Invoice from a car rental company alleging "traffic infraction" 9 MONTHS LATER!

I'm not so sure a single retail $90 thingy going to collections would have any serious impact on your credit, assuming all else is stellar.

But I would probably write back (not call: write and email and keep everything documented). Ask for details of the charge including evidence and proof it was incurred during your rental period (include the dates and times), and advise you will not be making payment until the charges are substantiated.

And then wait and see.
 
Aerides said:
I'm not so sure a single retail $90 thingy going to collections would have any serious impact on your credit, assuming all else is stellar.

But I would probably write back (not call: write and email and keep everything documented). Ask for details of the charge including evidence and proof it was incurred during your rental period (include the dates and times), and advise you will not be making payment until the charges are substantiated.

And then wait and see.
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If you're unwilling to tell them off that would be my second option. I'm a fan of writing old-school hard-copy physical letters. They're harder to ignore than phone calls or email, and if you send it registered there is proof that they received it, which makes it harder still to ignore. They also take time and attention to deal with, and that costs the scoundrels money in employee time. I like that part.
 
Safire said:
...Should I demand to see a copy of the alleged citation? Should I refuse to pay the bogus "administrative fee"
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Safire said:
How do I word any email I send this place? BTW, Googling them shows that they do this frequently and BBB is full of complaints about their various "practices" so I have no doubt I'm dealing with professional (scammers masquerading as car rentals) here. Too bad I didn't "Google" them before I went to get the car!

Please help!
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Demand a copy of the ticket/citation. Do nothing including paying anything until you see the citation. While you're at it demand to know what the $180 was for.
 
Agree - they owe you a copy of the citation. If it was a red light camera ticket, the citation should include a picture of you driving.
 
Write them: Demand to know why they are sending you this. Ask for proof it was incurred by you, and when did they get the notice (if they sat on it for months, then the late charges are for them to pay).
Also ask about the previous payments, as perhaps this was already paid for in the 'extra' charges they presented.
Don't pay until they answer.
 
Lots of post I did not read...

Yes, a infraction can come that late... I have gotten some from my kids running red lights or driving on a toll road LONG after it happened...

I also got charged extra when returning... but I was an hour late and an hour means and extra day...

As for gas... my DW was scammed recently.... they tried to sell her on the return it empty and we will fill for $X... she declined but did not look at the rental when she signed and it was on it... she returned it full.. I had to call and get over $75 returned to us on that...
 
I wouldn't doubt that car-rental companies are adding on charges they hope we will pay and not question.

Get documentation of everything and pay if you owe but fight it if you don't.

I had a retirement home threaten to turn me into a collection agency because they said my deceased mom owed them money and I was her POA during her life. I explained that POAs expire upon death. They would need to go after her estate - which I explained had no money left. This "debt" was over 9 months old and this was the first I had heard of it. In any case, there was no situation under which I would be required to pay for someone else's debt. When they threatened to turn me in to a collection agency I told them that I'd always wanted to own a nursing home and that I would own theirs if they ruined my credit. That was the last I heard of the issue. YMMV
 
Safire said:
How do I word any email I send this place?
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Like a smart business person with an ounce of legal knowledge, and no emotion:

- I received your request for payment dated....
- I require documentation of the alleged citation, to establish that it was incurred during my rental from MM/DD/HH/MM to xyx
- I require full itemization of costs and explanation of the delay for billing, and removal of any late penalties due to the time lapse between the alleged incident and your attempt to collect...
- Until such documentation is provided, I expect no further collection attempts from your company

(CC a lawyer if you know one, on the written letter anyway, they won't know you don't really have a lawyer lol).

blah blah, etc...
 
So is it a traffic infraction or a parking ticket..judging by the price I'd say it's a parking ticket. It's just a fact of life that this stuff get complicated when 3 different parties are involved. Yes the rental company is going to charge you a fee for taking care of this, that's the way it works. . You can probably do as you wish cause if it's a parking ticket it really doesn't get back to you in person.
 
This reminds me of a car I rented in the Midwest a while back. Months later I got a bill from the rental car company for a toll in New Jersey. I, of course, explained that I wasn't in NJ and nice try. They said they would "check on my claim" and finally admitted that the distance in miles to NJ far exceeded the miles I put on the car during the rental. I actually keep my travel receipts for a year because of these types of issues. I as able to detail the exact mileage out and back in from their receipt. I think that helped "convince" them.
 
Even a small charge will damage your credit if the charge appears to be legitimate.

The OP probably already agreed to pay this at the outset. Failing to do so just due to passage of time (if the charge is valid) is not something I would do. The psychic benefit of sticking it to the Man will pass but the credit blemish endures.

A nickel's worth of free advice ;).
 
