cirrussk

Sent in my receipts (in PDF as they mandated) and my toll receipts from my own transponder. Got an email a few days later saying I was cleared of all charges. PHEW!!

flyerfmaz

^^

lililolo

I have an upcoming 5 days rental with Hertz in Boston. I want to know what is my option if I do not want to use hertz's platepass and do not have my own transponder?

Is there a manned toll booth on Mass Pike? I found the charge is so ridiculous last time I rented with Hertz in Seattle. I used the toll bridge on my last day of rental, totally unaware of platepass and no where to pay on the bridge. Ended up paying close to $30 for that 1 toll.

Any tip will be appreciated, thanks.

kenn0223

Yes, MassPike has manned toll booths (except for maybe some tiny exits).

CrazyOne

Mass Pike is (at least mostly) a ticket system with human toll collectors: if paying cash you get a paper ticket when you enter that confirms your entry point, then you pay when you leave the Pike based on the toll between your entry and exit points. It's not a very expensive toll; should ring up only a few bucks max for most rides. I've taken many Hertz cars on it over the years and paid cash and never had a billing issue. Not to say it couldn't happen so it's not a bad idea to get receipts for your cash payments (the toll collector will press a button and hand you a receipt if you ask).

If there is a visible E-ZPass transponder mounted on the windshield of your rental, DO make sure that box is closed, or, better yet, rip the whole box off (they are typically on with plastic velcro-like fasteners, not a permanent adhesive) and stow the whole thing in the glove compartment or armrest. The Hertz cars are on Platepass generally whether they have the actual E-ZPass in the car or not (it will just read from the license plate) but if that transponder is in the car it is helpful to make sure that it does not read.

aztimm

If you pick up the vehicle at BOS, there's (I think) a $2 charge to go through the tunnel when you immediately enter the highway. I thought it was crazy when I did that, I was just entering, there was a booth with attendant, and I said, "I'm just getting on the road." Normally you pay a toll when exiting a road

Otherwise correct, there are toll plazas with booths/tickets/attendants for most exits, and the price isn't too bad. I think there were a few small exits that were EZ Pass only, but they were well marked.

Joes

GW Bridge in NYC has a $10.50 off peak toll rate for using EZPASS and a $15.00 toll rate for cash.

For my rental, Hertz Platepass is charging the $15.00 cash toll rate (plus $4.95 daily pass rental).

Since they are charging for use of the EZPASS shouldn't Hertz charge the actual EZPASS toll rate rather than the cash payment rate?

Can someone please explain the policy?

ijgordon

The policy is here and here.

You are charged the cash rate.
If you don't want to pay Hertz/PlatePass for the use of their EZPass, then I suggest you get your own.

JosephMR

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.

ijgordon

You either signed the rental agreement when you received the car, which certainly does refer to PlatePass, or, as a #1 Club Gold member, your signature is on file accepting the terms of that rental agreement when you do take the car.

PlatePass could still sue you, so you might want to save your documentation, either for court, or to try and demonstrate to PlatePass that you couldn't have incurred those toll charges.

You did agree, actually, that you would pay the cash rate plus an administrative fee for any tolls incurred. Look at your rental contract again.

It's not fraudulent unless they intended to charge you for tolls you did not incur. There could certainly be other explanations, like an IT error.

Well, be aware that several rental agencies use PlatePass/American Traffic Solutions for toll and violation billing management.

Mostly from ignorant consumers. I'm not going to defend their fees, which I think are egregious, but in MOST cases, it's reasonably easy to avoid incurring these types of toll charges (Miami Airport is a notable exception), and thus avoid doing business with them. If you were truly billed incorrectly for tolls you did not incur, and can provide evidence, then most of the time it seems as if PlatePass behaves reasonably.

lonelycrowd

This seems to be the most pertinent thread for my question, even if the last post is a year old. I voluntarily chose to use PlatePass and fully opened the transponder on my Hertz rental out of BOS a few days ago, but every time I went through a toll gate I would either not get a green light, get a "Call Service Center" message or, at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, got a red light with the "Invalid Tag" message. I understand from the official EZ-Pass FAQs that this usually means that the transponder account balance is below zero.

Do I need to take any action in this situation, or will they take care of any fines or violations incurred automatically? In any case, in the context of the rather high service fees I accepted just for using the tag I would really expect them to keep their account funded properly...

misterfuss

Hello,

I searched the forums and didn't see an answer to my question. Can anyone tell me how long it takes an E-Z Pass MA toll to post to my account?

Background: I opened up an E-Z Pass MA account and received my toll tag prior to flying to Boston for Thanksgiving. I affixed it on the windshield prior to leaving the rental car facility and verified that the PlatePass transponder was in its closed box in the glove box. (I also tried to register the rental car to my account unsuccessfully and found out through this forum that it isn't possible.) I then drove for the next five days on various toll and non-toll roads in Massachusetts. There were no toll booths, just overhead toll tag detection devices and cameras. I checked my account when my rental was over and see that I have had no toll charges posted to my account.

Also, does the E-Z Pass toll tag "beep" when you go through a toll collection area? (My Bay Area FasTrak does.)

Thanks for your input. I'll be somewhat annoyed to be charged the PlatePass convenience charge and cash rates despite doing everything I thought possible to avoid this.

guv1976

My NY-issued E-Z Pass does not beep.

I'm not sure how long it takes for MA tolls to post, but in NY, my E-Z Pass tolls typically post to my account within a day.

Were you required to do anything *activate* your transponder after you purchased it?

misterfuss

When I log into my account, it shows that it is active. When I check the transponders, it shows my only transponder as active as well. When I initially signed up for my account, my credit card was charged the initial balance and I understood that my transponder would be mailed out within a week. When 3 weeks had passed, I called E-Z Pass customer service and the agent told me that when a transponder is ordered from an out of state customer that they needed to verify the address. However, they never sent any notification about this. I wouldn't have found this out unless I called in.

guv1976

Perhaps the transponder itself is defective -- damaged in the mail, maybe? Was it mounted properly on the windshield, in the correct place, and unobstructed?