[backintheseat]

Last year Avis charged me 30 GBP just to inform me that my rental car had suffered a speeding ticket. A month ago GREEN MOTION at Manchester airport charged me 80 GBP for exactly the same. It was almost half the rental charge for my weeks KIA Sorento use.

[SimonS1]

I didn’t know it was physically possible to speed in a Kia? You should have disputed it immediately 🙂

[LuganoPirate]

Renting from Hertz recently I inadvertently exceeded the speed limit in France. Hertz sent me the fine along with details on how to pay. No admin charge of any sort. Very fair I thought.

Peter, love the story and so typical of Sri Lankans who would go out of their way to help.

[LuganoPirate]

Renting from Hertz recently I inadvertently exceeded the speed limit in France. Hertz sent me the fine along with details on how to pay. No admin charge of any sort. Very fair I thought.

Peter, love the story and so typical of Sri Lankans who would go out of their way to help.

[CathayLoyalist2]

I got notification from Hertz that I was clocked at an eye watering 34mph in a 30mph limit on a recent UK visit. I know it was reckless to drive at such high speed. I guess the police need the money. The admin fee was 42GBP. That said I do know that is covered in their T&Cs they will charge for handling something like that. Quite what they do for GBP42 is another matter.

[MartynSinclair]

@CathayLoyalist2 – when Hertz sent you notification of the speeding ticket, is the police evidence included or is it just a letter from Hertz advising what the firm has received??

[SimonS1]

You would be very unlucky then as current guidance within the Police Force is the speed limit + 10% + 2, so 35mph in a 30 limit.

The exceptions are if in a ‘risk’ area such as outside a school.

[ViajeroUK]

I had an Admin Charge from Avis appear on my C/Card statement following a rental in Italy. When I questioned it I was told that I had allegedly driven in a pedestrian only area and that Italian Police had requested my details (UK address) for which Avis charged me 38 Euros. Almost two years on and I have had no communication from the police.

[Rockhopper]

We rented a villa in the Algarve a few weeks ago and we hired a car as part of the holiday package from Avis/Budget as the price was very good and included zero excess and an additional driver. A couple of weeks prior to travel we received very detailed travel information etc from the villa company(who I have to say were excellent) and this included something I have never seen before: a detailed guide to the car hire process and what to look out for!

One of the things they highlighted was the addition of Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) which is optional and unnecessary if you have half decent travel insurance.

Arrived at the rental desk – paperwork presented for me to “just sign there, initial here and here etc”. Much to the assistant’s annoyance I read the document first (as I always do) and lo and behold it included the PAI. I asked why it had been included and she told me the villa company had booked it – an obvious lie as they had told me to watch out for them adding it!! I told her to remove it which she grudgingly did.

So yet more attempts to add charges by Avis, but excellent customer service from the villa company to warn you what to look out for!

[CathayLoyalist2]

MartynSinclair, it was a note from Hertz to say they had forwarded my details in respect of a speeding ticket they had received. The letter from the Norfolk Constabulary followed about a week later which I replied to so we will see what happens next

[CathayLoyalist2]

SimonS1, it was one of those white vans with cameras peering through the back windows. No schools just a pub on a village green with property set well back on either side of the road. Having been abroad in Asia for 21 years maybe they will decide to send a letter saying be more careful next time. I guess it will depend how intent they are looking at ways of replenishing their budget cuts. I haven’t held a UK licence since I left!

[SimonS1]

I’m sure you will hear no more of it.

When resident in the Middle East I had a Saudi driving license which is valid for 12 months in UK. On the one occasion I was stopped I produced it and the officer decided it was more trouble than it was worth.

[LuganoPirate]

So finally the third party agent for Avis has agreed to refund Mrs. LP’s money. It was taken from her in 20 minutes, but now they say it can take between 15 and 20 working days to refund for “Administrative” reasons!!!

[LuganoPirate]

Tend to agree with Simon, if you have a foreign licence it’s very unlikely the police will take it further, especially if your address is overseas in a non English speaking country.

When I’ve had fines for the congestion zone, parking, speeding etc, we write a letter back, in Italian, that we do not understand the contents and asking for the matter to be addressed to us in Italian, which is the legal language of this part of Switzerland. Till now we’ve never heard anything again.

Doesn’t stop Avis/Europcar ripping us off with a charge for passing our details to the police though!

[MrMichael]

SimonS1, LuganoPirate, sorry, but it really gets my goat. I don’t blame you guys for taking advantage of the situation, but the fact “johnny foreigner” thinks he can come to England and get away with not paying speeding and parking fines drives me to absolute insanity.

You may well be aware I work in the transport sector and was instrumental in getting a change in legislation in the UK regarding parking fines, get three and don’t pay them and the enforcement authority can just tow you away next time. Same should be the case with speeding, albeit with hire cars it is a lot harder, but with a little more technology on the problem……beware!

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