Tickets Get Your Tickets
I dated an evil woman once. She possessed many traits that would get her through the gates of hell without a second glance from Lucifers most evil gate-keepers. Chief among those traits was a complete disregard for the passage of time. Sheryl knew very well what time it was, she just flat out didnt care. The world waited for her, thats just the way it was. On the other hand, Im a meticulous person when it comes to the clock. I have a wonderful appreciation for the fact that the doors on the trains in Germany slide shut PRECISELY when the second hand hits the top of the hour. Sheryl could be thirty minutes late for a flight, and then call the airlines customer service group to rebuke them for leaving without her.
This blog entry is for her. Why? Because only Sheryl would be crazy enough to leave a rental car in a one hour parking zone for a day (or two) and remain pleasantly oblivious to the accumulation of tickets under the windshield wipers. Heck, shed probably return it and berate the attendant into paying for them if he dared approach her about it. The truth is, if you get a ticket while youre driving or parking your rental, they will find you!
What do you do when you get a ticket on your rental car? You pay it! Theres a catch though Lets say you over stayed your parking space and got yourself a $30 ticket. You put it in your briefcase with your other receipts and when you get home, you feel the shame and you write a check, mail it, promise yourself youll be more careful and thats it, right? If you rented the car from Dollar or Thrifty, there are more repercussions coming your way!
When a local municipality writes you a ticket, they know its a rental (meter maids are annoying, but theyre not stupid). They will contact your rental company and get your contact information. Thats how they find you. Dollar and sister company, Thrifty, handle over 2,000 of these cases per day (I know, I didnt believe it when I read it either, but its true) and heres the rub, not only do they assess you a $25 administrative fee; they assume you wont pay the ticket! So, even though you paid the ticket, a few weeks later youll get a letter from your rental company telling you that you need to pay the $25 and that you need to pay the ticket.
What do you do? Well now that youve read this entry, you know what a smart idea it is to make a copy of that ticket AND of the check you sent to the municipality that you offended. If they send you a receipt, keep that too! Youll need all of these to make Dollar or Thrifty leave you alone.
You know, theres a reason why some rental companies are cheaper than others. There are probably several reasons; reasons I dont care to discover. When I researched this, I decided that National, Avis, and Hertz will continue to be my favorites. Some good deals have hidden consequences and repercussions. Of course, you avoid this particular hassle by driving and parking conscientiously and legally within the rules.