The thread regarding the speeding ticket for rental cars brought me to this question.

Actually I got two tickets for wrong parking of a rental car. One was in Paris (car had a Lyon numberplate) and one was in Alkmaar, Holland. Both were minor wrong parkings. I never got any charges regarding this from Hertz.
Once in Frankfurt/Germany I just arrived to my rental car (French number plate) when a "Politesse" wanted to ticked me. I asked what would happen. She said probably nothing - but we give a ticket anyhow.

Was anybody ever charged for a minor wrong parking overseas?
What happens when we get a ticket in the USA? Shall we go to the police and pay?

Don't tell we what to do when the police puts a clamp (like in London) or moves the car away - I belive SFO holds the world record in this.

I did receive the (Hertz) bill for a wrong parking 'delict' in SFO about 8 months afterwards to my swiss home-address (and I did pay it).

I've received parking tickets in Germany and just because I didn't want the rental company adding on any administrative fees for billing me later on, I paid them on the spot at the local police station.

Last week I ran a toll gate in Florida - I had no change, there was no attendant and there was no where to turn around. I asked at the rental car desk if I needed to be concerned about it and she said no, they usually just issue a warning the first couple of times.

Two summers ago I got a parking ticket in Bremen, Germany with a rental car. I paid the small fine, around $20. Little did I know that the car had been towed as well (only a few feet, as I was allegedly blocking someone's driveway).

Several months later I got a letter at my home address from the city, saying I had 10 days to pay a reduced fine of $50 or so. I called and managed to pay the discount rate though I was well past the delay.

I wonder how the city of Bremen would have come after me, but I thought paying was still the right thing to do I guess.

I have not had many. In the USA, I pay. In europe I don't. Hertz italy chased for a bit and then gave up. I have never heard from any others ever. I once got a ticket for FF900 for parking on the Boulevard des Ternes. Never heard a word from Hertz.

I did however protest a ticket in HNL. It was illegible, and I could not for the life of me see why I had received it. The judge obviously agreed, and I was pardoned.

I rented a car from Hertz in SF and got a parking ticket, Hertz forwarded it to me after giving my address information to the city,I paid the fine directly to the city. I live in SF so I guess I had more to lose than a visitor from elsewhere.

Never be responsible for an accident in Austria!

USAFAN, I also got a ticket in Alkmaar. We were running late for the Friday morning cheese market and I guess I parked in a "residents only" spot. I am waiting for National to bill me but nothing yet (since end of May).

Small world!!

Now, come on RR -- you're going to tell us more about this, right?

I got a ticket for running a toll gate in Trondheim Norway and it was going to be charged by Budget to my credit card. I appealed and won. But I thought it was cut and dried if you did not appeal...the rental company got the fine and charged your card. And you pay. I guess enforcement procedures or lack thereof in localities can vary but the rental company is surely going to pass it through.

We got two parking tickets in Holland, one Amsterdam near our hotel, one at Gouda (speaking of cheese markets..). No one came after us. Got one last fall in Spain at a plaza where it looked good to us but ditched it and no follow up. We actually spoke to the officer who laughed at the notion that he ticketed a foreigner. HOWEVER, my husband got a speeding ticket in Europe and that puppy followed him home.

Karen2, how are you?? Do tell what happened? You were lucky that it followed you home. had they known that he was not local they usually fine on the spot in local currency!

How much was it and where did he acquire it?


Paul

If you don't pay, they'll get you somehow. I got two tickets in Toronto, and figured I could blow it off since it's a foreign country. Wrong. They got me. They sent the ticket to the car rental company, and those folks charged my credit card.

Well, at least it was Canadian dollars, so it wasn't real money =)

In former times, one wasn't even charged within the E.U. - but during the last few years, the started to enforce it regardless of being a local resident or being a foreigner.
Countries like Austria and Italy are the worst - they collect the fine on the spot. If you can't pay, you can easily end up in jail for a night.
(Source: ADAC - the German AAA equivalent)

In SEA 2 years ago some coworkers borrowed the Avis rental car and got expired meter parking tickets. I did not know about them so therefore they did not get paid. 3 or 4 months later I got a notice in the mail at my home address for both of them. $20 fines were $80 a piece by the time I got the notices. So yes, in the US at least, they will find you. You can pay now or later, but it will cost you more later without a doubt.