To those who claim that Hertz and Plate Pass are not in a conspiracy to commit fraud, I will relate my experience:

A month after using and returning my rental car, I noticed a charge on my credit card for $38.35 from a company called Plate Pass. When I inquired, I was informed that this was for paying tolls on tolls roads. Well, I know that I paid all toll charges in cash as I passed through the toll booths. Therefore, I disputed the charges with my credit card company.

A few weeks later, I received a packet of information from my credit card company forwarding me documentation from Hertz and Plate Pass that purported to show: 1. I agreed to the charges for Plate Pass; and 2. The locations of the toll booths I supposedly went through using the Plate Pass Transponder. These included the George Washington Bridge and a toll identified as "Albany Downtown".

This paper work did nothing to prove that I had agreed to Plate Pass or used it to pay tolls.

First, my signature was not on any agreement that referred to Plate Pass, not even in the fine print.

Even worse, I have never been in Albany in my entire life and I didn't go within 10 miles of the GW Bridge on this trip. Indeed, at the time Plate Pass claimed I was in Albany, I was having dinner about 200 miles away in New Jersey--and I had the time-stamped restaurant receipt from to prove it.

I provided the credit card company with my receipt and pointed this out and they reversed the charges again.

However, Plate Pass continued to attempt to dispute my refusal to pay. The credit card company denied them charging my card.

To me, it is fraudulent to charge somebody's credit card when that person did not agree to the charges. It is also fraudulent to charge someone for tolls they did not incur. It is also stupidly bad business to engage in these types of practices in the long run. I have rented cars on several occasions since that time and I refuse to even consider Hertz. I have not had this trouble with any other car rental company.

I used to believe that Hertz was a reasonably honest company--but I don't think so any more.

The internet is full of complaints about this scam.

Shame on Hertz. Shame on Plate Pass.