Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi settled out of court with rental car companies in July that were charging customers administrative fees for using cashless toll booths in the state.
“Avis, which also owns Budget and Payless rental car companies, have agreed to clearly and conspicuously disclose that it charges $3.95 a day to customers who rent their cars and who encounter toll booths that allow only electronic payments,” Bondi said. “The companies also must disclose the fee on their websites, in their online reservation paths, and at the rental car counter. They must also tell consumers how to avoid it.”
It is a common practice for rental car companies to charge fees to customers who drive rental vehicles through toll booths that only accept electronic payments. As the number of such booths increases in the state, so have the number of complaints.
The settlement requires the companies to reimburse fees to customers who were not given a disclosure of the fees. Customers must also seek reimbursement.
After the attorney general’s investigation, the rental companies paid customers $1 million in reimbursed fees.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Dollar Thrifty, a rental car company that charges a $15 fee when consumers use cashless tolls, up to $90 daily.