from Budget again.") requesting a refund. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Clark, most, if not all, major car rental companies charge the daily transponder fee for EACH and EVERY day of the rental (up to a maximum fee such as the $16.75 fee Budget charged DeborahAnn) even if you only use an e-toll lane once during the rental period. I have also found that they also post the policy around the counter, but in an unobtrusive manner which is often overlooked by harried travelers. I dislike both policies--the fee and the notice--very much.

Thanks, our experience has been that toll booths are not yet a thing of the past ;;)

As it was explained to me we will be charged the full $16.75 since our rental was 7 days and not just the $3.95 charge on the single day we had the toll. If Budget charges me the service fee only on the one day of the toll I'll accept that as a lesson learned--if I get charged the $16.75 maximum service fee for my 75 cent toll I'm an unhappy customer ;;)

I don't know how to prove we weren't told about the eToll fee other than my "word of honor"--we'll wait to see how far that gets us!! Thanks again, Deborah

longhorn...that's what I thought but that does not sound like fmpden's experience with toll charges.

After this experience I will add questioning toll collection to the long check list I have for any car rental and look for a transponder when I do my check for pre-existing exterior damage before we drive the car away from the rental location. Thanks again, Deborah

What percentage of the cost of your vacation does $16.75 signify? I agree that you should have been informed, and I do think you should ask for a refund because you weren't, and I, too, hate the policy of charging you daily even if you use the transponder only once. But I wouldn't expend too much precious energy on the issue, either now or the next time you rent a car. The transponder's presence in the car is meant to be a convenience, and, like all conveniences that cost extra, it might be worth paying for.

NewbE, you are correct in that the amount is not significant. It's more of matter of my travel OCD!! I enjoy experiencing unexpected discoveries while traveling but not when it comes to my car rental ;;) Deborah

16.75 times a hundred thousand customers a year who are hoodwinked adds up to big bucks for the car rental companies. No need to be complacent. Look at our cereal boxes, they're down from 24 ounces to 14.5 ounces just because Americans shrug and purchase. That kind of downsizing isn't even allowed in lots of countries. It's deceitful. Especially since the size of the box and plastic bagging are still the same, contributing more to the landfills.

Take a stand !

Rental companies seem to have different policies regarding the cashless toll transponders. I was looking into this the other day and came on the following:

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

Budget charges you a fee for each day of your rental even if you only use one toll on one day and Alamo charges you a fee for only the days you have a toll.

Add me to the list who hates these fees, but I'm really not sure what the option is, and wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get the money back. It still remains that you DID use the responder, right? Granted at the exit you chose you had no choice but to use it, but still you did use it.

This is not unlike my recent rental in SF. I had read that you MUST prepay the Golden Gate Toll or use a responder, so I did go online and prepay it for our one crossing I knew I would do, but otherwise, if I found myself going over the bridge I would have to expect that the responder would kick in and I'd have to pay the rental car company.

I'm aware that in Florida, more and more there are exits were there is no way to pay except with one of those transponders, so I'm really not sure what your option would have been once you were exiting at such an exit. At least, if I'm understanding your situation correctly.

I wonder, is there a box on the rental contract that required an initial or some other acknowledgement of the transponder policy? I would still protest, but if the OP signed something acknowledging the policy, her case may be even harder to make.

In SF, you can pay the Golden Gate toll online before or after you cross--no transponder necessary. In fact, on CA rental cars, the transponder has a kind of plastic seal on it--if you break it, you can use it but you'll pay for it daily. If the seal is intact, no charge. I assume that CA just has stronger consumer protection laws in this regard.

In Florida, I have no idea what you're supposed to do if you don't want to pay for the transponder every day, even on days when you don't use it.

There was no box to tick agreeing to the use of the transponder, nor is it listed on either the additional fees included or that we declined.

Bah!! On our Budget Rental Terms and Agreement, line item #22 of 29; in the middle of the paragraph titled Fines, Expenses, Costs and Administrative Fees, Collections, I now see mention of an electronic toll device as well as the possibility the license plate may be registered for video plate recognition (which I guess one must ask about or else how would you know it's been registered). It does state the $16.75 maximum per rental, ($3.95 convenience fee per day for every day of the rental even if you use it only once).

It goes on to say that you can avoid the convenience fee and any other charges by paying the toll in cash, using your own electronic toll device, or avoiding any cashless toll road or passages. How does one know which toll roads are cashless, is there a sign posted?

Silly me, I thought we could pay in cash. Every lane of 75 to Tampa must be a sunpass lane because we certainly did not drive in one. I'm still going to try for the refund but do not have much hope about getting it. Thanks for the helpful comments. I'm still annoyed but I feel better after complaining here ;;) Deborah

I always make sure that transponder is closed tight. I got charged one time and never again. I didn't know about the convenience fee. I try and not even have one in my car. I am a longtime budget renter.

