I received a 48 dollar charge on my credit card from Europcar 4 months after the trip. I drove in Italy in July 2008 so I thought maybe it was a ticket thing; there is SO much discussion about this right now. I have tried to call the car company and I still can not get an answer as to why they are charging me. SO, I have filed it as a fraudulent charge and have closed my credit card account, in case there are more charges pending. Should I be expecting a ticket in mail? My receipt says paid in full on it at the return of car. 48 US dollars seems cheap for a traffic ticket. Why else would they charge me? Any ideas?
Posted by
OLD WESTBURY, NY, usa
77 posts
Yes, the same thing happend to me. I did a chargeback through my credit card and then about a month later I got a ticket in the mail, in Italian!!!
Posted by
Marin, CA
532 posts
Happened to me but was due to the car being returned late by ten minutes. When we picked up the car they had started the paperwork early but we had to wait for the car. Luckily I had the agent write on the contract that the car was delivered late. I sent the information to Europecar in Rome (did have it written in Italian) and surprisingly I quickly received a reversal of the additional charge
Posted by
Wichita
831 posts
Lisa,
I doubt it was a charge for a ticket although it could be an administrative charge for giving the police your information so the police could send you a ticket. It is also possibly a road tax charge which is normally additional to your contract.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8058 posts
I would contact the Europecar office and inquire. As mentioned, it could be a number of things, but yes, if you drove within the city limits of Florence, Pisa, Arezzo, or one of a dozen towns in Northern Italy, it could very well be a ticket for entering a restricted zone (ZTL). This topic has been argued extensively on this board and others, so do a search and learn. I will point out that if you believe the ticket was issued under circumstances where you would be justified in driving into a ZTL (to get to your hotel or returning a rental car) when you get the details, contact the Hotel or rental agency and plead with them to try and fix the ticket. It is possible that a well placed phone call from a hotel manager may have weight.
Posted by
Lake Forest Park, WA, USA
365 posts
You don't have a ticket in hand, so any investigation with the hotel and so forth is premature. I'd say there's a 99% chance this is the admin fee for providing information to the police. I likewise never saw any communication from the rental car company (Avis) when they made this charge. At the time I assumed it was for gas since in my distraction getting the car back to the parking garage near Termini during rush hour I had forgotten to fill the tank.