
Maryann of Brooklyn, NY on Nov. 10, 2009
I am taking the time out of my hectic schedule to bring my issue to light and prevent others from having the same hardship occur to them by filing a dispute against EZ Pass, under my rights in the Terms & Conditions.
Disputes
You hereby authorize E-ZPass to decide in the first instance every question or dispute arising from, under, in connection with or related to this Agreement, including, without limitation, the imposition of tolls, fees, or other charges incurred, applied or stated for the use or misuse of your Tag or Account. All disputes must be submitted in writing to the E-ZPass Customer Service Center within 180 days of notice that a toll, fee, or other charge has been made to your Account. You agree that the mailing or emailing to the address you state on your Application or to an address which you subsequently provide to the E-ZPass Customer Service Center constitutes notice to you of the tolls, fees and charges contained therein and of any determination by E-ZPass of your submitted dispute.
The imposition of claims against PANYNJ, NYSTA and TBTA arising from, under, in connection with or in any way related to this Agreement including, without limitation, the imposition of tolls, fees, or other charges incurred, applied or stated for the use or misuse of your Tag or Account, are governed as follows:
o PANYNJ the provisions of New York State Unconsolidated Laws, Sections 7101 through 7136 and New Jersey Statutes Annotated, Sections 32:1-157 through 32:1-176.
o NYSTA the provisions of Section 361-b of the New York State Public Authorities Law.
o TBTA no action shall lie or be maintained unless such action shall be commenced within one year of notice of E-ZPass' determination regarding your dispute submitted pursuant to this Agreement.
Today I received a letter from Allied Interstate, a debt collection agency representing The Port Authority of NY/NJ requesting I pay $67.65. I have not used my EZ Pass since July and my account fell to -17.65. I had not had a chance to change the payment method or address and now I have bad credit. No where in the Terms & Conditions does it state a time limit on when you must update your personal information by.
Changes
You agree to inform E-ZPass of any changes to the information provided by you in your Application, such as:
o Address,
o Vehicle information,
o Credit card account status (i.e., closed account, maximum credit use),
o Expiration date of credit card account, or
o Payment method.
There are laws protecting consumers from unlawful acts: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, better known as the FDCPA, is a federal law that governs the actions of parties acting as debt collectors for personal debts. Debt collection agency effect on your credit:
What Does It Mean For Your Credit?
A debt collection is one of the worst things that can appear on your credit report. A collection account shows that you have been seriously delinquent on an account. Your credit score will drop if a collection appears on your report. You may be denied for credit cards and loans in the future, especially if the collection is recent or remains unpaid or both. http://credit.about.com/od/debtcollection/a/whatcollection.htm
The last letter received from EZ Pass was dated 7/20/09 and was mailed to my old address. Besides this July letter, the only notification received to my home was the letter I received today, which was addressed correctly. EZ Pass has my email address why was no notification of my account revocation and forwarding to the collection agency sent there? Per the Terms & Conditions, I should receive periodic statements on my account.
Your Account
You will receive a periodic statement unless there are no transactions and no financial activity in your Account during the applicable period covered by such statement.
Maybe this is not an issue for EZ Pass, maybe this is an issue for the US Postal Service, for not properly forwarding mail. Or maybe this is an issue for the city/state government placing new stringent restrictions on companies to request payment. All I know is now I am left with bad credit.
I would have liked EZ Pass to give me an opportunity to re-establish and replenish my account before sending my account and inflated balance to the debt collection agency. I believe the EZ Pass system is overall a benefit to all, but to be charged fees for a service which is not even working? We pay service fees for a service.