❗ NJ drivers share E-Z Pass frustrations
❗ A NJ Assemblyman wants to help
❗ Fines and poor customer service among top gripes

Do you have a problem with your New Jersey E-Z Pass? You are certainly not alone.

Assemblyman Paul Kinitra, R-Ocean, joined me on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show to ask if listeners had any problems with E-Z Pass. Kanitra is trying to identify problems, and come up with solutions.

"It seems absolutely nuts to us that on a 75-cent E-Z Pass, you could get a $50 fine. We're looking into potential solutions for the problem overall and we might introduce legislation to curtail and put limits on what they actually can fine people and what penalties can be," Kanitra said.

The phone lines were jammed for hours with so many callers listing a long litany of problems.

I was shocked to hear stories of people owing tens of thousands of dollars in bogus fines and penalties and taking years to try and resolve the issues.

Cap in Hazlet declared, "E-Z Pass should be indicted for racketeering and extortion!"

A lot of these problems seemed to be specific to New Jersey. Callers who has E-Z Pass from another state reported few, if any, problems and much better customer service.

Gregg, from Clark, commutes to New York City and got his E-Z Pass through his employer. "Mine is from NY. Never any problems. Fast, accurate solutions," he said.

Tony, from Bridgewater had a similar experience. "NJ E-Z Pass is a nightmare. I have had NY E-Z Pass since the 90s and have traveled far and wide without issue."

What are the biggest gripes?

Bad Customer Service

Almost universally, callers said customer service at NJ E-Z Pass stinks.

From waiting an hour or more on hold to speak to a representative to individuals who simply cannot (or will not) help solve a problem with a bogus charge, violations or other issues.

One of the best stories was from a guy who was trying to register a trailer he pulls with his truck for work.

He said he had to actually explain to the customer service representative what a trailer was after she wanted to send him a separate E-Z Pass transponder for the trailer.

"She asked me," the caller said, "What is the trailer goes through the toll plaza on its own?"

Auto-Billing

Many callers said their credit cards were getting hit with bigger and bigger automatic replenishment charges.

If E-Z Pass notices you are traveling more than usual, they will either increase the amount they charge your card or charge it more frequently to make sure you have enough money in your account to pay the tolls.

Tony, from Trenton, said it got to be ridiculous on his account.

"I kept getting hit with the recharge increases," Tony told me, "Eventually, I called E-Z Pass, and after being on hold for an hour, I finally got someone who heard me out. I told him that I was tired of them auto replenishing my account because the cost kept getting higher, and they converted my E-Z Pass account into a cash account. Now whenever I anticipate going on a trip with multiple tolls, I just add money to my account from the E-Z Pass app. Its much more convenient."

Faulty Transponder

Transponders that don't work or are not read was another huge problem.

Jessica, from Bayville, told the story about her and her husband's E-Z Pass tags.

"Our tags are affixed properly on our windshields and not blocked by any obstructions. Both of us still get frequent violation notices because the tolls are not picking up the signal properly. It is a waste of time and money for us to constantly correct these. The tolls we get the violations from are typically the same ones so that appears to be a problem on THEIR END! Thank you for exposing this nonsense!"

Transponder Not Read

It appears that even when the problem is in the equipment provided by NJ E-Z Pass, it's still your fault.

Jamie, from Forked River, shared this nightmare story.

"I had to fight with E-Z Pass for months. They charged me over $5,000 in fees and they kept saying 'the transponder isn’t reading correctly.' They had me send in all five of my transponders."

Even after they found the transponders were faulty, they refused to waive all of Jamie's fines and fees. "They told me you are allowed only 10 waivers per year. What complete garbage."

Ridiculous Fines

It is mind boggling how quickly the E-Z Pass fines and fees can add up. One caller said he was disputing over $28,000 in fines for his small business.

Fines start at $50 and only increase from there.

Many refuse to pay the fines because the problem is not on their end.

Zan, from Jackson, is among them. "They send fines all the time because their equipment does not work. I refuse to pay. And there equipment's not working. The fines are in the two thousand dollar range. Maybe three. And growing."

Bogus Billing

Getting a fine in the mail for a vehicle that is not yours or for a tag that does not belong to you was another major complaint.

Many callers said to prove a vehicle was not theirs required a trip to a Motor Vehicle Agency, and even with documentation appeals to waive the toll and fines were denied.

Paulie, from Monroe Township, says he was just banned from E-Z Pass.

"My E-Z Pass was canceled because they said they sent me a fine for $55. I never received the fine and when I called to fix the issue, I was told my account had been canceled and I am never allowed to have E-Z Pass again."

Help is available

Do you have a problem with E-Z Pass?

Assemblyman Kanitra said he is looking to help those who believe they have received an "inappropriate fine" and will work to try an resolve it. The cases will also help Kanitra craft legislation that would address the issue of fines.

Drivers can send information about their case to Kanitra at AsmKanitra@njleg.org.

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