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Hertz Italy Charged Credit Card for Traffic Violation
Posted on 8/21/18 at 2:42 pm
Posted on 8/21/18 at 2:42 pm
I was in Italy back in the beginning of May and rented a car from Hertz in Florence. I just got a charge on my CC (only $36) and was told it was for a traffic violation when I called Hertz. I did a little research, and it seems like there are no drive zones (ZTL maybe?) all over Florence. What I'm confused about is it sounds like maybe this was just an administrative fee charged by Hertz to give the Italian authorities my correct info and I can expect a larger ticket within a year. Does anyone know anything about this?
11
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:05 pm to jchamil
You can expect a larger ticket later. If you don't plan on ever going back to italy, what can they do to you? 
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:30 pm to jchamil
quote:Good guess.
ZTL
Florence ZTL Zones
Someone told me their fine came about six months after a trip to Milan and it was about €130-ish.
I'd pay it as I'm not a fan of being on any lists anywhere.
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:33 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
If you don't plan on ever going back to italy, what can they do to you?
This is what I'm thinking, but if it's relatively small I'll pay it in case I want to go back in 20 years
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:34 pm to jchamil
If you are confident you did it I'd pay it. I doubt its THAT much, as said probably $100-200 at most.
Sure you could not pay it and they can't do anything. But the problem is you forget about it, return to Italy in 15 years, and boom your passport is flagged or some other BS to where you can't rent a car now which ruins your vacation.
ETA: IMO things like this are just part of the stupid tax of driving in another country. I drove all through Austria last time I was over there and forgot I needed to buy the interstate pass. Never got caught thankfully. But I'd have payed it if I would have.
Sure you could not pay it and they can't do anything. But the problem is you forget about it, return to Italy in 15 years, and boom your passport is flagged or some other BS to where you can't rent a car now which ruins your vacation.
ETA: IMO things like this are just part of the stupid tax of driving in another country. I drove all through Austria last time I was over there and forgot I needed to buy the interstate pass. Never got caught thankfully. But I'd have payed it if I would have.
This post was edited on 8/21/18 at 3:36 pm
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:38 pm to jchamil
I had ~200$ charged to my Amex after renting a car in Paris. I believe I rented through Avis but I'm not 100%. Anyway, the charge was for the full ticketed amount. I paid my cc bill and never heard anything else about it.
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:40 pm to jchamil
Pay it. The no-drive zones can be confusing as hell; we ended up in one this past Feb in Cefalu, despite driver & navigator being fluent in Italian. But why leave it lingering to potentially haunt you on a future trip?
Posted on 8/21/18 at 3:51 pm to jchamil
quote:
What I'm confused about is it sounds like maybe this was just an administrative fee charged by Hertz to give the Italian authorities my correct info and I can expect a larger ticket within a year.
That's what happened to me in Denver a few years ago. Traffic camera people mailed Dollar Rental Car a ticket. They charged my card $25 as an administrative fee & then the $75 ticket from the city showed up a few weeks later.
Posted on 8/21/18 at 9:31 pm to jchamil
Can you email me? I may be able to help
This post was edited on 8/21/18 at 9:46 pm
Posted on 8/22/18 at 10:39 am to jchamil
This has been going on for a long time. Here is Seattle Times article from 2010 about it.
Traffic Citations/Parking Tickets for US Tourists
TripAdvisor users were 50/50 split on whether to pay ticket or not (in 2008).
TripAdvisor Users Comments on Issue (2008)
I am in the "pay the ticket" group. You do not want the fine doubling or worse. It is one of the reasons I do not drive a rental car when visiting Italy. Good luck.
Traffic Citations/Parking Tickets for US Tourists
TripAdvisor users were 50/50 split on whether to pay ticket or not (in 2008).
TripAdvisor Users Comments on Issue (2008)
I am in the "pay the ticket" group. You do not want the fine doubling or worse. It is one of the reasons I do not drive a rental car when visiting Italy. Good luck.
Posted on 8/22/18 at 10:51 am to jchamil
italians are rats that try to charge you for anything they can once they have your credit card info
Posted on 8/22/18 at 11:23 am to jchamil
Why the hell would you rent a car in Florence....
Posted on 8/22/18 at 11:52 am to Jrv2damac
quote:
Why the hell would you rent a car in Florence...
Well, we took a train from Rome to Florence, and then we needed transportation from Florence to Panzano in Tuscany. Seeing as that we did not bring a car with us to Italy and would need transportation to get us around Tuscany and to travel to places like Sienna or back to Florence for a day, renting a car seemed like a fairly decent option
Posted on 8/22/18 at 12:29 pm to TigersMaul Bammers
quote:
It is one of the reasons I do not drive a rental car when visiting Italy. Good luck.
Well I can tell you that you are missing out then. Public transportation is great in Italy, but unless you are getting a private driver there are huge portions of Italy that are much easier to see with a rental car over public transportation. A private driver will be the price of a rental car plus a ticket daily, so that doesn't make sense either.
As I said, its just a tax for having a rental car. Lesson learned. It sucks, but its not really worth worrying about IMO. It comes with the territory of renting a car in a foreign country, it happens occasionally.
Posted on 8/22/18 at 1:02 pm to baldona
I do not think I have been missing out at all.
My first two walks around Rome as a pedestrian, being driven around Naples on two visits, being driven up and down the Amalfi Coast, and the risk of accidents and parking hassles all informed my decision for my most recent visits.
Public transportation, relatives of my wife driving, and private drivers have suited me just fine. Buon viaggio!
My first two walks around Rome as a pedestrian, being driven around Naples on two visits, being driven up and down the Amalfi Coast, and the risk of accidents and parking hassles all informed my decision for my most recent visits.
Public transportation, relatives of my wife driving, and private drivers have suited me just fine. Buon viaggio!
Posted on 8/22/18 at 2:44 pm to jchamil
Driving in cities like that is just so much hassle to me
I lived in Italy for 3 years, I drove as a last resort
I lived in Italy for 3 years, I drove as a last resort
This post was edited on 8/22/18 at 2:45 pm
Posted on 8/23/18 at 6:09 am to jchamil
In June I received two of these tickets in the mail, one for speeding outside Pisa and another for driving in the restricted zone in Florence - last July. The fines collectively are about $500. I said f that and have not paid, nor has my credit card been charged by my rental car company. FWIW I just returned to Italy a couple of weeks ago and had no problem at passport control coming or going, but I didn’t rent a car.
Posted on 8/24/18 at 10:19 am to jchamil
i got one too first day in Montecatini. I got a ticket about 2 months later at my house from the Italian Govt. Think it was like $65.....never paid it. Thinking of going back though and wondering what would happen. Posted on 8/26/18 at 7:02 am to TigersMaul Bammers
quote:
I do not think I have been missing out at all.
My first two walks around Rome as a pedestrian, being driven around Naples on two visits, being driven up and down the Amalfi Coast, and the risk of accidents and parking hassles all informed my decision for my most recent visits.
Public transportation, relatives of my wife driving, and private drivers have suited me just fine
Ok step back for a minute. You clearly missed my point.
You complained about tickets as a reason not to drive. I said that the price of a rental car + a ticket is less than the cost of a private driver.
If you are advocating paying more for a private driver that's fine. But you said I'd never rent a car then said you had family and private drivers. So your argument is goofy.
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