Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) - Possible red light violation: What happens now?

Hi there,

first, I apologize if this is not the most appropriate place to post it, but I couldn't find a better subforum to put it.

Here is the thing:
I am in the US at the moment, but am a German citizen. I have a Alamo rental car with my German address on file, and I think I got caught at a red light yesterday.

It is clearly my fault, no doubt about that.

But what happens now? Will Alamo get the "bill" and just charge my credit card for that? Or will Alamo pass on my German address to the authorities and they will send a letter to Germany?

I have googled intensively, but not found anything meaningful...

Thanks in advance!

My guess is that nothing will happen.

If you got a parking ticket, Alamo would pay it and charge you. Moving violations are personal and Alamao will not be charged.

Not sure what you men about getting caught at a red light. Did you get a ticket? Did a camera catch you? If you posted no money, odds are that you can go home and never have to pay a fine. If you return and get another ticket in the same state you could get arrested! So what you do about it is your call.

My guess is that nothing will happen.

If you got a parking ticket, Alamo would pay it and charge you. Moving violations are personal and Alamao will not be charged.

Camera viloations are not usually moving violations and are charged against the owner of the vehicle. It's not the fine for the violation, but the surcharge Alamo may charge you that may be costly.

I got a parking ticket once - which I paid directly, so Alamo was out of the loop for that one.

In this case, I passed a traffic light that switched from orange to red in the very moment when I crossed the line - so... *flash* and a nice picture was taken, I guess.

I am travelling a lot between the Germany and the US, so I am not seeking to get around a fine. It was my fault, and I am gonna pay for it.

The question is more like: How much is that (typically) and how do they get hold of me? How does it work if I am a German citizen?

The rental agreement may contain a clause that authorizes Alamo to charge your credit card for any traffic violations.

Hi there,

first, I apologize if this is not the most appropriate place to post it, but I couldn't find a better subforum to put it.

Here is the thing:
I am in the US at the moment, but am a German citizen. I have a Alamo rental car with my German address on file, and I think I got caught at a red light yesterday.

It is clearly my fault, no doubt about that.

But what happens now? Will Alamo get the "bill" and just charge my credit card for that? Or will Alamo pass on my German address to the authorities and they will send a letter to Germany?

I have googled intensively, but not found anything meaningful...

Thanks in advance!

I would say its luck of the draw. I once got a parking ticket in a rental, (in my hometown, no less), and ignored it and nothing happened. However, I wouldn't count on that, because my mom ran an easypass tollbooth, and Enterprise corrected the state, and they sent her a ticket. What you could do is to send Alamo an e-mail, fessing up, and tell them you'll pay the ticket, as soon as they get it, that way, you'll have it in writing of what you said you were going to do, and hopefully they won't charge you a fee. Or, ask to speak to a manager when you get back. Also, maybe you could call the city/county where it happened, and ask to settle it right then and there.

Camera viloations are not usually moving violations and are charged against the owner of the vehicle. It's not the fine for the violation, but the surcharge Alamo may charge you that may be costly.This varies by state, but most states have made it as described. And the fines are hefty (often in the USD 300 range). The surcharge from Alamo will also be over USD 100. It will automatically be charged to your credit card, often months after your rental. Getting the charge reversed is difficult if not impossible.

In some states the owner of the vehicle (Alamo in this example) is not responsible, the driver is responsible; all the owner must do is to provide the name and address of the driver. In that case you will get the ticket in the mail, and it is between you and the issuing authority. But Alamo is likely to have a service charge for this, as well (maybe in the USD 50 range).

I got a parking ticket once - which I paid directly, so Alamo was out of the loop for that one.

In this case, I passed a traffic light that switched from orange to red in the very moment when I crossed the line - so... *flash* and a nice picture was taken, I guess.

I am travelling a lot between the Germany and the US, so I am not seeking to get around a fine. It was my fault, and I am gonna pay for it.

The question is more like: How much is that (typically) and how do they get hold of me? How does it work if I am a German citizen?

Good of you to want to pay for your misfortune. Call the location you are renting from and explain the situation to a mgr and give them your RA number. They will enter notes regarding same and if you indeed did get nailed by the red light cam, they will have all your up to date info on file from you as in address and the manager can let you know what the fine is in that state. Since you are so forth-coming they might waive their processing fee, who knows? But locations generally charge a processing fee...we do in PHX.
Good Luck and Drive Safe!

