NYS ez-pass robbed me!!

[jimnyc]

Which bridge is it, Jim? GW?

The GWB does do the same, but not till after 11pm. Then they are without collectors and everything is automated. But during the day there is always a few lanes where you can pay cash. The one I have an issue with now is the "HHB", which is the toll plaza name for the Henry Hudson Bridge, which is about 3 miles or so north of the GWB on the Henry Hudson Parkway. They run 24x7 without collectors now. I imagine that will be their long term goal for other plazas as well.

I could deal with it if I could go to their site after the fact, put in my plate number and pay as I go. I would simply record when I go over, and then use my "personal responsibility" to proactively go to their site and ante up. But unfortunately you can't. No paying via phone or online until you have a violation number. Funny thing is, even when you DO get it on time, it's still called a violation, even though you did exactly as they asked.

Also, people that DO have the e-zpass... I am reading that what they do is prepay the funds. For example, put $25 on the ezpass, and then they will charge another $25 when you are down to say $4. But I'm seeing that in other cases that they are increasing the prepay amount on some people for no reason, where they may fund your e-zpass like $150 even though you barely use it. They seem to be money hungry and overreaching - while at the same time failing in customer service - leaving the consumer "effed"!

[tailfins]

The GWB does do the same, but not till after 11pm. Then they are without collectors and everything is automated. But during the day there is always a few lanes where you can pay cash. The one I have an issue with now is the "HHB", which is the toll plaza name for the Henry Hudson Bridge, which is about 3 miles or so north of the GWB on the Henry Hudson Parkway. They run 24x7 without collectors now. I imagine that will be their long term goal for other plazas as well.

I could deal with it if I could go to their site after the fact, put in my plate number and pay as I go. I would simply record when I go over, and then use my "personal responsibility" to proactively go to their site and ante up. But unfortunately you can't. No paying via phone or online until you have a violation number. Funny thing is, even when you DO get it on time, it's still called a violation, even though you did exactly as they asked.

Also, people that DO have the e-zpass... I am reading that what they do is prepay the funds. For example, put $25 on the ezpass, and then they will charge another $25 when you are down to say $4. But I'm seeing that in other cases that they are increasing the prepay amount on some people for no reason, where they may fund your e-zpass like $150 even though you barely use it. They seem to be money hungry and overreaching - while at the same time failing in customer service - leaving the consumer "effed"!

WOW!! That is messed up! In NH at night that have these change machines that look like a urinal. People who don't like a pass system because it's a "government tracking device" keep a roll of quarters handy so they can use the unmanned toll exits. The "system" you describle is EXACTLY the kind of motorist abuse the National Motorists Association lobbies against. You need their help if you want to change this (no pun intended). It would be easy for NY to install cash acceptors like NH does.

[jimnyc]

WOW!! That is messed up! In NH at night that have these change machines that look like a urinal. People who don't like a pass system because it's a "government tracking device" keep a roll of quarters handy so they can use the unmanned toll exits.

Still my biggest issue is simply the costs. Go over the GWB, which will literally take about 40 seconds or so on a day without traffic - $14

Why the hell is it so much? Pay employees? Those that don't exist anymore and replaced by readers. Or bridge maintenance? Looks the same as it has for the last 40 years.

How many people cross it daily? As per Wiki they have 276,150 per day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge

That comes out to $3,866,100 per day. And that's at $14 for each vehicle. A TON of the traffic is for trucks, which can go up to and over $100 to cross. But assume the minimum. Then yearly? Let's cut out some days in fairness and use that total for only 300 days in a year.

That comes out to - $1,159,830,000

[Abbey Marie]

Still my biggest issue is simply the costs. Go over the GWB, which will literally take about 40 seconds or so on a day without traffic - $14

Why the hell is it so much? Pay employees? Those that don't exist anymore and replaced by readers. Or bridge maintenance? Looks the same as it has for the last 40 years.

How many people cross it daily? As per Wiki they have 276,150 per day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge

That comes out to $3,866,100 per day. And that's at $14 for each vehicle. A TON of the traffic is for trucks, which can go up to and over $100 to cross. But assume the minimum. Then yearly? Let's cut out some days in fairness and use that total for only 300 days in a year.

That comes out to - $1,159,830,000

$100!