I would find out where and when the infraction occurred. I rented a car in Seattle a couple of years ago and about a month after I returned the car I got a bill for a toll road. I found out where and when I was supposedly on that toll road. It turns out I was nowhere near that road the entire time I had the rental car. I responded to the rental car company stating that I was nowhere near the toll road at the time and explained where I actually was. I also explained that the toll road is in the opposite direction of where I was and given the total number of miles driven I could not have used the toll road. I never heard from the rental car company again.
 
Safire said:
Facts: Rented a car in NJ for 2 days in August 2023. Paid $800 for the initial rental, then they charged us an additional $100 the day of the return with NO explanation. 2 days later (and a day after we had returned home), I noticed an additional $80 in "tolls" charged to my credit card. Let it go as we were new to NJ and we may have gone on a toll road without realizing it.

Exactly 9 month to the day we returned the car, I received an invoice, demanding $110 for a "traffic infraction" and quoting a citation number. The cost of the alleged infraction is $50 but the rental car company's "administrative charge" is $60.

I am BEYOND ANGRY. I do not mind paying a legitimate bill I owe, but a bill 9 months later for an infraction they give us NO details is very shady / questionable. In the email demanding payment, they openly threaten to send us to collections and "ruin our credit" -- an omnious threat indeed. The only reason they couldn't charge our credit card on their file is because my purse was stolen in January and we closed all accounts. HA!

My questions (as we rarely travel so probably are green between the ears here):

1. Can a car rental company actually only learn of an alleged parking infraction 9 months later?

2. Can a car rental company "ruin our credit"? Shouldn't they or the collections agency they're threatening to send us to know our social to be able to report us to the credit bureaus? How on Earth does this work?

3. I am afraid that if I sucked it up and paid it off (it's not unaffordable), they may think they can charge me as and when they want with no check in place. How should I handle this?

Should I demand to see a copy of the alleged citation? Should I refuse to pay the bogus "administrative fee"? How do I word any email I send this place? BTW, Googling them shows that they do this frequently and BBB is full of complaints about their various "practices" so I have no doubt I'm dealing with professional (scammers masquerading as car rentals) here. Too bad I didn't "Google" them before I went to get the car!

Please help!
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This is why I NEVER rent from any outfit but one of the big national chains. Any money you saved is lost to aggravation and likely having to pay these charges eventually.

Yes, they can easily and quickly ruin your credit. To them, you owe them the money and they will simply sell you into collections. You have rights but they are not easy to assert in a situation like this.

Asking for a copy of the infraction is reasonable. It is most likely from a red light or speed camera and is legitimate. Their administrative fee is also fairly typical. It is very easy to believe they were not even notified for several months then had to research who the car was rented to at the time.

I was in a minor accident in a rental car several years ago. I actually thought I was at fault but had rental car coverage on my regular car insurance through State Farm. State Farm took over, determined the police were wrong and I was NOT at fault, refused to pay the claim and even negotiated away the $250 administrative charge Hertz wanted. I don't think your insurance company can help you here but it is worth a call.

Personally, I would just pay it and consider it tuition for a travel lesson
 
I suspect that there may be some words in the fine print of your rental agreement pertaining to fines and admin costs.
 
Budget tried to hit me with a $250 fee saying I had smoked in the car. I was able to get them to drop it by vehemently protesting it as an "obnoxious non-smoker."
 
Safire said:
Facts: Rented a car in NJ for 2 days in August 2023. Paid $800 for the initial rental, then they charged us an additional $100 the day of the return with NO explanation. 2 days later (and a day after we had returned home), I noticed an additional $80 in "tolls" charged to my credit card. Let it go as we were new to NJ and we may have gone on a toll road without realizing it.

Exactly 9 month to the day we returned the car, I received an invoice, demanding $110 for a "traffic infraction" and quoting a citation number. The cost of the alleged infraction is $50 but the rental car company's "administrative charge" is $60.

I am BEYOND ANGRY. I do not mind paying a legitimate bill I owe, but a bill 9 months later for an infraction they give us NO details is very shady / questionable. In the email demanding payment, they openly threaten to send us to collections and "ruin our credit" -- an omnious threat indeed. The only reason they couldn't charge our credit card on their file is because my purse was stolen in January and we closed all accounts. HA!

My questions (as we rarely travel so probably are green between the ears here):

1. Can a car rental company actually only learn of an alleged parking infraction 9 months later?

2. Can a car rental company "ruin our credit"? Shouldn't they or the collections agency they're threatening to send us to know our social to be able to report us to the credit bureaus? How on Earth does this work?

3. I am afraid that if I sucked it up and paid it off (it's not unaffordable), they may think they can charge me as and when they want with no check in place. How should I handle this?

