Expensive mail from Italy: drivers quickly fall into the toll trap

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Pizza, pasta and lots of la dolce vita: many Swiss people go to Italy every year in the summer. In addition to beautiful memories, some people receive a bad souvenir in their mailbox after a few weeks or even months: a warning letter. The toll for the Italian highway had not been paid.

And not only that: the costs are much higher than just the toll. Collection agencies and lawyers collect the money on behalf of the Italian highway companies – and charge a fee on top. Including Alessandro Tedesco, who sends thousands of such reminder letters in Germany. A maximum of 10,000 cases are currently being processed.

That is why the Italians are taking action now

A lucrative deal for his law firm. Tedesco charges its own fee of 30 euros per case. “In the largest motorway company alone, the Autostrada del Italia, there were around 50,000 cases four to five years ago in which German drivers did not pay the toll,” the lawyer tells “Focus”. The financial damage is significant. “That is why the operators have decided to now also collect the toll across borders.”

This means: The claims are real and not a scam. There are several reasons why drivers don’t realize they actually have to pay tolls when driving on the highway in Italy.

The main highways are equipped with a toll booth. If you want to keep driving, you have to pay. A barrier will only open once the amount has been paid or a corresponding ticket has been purchased. But this is not the case everywhere in Italy. Sometimes there are only signs indicating that a fee is due. For example, on the three small highway sections A36, A59 and A60, tolls are collected using an electronic recognition system called Free-Flow. You pay online or via the app – within 15 days after registering your license plate. Alternatively, you can pay in cash at some petrol stations in the region or create an account from which the money will be automatically debited.

At the large toll booths there are also lanes without barriers. They are advertised as “Telepass”. Travelers can purchase a small box before their holiday in Italy in which the costs are automatically added up and then paid. This saves you as a driver the hassle of waiting at the barrier. But if you don’t have a Telepass, you can’t just drive through. Otherwise it will be expensive.

Nowadays you can pay by credit card at many toll gates. But it doesn’t always work flawlessly. It may happen that a receipt is printed and the barrier opens, but the payment is not successful. This is also stated on the receipt and the fee must be paid later.

In the city centers of Milan, Bologna and Palermo, tickets must be purchased at certain times to enter these areas. Anyone who does not have a permit pays 100 euros per entry and exit. (ymh)

Source: Blick