Some 35,000 Motorists Overcharged in E-Z Pass Glitch on NY Thruway

I found a few things in this release to be interesting and definitely newsworthy. I like the wording in the first sentence which states that "some E-ZPass users" were overbilled. "Some", in this case, equals about 35,000 people, who were "overcharged by a small amount".  I called the Thruway Authority about what that amount might be, but they said they could not disclose that information.

They did say two things: 1) that some of those 35,000 people might have been charged the undisclosed amount multiple times, and 2) they wanted to stress that people's accounts have been credited appropriately.

(Full disclosure: I had some issues with E-ZPass in 2011. You can read that fun-ness here, here, and here.)

Below is the release sent out Thursday...

--Danielle Sanzone

The Record

Overcharges Impacted Motorists Entering the Northbound Thruway from Route 17

The New York State Thruway Authority announced today that it has pinpointed and corrected an error that resulted in the overbilling of some E-ZPass users at the Harriman toll barrier.

Between August 14 and September 5, approximately 35,000 E-ZPass customers who entered the northbound Thruway (I-87) from NY Route 17 in Woodbury were overcharged by a small amount due to an electronic error. The glitch did not impact cash customers or motorists traveling through the Harriman or Woodbury tolls in other directions.

All customers who were inadvertently overbilled will be credited automatically on their next E-ZPass statements. Customers do not need to contact the Thruway Authority or E-ZPass to receive a credit for overcharges.

Customers who believe that they were overcharged and do not see the credit on their next month’s E-ZPass statement can contact the New York E-ZPass Customer Service Center at 1-800-333-8655. Customers can also check their E-ZPass accounts on-line at www.E-ZPassNY.com.

The Thruway Authority apologizes for this inconvenience.