OK I signed my wife and I up for Fast lane to "save" money and time at the tolls on the Masspike, aka Rt 90 in Massachusetts. Since signing up, I've uncovered a few things. 1st if it's raining or snowing, the transponders can "mis-read" your number of axls and charge a car as if it were an 18 wheeler. They originally charged me $24.99 one time charge for each transponder, now they give them away for free at the cost of $. 50 per month.
One month my car was in the shop and I borrowd my stepfathers truck, not on the fast lane account. Out of sheer habbit I drove through the fast lane, then realized I had made an error. So I called them immediately to explain what had just happened, so they added the truck to my account to try and stop the violation from going through, the representative told me it could take 2-3 business days to go through and if I receive a violation to simply call them and they will take care of it.
Abount 3 weeks later my stepfather received a $50 fine for no transponder. So I called them and told them the violation went through anyway, they transferred me to the violations department. This is where things get dicey. I was told to officially get the violation removed I have to send in a written appeal to the board of violations. So I regurgitated my information in long hand to the proper department only to receive a rejection letter a month later. So I called violations again, only to be told that it was rejected because the owner of the vehicle was not the operator, and the only option left was to send in another written appeal requesting a hearing. After doing that the board will contact me telling me when they are available to meet to hear my side of the story, then the 12 of them will discuss among themselves weather or not to drop the charge. This is the biggest scam this state has going. The turnpike authority is about to be abolished because they put the state 26 billion in debt with our "big dig" and are now taking any and every penny they can get.
In closing I had to pay the $50, my fast lane account goes up in cost because i went to visit my mother in Maine and had more activity on the account so now instead of $40 per month for 2 cars I'm paying $60 weather I use it or not. They wont lower it back down until I have 3 months of low or no activity only then can I request that they lower it back to where it was. I'm paying $1.00 per month for the transponders even though I bought them for $24.99 each and have to constantly call them to dispute wrong toll amounts charged to the account. And they won't credit the credit card account, only the balance on the fastlane account, so I still have to pay the creditcard what ever they charge me. I threatened to leave the account and go back to paying cash, and they could care less because the tolls are $. 15 - $. 20 more if you pay cash.
Oh and just so other massachusetts drivers know, the fast lane, fast lane violations & the turnpike authority are ALL seperate companies with "no ties to eachother" - go figure.
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