CrazyOne

This is probably nothing to do with E-Z Pass. As others said, this is likely to be a speeding or red light automatic ticket by camera. You should have gotten a notice in the mail though with the violation, once it is passed along by whatever service Hertz uses for it. I got an automated speeding ticket in a Hertz car the last time I took one to DC. The area is notorious for speeding and red light cams. I thought I was careful, but I wasn't careful enough. If my own car, I might have fought against it, but I couldn't figure out how to do that very well once they had already paid for me. Basically didn't have the energy to pursue it.

If Amex rejected the charge automatically, you should definitely receive notice by mail. If your mailing address isn't up to date, then maybe you'll skirt it for a while but it may prevent you from renting from Hertz at some point.

If we're wrong and it really is to do with E-ZPass, then your own E-ZPass record should be the documentation that would help you clear it up. But I think you got caught by a cam somewhere. Small chance it's a toll violation which would go back to E-ZPass stuff, but toll violations usually are not that much. In any case you are certainly entitled to the details of what they are attempting to bill you for.

sosafan

I don't see why. Let's say I go through the the toll lane with two valid devices and they both get charged. I wouldn't think you could get a refund.

ijgordon

I can only assume that technology was built in such that the reader would not register/charge two tags near-simultaneously.
And if it did, it should be pretty easy to dispute with the tolling authority and have them reverse the PlatePass charge.

IntFF

Good end to a very strange story:
After 2 messages to Hertz via form on their website, with no response, and a 2nd charge of $134 by American Traffic Solutions (ATS) (1st one rejected by Amex as fraud). I called Hertz and was transferred to PlatePass Customer Service.

1. The ATS $134 charge was for PlatePass tolls, NOT a traffic violation.
2. The PlatePass agent said it was for 17!! tolls in 4 rental days +Admin fee.
3. I told her I only went thru 4 tolls with my OWN EZ-Pass.
4. She took my email-addr and said she is doing an "Expedited Dispute" and asked me to mail my EZ-pass stmt to PlatePass.
5. Within a few hours! I got email that they apologize and cancelling the $134 charge.
So- my EZ-pass stmt was sufficient proof that I used my own EZ-pass.
6. I also got into the PlatePass acct of my rental, by entering the rental#. It showed 17 tolls - none of them any of my Real 4 tolls.

My conclusions:
1. Hertz non-responsive to messages via their website, as usual.
2. PlatePass has a very good Customer Service.
3. I speculate that PlatePass database linking Transponders with cars is screwed up. And probably happened by Hertz employees moving/installing transponders and Not updating the PlatePass DB, or entering wrong info.
4. Important to save EZ-pass stmts when you use it for rental. EZ-pass sends an email abt new stmt, you can see it in your EZ-pass acct for 30 days, but NOT download it. You have to capture/snap and save!!

WheelsFirst

PlatePass is ATS

TerryK

Interesting. You mean PlatePass is actually ATS dba PlatePlass?

cestmoi123

Same company. At the bottom of the PlatePass website: © 2015 American Traffic Solutions, Inc.

CrazyOne

If they matched up to the same car license plate at the same time you should. When you go through the toll lane it captures a photo of the license plate, in case of misread or nonexistent transponder device. So if there were two devices and both read, but to the same license pate and both at the same time, that should be enough for a refund.

It appears this case was a little different though, sounds like renter was billed for a different toll record somehow.

Furry

It's now been 3 months and still haven't got any reply from Hertz. However my CC account has been credited $15 from Hertz EWR 2 weeks ago.

cestmoi123

So, you wanted $20 back, and you got $15. Not bad at all.

NoCoPilot

I rented from Herz in July at Detroit Metro. I didn't notice any PlatePass box in the car, and didn't know anything about it. About a month later I had $30+ charge from PlatePass. I called the number shown on my CC bill, talked to someone at PP who looked up the charge and said it was for a bridge in NYC. I never left MI with the vehicle. I told her as much, and she said PP would 'investigate'.

There's no electronic tolling error that would explain how this could happen, and like I said I didn't even see any PP device in the car. The obvious other explanation is that PP just sort of randomly sprinkles charges around on various rental contracts, to see how many go unnoticed. If the renter puts in the time and effort to investigate they might lose out, but if even a small percentage don't notice or don't fight its a profitable tactic for PP.

I did dispute the charge with Amex, even though during the dispute they told me the charge was 'pre-authorized'. Eventually the charge was reversed, though I don't know if it was by PP alone or due to the Amex dispute.

It's hard to see this as anything other than a scam. So, after many years and many rentals with Hertz, it looks like time to consider other rental agencies. The question is, are there any that don't also participate in the tolling scam?

flyerfmaz

Exact same thing happened to me last winter during a business trip to Albany. I flew in to Albany, drove to the hotel, went back and forth a short distance to work for about 3 or 4 days, then drove to the airport. It wasn't long before I got a statement in the mail for a bunch of tolls -- all of them way down in Pennsylvania and New York. The statement had the plate on it that was on the rental car, but logically it was impossible -- it was clear from the little mileage I put on the car that I would have had to teleported to those locations to run up those tolls. The charges were of course dismissed -- but you've got to wonder what kind of scam is going on and what the real cause is. Are the toll operators a bunch of criminals, or could scammers be duplicating rental car plates? It was just too weird.

cirrussk

Check this story out ... picked up a Hertz car in August (JFK), Friday morning with a return Monday morning. I have my own transponder and used it exclusively on the trip. I drove 100 miles north, then went out of state. It has me driving in/out of the Lincoln Tunnel and GWB Bridge all weekend - even when the car was 100 miles away parked in a garage. $140 in toll charges.

Amex closed my card in August because they suspected fraud after the charge came through. I agreed with them, as I figured PlatePass wouldn't be charging me, as I had my own transponder.

They sent me an invoice to my house with these charges.

Any success stories with the dispute process? They told me to e-mail them at [email protected]

Should I just ignore the invoice or do they send this to collections? I will have to put in some effort to put all my receipts together ....

CalItalian

PlatePass are vultures. They will send to collections.

flyerfmaz

Definitely don't ignore them -- I had success disputing bogus toll charges but it took some phone calls and some proof that I wasn't at those locations. Sorry to hear you've become a victim of this nasty scam.