The Italian Job

MalcQV

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I'm hoping somebody may have some advice.

Myself and my fiancee had a hire car (as we usually do) in Italy in July 2015. Later in September the same year I had a letter from the hire company telling me they had taken €40 off my credit card to pass my details to local authorities (this is quite normal). Money paid. Two months later two more arrive and a total now of €120 for three.

I looked into it and it seems the Italians unlike say Germany have 12 months (360 days actually) to notify you of the offence after they have sourced your details which in my case was September 2015.
So yesterday I get a letter from an Italian solicitors requesting a (small) sum of money for a traffic offence. Now the fine is nothing at all (less than €20) and I should just pay it but I am thinking as they have missed their deadline of 360 days by about 7-8 months I should perhaps challenge it. The reason being the other two fines may well be speeding and they could add up to €300.
Not a lot but to contest/appeal those could then elevate the fine to €600 which hurts a bit.

As a guinea pig if this offence doubles because they ignored an appeal or a refusal to pay it would only be €40.

So has anyone ever had similar from Italy? Am I being a tight arse and should I just shut the .... up and pay? If they had notified me within the 360 days I would of course have just paid. To add to that I actually like Italy and the Italians and we go there regularly.

Thoughts please.
 

Frosty149

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Are you confident that the communications you have received are genuine, are they via the hire firm? You referred to solicitors issuing the fine to you (not the authorities?)

I know nothing of Italian traffic regs or process, but this does suggest the possibility of a scam developing - be cautious, maybe ask for supporting evidence, dates, locations etc.
Red flashing beacon for me!
I hope others can offer more experience related help.
 
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MalcQV

MalcQV

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Thanks Frosty. I can confirm it is not a scam. They are acting on behalf of the Autostrada per L'Italia SPA (Italian Motorway Company)
An update...
http://www.euroconsumatori.org/82058d82507.html

My 20 Euro fine was for a toll I did not pay. IIRC I entered by mistake into a TelePass lane and could not reverse. Mrs remembers this.
According to that link they have a 5 years sanction. I guess its a payment for a service rather than a fine. I have paid it and now await for the other two motoring violations.
 

umblecumbuz

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I do not understand this.

Surely, if you entered the Autostrada system via Telepass, you would have been charged on exit, no matter where you chose to leave the motorway. You would not be allowed off the system without explaining and paying whatever the tollbooth charged at the time, unless you were brazen enough to drive off the system without either paying or getting a receipt.

I have done this twice. The first time was accidental, and a short distance between tolls, and the guy believed my explanation and I paid the normal toll and got a receipt (at least, my wife did, as she was riding in the hot seat - lhd car!). The second time, I was hurrying to catch a ship at Reggio that was leaving a day early due to some dispute, and I had to drive the length of Italy in a day. I hit the Autostrada at Susa and used it the whole way, deliberately choosing Telepass for speed - avoiding all the toll queues. Arriving at Reggio I explained what I'd done, was sent to the Police booth, questioned at length (in hindsight, they already knew what I'd done), and paid the toll for the whole route plus a fine. Again, with receipts.

Surely you have a receipt showing how you paid? If not, I guess you now have to live with the consequences.

Umble.
 
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MalcQV

MalcQV

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I do not understand this.

Surely, if you entered the Autostrada system via Telepass, you would have been charged on exit, no matter where you chose to leave the motorway. You would not be allowed off the system without explaining and paying whatever the tollbooth charged at the time, unless you were brazen enough to drive off the system without either paying or getting a receipt.

I have done this twice. The first time was accidental, and a short distance between tolls, and the guy believed my explanation and I paid the normal toll and got a receipt (at least, my wife did, as she was riding in the hot seat - lhd car!). The second time, I was hurrying to catch a ship at Reggio that was leaving a day early due to some dispute, and I had to drive the length of Italy in a day. I hit the Autostrada at Susa and used it the whole way, deliberately choosing Telepass for speed - avoiding all the toll queues. Arriving at Reggio I explained what I'd done, was sent to the Police booth, questioned at length (in hindsight, they already knew what I'd done), and paid the toll for the whole route plus a fine. Again, with receipts.

Surely you have a receipt showing how you paid? If not, I guess you now have to live with the consequences.

Umble.
Thanks for your reply.
I can't say for sure, missus remembers something. You normally pay at the exit of the Autostrada and she thinks we went through an electronic pass gate and got trapped in by a car behind?
€19 was not an issue, I was more concerned with the other two pending offences and what they were and if they are.
 
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MalcQV

MalcQV

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Will have a read, thanks. Heard nothing new yet.
 

ZZZZ

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That just put me off of hiring a car to drive from Genoa to Seborga (nr Sanremo) ...
Any recommendation for a train from Genoa airport to Bordighera (or whatever the closest station is)?
 

Craiglxviii

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The whole area around Milan is a nightmare baceause you can travel down a toll section without realising it. See this post from another forum
https://www.englishforum.ch/transpo...w-toll-road-northern-italy-milano-region.html

The whole area around Milan is a nightmare because they're FOOKING CRAZY there. Especially between 0630-0930 and 1600-1900 local times. The road goes from 2 to 4 to 8 to 6 lanes with no warning. Italian drivers show off their skills with aplomb here. It's the only road that I've been undertaken, while doing 85mph, by a guy shaving and reading the newspaper at the wheel.

Plan your journey to avoid Milan if at all possible, or at least go past very early doors. It's genuinely the most dangerous road I've been on outside of China. I include Kenya in that comparison too.
 

davemercedes

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The whole area around Milan is a nightmare because they're FOOKING CRAZY there. Especially between 0630-0930 and 1600-1900 local times. The road goes from 2 to 4 to 8 to 6 lanes with no warning. Italian drivers show off their skills with aplomb here. It's the only road that I've been undertaken, while doing 85mph, by a guy shaving and reading the newspaper at the wheel.

Plan your journey to avoid Milan if at all possible, or at least go past very early doors. It's genuinely the most dangerous road I've been on outside of China. I include Kenya in that comparison too.

Absolutely agree with you, Craig. First time we went to Milan I was taken aback at the attitude to traffic lights (that seemed to have no cameras anywhere) - especially where a dual carriageway had single roads on either side - those joining from the single roads frequently ran through "long time red" lights - remarkably no accidents, though while we were there.
 
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MalcQV

MalcQV

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Don't get me started on motorcyclists. I recall driving out of Rome and in traffic. They were like ants swarming around the car filling in every single gap :D
 

davemercedes

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Don't get me started on motorcyclists. I recall driving out of Rome and in traffic. They were like ants swarming around the car filling in every single gap :D

- And that's when you need to make sure no bags or handbags etc are available to be grabbed...
 
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