I do like the view up the Hudson. It always makes us think about Alexander Hamilton.
Silver Lining...

[NightTrain]

This is madness. Someone needs to find out who is behind this and who's getting filthy rich off the bogus tolls & manufactured penalties.

Have you guys ever noticed a cycle where during a close election the EZ pass behaves like it should, and after the dust settles it resumes the shenanigans?

There has to be kickbacks involved for this to continue with no public investigations... you have corruption there that needs to be exposed.

I'm glad we don't have any toll roads up here. The closest we have to that is the Ferry System that requires that you pay before getting on board and you're dealing with people face-to-face during that transaction.

[hjmick]

New York sucks...

[DragonStryk72]

Long story, but I don't even own an e-zpass, which is a device you put on your windshield, so no waiting at tolls, you just drive through and it reads it and you pay with pre-paid funding on the device. If you don't have one, you drive through and it reads your license plate and you receive a bill in the mail. Or you're supposed to.

So now I get a bill in the mail for once when I went to NJ for a day trip (passed through the toll 2x, there and back). And then I went on a weekend, where I went through the toll on a Friday and again on the way home on a Sunday. The bill comes in the mail today and I was stunned. It shows it as "late", even though my wife and I agree this is the first we got the bill. $5 for the 4 passes through the booth, totaling $20. They "only" assessed one late fee of $5. BUT, then they assessed a "violation fee" of $50 for EACH time through the toll - totaling $225 for the 4 times through, which would have been $20 otherwise.

And - you CANNOT pay the toll on that day. You either have an e-zpass, or you wait to be billed via license plate. Then of course they purposely bill you late, claim it's a second notice and assess a $50 fee.

Of course you can fight it, but it's not so simple and of course will require time. They didn't want to hear shit on the phone and just said pay it or fight it. They won't let you pay the tolls and late fee without paying the violation fee either, it's all or nothing. So, if you decide to fight, you can't pay anything, and then you run the risk of it hitting collections and your credit, or they can suspend your drivers license.

And you know the worst part? In order to prevent this in the future? I now need to get another e-zpass, just so that they bill me properly.

It's another way of forcing you to get an ez-pass, and because it's a government-funded monopoly (Have you ever seen any competition for this?), they get away with way too much. You should look at VA, no tolls aside from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and even there, they've heard of this magical stuff called cash and credit.

[logroller]

I'd say fight it if it comes to that, but there are some actions I think might settle it/ improve your odds they drop it. First off, phone calls don't do shit, legally IMO, so send a registered letter and explain that you are responded to the first notice you received on dd/mm/yyyy ( see enclosed copy), that the toll charges are yours and enclose a check for the fees you believe are due to them with the stipulation that accepting the check renders your account paid in full. Express your willingness to resolve the matter at the earliest convenience. best regards., Jimmy the toll jumper

Don't mention your assumptions that they intentionally billed late, because they'll just assume you intentionally ignored the first notice-- stick to the facts as you know them to be.

If nothing else, it documents the dispute and that should put a hold on any collection activities and accumulation of late fees. There are state and federal laws pertaining to disputed claims (although those port authority bastards may have circumvented those) but documenting a dispute is a must, and it must be done in writing. A standard business letter format in word works wonders and I'd be happy to proof it for you. Best of luck and down with the man!!!

[Jeff]

NY is crazy with there tolls, yes it is up around a 100 bucks to cross just one bridge then of course if you are going to Long Island there is another toll that is very expensive and then one coming back out and there is no way to get around them, so if ya add the price of fuel and tolls ya will see why everything is getting so expensive, years ago it would cost me 100 bucks in tolls just to go to Long Island and tolls have gone way up since then, I can only imagine the surcharge now a days to go up there add these prices to the fuel tax, road tax and so on a trucker must pay and you either have to rob the consumer or find another job because ya just can't make money at it now a days.

[tailfins]

NY is crazy with there tolls, yes it is up around a 100 bucks to cross just one bridge then of course if you are going to Long Island there is another toll that is very expensive and then one coming back out and there is no way to get around them, so if ya add the price of fuel and tolls ya will see why everything is getting so expensive, years ago it would cost me 100 bucks in tolls just to go to Long Island and tolls have gone way up since then, I can only imagine the surcharge now a days to go up there add these prices to the fuel tax, road tax and so on a trucker must pay and you either have to rob the consumer or find another job because ya just can't make money at it now a days.

