sleepyandgrumpy

I rented a Hertz car from LAX in March, and assumed that the car would have either PlatePass/EZPass, etc fitted as 100% of other Hertz rentals I've made in areas with road tolls have. Perhaps being complacent I didn't even ask. However, I've now been hit with a whopping fine ($208 for $8.50 in tolls) - one of the problems being that Hertz inexplicably gave the Toll Road company a very out of date address, so it is very delinquent.

Two questions - is the fine negotiable? And what if I don't pay the fine, can any action be taken against a non-US resident?

Any help would be gratefully received!

lhrsfo

I very much doubt you'll get a definitive answer. Hertz no doubt has your home address and even some cc details. Will they pass them on to the appropriate authority? It's probably within data protection laws in the US to do so, but could you challenge such an action in the UK? Perhaps but at what price?

I had a situation in Florence where I inadvertently drove in no car streets, about 5 times in the space of 20 minutes and, months later, I got various summonses from the City of Florence for quite large fines. I debated ignoring them and letting Italian bureaucratic competence slowly bury the whole thing. But then I decided that, every time I went to Italy, I'd be worried at Passport Control that there'd be a mark against my name - so I paid up. The USA is far more bureaucratic than Italy, and far less likely to lose the paperwork.

mybagfits

So hertz only has an official relationship in the bay area not LA.

but...I'm there renting a hertz car so much it makes sense to buy the transponder and set up an account.

the issue would be if I don't register the new plate each week and take it off (may be more important)

So if it doesn't work and takes a picture of the plate and its not registered to my transponder/fastrak account, I imagine I would get a summons and Hertz would charge some crazy processing fee.

It would totally be worth it to save driving time but has anyone just used one?

CalItalian

When you driving up to the booths at LAX, you'll see a sign that the cars here are not equipped with FasTrak. How few miles we have it on our "freeways" (and it was designed just to get federal government dollars as a test), I can see why Hertz wouldn't bother buying the transponders.

Hardly anyone has FasTrak in Southern California. The FasTrak lanes are nearly empty...which has increased traffic in the general flow lanes along the 110 and 10 freeways where it was installed.

mybagfits

agreed that no many people at all have fastrak. And why when I drive in la on business with my rental car I'd like to have it

would cut some nice time on the 110

I'm just trying to work through the logistics. I'm in LA enough for it to make sense.

if I have to put in my rental car plate everyweek I can see that being a pain. The plate number would only be needed if the transponder didn't work as usually they would check the plate against an account .

if the transponder didn't work and the plate isn't registered , hertz would get the ticket, which could be sent into fastrak and taken care of...but I believe hertz would charge some crazy surcharge

Houston.Business

My charge was $1.60 to Expresslanes, and Hertz charged me $30.00.

You're better off taking the few extra minutes to stop and pay cash at all toll plazas, and avoid the express lanes altogether.

cordelli

As in all the other threads on California tolls and Hertz, you have several choices

• Pay cash when there's a cash lane available
• Get a transponder to use when you rent cars, they are fairly easy to get
• Set up an account and change your plate number every time you rent a car
• Don't do any of the above and let the platepass system take care of it for you, but you will have to pay the service charge

It's pretty amazing how many people feel they are being overcharged by Hertz when they both have choices to not have those charges, and agree to them beforehand when they pick up the car.

Houston.Business

No, it's not amazing. I used the Hertz EZ-Pass a couple of times for various reasons. I was charged approximately $10.00 for $1.40 in tolls. To me, that was a reasonable service charge.

But $30.00 for a single $1.60 toll is simply excessive.

CalItalian

We don't have toll booths in California on the few pay highways or pay lanes that we have. Now, at the few bridges that have had them, they're being eliminated, too.

NDDomer86

Dear People in LA,

Please remember us "bumpkins" down in Orange County. We have numerous toll roads that are used pretty widely (91 Express, 241, 261, 133, and 73).

Houston.Business

Understood. I found that out the hard way. But in general, (Most other states) I avoid all electronic toll ways if possible.

CA really isn't too bad. IL & NJ are a toll nightmare, and brace yourself traveling through France or Italy.

cordelli

You were not charged $30 for a $1.60 toll, and you know it.

You were charged a daily fee for up to five days in a thirty day period if you used the pass any time during that period. You choose to use it for one toll and to pay the service fee for the entire rental period. Had you had thousands of dollars in tolls during that period, the platepass fee would have been exactly the same.

It's inconceivable to me that people don't get how it works. If you use it, you pay for it. If you don't use it you don't pay for it.

Is it the brightest thing in the world to pay apparently five days of fees for a toll under two dollars? Probably not, but that's not Hertz's fault you choose to do that.

It's silly to try to compare the service fee to the tolls paid, when you are fully aware it's a daily service fee and not based on anything other than you pay at least one toll during your rental period.

Houston.Business

[QUOTE=cordelli;20972029]You were not charged $30 for a $1.60 toll, and you know it.[QUOTE]

Express lane in LA. Classified as a toll violation by express lanes. I'm not BS'ing you. I have paperwork to back my statements & complaints. I agree with you, but I just feel that the fees are excessive.

I really wish I had saved the copies where Hertz Canada tried to hit me for over $700 in damages. I proved the paperwork was fraudulent but my Company made me drop the case. (They're pretty tight with Hertz.)

I'm not a newbie. 47 years of Business Travel. The travel fees lately are becoming overwhelming.

CalItalian

[QUOTE=Houston.Business;20974284][QUOTE=cordelli;20972029]You were not charged $30 for a $1.60 toll, and you know it.At least you didn't get charged $130 Billion (yes, billion) for using FasTrak. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...ide&id=9145313

mybagfits

thank you for all the replies...

seems like the easiest thing would be to get my own transponder and using my phone log in and put the plate number in, and subsequently take it off when I return the car.

with regard to plate pass, don't believe that is an option in LA as on hertz.com only talks about the bay area.

putting in and taking off the plate number will be a bit of a hassle, but assuming it only takes a few minutes, will be worth it to save some serious 110 driving time.