But locations generally charge a processing fee...we do in PHX.Thanks for your advice, Paminaz! If I read correctly between the lines, you are working in the rental car business.

Lets just act as if I was having this issue in PHX and I was the guy standing in front of your counter: What would that cost me in PHX, processing fee plus fine?

I will return my car tomorrow and definitely talk to the station manager, but it would be nice to have a little more backup information. :)

BTW, I read a lot on the internet about the "driving record" of US citizens. Do I (as a non-US citizen without an US drivers license) have a driving record, too? Or is does it, in this case, settle the matter if I pay the fine that my come?

Sorry if many of these questions sound stupid, but if one is not familiar with the US system AND there is a rental car involved, all that is pretty confusing.

...What would that cost me in PHX, processing fee plus fine?...The red light fine in the city of Phoenix is USD 238.40 (it is different in other nearby areas, e.g. Scottsdale and Paradise Valley are higher). The car rental company has there own processing fee, this varies a lot but is typically USD 50-100. For info on the PHX fines, see https://www.violationinfo.com/AZPHX/html/info.htm

Thanks for your advice, Paminaz! If I read correctly between the lines, you are working in the rental car business.

Lets just act as if I was having this issue in PHX and I was the guy standing in front of your counter: What would that cost me in PHX, processing fee plus fine?

I will return my car tomorrow and definitely talk to the station manager, but it would be nice to have a little more backup information. :)

BTW, I read a lot on the internet about the "driving record" of US citizens. Do I (as a non-US citizen without an US drivers license) have a driving record, too? Or is does it, in this case, settle the matter if I pay the fine that my come?

Sorry if many of these questions sound stupid, but if one is not familiar with the US system AND there is a rental car involved, all that is pretty confusing.

Processing fee is subjective per location...so you will have to ask where you are renting.
Driving record is usually ok once the fine is paid per violation.

you can try googling the place that handles those tickets. Usually, there will be an address and a phone number. You might be able to call them and mail them your fines along with plate number of the car. This way, you can avoid contacts with the rental car company. A friend of mine did this when mistakely ran through the SunPass lane in FL.

Finally, I am able to give an update on this. Have been travelling a lot, so it took a while...

When arriving at the rental car facility, I tried to set this issue straight, but nobody of the staff could tell me for sure how this would work.

They were all just guessing that there is a processing fee of a couple of bucks (like 20, the rep said) - and they will hand out the address of the renter.
But they denied that they could put a remark into my rental data or something compareable. "Just wait and see", they said.

So, I guess I will have to wait for a letter to arrive in Germany...

Thanks for all your help! :)

Finally, I am able to give an update on this. Have been travelling a lot, so it took a while...

When arriving at the rental car facility, I tried to set this issue straight, but nobody of the staff could tell me for sure how this would work.

They were all just guessing that there is a processing fee of a couple of bucks (like 20, the rep said) - and they will hand out the address of the renter.
But they denied that they could put a remark into my rental data or something compareable. "Just wait and see", they said.

So, I guess I will have to wait for a letter to arrive in Germany...

Thanks for all your help! :)

That's terrible customer service. If they try and charge your credit card, you could always try challenging the "processing fee"

Also, couple bucks isn't $20...it's a couple of $10 bills maybe...

Camera viloations are not usually moving violations and are charged against the owner of the vehicle. It's not the fine for the violation, but the surcharge Alamo may charge you that may be costly.

For what it's worth, I rented from Alamo at SAN, received a $35 parking ticket and paid the fine within a week. By the time Alamo sent me notice of the fine, I already had the cancelled check to prove that I paid the fine. Alamo reversed the $15 processing fee on my next credit card statement.

I don't know whether the processing fee is flat rate or a percentage of the fine.

The story has come to an end:

Alamo USA sent me a letter to Germany indicating that they have paid the following fine: USD 100 for a red light violation.

I was requested to reimburse Alamo for these 100 USD plus a handling surcharge of 25 USD.

Done, over and out.

Thanks again to all of you for the advice! :)

Thanks for the update. You were treated fairly IMHO. However, you could probably ask Alamo to reverse the $25 fee.

My red light violation (on camera) was $512 in a small California city in North San Diego County where I work. And it was considered a moving violation.

TT, I would also try emailing the rental company when you get home and attempt the same thing you did at the office. That way, if you get the same response or a different response, you have it in writing. These people at the office told you, oh it may be 20 bucks or so, .....but what recourse do you have if it's 100 or so, with nothing to back it up but claiming that's what they told you it would be?