I learned about those nasty tolls when I traveled I-95 in its entirety. If I'm traveling Miami to Boston, now I pick up I-287 at Perth Amboy, NJ, go through Nyack, NY, then pick up I-95 again in Connecticut. It avoids those nasty tolls.

[jimnyc]

I learned about those nasty tolls when I traveled I-95 in its entirety. If I'm traveling Miami to Boston, now I pick up I-287 at Perth Amboy, NJ, go through Nyack, NY, then pick up I-95 again in Connecticut. It avoids those nasty tolls.

It's actually 440 for a very short time in Perth Amboy which changes into 287, which you can take all the way north and eventually over the Tappan Zee, and then continue along and you'll run right into 95 north into CT.

[jimnyc]

I'd say fight it if it comes to that, but there are some actions I think might settle it/ improve your odds they drop it. First off, phone calls don't do shit, legally IMO, so send a registered letter and explain that you are responded to the first notice you received on dd/mm/yyyy ( see enclosed copy), that the toll charges are yours and enclose a check for the fees you believe are due to them with the stipulation that accepting the check renders your account paid in full. Express your willingness to resolve the matter at the earliest convenience. best regards., Jimmy the toll jumper

Don't mention your assumptions that they intentionally billed late, because they'll just assume you intentionally ignored the first notice-- stick to the facts as you know them to be.

If nothing else, it documents the dispute and that should put a hold on any collection activities and accumulation of late fees. There are state and federal laws pertaining to disputed claims (although those port authority bastards may have circumvented those) but documenting a dispute is a must, and it must be done in writing. A standard business letter format in word works wonders and I'd be happy to proof it for you. Best of luck and down with the man!!!

I actually did just that, via their own forms and my own letter, which of course will be RRR.

[jimnyc]

It's another way of forcing you to get an ez-pass, and because it's a government-funded monopoly (Have you ever seen any competition for this?), they get away with way too much. You should look at VA, no tolls aside from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and even there, they've heard of this magical stuff called cash and credit.

True, they should offer alternatives. And dealing with ezpass is just like going to unemployment, or any other government entity - SLOW and they simply don't give a crap.

I love Virginia! I would still prefer the Arlington area if I were to go back today, but might think about Fairfax area as well. But I hate that bridge! What does it take, like 9 days to get across that monster? LOL

[Jeff]

I learned about those nasty tolls when I traveled I-95 in its entirety. If I'm traveling Miami to Boston, now I pick up I-287 at Perth Amboy, NJ, go through Nyack, NY, then pick up I-95 again in Connecticut. It avoids those nasty tolls.

If I was heading up that way I would run 81 up ( even if I was delivering in say Philly ) it was still cheaper for me to run the extra couple of miles to avoid the tolls, if I was going way up north I would run 81 to 78 ( ya pick up 78 just north of Harrisburg in PA ) and run it into NJ and hit 287 there , much cheaper and much less traffic

[jimnyc]

These people are pissing me off! I know I went through this toll 2x on my most recent trip to NJ. I don't want to wait on them, and get a bill in the mail telling me I have extravagant fees. I go to their website to see if I can pay before I get a bill. In order to lookup what is owed, you need to enter a violation number. I confirmed with them on the phone that this option cannot be used to proactively pay prior to getting a notice via mail. I don't want to wait on them, as I believe my first notice will include late fees and violations! But they leave you with little to no choice.

I complained that this was bullshit, that I wanted to pay my bill, and am willing, but they wouldn't help me. Finally, I got a supervisor on the line who said he saw that I owed $10 for 2 crossings. He asked the usual billing and credit info which I happily supplied. He placed me on hold. He came back after about 5 minutes and told me they were having computer problems and he couldn't process my payment!! He "assured" me that the bill wasn't even due yet and that I should receive a bill in the mail a few weeks down the road.

There is no doubt that they are pushing me towards an e-zpass, just like Dragon stated. So damn stupid that they won't take cash on the spot. A LOT of people will be passing through that aren't even from the area and don't have a need for one of the passes. They won't even understand the MTA and e-zpass system, and will be shaking their heads when they pull up and figure out they have to just keep driving without paying - and then angry shaking of their head when they get a $60 bill for that toll, and possible license suspension and/or credit ding.