Should I demand to see a copy of the alleged citation? Should I refuse to pay the bogus "administrative fee"? How do I word any email I send this place? BTW, Googling them shows that they do this frequently and BBB is full of complaints about their various "practices" so I have no doubt I'm dealing with professional (scammers masquerading as car rentals) here. Too bad I didn't "Google" them before I went to get the car!

Please help!
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1. Yes.
2. Hardly.
3. Reply in writing. Demand to see the "infraction" IF the citation is legit offer to pay said citation + whatever fee you see fit. IE $0.
I used to drive more rental car miles per year then my own cars. Some free advice:
>>join the clubs or members sections for the rental car company you are using. It is free.
>>take pictures at turn in.
>>check your CC for rental car coverage.
>>Check your auto insurance for rental car coverage by state
>>unpaid parking tickets or red light camera fines can take months to get back to the rental agency.
 
Safire said:
Hi,

Yes, I paid $180 for the car, and never got a proper explanation for $100 of that. Now, this.

My main question is -- how does the car rental company or their collections agency report us to the bureau? I don't recall ever giving them my SSN! Now I am confused. What am I missing here? Help!
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Forget the credit bureaus / ruin your credit nonsense. It's a red herring.
 
Unless you're going to apply for a loan, there's little impact if some business reports an unpaid item to the credit agencies. If they turn it over to collections, you write a "drop dead" letter (search Clark Howard for the wording), but basically you say you have source documentation that proves you do not owe the money. Then, if they hound you, they are breaking the law, and you can report them. Just don't ignore the notice of a court date. Everything else is ignorable.

PS: I also now only go with the big companies...life is too short to save a few bucks then have to deal with all of the shenanigans these shady outfits will do in order to make a profit.
 
Just an FYI, I looked and all the CC companies that I have have dropped the car rental coverage... I was a bit surprised...

Anybody know who actually has it today?
 
Texas Proud said:
Just an FYI, I looked and all the CC companies that I have have dropped the car rental coverage... I was a bit surprised...

Anybody know who actually has it today?
Click to expand...
It is not just rental car coverage that gets dropped. I was fortunate. Two years ago someone gave me a heads up that our usual card for rentals no longer did so. Got busy and made certain that we had a card with the necessary coverage.

I am in the habit of checking my DB benefit plan that provides 60 days out of country medical coverage for each trip at the start of each year. As a benefit it can be dropped, or ammended. Now we are also doing the same for several cards that we use. And we have discovered changes that we might not otherwise have noticed.
 
sengsational said:
Unless you're going to apply for a loan, there's little impact if some business reports an unpaid item to the credit agencies. If they turn it over to collections, you write a "drop dead" letter (search Clark Howard for the wording), but basically you say you have source documentation that proves you do not owe the money. Then, if they hound you, they are breaking the law, and you can report them. Just don't ignore the notice of a court date. Everything else is ignorable.

PS: I also now only go with the big companies...life is too short to save a few bucks then have to deal with all of the shenanigans these shady outfits will do in order to make a profit.
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My best story on collections is something that happened to my ex-wife. She got a collection notice from the City of Phoenix in the early 2000s for an unpaid fine (for prostitution!) 20 years earlier. The actual person who was fined had the same name and a birthdate that was a transposition of day and month (e.g. 5/7 instead of 7/5). In any case, we filed a complaint with the attorney general against the collection agency for various infractions.

Well, a few years later when we were about to close on a large mortgage a "hit" came back from the same collection agency, not for the original fine but because one of their employees vindictively had entered a bunch of false information because of the previous complaint against him. Well, at that point we could document a few hundred thousand dollars in actual damages because of the pending mortgage and having to pay a higher interest rate over 30 years.

We escalated big time and my wife soon had the chief counsel of a major national collection agency in tears and begging for 24 hours to correct the problem because she knew her firm was guilty of criminal behavior and would be held responsible for treble our damages and likely civily fined as well.

To her credit, the chief counsel did get everything cleared within a few hours in the middle of the night and we were able close as planned. We then went after the presiding judge to get the charge and fine cleared and actually did with an apology. Our lawyer at the time was too chicken to go after a judge but we did and got what we were seeking.
 
Texas Proud said:
Just an FYI, I looked and all the CC companies that I have have dropped the car rental coverage... I was a bit surprised...

Anybody know who actually has it today?
Click to expand...

Chase cards generally do. Sapphire Reserve has primary, while their Amazon and United cards have secondary rental coverage. Costco Citi Visa also has secondary.
Oops, Costo visa dropped theirs - guess I need to update my spreadsheet.
 
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I have basic Freedom Chase and I do not think they have coverage... will have to look...

I can see the premium cards having it as you do pay them a fee...
 
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