IP: re Beware of GPS in rental vehicles

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> To: farber () central cis upenn edu
> From: Dan Lynch <dan () lynch com>
> Subject: Beware of GPS in rental vehicles
>
> > Consumer agency targets Connecticut rental firm for tracking customers
> > http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/07/03/rental.car.tracking.ap/index.html
> >
> > July 3, 2001 Posted: 1:33 AM EDT (0533 GMT)
> >
> > --------- excerpts -------
> >
> > HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- A rental car company used satellites to catch
> > customers speeding and automatically charged fines to their credit cards,
> > spurring a complaint Monday from the state Department of Consumer
> > Protection.
> >
> > The complaint accuses American Car Rental Inc., which operates ACME
> > Rent-A-Car in New Haven, of violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices
> > Act by failing to warn customers of the potential for fines and charging
> > customers' bank accounts or credit cards.
> >
> > The company said rental contracts clearly warn customers they face a $150
> > fine every time the satellite tracks them speeding for more than two
> > minutes.
> >
> > "Our goal has never been to make money off of this. Our goal has been to
> > enforce speed limits on our cars and prevent the catastrophic claims that
> > can put us out of business," said [company spokesman]
> >
> >
> > ...  the company still plans to use the GPS devices to track
> > speeding, as well as track unreturned cars.
> >
> > State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal [said] ...  Acme's practice
> > "abusive and illegal."
> >
> > "This practice reflects the perils and misuse in technology when consumers
> > are made unknowing victims of Big Brother tactics."
> >
> > One of the consumers, New Haven resident James Turner, is suing the company
> > in small claims court in New Haven, seeking the return of $450 he was
> > charged after the company claimed it caught him speeding last fall.



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