I found this on CNN.Com, and thought I would share it with the group.

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When James Turner needed a van to drive from New Haven to Virginia some months ago for business, he turned to a merchant near his home that he had relied on many times in the past.

But the theater box office manager overlooked a clause in the contract stating that its vehicles were equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system and that going over the speed limit would cost $150 per infraction.

When he returned home and tried to use his ATM card, he discovered that the rental company had taken out $450 from his account. Acme Rent-A-Car had determined that he had gone over the speed limit three times and dipped into his account for each one.

"They took the money out before I returned the car," Turner told CNN this week. "I was very, very surprised. I was not aware of what GPS could do. I thought it was an onboard navigation system, to use when you get lost."

High-tech tracking The van was outfitted with more than standard GPS technology. It had a much more sophisticated monitoring system, AirIQ, which allowed Acme to check Turner's speed and location.

Turner hired a lawyer and went to small claims court, but Acme said Turner was well aware of the contract provisions.

"I don't think it was too intrusive. The warning is printed in big bold letters on top of the contract, saying any sustained speeds over 79 mph would be subject to fines," said Max Brunswick.

"It's not something that's in the fine print. It's explained to the customer and the customer has to initial it," he said.

Making money or tracking cars? Turner protested that the company had no system of due process by which he could challenge the charges. Brunswick said that for each infraction, the satellite system notified Acme only after Turner had gone over 80 mph for at least two minutes.

"The real purpose is not to make money from people speeding. The real reason is to track cars," Brunswick said.

The monitoring system allows Acme to find cars that are not returned, a persistent problem that can drive small car rental companies out of business, he said.

Moreover, drivers knowing their speed is being checked tend to drive slower, leading to less liability for the company and fewer accidents for the drivers, according to Brunswick.

"It's safe to say this policy saves lives," he said.

The state has stepped in to help settle the legal morass, leaving the small claims case in limbo.

"The court is waiting for the consumer protection board and attorney general to make their ruling," which could come within weeks, Turner said.

-- StevenB (thicketyrowfarm@aol.com), June 24, 2001

Answers

One wonders what constitutes "speeding". What if the posted highway limit is 70 and you are on a nice flat stretch passing several vehicles? Personally, I would be in the middle lane gritting my teeth and doing 65 max and wishing I were home, but how does a mere tracking system discern conditions, intentions, local speed limits, etc. . I have always made it a habit to read, in detail, everything which requires my signature, that way, there are never any surprises. Also, how can a company place a charge on your credit card which you did not authorize? I would demand that the credit card company remove it immediately and if the rental agency wanted the $, they could meet me in court. If true, this scenario amounts to the ability to bilk folks out of their money with no verification of facts (duh, guess that's why you posted it eh Steven? LOL)...this kind of stuff irks me. Please don't forget to update when you hear more..I'd love to find that the company cannot do this. God bless.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), June 25, 2001.

Some pertinent details from the above story:

"I don't think it was too intrusive. The warning is printed in big bold letters on top of the contract, saying any sustained speeds over 79 mph would be subject to fines," said Max Brunswick.

"It's not something that's in the fine print. It's explained to the customer and the customer has to initial it," he said.

Short of putting someone in the vehicle with him to nag him about not going over 79 mph what else could the company have done?

80 mph is a good ten miles per hour over any speed limit that I've come across and two minutes is plenty of time to pass someone going slower.

If it were me I'd have tried to find a different company rather than rent from one with this orbital Mrs. Grundy but the fact of the matter is that he signed a contract explicitly stating what the penalties for violating the speed limit were and either did not actually read what he was signing or didn't believe. Now he's got an expensive lesson.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), June 25, 2001.

And what if you are driving through Montana or Texas? They can still take your money when there is no speed limit or its 80 mph?

Actually, these things have been in commercial haulers for quite a few years. When I used to drive, and an old trucker would "show me the ropes," the first thing you would do is reach under the seat, pull the floppy or whatever that was and unplug the back of the box. Then DOT and the boss had to rely on your paper logbooks.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), June 25, 2001.

If the company were actually concerned with speeding they could simply put governors on the engines that wouldn't allow speeds in excess of "whatever". The issue is indeed to track where you go. That smacks of a totalitarian dictatorship in the making, and if you can't see it...well, rent from them. Give your biometric info, and your SS# let yourself be searched with no warrant, have your money taken from your pockets... because 82% of the money has drug residue so you MUST be a drug dealer, give up all the rights that were the things that made this country different from all the rest and become a happy citizen of the "World". Kinda interesting how that last line plays out, no?

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), June 26, 2001.