Budget Car Rental post-trip toll charge

[wolf29]

Can't find the thread/threads, but I know that others have received the same email as me afterwards billing for toll charges. Frustratingly, received on Saturday, with Budget's billing company only open Mon-Fri. There is no way we missed paying any tolls...anybody have a problem disputing the charge?

 

[bumbershoot]

Are you 100% sure it came from Budget?

There's a nasty phishing email out there that looks legit but is filled with viruses.

 

[wolf29]

Yes, pending charge on my credit card from Budget.

 

[nacho113]

We have been billed for tolls after our rental return a couple of times in the past, from some of the cashless lanes in the Miami area.
These were on an Alamo rental and a Hertz rental. We did not get any invoice from the rental agency, the charges just appeared on our credit card statement about 2 weeks after our return.
Budget may be slightly different, but basically they will bill you (after the fact) for any tolls that you incur. Also watch out for any red light cameras since any infraction while you are renting the car will end up being billed to your credit card also, its all part of the rental agreement that you sign when picking up the vehicle.
And yes, watch out for those phishing emails, they seem to be very prolific over the summer vacation period. I guess if they spam enough people, they will hit someone who had rented and may fall for the scam. If the email addresses you by name (not your email name) and has specific details about your rental, then its probably legit, if in doubt, call the rental company directly and inquire about the charge.

FYI: When I called to inquire, both of these were from the same cashless toll plaza at the end of the turnpike in Miami and were billed "toll by plate". Even though we had been paying at the Toll booths all the way down to Miami from Orlando, the exit from the Turnpike in Miami is Cashless with no way to avoid.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Can't find the thread/threads, but I know that others have received the same email as me afterwards billing for toll charges. Frustratingly, received on Saturday, with Budget's billing company only open Mon-Fri. There is no way we missed paying any tolls...anybody have a problem disputing the charge?

Budget should be able to provide the date, time, location, and lane for the toll.

If the unpaid toll occurred before or after your rental period, it was clearly not your responsibility.

If the unpaid toll occurred in a cash lane, you should be able to make a case that you paid the toll but it did not properly register (why else would you use a cash lane?).

If the unpaid toll occurred at a time and location when you were someplace else, it's possible that a different car incurred the toll, but the character recognition software improperly identified the license plate number or state.

In the three scenarios above, Budget should remove the toll and the "convenience fee."

However, if the toll is attributable to a time, location, and lane when you were on a toll road, it's possible the driver did not notice the need to exit to the toll lanes at the right. There are two tolls in each direction on the two normal routes between MCO and WDW. You have the option of going through the open road tolling lanes at freeway speed or exiting to traditional toll booths on the right. Although the signage has been improved in recent years, it's still possibly to miss the toll booths on the right if you're not expecting them.

 

[wolf29]

I've literally driven over 1 million miles in my life...used to train/ship racehorses all over the country, so tolls do not "sneak up" on me. Can't wait to address it with Budget on Monday and see how it's resolved.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I've literally driven over 1 million miles in my life...used to train/ship racehorses all over the country, so tolls do not "sneak up" on me. Can't wait to address it with Budget on Monday and see how it's resolved.

Please come back to this thread and post the outcome. I think many of us want to know what Budget tells you and what they do to resolve it.

Thanks.

 

[sammielynn]

I'm interested in how this turns out.

 

[seashoreCM]

There are a few totally cashless toll plazas in the Miami area and you need to get off the turnpike completely several miles in advance in order to avoid them.

The should be (should have been) signs several miles in advance warning you of the cashless plazas.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've literally driven over 1 million miles in my life...used to train/ship racehorses all over the country, so tolls do not "sneak up" on me. Can't wait to address it with Budget on Monday and see how it's resolved.

What a cool job.



DH has fought a couple charges with National and it has gone fine. Just showed them that they weren't incurred when he had the car, and it was fine.

 

[wolf29]

Budget says that they are just passing the charge along and my fight is with Florida DoT. I'll need an alibi...receipt of some kind showing that I was elsewhere to have charge dropped. Since I don't keep receipts from leisure trips, I'll have to hope that my credit card company will side with me.

 

[richmo]

The other thing with Budget, and it doesn't sound like it applies in this case, is that they have a transponder affixed to the windshield that you can supposedly turn off with a large switch. However, I've heard that if you don't flip the switch completely, the toll booths may still pick it up. Best advice is to close the switch AND remove it from the windshield. I've stored it in the console and put it back before turning the car in. (For those with EZPass at home, its affixed to the windshield with the same plastic velcro-like tape). I doubt this is the same issue that the OP ran into, since that would be an issue with Budget, not Florida DOT.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Budget says that they are just passing the charge along and my fight is with Florida DoT. I'll need an alibi...receipt of some kind showing that I was elsewhere to have charge dropped. Since I don't keep receipts from leisure trips, I'll have to hope that my credit card company will side with me.

Did Budget provide the date, time, location, and lane for the alleged unpaid toll?

Where were you at that time?

Possibly, was it on the first or last day of your rental, when another customer had the same car (before or after your rental)?

If you were in Orlando, was the unpaid toll somewhere else (such as Miami), where someone might have had an out-of-state car with the same license plate number?

 

[wolf29]

Budget provided the DOT location...State road around Tampa. We were in Orlando...no receipts to prove it, 3rd day of rental. I'll try with my credit card company, but starting to get to the point where it's not worth $19 of my time.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Budget provided the DOT location...State road around Tampa. We were in Orlando...no receipts to prove it, 3rd day of rental. I'll try with my credit card company, but starting to get to the point where it's not worth $19 of my time.

I would hope that it would be enough to say you were never in the Tampa area during your time in Florida. The folks at the Florida DoT must know that their technology can produce invalid results

Ask the Florida DoT to provide the photo of the car / license plate. Chances are their OCR system misread at least one of the letters or numbers on the license plate or that the license plate was from another state.

You should not need an "alibi" or witnesses or absolute proof of where you were. On top of that, it would prove nothing because a renter could have loaned a rental car to someone else.

It's up to the Florida DoT to prove that your rental car had a toll violation during the period of your rental agreement.

On top of that, I'm surprised Budget is directing you directly to the Florida DoT. Avis and Budget use e-Toll. The fee that was charged to your account is for the missing toll(s) and the e-Toll service fee.

Google Budget and e-Toll. (I tried to paste the URL, but it's apparently designed to redirect when it's posted to a forum such as this one.)

 

[wolf29]

Avis/Budget e-Toll # was useless...simply told me to call DOT to dispute.

 

[sammielynn]

Hope you get some help from DOT. I am now going to start taking pictures of my rental cars and making sure I keep the tag number.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Budget says that they are just passing the charge along and my fight is with Florida DoT. I'll need an alibi...receipt of some kind showing that I was elsewhere to have charge dropped. Since I don't keep receipts from leisure trips, I'll have to hope that my credit card company will side with me.

After reading a thread here about keeping receipts in case a toll shows up, I keep a small ziplock and tuck them in. Gas receipts too.