I hired a car through RentalCars from Bari Airport in October 2015. In May 2016 I noticed that Locauto had deducted 48.80 Euros from my credit card without any notification or explanation. It was titled Add. Multe on my credit card statement. Thinking this a scam ,I reported it to my credit card company. Your website posts were extremely helpful in helping provide a possible explanation. Some weeks later I was sent a notification from the Province of Lecce that I had exceeded the speed limit by up to 10 km/h and a fine of 65 Euros. Again ,in the way that this had been handled ,I was suspicious that this may also be a scam. The detail led me to believe that it may not .RentalCars took no responsibility for their car hire company -you signed the contract and this is Locauto's admin fee -and I have complained to Locauto. Surely Car Hire brokers need to take on more responsibility for the standards of the car hire companies they use ? Taking money from my credit card without explanation or notification meands I will not use Locauto again. have other members had similar experience with Locauto or other car hire companies in Italy?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33923 posts
Not a scam. Search (use the Search area at the top of the page) for old threads about speeding in Italy. There are dozens of threads.
Here's a recent one where another person complained about getting a fine too.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tourist-scams/insanely-high-traffic-fines-in-italy-rip-off-alert
and one from 2014, particularly read the last comment on it:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/seeking-advice-regarding-ticket-violations-from-rome
When you rented the car you agreed in writing that they could charge a fee for researching your details and providing them to the police - in this case the police in Lecce.
So you pay them that, and then you pay the police for your speeding.
Which part of that is the scam? How has the car company demonstrated low standards?
Pay it now, or the cost goes up.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3290 posts
You always have to read the fine print. I'm renting a vehicle from Europcar in Italy this fall through AutoEurope, both highly recommended in the forums.Here's their policy:
In case of traffic violations, the local supplier will charge the customer credit card an administration fee of EUR 48.80 including VAT, per fine. The local authorities will then contact the renter directly for payment of the fine.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2791 posts
Well I think you won't be able to rent a car from anyone based on your new standards of requiring advance notification for paying your traffic fines. They all do this.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23628 posts
It generally a good idea to spend some time on this site BEFORE you go so that you have a better understanding of the risks of car rental. Coming here afterwards to post a rant and complain about a non-existing scam is not going to go anywhere. You have learned a valuable lesson. What responsibility do you want the rental company to assume? It was in the contract even if you didn't read it and you received notification when it hit your credit card. The practice is common whether in the US or Europe.