phantom tollbooths

(Michael Saechang)

Woman Receives $232 Toll Bill For Road She’s Never Used

When a Colorado woman received a collections letter for $232 worth of tolls on a road she had never used, she assumed that it was a scam. That would make the most sense, wouldn’t it? Then she learned that the road she was being billed has generated a lot of erroneous tolls for other people who had never driven on it. What’s going on here? [More]

You Don't Have To Buy An E-ZPass From The State Where You Live

You Don't Have To Buy An E-ZPass From The State Where You Live

The zone of state toll systems that are part of E-ZPass now stretches far beyond the New York metropolitan area where it began. Now you can use your E-ZPass in toll-zapping booths in 14 states, a vast road-trip zone stretching from Virginia to Illinois to Maine. It’s all a compatible system, but different states set their own fees to issue the transponders and maintain your account.

What not all consumers know is that you don’t have to buy your pass from the state where you live, and you can save money by ordering from across the border. Whether this is a good idea or not depends on where you live, and on where you drive.

Hertz Alienates Longtime Customer With $10 Convenience Fee For 75 Cent Toll

Hertz Alienates Longtime Customer With $10 Convenience Fee For 75 Cent Toll

It’s pretty convenient to not have to pay tolls when you’re renting a car. Bruce tells Consumerist that he rented a car from Hertz that was enrolled in PlatePass, a service that scans a rental car’s license plate and automatically charges the toll to the renter’s credit card–along with a $10 fee. This fee is probably more convenient and less infuriating if you rack up more than 75 cents in tolls during the course of your rental. [More]