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A car rental customer filed a class action lawsuit against Verra Mobility Corporation claiming the company sends out unlawful debt collection notices in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Washington Collection Agency Act.
Teri Herrera says she rented a car from Thrifty Car Rental when she traveled to Florida in October to November 2019. She states that Thrifty gave her the option of purchasing a “PlatePass” package which would cover all toll charges for a daily fee during her rental.
Herrera claims she declined the PlatePass option and payed the tolls directly. The plaintiffs says that Thrifty informed her that if she incurred any tolls without paying for them directly, she would be responsible for the tolls plus a $9.99 “administrative fee.”
The plaintiff maintains that when she passed through a toll booth on her trip she paid directly out-of-pocket. Allegedly, she paid around $40 to $45 in tolls during her time in Florida.
However, unbeknownst to Herrera, she reportedly drove through at least 14 tolls for which she was not given the option to pay at a toll booth. She maintains that equipment at the tolls scanned her license plate and billed the tolls to Thrifty.
Herrera claims that a few weeks after her trip, she received a notice from Thrifty Processing Services that stated she was responsible for the tolls incurred during the car rental, plus the $9.99 administrative fee for each toll.
The notice demanded she pay $48.14 — more than five times the amount of the actual tolls, states the Verra Mobility class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff says she called Thrifty Processing Services and was told by a representative that the administrative fee would be waived if she agreed to pay the amounts of the tolls. Despite agreeing to pay the debt, minus the administrative fees, Thrifty Processing Services charged her credit card without her knowledge or consent for the full amount of the notice on Nov. 27 2019, according to the class action lawsuit.
A few weeks later, Herrera claims she received a second notice which was substantially the same as the first, but added additional amounts for 10 more toll charges that incurred between Nov. 1, 2019 and Nov. 9, 2019. This notice demanded that Herrera pay $62.75, the class action lawsuit maintains.
The plaintiff states that “Thrifty Processing Services” had already charged her credit card a second time, bringing the total charges to $150.25.
Herrera notes that more than 140 consumers have filed complaints against Verra Mobility with the Better Business Bureau over similar experiences.
The plaintiff alleges that by sending the notices, the company has caused her and members of the potential Class “actual harm and cognizable legal injury.”
Herrera and the other Class Members are seeking an injunction which would require Verra to cease unlawful and unlicensed debt collection activities, as well as an award for actual damages, costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.
Prospective Class Members include: “All persons within the United States who contracted with a rental car company to rent a car for personal, family, or household purposes and subsequently received a notice from Verra Mobility Corporation to collect contractual obligations that offset the rental car companies’ toll charge obligations at any time from March 11, 2019 to the date of trial.”
Have you been contacted by Verra Mobility Corporation asking you to pay for unpaid tolls? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Scott A. Booth, Graham B. LippSmith, and Jaclyn L. Anderson of Kasdan Lippsmith Weber Turner LLP and Jason T. Dennett and Kaleigh N. Powell of Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC.
The Verra Mobility Rental Car Class Action Lawsuit is Teri Herrera v. Verra Mobility Corporation, Case No. 2:20-cv-00515-ESW, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
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