Car rental can hold surprises for drivers, especially in the event of a fine. The client obviously has to pay this, but also often a processing fee, the amount of which may be higher than the ticket itself. Prices are even worse abroad.
Rent a car while on vacation is very practical, but tenants are not always aware of certain costs. This is particularly the case for administrative fees (or processing fees) which are levied in the event of a fine. These are sometimes higher than the ticket itself, reports Capital.
They are also rarely put forward by rental companies. Some display them clearly in their general conditions of sale, others specify that these costs can be consulted in the agency, explains Salim Harrouche, founder of the comparator Ma-Location-Voiture.com. Rental conditions that are often not read.
Sometimes high amounts
Most of the time, these charges are directly debited from the customer’s bank account. Their debit can appear long after the fine, which itself sometimes takes time to arrive. Result: it is often the bad surprise for the tenantswho then ask the rental agency about this levy.
The amount of these fees also goes wrong. There is no regulatory framework, each lessor is free to set the amount of its administrative costs, explains Salim Harrouche. Thrifty, a subsidiary of Hertz, has set them at 20 euros. At Budget they go up to 42 euros and go up to 45 euros at Avis or Europcar. These administrative costs are obviously multiplied by the number of fines received.
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Beware the stranger
The Sixt rental company, which takes 29 euros in administrative fees per fine, is happy to explain this amount. We receive different letters depending on the authority or the type of offense, specifies the company, which therefore cannot automate the processing. In the majority of cases, the data must be examined individually.
Caution should also be exercised on the part of car rental companies between individuals: administration fees, admittedly lower, are also imposed there. Pay particular attention to fines in foreign countries, which may have different road legislation: limited traffic zones in Italy, vehicle registration in Belgium… Inquiring in advance often avoids many disappointments.