Tampa toll road fees (Miami, Orlando: rental car, rental, loan)

[Becki in Tx.]

We are vacationing on Anna Maria island and the rental car agency told us that tolls in Tampa could be as much as $15.00 one way. So he urged us to buy a pass of some sort totaling $ 60.00 as I will be traveling to the airport several times. Is he right or did I get ripped off? We saw only one toll so far for around $1.00 so far.

[AhHah]

From the airport to AMI the only toll is on the Sunshine Skyway bridge which ia less than $2 and you can pay cash. You can even avoid this, but you'll meet more traffic, if you take I 75 all the way to I-4.

[SeaSpur]

The reason he urges this is because we have a lot of unmanned toll roads in the area. Here is the situation that happens:

Visitor rents a car and isn't informed about toll roads or declines the pass fee. They stay in Tampa area and travel on the Selmon or Veterans and cross the skyway a couple times because their GPS takes them on that route. If you aren't paying close attention, it looks like any highway.

You turn rental in and then a couple weeks later you are hit for tolls + service charge by the car rental company and become LIVID. You then bash them on TripAdvisor and Yelp for ripping you off and adding hidden fees.

I can understand that it's a gamble on if you will use them or not, but it is wise for them to offer it.

Check Yelp for reviews of Hertz, Avis, etc here locally. Look how many people give them terrible ratings for charging for tolls & fees they "swear they didn't go on." They think it is a scam. It's not. People expect manned toll booths or at least stations and the Selmon and parts of the Veterans have neither anymore.

[paradiselost]

The Selmon is kind of a scam. They always higher the rates but the traffic is worse it moves slower than Adamo half the time.

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by SeaSpur

You turn rental in and then a couple weeks later you are hit for tolls + service charge by the car rental company and become LIVID. You then bash them on TripAdvisor and Yelp for ripping you off and adding hidden fees.

I can understand that it's a gamble on if you will use them or not, but it is wise for them to offer it.

Check Yelp for reviews of Hertz, Avis, etc here locally. Look how many people give them terrible ratings for charging for tolls & fees they "swear they didn't go on." They think it is a scam. It's not.

The service charge is the scam.

[bentlebee]

Change the settings on the GPS to avoid toll roads as in Tampa there are other options. If you go to Miami or Orlando it may take you a lot longer if you want to avoid toll roads and it makes more sense over there to use them.

[SeaSpur]

Originally Posted by roadtrip75

The service charge is the scam.

They have to pay the tolls until they collect the money from you (aka a loan). Someone has to track this to ensure correct person is billed. There is time/labor involved.

It's a service provided while you are renting a car, so a charge should be expected. Especially if you decline the pass.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by SeaSpur

They have to pay the tolls until they collect the money from you (aka a loan). Someone has to track this to ensure correct person is billed. There is time/labor involved.

It's a service provided while you are renting a car, so a charge should be expected. Especially if you decline the pass.

True, but in the case of a Thrifty and Budget, it's a scam in my opinion - $15 for each toll? For that I'll handle the back end administrative tasks...

Rental car toll fees stir backlash that threatens Florida

$3.95/day I can see, even the $10.95/day to cover everything, but $15 a toll?

RM

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by SeaSpur

They have to pay the tolls until they collect the money from you (aka a loan). Someone has to track this to ensure correct person is billed. There is time/labor involved.

It's a service provided while you are renting a car, so a charge should be expected. Especially if you decline the pass.

The amount of the charge is the scam. This is a fact, not an opinion. And you know I'm right.

[bentlebee]

Originally Posted by roadtrip75

The amount of the charge is the scam. This is a fact, not an opinion. And you know I'm right.

You are very right and I don't understand they can inflate the amount by so much as often inflated charges like this are not allowed by law.