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Hey All,
At this stage I wish to apologise in advance if the following stages with my dealings with SIXT and LADOT are long-winded and contain too much information -
however I want to detail all stages of correspondence with SIXT car rental and the citation issuers LADOT (Los Angeles, California).
So ..
26/12/2019 - I received an email from SIXT stating they had 'received a ticket with quoted reference 4505187772 informing us that our vehicle was observed committing a traffic offence’ during my rental dates (7/11/2019 to be exact) and that ‘the citation referenced has not been paid by SIXT … that any questions regarding this citation to contact the issuing authority directly.’ I have two separate charges being requested at this stage - An admin fee being charged by SIXT of $45.20 and the amount for the citation by LADOT, which was $63 if paid before 12/16/2019 or $126 if paid after 12/16/2020.
30/12/2019 - I replied to the SIXT email. I detailed that the the ticket did appear correct as I was in LA on a family holiday and said I had no problem paying the citation. I did point out that SIXT had failed to get the citation to me prior to the due date of 16/12/2019 meaning that I was never given the chance to pay the undisputed $63 and now only had the option to pay $126. Hence that I was disputing their administration fee of $45.20 as they had failed to get this citation to me in time.
30/12/2019 - I set up an online account with LADOT and requested an 'initial review’ namely to confirm that it was indeed the hire vehicle I was driving that was in question (as I had not received a ticket on my windscreen at any stage of our vacation) and also as I wanted the citation amount reviewed as felt it was unfair I was being charged $126 instead of the $63 as I had received the ticket after the due date.
31/12/2019 - I received a response email from SIXT stating ‘we did not receive the ticket to our office until 12/20/2019 which is after the due date. The issuing authorities grants SIXT a time frame in which we are able to shift the liability into the renters name. Once the shift of liability documentation is provided to the issuing authority, all citation related details including the fine amount and due date are subject to change at the discretion of the authority. All disputes, questions or concerns in regards the amount of the fine or any other citation related issues must be directed to the issuing authority as we, a rental car company, do not have any jurisdiction over these details.’
20/01/2020 - I paid SIXT CAR RENTAL $45.20 on my credit card
21/01/2020 - I paid City of LADOT the $126 on my credit card (later returned)
23/01/2020 - I call City of LA / LA City Parking / LADOT on +1 866 561 9742 at 22.40 GMT and speak with an agent called Jennifer (ID number 528) and ultimately her supervisor. They informed me the call was monitored and serves as evidence. I had called them to chase my payment. Within this lengthy phone call, Jennifer and her supervisor inform me that I am not liable to pay this citation, that SIXT are now liable to pay this citation as they failed to respond to LADOT (the citation issuers) within the allocated timeframe. The agent gave me her ID number, assured me calls were monitored (that indeed I had called in to pay the citation) and that she can confirm that SIXT were liable for citation 4505187772.
23/01/2020 - I email SIXT stating my discussions with Jennifer at LADOT who had informed me that it was SIXT who were actually liable. I also copied in Angela Hehl (SIXT CEO) and Mark Tanzer (CEO of ABTA) to 'ensure my request was considered promptly and that this matter can now be closed and SIXT acknowledge that for citation 4505187772, that SIXT have been deemed liable by the City of Los Angeles.'
27/01/2020 - I receive an email from Janette Zuge @ SIXT (Senior Agent / Accounts Receivable Management International) informing me : ‘Dear Williams, We charged your credit card successfully and now the case is solved’ . With this confirmation, obviously I believe this matter to be closed.
03/03/2020 - I receive a email from SIXT stating ‘please see the attached payment reminder letter regarding your account with us’. This invoice is now telling me I owe them $177.89 ($172.89 Dunning Amount ? and $5 Dunning Charge ?) Obviously I am shocked and concerned .
03/03/2020 - I respond to the email, sending them an attachment and sign off from the Senior SIXT agent : ‘Please see the attachment and sign off from your senior agent Janette Zuge as proof that this account was closed and the case was solved. Hence please update your records’
15/04/2020 - They are still sending payment reminder invoices and chasing me for the amount of $177.89 (which I have to assume is getting larger the longer this goes on)
Obviously it is a stressful time currently for families around the world, certainly financially .. and as a SE father of two - I cannot afford to be spending $177.89 on a parking ticket that since my inception of it have tried to pay at every single stage of the way. In my last email to SIXT (rather reluctantly and just because I do not want this hanging over my head .. certainly if it goes unpaid and as a result am not allowed to travel to the US in the future !?!) I offered to pay them the amount of the original parking ticket (which I had at no point ever disputed) … $63.
Egad ...
They are still chasing me for $177.89 .. which i firmly believe is whioleheartedly unjust owing to the fact the initial ticket was for $63, through no fault of my own it arrived with me after the due date and hence the ticket was $126. I even attempted to pay $126 in January 2020 with the issuing authority LADOT who informed me via a recorded conversation in which I have the agents name and number that I was not liable to pay the citation .. it was SIXT. A senior accounting agent at SIXT even sent me written confirmation in January to tell me the case was solved.
What are your thoughts on this ?
I would really appreciate the input of a neutral who has a much better understanding of this. As I have said from the very start - I have never disputed this parking ticket, have tried paying this parking ticket .. but I feel the $177.89 is a greedy amount to ask for by SIXT whose tardiness in liaising with LADOT was the reason for this 3 x increase.
Being unable to travel to the US in the future would be the biggest worry for myself … and if this went unpaid would I receive a court summons ? If this is the likely outcome, I would rather just begrudgingly pay the amount.
