I rented a car from Enterprise. DC issued a speeding ticket to that vehicle, claiming it was going 43 mph in a 30 mph zone. Fine: $110.
Because it is a rental, the citation went to Enterprise, which did not bother to investigate or contest the citation. They then gave me notice of the citation and a deadline to contest it internally (through third-party provider, Highway Toll Administration, LLC), else they would charge my credit card per some buried prior authorization language.
Their notice gave me no useful information about the ticket–not even an obvious citation number–so I contested. On June 13, they provided me the ticket information. I looked it up online and saw that my vehicle, which has a 108″ wheel base, traversed the calibration lines in 0.2 seconds as noted on the 2 photographs. Basic math says this is 30.68 mph, within the margin of error for whether a ticket is to be issued.
I notified Enterprise of this on June 15. On June 18, without a response, they charged my credit card. I have, of course, initiated a dispute.
Today, I notified Enterprise I was disputing the charges. “Jerry” from customer service wrote:
The D.C. Treasure does not allow for Enterprise to provide driver information for citations which are issued. As such, Enterprise is required to pay for tickets which are issued by this agency to avoid further action towards our vehicles. I can understand how this could be frustrating. However, I am unable to issue a refund of these charges, as Enterprise was required to make payment on your behalf.
To me, this indicates that no matter what proof I had, Enterprise as a matter of course pays no attention to legitimate disputes. [My initial correspondence noted this article, highlighting the notorious inaccuracies of the DC speed cameras: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/cop-exposes-dc-speed-came_n_2401773.html ] They simply pay the citation and pass along the charges. Such is a highly unethical practice. As I have never had a speeding ticket when renting another car, my hope is that it is not industry practice.
