Test drove a car, went through ez pass - they want $100

[BurnItDwn]

Can't you call the toll authority and tell them you forgot your transponder?

 

[DaveSimmons]

It's your mistake, you need to own up to it. Stiffing the dealer is theft.

You could ask the EZPass bureaucracy if there's any way to have the fine waived, but if not then you owe the money.

 

[spacejamz]

I had the car over night, these are fines for going through an ezpass lane without ezpass - I always do that without even thinking about it.

Yes they took a copy of my DL.

First off, based on your thread title, most people would assume that you went through the toll booth once while test driving a car. A test drive usually lasts no longer than 30 minutes, if that.

But in fact, you kept the car overnight, drove it through several booths and you don't want to pay the toll? How many booths did you go through??

And you are asking if you should pay the tolls that you rang up?

 

[SamQuint]

dealer i assume, or else they would have sent the fine to my address?

So wait a sec...

The car dealer called you up and said to pay them the fine?

How does the dealer know it was you? Does the ticket show a specific car? Maybe someone else was taking a test drive on the same day as you in a similar car. Did it have plates on it? They usually have pictures or video of you so you may be screwed.

But from your first post I think you confessed that you know you did it. Just pay it and be done. If they really want the money they will sue you in small claims. Hardly worth the effort for 101 bucks. Make them show you proof or a copy of the ticket. Say that since it has been a month you just can't recall being in the toll lane. Force them to prove it was you. If they can't they will most likely drop it. If they can then pay up.

 

[Schfifty Five]

I'm in TX and the tollroads here (at least in my city) should all be cashless tolls. If you don't have an EZ tag or Toll tag, you just get billed for the toll amount in the mail.

I remember in Houston though, if you went through and didn't have a pass, you would be charged like $15-20.

So seeing that you got charged a $101 fine doesn't seem right. Well I guess it could be if you went through 4-5 ez lanes and each fine was around $20-25.

OP, how many ez pass lanes did you go through?

 

[Lonyo]

Seems reasonable the dealer might add on some extra charges for the time and effort they had to spend going through their records to find who was driving and then write up and send out a letter.
The actual amount might not be $101 but that doesn't mean $101 isn't a justifiable number.

 

[zinfamous]

err 101 dollar in tolls? How far did you test drive?

The fine here is $80, iirc.

 

[busydude]

Me being new to the US and stupid.. took a rental around Chicago.. missed two booths.. because I did not have enough change(I hate those 89 cent booths). Fast forward two months.. I get a letter from the agency with $60 in fines. I called them.. and they said that the actual fine is ~ $10, but they add $25 for each ticket received and call it "administrative/processing charges."

I just STFU and paid all of it. OP should do the same.. unless there is any other way to negotiate.

 

[smakme7757]

I'd just pay it. No point causing a fuss over a 100 bucks when you know you screwed up.

With that being said dealers over here where I live have the radio brick placed in cars so test drivers don't have to worry about this kind of stuff.

 

[sdifox]

The fine here is $80, iirc.

auch

 

[CPA]

Can't you call the toll authority and tell them you forgot your transponder?

here in texas, your pass is affixed to the front window. You can't forget it. You also can't take it off and affix it to another vehicle. It will rip in half when you try to remove it.

 

[sdifox]

here in texas, your pass is affixed to the front window. You can't forget it. You also can't take it off and affix it to another vehicle. It will rip in half when you try to remove it.

why is it limited to one vehicle?

 

[CPA]

I'm in TX and the tollroads here (at least in my city) should all be cashless tolls. If you don't have an EZ tag or Toll tag, you just get billed for the toll amount in the mail.

I remember in Houston though, if you went through and didn't have a pass, you would be charged like $15-20.

So seeing that you got charged a $101 fine doesn't seem right. Well I guess it could be if you went through 4-5 ez lanes and each fine was around $20-25.

OP, how many ez pass lanes did you go through?

I traded in a vehicle several years ago. About a year after trade-in, I get a notice from the toll authority here in Houston that the vehicle passed through without paying. they had me as the owner because the dealership had put down the wrong vin for the paperwork. In any case, the fine was $75 plus toll fees. I was able to get out of it by sending them my trade-in paperwork.

 

[CPA]

why is it limited to one vehicle?

