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Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, a rental car company that does business as Dollar Rent A Car, was hit with a class action lawsuit on May 16 accusing the company of charging customers inflated administrative fees for processing electronic tolls.
Florida residents Stephen and Anne Sallee allege in the Dollar Thrifty class action lawsuit that they rented a car from Dollar Rent A Car in November of last year for a trip in Texas. During the trip, the Sallees allege that they incurred four toll fees using Dollar’s e-toll service totaling $4.70 by the time they returned the vehicle.
The Sallees claim that when they returned the car, a Dollar Rent A Car agent advised them there were no additional charges. After returning home, however, they allegedly received a notice from Dollar Processing Center entitled “Dollar Rent A Car Toll Charge Notice.” The Notice instructed that each toll charge was subject to an “administrative fee” of $15.00 for a “Total Administrative Fee” charge of $60.00.
“Thus, for four tolls totaling only $4.70, Plaintiffs owed Dollar $64.70,” the class action lawsuit says.
According to the Dollar Rent A Car class action lawsuit, “Dollar’s e-toll service electronically identifies Dollar vehicles as they travel through [electronic toll collection “ETC”] sites. This is accomplished by various means depending on the vehicle’s location,” explains the complaint, “[s]ome transactions are captured and processed by recognizing license-plate numbers while others are captured through an electronic transponder device in the vehicle…[o]nce the identification is made, the e-toll service receives data identifying the Dollar vehicle and the tolls incurred on specific dates.”
The Dollar Rent A Car class action lawsuit claims that since at least 2008, Dollar has charged its customers who travel on toll roads and use its electronic toll collection (“ETC”) service a fee of $15 or $25 per toll in addition to the cost of tolls. These toll fees are described as an “administrative fee” in the materials comprising Dollar’s standardized rental contracts. However, according to the class action lawsuit, “the administrative cost of Dollar’s ETC is only a fraction of these $15 or $25 charges, and the vast bulk of the charge (and all successive $15 or $25 charges per toll) are a means to charge more for customers’ rentals without including this price increase in customers’ rental rates. This allows Dollar to represent to customers that Dollar’s rental rates are less than Dollar is actually advertising and charging.”
The Dollar Thrifty class action lawsuit alleges that thousands of people have been victims of Dollar’s increased rental costs that Dollar falsely describes as “administrative fees.” The Sallees argue that Dollar’s administrative fees amount to breach of contract, a violation of state consumer-protection law, and request damages for unjust enrichment and injunctive relief.
Over the past several years multiple class action lawsuits have been filed by rental car customers over similar allegations. Hertz reached an $11 million class action settlement over claims it conspired with an electronic toll company to charge customers excessive fees. Fox Rent A Car and Avis were also hit with class action lawsuits over their toll charges to customers.
The plaintiffs are represented by Tony M. Graham and R. Jack Freeman of Graham & Freeman PLLC, Jeffrey W. Lawrence of Lawrence Law Firm, Bruce D. Greenberg and Jeffrey A. Shooman of Lite DePalma Greenberg LLC and Daniel R. Karon and Laura K. Mummert of Goldman Scarlato Karon & Penny PC.
The Dollar Rental Car Toll Fee Class Action Lawsuit is Stephen Sallee et al. v. Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. et al., Case No 4:14-cv-00250, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
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51 thoughts onDollar Rent A Car Toll Fees Rack Up Class Action Lawsuit
What’s the latest deal with this sued
contact me at ron.crowder@hotmail.com
Ronald
I was hit with a toll bill which is outrageous $10.70 toll and $30.00 damn admin fees which is a total rip off. Sad how big companies make millions a day and won”t wavier these petty ass fees. Won’t be rental anytime soon. You had a great experience with the rental company then get a gift in the mail stating that you owe bogus ass fees. I would love to see a class action sued against greed.
Rental agreement # 813999292
Dollar also scammed me. I haven’t paid their bill yet. What will Dollar do to me to collect the huge administration fee?
I incurred the same unexpected charge for tolls. I rented a car at the Pittsburgh, PA airport for three days and had the occasion to use the local tolls. I was not made aware that I would incur the cost, and only noticed that there was a toll box in the car after I got underway. I went through four tolls for a total cost of $8.30. The admin fee for each toll was $15 (total $68.30) which I paid after being notified by Dollar Processing Services (WWW.DOLLARRENTALFINE.COM). I thought I had no choice but to pay, but I also thought it was a big rip-off. There was no mention about tolls in the area when I rented the car nor was I instructed about the toll box.
This is the Second time this has happen to me. I asked for a Plate Pass when I rented the a vehicle. The young man at the counter could barely speak English, I know I asked for a plate pass because this had happen to me before while in Houston. This time the fees are as much as the rental.
Vehicle Rental $98.80 and the Dollar Processing Services Fees are $98.19. This is entirely out of line.
What I don’t understand is why we can’t get proof we received this toll, why does the information come a month or two later? Why can’t it be revealed upon returning the vehicle? Anybody in this Dollar rental company could send out fraudulent information to consume money. Large companies are on the news daily going down.
I had a fifty cent toll which turned into ten dollars and forty nine cent because of the administrative fee, which I still have no proof that I received this toll, only a letter from Dollar Rental. Unbelievable!
Is this class action lawsuit still active? We got charged for tolls on toll roads in another state which we did not go to while renting the car.
Same story. I got charged $44 (total of $3 in actual tolls) for four tolls, even though I had my epass transponder. I looked at my statement and their transponder override it my transponder. I’ve contacted them and they refused to reimburse. I’ve contact Epass and they’re opening a dispute.
I have a similar story from TX Dollar rental. Total scam. I was charged $90 for $3 in automated tolls. No way to pay, except Dollar’s scam.
I had $20 in tolls and the added an $89.91 administrative fee, wth
The toll charge I incurred was $1.50 during my rental. Dollar Rental Fine says that I owe just under $154. So, 100 times the amount of the actual toll. Wow, what a racket!
I had been informed by the person doing my rental check-in that I could go online and pay the toll myself. This was not an option because the transponder had already picked up the toll and the rental company paid for it before it became a violation. In other words, the rental company took away my ability to pay any tolls myself, even though that was my expectation when I refused to pay the $10-$11 per day ‘convenience fee’ to be responsible for my own tolls.
My question is, if I pay the $154, am I in effect settling with Dollar Rental Fine?