Simple E-ZPass mistakes cost a Staten Island man thousands. Here's how to fight the fees and fines.
A Staten Island dad says his E-ZPass bills snowballed into a crisis.
Tyler Rivera says he unknowingly racked up thousands of dollars in late fees and fines -- nearly five times the cost of the original tolls.
CBS News New York's investigative reporter Mahsa Saedi looked into how drivers can dig out of this costly mess.
Cashless tolling is supposed to keep traffic moving, but E-ZPass hasn't lived up to its name for Rivera.
"Some of these tolls are $2, $3, and they're charging you $50, $100 on every single toll," he told Saeidi.
Rivera explained he was paying some bills, but later found out others were not reaching him. He said he unknowingly racked up $14,350 in late fees stemming from $3,211 in tolls on one account, and $4,900 in late fees for $921.50 in tolls on another account.
What went wrong, and what to avoid
Apparently, Rivera's accounts weren't updated, and his new plate and transponder didn't match. Plus, he was manually adding money, not using the auto-replenish option.
When his forwarding address expired, the bills bounced.
"Always make sure that the money has been taken out," defense attorney Stuart J. Goodman said. "The fees can be very, very big."
Goodman said he's seeing more complaints as of late.
"It seems to me that the tolling authorities have been taking more action over the last year to actually collect tolls and collect fees which have gone unpaid," he said.
"We are working with the vehicle owner to better understand why an incorrect plate number was provided to E-ZPass, leading to avoidable late fees being placed on that account, as well as to resolve the balance due in an equitable manner. In the meantime, we remind all E-ZPass users of the importance in ensuring that plate numbers associated with vehicles actually incurring tolls are appropriately included on E-ZPass accounts," MTA Spokesperson Aaron Donovan said.
Rivera's fees were cut in half after Saeidi's call. Still, coming up with thousands by next month will be tough.
"I live in Staten Island, I take my daughter to school in Brooklyn, I work all the way in Flatbush," said Rivera. "What am I supposed to do? I can't drive my car."
If you're in this situation, you can get a settlement, too. You have to contact the MTA's Office of the Toll Payer Advocate.
Goldman said in some cases, you can get a monthly payment plan, rather than having to come up with a lump sum.