E-ZPass mix up nearly cost Massachusetts driver his registration: "I was losing a lot of sleep."
A driver from Southboro, Massachusetts struggled for months to unravel a frustrating mix up with his E-ZPass account. It took so long, Michael Bakshi was on the verge of not being able to renew his registration.
"My account lapsed after I switched my credit card and then I started getting charges. By the time I started realizing what was happening, the charges had ballooned up to astronomical amounts," he told WBZ-TV.
Bakshi said he tried for nearly a year to straighten out the confusion. He had one account with E-ZPass and what looked like a second account that was sent to a collection agency.
Bakshi wanted to pay for what he owed; he just didn't want to pay twice.
"I want to pay this. I don't want to encounter this double charge," he said. Bakshi collected 70 pages of correspondence with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), EZDriveMA, state senators and other state agencies.
Seemingly out of options, he reached out to the I-Team's Call for Action.
"It's good that I had you to help advocate for me," he told WBZ.
This wasn't just about money. If Bakshi didn't pay, the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) wouldn't let him renew the registration for his Subaru that was set to expire in days.
"I was losing a lot of sleep, the potential of losing my job if I couldn't get my registration renewed," he said. "I can't go to and from work. My job is in Franklin so there's no public transportation that can help me."
After the I-Team reached out to the registry, a representative contacted Bakshi.
"I received a call back from the director of customer service at EZDrive Massachusetts, (they said) 'What can I do to help you out?'" Bakshi said.
He was able to pay what he owed and get his car registered.
"I'm happy now. It's like now I can continue to do my job and go on with my life and my account is clear," he said. "I'm thankful that it's over."
In a statement, a MassDOT spokesperson told the I-Team, "MassDOT spoke with the customer and explained what steps needed to be taken as the charges were appropriate."