NewbE', I know you can prepay Golden Gate Bridge, but if you don't, what happens if you don't and don't have a transponder? How do they track you down through the rental agency and what is the fee or fine?

This article is from October 28, 2013

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...vices/3181705/

But evidently many customers of Budget (and other companies) have expressed their dissatisfaction, and the Florida Attorney General's office is investigating.

You might want to write the AG's office about your experience.

http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/...256CD1005EE5C5

You could also file the complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divi...le-a-Complaint

Neo, this is from the Golden Gate Toll website, http://goldengate.org/tolls/ :

"If you crossed the bridge in the southbound direction into San Francisco more than 48 hours ago, a Toll Invoice will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle for the amount of the toll
– with no added fees. You will have 21 days to pay the Toll Invoice. If the Toll Invoice isn’t paid within 21 days, you will be issued a Toll Violation notice which attaches a $25 penalty to any portion of the unpaid Toll Invoice. If the first Toll Violation notice goes unpaid, a second Toll Violation notice is issued (with increased penalties) and if it goes unpaid, the amount due is referred to the DMV who will withhold your vehicle registration until the penalties are paid. For out-of-state vehicles, the matter is referred to a collections agency.

If you are using a rented vehicle, discuss how the toll will be billed to you with the rental car agency."

So it's not clear to me what happens if you skip the toll in a rental. Apparently, the different agencies may handle it differently if the website declines to answer that question specifically.

Btw, in case it wasn't clear from the above, you can prepay OR pay within 48 hours AFTER you cross without penalty in a rental. I assume that invoices are mailed to POV's only. But maybe not??

In March I am renting a car in FL for 2 weeks, and I have done some research regarding this problem for renters. FL has instituted "cashless tolls" on some of its highways and will continue to add cashless tolls in other areas of the state. There is no way to prepay these tolls or pay at a toll both. So you can either pay an upfront fee to the rental company, as high as $8.95 per day for Thrifty and Dollar for the whole rental period, or if you go through the toll have your credit card charged months after you return the rental for the toll plus an "administrative fee" of about $15 per toll violation. I am renting a car for two weeks from Thrifty. If I pay upfront it will cost me about $95 for the 2 weeks. I have decided to wait to get charged after the fact because the maximum penalty charge is $105, and I do not think I will be going through 7 cashless tolls. Even with the extra $105, my rental is hundreds of dollars less than at the big name companies. I do agree that this charge by the rental companies is a rip off, but there is not much anyone can do about it.

OK, NewbE, but it is still saying the notice will be sent to the RENTAL agency. Then the renter must wait for the rental agency to add that to their bill which could be ages and certainly could also end up including that fine. And what that agency wants to charge for a fee is totally up to them. I certainly can't imagine someone turning in a rental car to Avis or someone a day after going through that toll and saying "here is the extra cost of the toll I incurred, so please don't bill me anything extra."

I guess I'm still asking how one can drive a rental car through the toll and then pay just a toll without paying extra fees of fines. It doesn't seem possible to me at all.

It's like shelleyk is saying just above. There seems to be no way around getting hit one way or another by those fees.

Oh, but NewbE, you also mention discussing how it will be handled with the agency. I did that with Avis on our 12 day rental in SF. The answer was, if you use the transponder once you will be charged a daily charge for the entire rental period up to a certain amount as a minimum. The bottom line? If we didn't prepay that single toll for the Golden Gate, the least it would have cost us was something like $ 59. I forget the exact amount, but that's close.

This is, regrettably, a long-standing problem with rentals in Florida. Drivers in Orlando report the same problems. But most of the rental agreements do state very clearly "use one, charged for every day of rental" or something like that for the toll pass.

This is also a problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which has also switched to all cashless tolls. I encountered cashless express lanes in San Diego recently. There are even certain cashless lanes on the New York State Thruway, where you bypass the toll booth, though in the northeast it's still an option in some places.

Chris Elliott has written about this a lot, including this article: http://tinyurl.com/pdbe4bu.

It's worth it for any car rental to read up on the subject since these are not the norm in many places.

The reason for the "fine" is because cashless toll lanes read license plates if you don't have a transponder. So there's an additional administrative fee. Or in some places the transponder is simply built into the car, so you have no choice.

The issue bothers me, particularly in areas that depend on tourists ... so Dallas less than in Florida, where it's a big and ever-growing problem. I think many of the fees are rip-offs, but it's not against the law for car-rental companies to charge these fees, even if it seems unfair. All the companies cover this on their web sites and deep in the fine print of their rental agreements.