Chris
At this stage I wish to apologise in advance if the following stages with my dealings with SIXT and LADOT are long-winded and contain too much information -
however I want to detail all stages of correspondence with SIXT car rental and the citation issuers LADOT (Los Angeles, California).
So ..
26/12/2019 - I received an email from SIXT stating they had 'received a ticket with quoted reference 4505187772 informing us that our vehicle was observed committing a traffic offence’ during my rental dates (7/11/2019 to be exact) and that ‘the citation referenced has not been paid by SIXT … that any questions regarding this citation to contact the issuing authority directly.’ I have two separate charges being requested at this stage - An admin fee being charged by SIXT of $45.20 and the amount for the citation by LADOT, which was $63 if paid before 12/16/2019 or $126 if paid after 12/16/2020.
30/12/2019 - I replied to the SIXT email. I detailed that the the ticket did appear correct as I was in LA on a family holiday and said I had no problem paying the citation. I did point out that SIXT had failed to get the citation to me prior to the due date of 16/12/2019 meaning that I was never given the chance to pay the undisputed $63 and now only had the option to pay $126. Hence that I was disputing their administration fee of $45.20 as they had failed to get this citation to me in time.
30/12/2019 - I set up an online account with LADOT and requested an 'initial review’ namely to confirm that it was indeed the hire vehicle I was driving that was in question (as I had not received a ticket on my windscreen at any stage of our vacation) and also as I wanted the citation amount reviewed as felt it was unfair I was being charged $126 instead of the $63 as I had received the ticket after the due date.
31/12/2019 - I received a response email from SIXT stating ‘we did not receive the ticket to our office until 12/20/2019 which is after the due date. The issuing authorities grants SIXT a time frame in which we are able to shift the liability into the renters name. Once the shift of liability documentation is provided to the issuing authority, all citation related details including the fine amount and due date are subject to change at the discretion of the authority. All disputes, questions or concerns in regards the amount of the fine or any other citation related issues must be directed to the issuing authority as we, a rental car company, do not have any jurisdiction over these details.’
20/01/2020 - I paid SIXT CAR RENTAL $45.20 on my credit card
21/01/2020 - I paid City of LADOT the $126 on my credit card (later returned)
23/01/2020 - I call City of LA / LA City Parking / LADOT on +1 866 561 9742 at 22.40 GMT and speak with an agent called Jennifer (ID number 528) and ultimately her supervisor. They informed me the call was monitored and serves as evidence. I had called them to chase my payment. Within this lengthy phone call, Jennifer and her supervisor inform me that I am not liable to pay this citation, that SIXT are now liable to pay this citation as they failed to respond to LADOT (the citation issuers) within the allocated timeframe. The agent gave me her ID number, assured me calls were monitored (that indeed I had called in to pay the citation) and that she can confirm that SIXT were liable for citation 4505187772.
23/01/2020 - I email SIXT stating my discussions with Jennifer at LADOT who had informed me that it was SIXT who were actually liable. I also copied in Angela Hehl (SIXT CEO) and Mark Tanzer (CEO of ABTA) to 'ensure my request was considered promptly and that this matter can now be closed and SIXT acknowledge that for citation 4505187772, that SIXT have been deemed liable by the City of Los Angeles.'
27/01/2020 - I receive an email from Janette Zuge @ SIXT (Senior Agent / Accounts Receivable Management International) informing me : ‘Dear Williams, We charged your credit card successfully and now the case is solved’ . With this confirmation, obviously I believe this matter to be closed.
03/03/2020 - I receive a email from SIXT stating ‘please see the attached payment reminder letter regarding your account with us’. This invoice is now telling me I owe them $177.89 ($172.89 Dunning Amount ? and $5 Dunning Charge ?) Obviously I am shocked and concerned .
03/03/2020 - I respond to the email, sending them an attachment and sign off from the Senior SIXT agent : ‘Please see the attachment and sign off from your senior agent Janette Zuge as proof that this account was closed and the case was solved. Hence please update your records’
15/04/2020 - They are still sending payment reminder invoices and chasing me for the amount of $177.89 (which I have to assume is getting larger the longer this goes on)
Obviously it is a stressful time currently for families around the world, certainly financially .. and as a SE father of two - I cannot afford to be spending $177.89 on a parking ticket that since my inception of it have tried to pay at every single stage of the way. In my last email to SIXT (rather reluctantly and just because I do not want this hanging over my head .. certainly if it goes unpaid and as a result am not allowed to travel to the US in the future !?!) I offered to pay them the amount of the original parking ticket (which I had at no point ever disputed) … $63.
Egad ...
They are still chasing me for $177.89 .. which i firmly believe is whioleheartedly unjust owing to the fact the initial ticket was for $63, through no fault of my own it arrived with me after the due date and hence the ticket was $126. I even attempted to pay $126 in January 2020 with the issuing authority LADOT who informed me via a recorded conversation in which I have the agents name and number that I was not liable to pay the citation .. it was SIXT. A senior accounting agent at SIXT even sent me written confirmation in January to tell me the case was solved.
What are your thoughts on this ?
I would really appreciate the input of a neutral who has a much better understanding of this. As I have said from the very start - I have never disputed this parking ticket, have tried paying this parking ticket .. but I feel the $177.89 is a greedy amount to ask for by SIXT whose tardiness in liaising with LADOT was the reason for this 3 x increase.
Being unable to travel to the US in the future would be the biggest worry for myself … and if this went unpaid would I receive a court summons ? If this is the likely outcome, I would rather just begrudgingly pay the amount.
Chris
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