Dollar - Dollar Renta Car caused violation..recourse?

Here is the situation.

In July I rented a car from Dollar in Denver. On returning to the airport I got onto the e470 toll way, cash in hand, ready to pay the tolls.

However, the cash lanes were all closed as they moved to transponder/lic plate billing instead. The DOT signs said that if you had no transponder, you would be billed based on your lic plate and that it WOULD NOT BE A VIOLATION.

60 days go by and I get a bill from Dollar for 54 dollars. There was a violation for the toll way.

I went to the e470 website and reconfirmed the following...if you are billed on your plate, you will get the bill in the mail. It only becomes a violation if it is not paid after 30 days.

The distance calculator indicated I owed 7 dollars.

So, in not billing me for 60 days, Dollar caused a regular toll to become a violation. They did not send me the violation so I do not know the date dollar received it.

I called AMEX and explained the situation and they are blocking the payment and doing an investigation.

If dollar refuses to provide more informtion...basically evidence that they got the violation 2 weeks after and did not notify me until after the toll became a ticket.

Any thoughts?

Is Dollar telling you that e470 billed them $54? Or is some of that amount Dollar's own fine?

Frequently rental companies will add their own "administrative" fees when billing their customers for unpaid tolls, parking tickets, etc.

http://www.dollar.com/AboutUs/GeneralPolicies.aspx

Electronic toll by-pass option: In a few cities, we offer an option to purchase an electronic toll bypass service for a per/day charge that allows the driver to bypass all toll booths and avoid electronic toll charges on all the toll roads in the city or state, as applicable; and, as many times a day as necessary. If you decline to purchase the toll bypass option, you will pay us for all unpaid toll roads violations (including violations captured by camera) charged by the toll authority plus a $25.00 administrative fee per violation. If you have a personal transponder or account, it may not transfer to the rental vehicle and you will be charged a toll violation. Please be advised that some toll roads are managed electronically and have no manned booths. GPS units rented from us can be programmed to avoid toll roads.


I'd bet that you were charged some regular admin charge for processing tolls (Avis charges something like $3-4, I believe), plus the amount of the toll, plus the $25 service charge. Not sure where the balance comes from. I successfully disputed an improper toll charge with Avis through my corp card.

I've never had that situation... but I've had a couple times where I have had AMEX investigate something, most recently a hotel that charged me for 2 extra nights (checked out 2 days early and they said I wouldn't be charged). I got nowhere with the hotel, but AMEX got it all take care of.

This is a page of the E-470 website: E-470 Rental Car Information. (http://www.e-470.com/Default.aspx?pn=Rental%20Car%20Information)

It says you had 48 hours after your rental in which to contact Dollar and pay the toll without having any fee charged. Did you try to do that? You knew you had driven on a toll road without paying, and obviously it costs money for both the toll road authority and Dollar to process these notices. IMHO if you just sat back for 60 days and waited for something to happen, you don't have much to complain about.

That said, AmEx is sometimes good to its customers.

Please continue to follow this thread in the Dollar Forum (car rentals)
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

The issue has been resolved.

Dollar has elected to waive the fee. My total fee should only have been 4.25. They did recommened telling them about using the toll, but only on the phone. Nothing was in the rental agreement.

Dollar says they normally inform people after 14 days, so someone dropped the ball. That's why they are waiving the fine.