ThinkSomeone At Car Dealer Took My EZ PASS During Repairs...

[trippypea]

We purchased an EZ PASS transponder in January after the PA toll rates last went up. We only had a chance to use it 3-4 times before coronavirus, so I haven't looked at the account since February. I checked it a couple days ago and saw there was a V-Toll charge of $10.00 posted on 3/5 for a transaction on 2/4. It was one way. It didn't have an entry interchange or time, but showed an exit interchange and time of 09:52:54. Under the tag/license number it didn't have the tag associated with our car, it had a PA license plate that wasn't ours.

I immediately filed a dispute because this charge was not ours. 1) That license plate isn't ours, and 2) if we went one way, we had to have come back, and there was no return trip. We have a 2014 gray Ford Focus. I googled the license plate number (amazing how you can find anything on google!) and found that the vehicle the plate belonged to was a 2020 white Ford Escape...and it was registered to the car dealer we bought our car and take for repairs! I was even able to find the VIN # and it came up in an ad from the car dealer.

I told me husband, and he reminded me that we had the car in for repairs in February, and since we had to leave it overnight and we always get a loaner, could we have used it to go on the turnpike and forgot? So I pulled out the paperwork from our February repair and sure enough, it was on 2/4 (picked up repaired on 2/5). However, the car we had as a loaner was a silver Explorer with different license plate and VIN #.

We never even thought to take the transponder out of our car when we dropped it off at the dealer. So how did our EZ PASS transponder get scanned on the turnpike at a time when the car was in the possession of the car dealer? The only logical conclusion I can come to is that after we dropped it off at 7:46AM, someone at the dealership took it out of our car, put it into the white Ford Escape, and took a ride on the turnpike and exiting at 9:52AM, resulting in a V-Toll since an EZ PASS only works with license plates that are registered on your account (and this one wasn't). And then they came back home a different route, and stuck our EZ PASS back in our car thinking we'd be none the wiser (and we weren't).

To top it all off, the car was returned with the same problems it had going IN to the shop (transmission), which resulted in us taking it back a week later for what they then said  was a problem that "wasn't covered under warranty" and ended up costing over $550!

So, how would YOU all handle this situation? I am seriously p*ssed off. Is there any other way to interpret this besides what I've outlined? I am going to try and see if I can get the video/photo of the vehicle going through the toll (they have to have something if they were able to get the license plate) and I intend to call the dealership when I do...

[chiver78]

I would handle it exactly the way you are describing, and find another dealership to service your vehicle in the future - for both the theft and the apparently shitty quality of service. sorry you have to deal with this. 

as far as EZ-Pass, don't forget to follow up to have those charges removed. small in the grand scheme of things, but still. I had a transponder from them back in college, b/c the MA version wanted a monthly fee and at that time, NJ didn't. they shipped me a new transponder when the battery gave out in an old one, and it was shipped with an anti-static bag in the package but the transponder wasn't in it. imagine my surprise when I pulled up my account to see about $30 in charges for the trip to MA from NJ. when I called to complain, they asked how I was so sure the charges weren't valid. my answer? I have never set foot in the state of NJ, those weren't my charges. 

[bobosensei]

I'd start with a police report on the ez pass.  Once that is done it might help you get something from the dealership.