But this is an issue renters need to be aware of.

In FL, you can prepay for a mini transponder by mail, and then opt out of the rental car company's transponder program. BEWARE - some rental companies include a fee to opt out!

However, I have read that there could be an issue regarding the length of time it might take to activate your own transponder, which requires the rental car license number.
https://www.sunpass.com/purchase

Neo:
1. I did not say you should discuss it with your rental agency, the website did.
2. You are obfuscating when you say "I'm still asking how one can drive a rental car through the toll and then pay just a toll without paying extra fees of fines. "

Listen: Pay in advance OR pay within 48 hours of crossing, ONLINE, without penalty. No transponder necessary. That's how.

Enough about SF now, where the problem has been solved in a more consumer friendly way. The policies in Florida are terrible.

NewbE--Seattle has these as well for a few roads, including the 520 bridge. It works fine if you know the system, but it is very unwelcoming for visitors. The car rental places have registered the cars, so when a visitor comes they cannot register the car. There is no way to pay the toll at the time of crossing, so it goes to the registered owner of the car, the rental agency. They tack on an admin fee of around $20 when the tolls get sent to them, which of course is charged to the renter. So for visitors with their own cars, it works fine to do a short term account. For those renting cars it is not and is not a great way to welcome them to the area, IMO. I think rental agencies and/or the State DOT should provide a flier to renters that explains the local system and alternate routes to avoid the tolls. In Seattle there is the 90 bridge that is a great alternative, but renters are not advised about it. So yeah, other areas are facing the same issues. Too bad because it is an easy fix but one that is not being implemented.

Thank you for your comments. With the help of the internet I was able to find some locations of cashless toll roads in Florida, after the fact. Cashless tolls are new to me but now I'm a more savvy traveler and the lesson learned wasn't too expensive ;;)

cranachin, thanks for those links. I will send a comment or two because I do feel I was not properly informed at the time of the rental.

shelleyk it sounds like you have done the research but I would be concerned of any fees the rental company would add as their charge if they must provide the state your rental information--they could charge you for each infraction. Good luck.

Doug, thank you for providing some of the other states that have added cashless toll roads. It is helpful information for unlucky tourists who might only be passing through. Deborah

Per their website, Thrifty will charge me $15 for each infraction (plus the tolls) up to a maximum of $105 (equalling 7 infractions). The only cashless highway I plan to use is Sawgrass highway, so I think I will have to pay Thrifty $15 plus the $1 toll for that infraction. I think these cashless tolls will be a bonanza for the rental companies, but there is not much we can do except ventilate. BTW, the $15 charge per infraction is assessed by Thrifty, not the state.

shelleyk, good research!! It seems you have found a way to do as little damage as possible to your travel budget regarding the cashless toll roads. Have a great trip and mind those sneaky toll roads ;;) Deborah

Can't help with Florida but I have a lot of experience w/ GG Bridge
1) CA atty general investigated Hertz and other companies charging crazy fees for using the GG Bridge transponder,so Hertz at least now has a cap of $25 or so for using the transponder and that's if you used it for a month.
2) As we rent cars locally relatively often we just do the one time pay as soon as we pick up the car and sign on for the rental period. That way whenever we cross we are covered.,
3) You can access the site form a smartphone so once you pick up bridge you can set up a payment on your phone.

NewbE, despite what you think, I'm really not trying to be difficult here, but there's one part I still didn't understand. When you say "Listen: . . . OR pay within 48 hours of crossing, ONLINE, without penalty. No transponder necessary. That's how.", you mean you can go online and give the license number of the rental car you are driving and pay for that crossing? I guess so, and that is news to me. But if so, hooray, then there IS a way to pay afterwards. In all my studying of the site I never got that part at all!

ooops, sorry. and here is why I didn't know that before. The website specifically says:

"A One-Time Payment can be made 30 days before you cross the Bridge, or within 48 hours after your crossing (if traveling in a rental car, payment must be made BEFORE crossing)".

so I'm still saying I think you HAVE to pay in advance if you are driving a rental car. I don't see any way you can pay afterwards, without enduring extra charges at the whim of the rental car agency.

What really needs to happen in the fantasy world is an single transponder for all systems. Probably too simple and cuts into revenue. We hit Chicago area frequently enough that we final bought an ezpass for Chicago and Indiana toll road. Originally I was concerned that our permanent installed transponder for our local system might cause problems. But it didn't.

Actually, that is coming. The federal government has set an Oct. 1, 2016 deadline requiring the nation's toll roads to allow drivers to use one transponder on any toll road.

Florida and North Carolina are now compatible for use on each other's roads, and I am sure many other states are farther along in their progress.

Good news, as far as I am concerned.