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The Craziest Thing
So we're going through all this mail that piled up while we were on vacation, and in the newer pile of mail is a notice that I've been fined for going through a toll point in the Bay Area without paying the toll, on two separate days. DAYS THAT WE WERE IN EUROPE.
OMG, this is crazy! I just went and checked, and both of my license plates are on my car, and don't appear to have been tampered with. However, I can't imagine how else this happened, if it wasn't from the license plate being swiped.
Instead of parking at the airport, we parked at a local Travelodge (this is near SFO) that runs a parking service. Perhaps this is why it was half the price of parking at the airport??
So now I have to write up this whole explanation about how this couldn't have been my car, etc. For each $3 toll, there's a $60 fine!!
Anybody dealt with something crazy like this before? (And yes, I realize nobody will be around until tomorrow, but I'm just so shocked I had to type it out.)
Re: The Craziest Thing
I've gotten tickets before that weren't really for my car, but upon closer inspection it was obvious - in both cases, the make/model weren't the same as my car, and when I pointed that out and explained that I hadn't been anywhere near the area that day, it went away. Apparently the meter maid/cop wrote down the plate number wrong.
Are you sure it's your plate? Here, they take a picture of your plate and send it along with the ticket when you don't pay a toll. It's happened to me twice (because traffic was so backed up that my EZ pass didn't get read). If it's your plate, and your car in the photo, I would not only explain the situation on the ticket, but raise hell with the place you parked the car and file a police report (in the event that a crime was committed while the person was using your car).
Best of luck getting it sorted out.
This. That is absolutely insane!
When you parked at the Travelodge, did you log the milage on your car before you left and compare when you got back? I usually make a note of the milage on my car if I have to park it anyplace unfamiliar. You'd be able to tell if it was driven anywhere while you were gone.
I agree with PPs - definitely get your paperwork, evidence, etc. together - plane tickets, credit card bills, anything that shows you were definitely out of the country when they're saying this happened, and complain to the Travelodge ASAP. Make sure everyone is aware you have filed a complaint against the Travelodge and bring them into the loop on this.
I'm so sorry this happened - so frustrating!!
The whole thing is nuts. I didn't make note of the mileage, but the car was locked, no key left with the Travelodge. I needed gas when we parked, and that hadn't changed when we got back! The car was also in the same spot (self-park) that it was left in, so I really think the car itself didn't move.
Here, they don't include a picture of the car. I know they do that for red light runners, but not for tolls, to my knowledge. They must TAKE photos, and that's how they assign the fine, but they didn't include the photo. They use DMV records to connect the other details, so the notice includes my real license plate and car make/model.
Ugh, what a mess. And MH is insisting that he doesn't have a real itinerary from British Airways, because we changed our tickets from May to March, and the email they sent is bizarre and hard to read, and basically is like refunding us the points from May.
Derr, now I feel like a dummy. I failed to Google before I freaked out! While the notice says "south bay," it's from San Diego. And Google shows there are many false notices that have gone out.
So, it sounds like I'll be able to resolve this pretty easily.
Thanks, everyone, for your input!
Mush- Hopefully you'll get it resolved quickly. But I think that all the Bay Area bridges now have a camera that takes a picture of your car. We went through the Benicia Bridge a while back with our Fastrack and it didn't register in time so they sent us a notice with our license plate picture going through the toll. In the event that it happens to you again (which I hope it doesn't) it's a good piece of information to have.