Good question and not one I have been able to get answered. But, I suspect it has something to do with the fact that when you get the sticker, you have to have your checking account attached to it and they keep a minimum $40 (iirc) in "reserve" in their account. They obviously earn interest on that. So, anytime your eztag account goes under $40, they hit you up to get you back to that level. Two vehicles would give them $80 to earn interest on. You can see how that can escalate very quickly for them.

 

[Ns1]

can't you call the toll authority and tell them you forgot your transponder?

seems obvious


"What the fuck is this BS, my ezpass was in my pocket!"

 

[TridenT]

Call your local authority over the subject. This is not new ground that you're hitting.

 

[Blackjack200]

OP, if you tell the Turnpike Authority that you had to use the EZ-Pass lane because it was unsafe to try to merge into a toll lane, they will eliminate the fine and just make you pay the toll.

It's a lie, but I wouldn't feel guilty about it since you really did nothing wrong in my eyes.

The fact that this is through the dealer complicates things, but it should still work. I've gone through EZ-Pass lanes by accident before and they always forgive it.

I'm in TX and the tollroads here (at least in my city) should all be cashless tolls. If you don't have an EZ tag or Toll tag, you just get billed for the toll amount in the mail.

I remember in Houston though, if you went through and didn't have a pass, you would be charged like $15-20.

So seeing that you got charged a $101 fine doesn't seem right. Well I guess it could be if you went through 4-5 ez lanes and each fine was around $20-25.

OP, how many ez pass lanes did you go through?

OP is in New Jersey, they financed the implemenation of EZ-Pass with anticipated fines for violations. That's why the fine amount is out of whack. At least that's how I remember it

 

[Blackjack200]

seems obvious


"What the fuck is this BS, my ezpass was in my pocket!"

Might work. Telling them that it was unsafe to merge into a toll lane works every time.

 

[sdifox]

Good question and not one I have been able to get answered. But, I suspect it has something to do with the fact that when you get the sticker, you have to have your checking account attached to it and they keep a minimum $40 (iirc) in "reserve" in their account. They obviously earn interest on that. So, anytime your eztag account goes under $40, they hit you up to get you back to that level. Two vehicles would give them $80 to earn interest on. You can see how that can escalate very quickly for them.

assuming 17 cent per car per month (5% annual interest, 40 principal), call it 10,000 cars, that comes out to 1700.

Pretty petty of them but if there is 100,000 accounts then it is 17,000 a month D:

 

[waggy]

just call them and say you test drove the vehicle and you did have the transponder. they will deduct it from your account. No big issue.

 

[GrumpyMan]

For the ones that stick on your windshield, get a glass bowl, stick on the bottom, place on dashboard and use it on any car you want.

 

[EagleKeeper]

$3 toll and $100 fine.

I got burned by only having plastic with me. PA took plate number and mailed the bill. $50 service fee.
Second time my transponder was not compatible with East coast. Got the fine for using the EZPass lanes in NJ and NY.

 

[Platypus]

I would call them and try to explain the situation but you should definitely pay it. You fucked up, and they don't fuck around AT ALL.

Long story short, had a similar situation and was told I could owe upwards of thousands of dollars. I talked them down to the price of the missed tolls (my CC expired and I forgot to update the exp date)

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Me being new to the US and stupid.. took a rental around Chicago.. missed two booths.. because I did not have enough change(I hate those 89 cent booths). Fast forward two months.. I get a letter from the agency with $60 in fines. I called them.. and they said that the actual fine is ~ $10, but they add $25 for each ticket received and call it "administrative/processing charges."

I just STFU and paid all of it. OP should do the same.. unless there is any other way to negotiate.

MY GF had a CC that expired, but it was tied to her toll account. She never really used it, so it was no big deal. turns out there was less than a dollar on the account when the card expired. 8 months later she got a bill in the mail for $1000+. She was flagerghasted and crying and didn't know where she was going to get $1000 to pay it. I called them and told them we'll pay the 80 something cents in tolls and the cost of the stamp for the letter they sent or they could pound sand in trying to collect on less than a dollar in actual tolls.

 

[Bignate603]

assuming 17 cent per car per month (5% annual interest, 40 principal), call it 10,000 cars, that comes out to 1700.

Pretty petty of them but if there is 100,000 accounts then it is 17,000 a month D:

Add another zero onto that number of accounts and you'll start to get a better idea of the number of accounts they are talking about. In states where they have a bunch of toll roads these EZ-pass systems are pretty popular.