Hundreds of dollar of invalid toll charges and EZpass won't help (Annandale: credit card, license plate)

[tangyue]

My transponder stopped working and before I realized it, my ezpass account accumulated hundreds dollars of toll charges for I-66. I set my transponder to HOV but it could not be read, so I was charged toll in my ezpass account and the charges was linked back through image of license plate.

I called Ezpass and they submitted a dispute on behalf of me. But later I was told they can only waive the fee of violation on the first day when my transponder stopped working as a one time courtesy. I was told there is nothing EZpass can do and I was given a VA DOT number to call. When I called DOT I was told EZpass handle all dispute. Then I found this link [url]https://www.tollroadsinvirginia.com/ViolationToll/PayViolation[/url] but I need violation number to file the appeal. EZpass told me because these toll transactions were linked back to my account by reading my license plate, there is no violation number.

So here is the irony: The reason for these violations is that transponder did not work when I set it to HOV (not my mounting error but a defective transponder). So then I need the violation number to file appeal. Yet they are linked back right to my ezpass account and paid promptly as tolls. I was left with no means to decide whether these violations are valid or the violation number for me to appeal.

In other words, a defective transponder will serve as a shortcut to make all travel as tolled travel and leave travelers with no means to appeal. I think this is a serious issue with how the system is designed to work. A similar issue was reported here:
[url]https://www.phillyvoice.com/ezpass-pennsylvania-turnpike-code-fines-appeals-foia-hacker/[/url]

Please share if you have similar experience and just a reminder that don't set your account to auto replenish and forget about it.

[dkf747]

That sucks! It means we have to keep our eyes on the account to make sure it doesn't do that more than a day.

[sonnymarkjiz]

This has happened to me. My Ezpass works fine but in some of the lanes that must've upgraded their sensor for the transponders will sometimes not recognize my transponder (I got mine in 2010 and it's been fine so far until recently). Now, I've been getting letters in the mail saying that I didn't pay the toll when my transponder is in my windshield. I noticed that on certain lanes, it doesn't recognize my transponder and I'll get violations in the mail for the same two lanes. I called it out in my dispute and MTAA basically said "Oh well, pay us for the admin fees anyways". Since then Ive got a new transponder, but it's still wrong that they force you to pay for something that isn't our fault.

Sounds like they're trying just to find ways to make money now.

[ToyVW55]

A similar situation happened to my coworker. Their battery died in the transponder and they didn't know.


I guess the lesson here is to check your account weekly and look at the transactions to make sure they are hitting. For the OP who uses HOV, you'll see the transactions with a $0.00 value.

[Annandale_Man]

My wife's transponder quit working sometime around 12/14. It was very old (the square type). It was probably 8 years old. She got an invoice from TransUrban due to HOT Lane charges not being paid. Each infraction had a $12.50 admin fee. The total bill on the invoice was almost $200. She uses the HOT Lane every day from Annandale to Tysons. I immediately called the customer service number and they waived all the fees as long as I paid the actual toll charges. They were very understanding when I told them about the transponder.

When I checked my EZPass account with their customer service representative we noticed that the car registered to the transponder was a car and plate we had sold three years ago. The new plate was not associated with an EZPass account so she also got an invoice from them for unpaid toll charges. Once again, the customer service representative waived the "admin" charges on that invoice.

I purchased new transponders for both our cars. I guess the moral of the story is everyone should obtain a NEW transponder every 5 years.

[dkf747]

My experience is that they will waive fees if you call in and pay the toll right away. If you delay until you get a notice in the mail, then you waited too long and have to pay everything. If you keep your account monitored, you can avoid the hassle.

[NC211]

Reminds me of when we moved here from Chicago and I tossed the IL transponder in the glove box when I put up the VA one and forgot about it....until.....

You can probably figure out what happened. Didn’t catch it for two months until I saw my credit card bill and noticed.

[gutter2d]

I use the HOV mode every morning and afternoon on I-66. My wife thinks I’m crazy because I always flip the switch from HOV mode back to normal mode and then back to HOV mode right before I turn onto I-66 so that I hear the “beep” and know that the transponder is working. I thought I was just being paranoid until I saw this thread.

[Finallystoppedlurking]

i normally only use hov when i have the kids these days.... but when i was slugging there were some times where hov mode was missed.... and if i caught it they would reverse it...

def check your statements...