Fine in Pisa - What happens if don't pay?

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

We were in Pisa for a few hours in Dec 2012. Last week, we received a fine by registered mail addressed to my husband for driving in a 'restricted traffic zone'. We didn't know that we had done this. Have googled it and apparently there is an "international" sign to say no cars allowed but not international enough as we obviously didn't recognise it.

Anyway, I do not want to pay it. It is for 121€ and will be 198€ if we don't pay within 60 days of receipt.

Has anyone received this type of infringement notice from Pisa??
Does anyone know what happens enforcement-wise if you don't don't pay and you are not part of the EU?

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

My brother in law got one when he drove in Italy three kilometers above speed limit. I ill have to check if he paid.

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

If you had a rental, which most likely you did and it was secured on a credit card, which most likely it was, it will probably be charged to the card on file and billed to you that way. If you dispute it with your card company the rental car company will most likely note your account and you will not be able to rent from them again.

The company I work for had a few daily rentals and that is the way we processed things like toll skipping, parking tickets etc.

Joy

[SallyHoover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SallyHoover]

We were in Pisa for a few hours in Dec 2012. Last week, we received a fine by registered mail addressed to my husband for driving in a 'restricted traffic zone'. We didn't know that we had done this. Have googled it and apparently there is an "international" sign to say no cars allowed but not international enough as we obviously didn't recognise it.

Anyway, I do not want to pay it. It is for 121€ and will be 198€ if we don't pay within 60 days of receipt.

Has anyone received this type of infringement notice from Pisa??
Does anyone know what happens enforcement-wise if you don't don't pay and you are not part of the EU?

Was this in Dec 12 or Dec 13. Part of me thinks that if it was Dec 2012 if they haven't billed you through the CC from the rental I am not sure if they will. If it was just this past December, I think they might. Is there any instructions on how to appeal the ticket?

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Was this in Dec 12 or Dec 13. Part of me thinks that if it was Dec 2012 if they haven't billed you through the CC from the rental I am not sure if they will. If it was just this past December, I think they might. Is there any instructions on how to appeal the ticket?

I am not Syd but I know it was her December 2012 trip to Europe.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

It was 2012. I read that they don't charge the fine to your credit card, possibly the admin fee for passing your info onto the police. We have not been charged for that yet.

The appeal needs to be in Italian, and I read that ignorance is not an acceptable point of appeal so there's no point.

I remember us driving around trying to find our way in the dark. The photo of the car is at night time when we were leaving Pisa and the sign is not one we recognise as there is nothing like it in Australia. Despite the fine being legitimate, it is an administrative infringement not a criminal matter, and under the circumstance, I have decided not to pay as it was an honest mistake and we are generally very careful drivers.

My purpose for posting is to find out if anyone here has received such a fine and has any experience with repercussions for not paying.

I decided against posting on Tripadvisor as I am not interested in the moral arguments of paying fines in other jurisdictions by the rabid posters there.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

My brother in law got one when he drove in Italy three kilometers above speed limit. I ill have to check if he paid.

Thank you!

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

Most of the time, rental car companies do charge your credit card. I have never had that happen, but I know a number of people who have.

I had a friend with a heavy foot who had rented for a couple of weeks in the UK, and someone told him on his return about the speed cameras and how those tickets went to the rental car companies that charged it back against credit cards, so rather than wait to see how many tickets he had managed to collect, he just cancelled the credit card he used for the rental before anything could come through against it.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

Most of the time, rental car companies do charge your credit card. I have never had that happen, but I know a number of people who have.

I had a friend with a heavy foot who had rented for a couple of weeks in the UK, and someone told him on his return about the speed cameras and how those tickets went to the rental car companies that charged it back against credit cards, so rather than wait to see how many tickets he had managed to collect, he just cancelled the credit card he used for the rental before anything could come through against it.

I guess that's one way to deal with it

I got one in Florence for the restricted area in Florence south of town, I think I remember paying it, and then I got one in Rome. In Rome, all I did was drive into town, drop family and bags off at the RHC 'timeshare' and then drove to the train station to drop off the car. So, you are allowed to do this and I appealed via email and the citation was dropped.

It's the darn rental car rip-offs though. Two trips to Italy that year and each time Hertz, once at the train sta location and once at the airport ... returned car with full tank and months later they tried to slip in a refuel charge. rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Spence, did they actually reply to say they dropped the fine? Or they just never sent a follow-up letter. I read that some people write multiple letters/emails with no reply.
Carolinian, I don't really want to cancel the credit card as it's a travel one that does not charge overseas transaction fees. We'd merely have to open a new account if we close it. Which I suppose we could do...

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

You have to drive fast like the Europeans so they can't catch you. I did 260 to 280 KM and was blown away by a Ferrari like I was standing still. That was the only time I was passed but it did happen twice with 2 different Ferrari's.

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

I don't really want to cancel the credit card as it's a travel one that does not charge for overseas transaction fees. We'd merely have to open a new account if we closes it. Which I suppose we could do...

Are you using the 28 Degrees card? I've had mine for a while but I remember being surprised that it took only 3 days for the card to arrive after setting it up online. The only real difficulty was needing to record the answers to my security questions. What is your favourite colour (depends on the season and my mood) and name of your first boyfriend which cannot be 3 letters which excludes Tim, Jim, Tom, Don, Sam, Urs, Ben, Bob and on it goes.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

You have to drive fast like the Europeans so they can't catch you. I did 260 to 280 KM and was blown away by a Ferrari like I was standing still. That was the only time I was passed but it did happen twice with 2 different Ferrari's.

'
haha, how fast do you reckon the Ferraris can drive in the centre of Pisa Frank?

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

You have to drive fast like the Europeans so they can't catch you. I did 260 to 280 KM and was blown away by a Ferrari like I was standing still. That was the only time I was passed but it did happen twice with 2 different Ferrari's.

How do you do that in Pisa?
You might knock over the Tower with your sonic boom.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Are you using the 28 Degrees card? I've had mine for a while but I remember being surprised that it took only 3 days for the card to arrive after setting it up online. The only real difficulty was needing to record the answers to my security questions. What is your favourite colour (depends on the season and my mood) and name of your first boyfriend which cannot be 3 letters which excludes Tim, Jim, Tom, Don, Sam, Urs, Ben, Bob and on it goes.

Yes I am, for all overseas purchases. Since they removed the benefit of withdrawing cash without a foreign exchange fee, we've opened up a Citibank transaction account that lets us withdraw cash overseas without any fees whatsoever.