NYC running red light in rental but it wasn't me

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? NY (but I live in NJ)

I have a complicated problem with a car rental. I recently received, through the a car rental company, a Notice of Liability from NYC for running a red light. There are 3 pictures and you can see the car pretty clearly. This was during the time period of my rental.

The problem is that the car I rented was sitting in my driveway while this other car ran the light. The rental company says I rented the car with the plates in the picture, but I know I didn't. Plus, my rental was white and the car in the picture is clearly not white. Maybe silver? I think the rental car company put the wrong plates on my rental car or messed up the paperwork in some other way.

NYC says I'm not responsible at this time. Rental car company says I am and to contest it with NYC. I just want it taken care of.

So to summarize,
car in picture:
Same make, model, year as my rental
NOT white (silver?) NYC red light people agree with me

my rental:
White
same model as car that ran red light
plates in my rental agreement were on car tha ran light.

I have found out that this license plate is indeed registered to a white car like the one I rented. But since the car that has those plates is not white, I think there was a mistake somewhere at the rental agency. The car is no longer at the same location and no one knows exactly where it is.

Any advice for me? Thank you!

[JETX]

Of course, since the license plate shown on your rental agreement matches the ones in the photograph, its your ticket..... your obligation. That was pretty simple, huh??

Unless that is that you somehow intend to show that there is a 'vast right wing conspiracy' where the rental car company has prior knowledge that the renter of THAT car is going to run the red light and have a picture taken..... far enough in advance so as to swap your license plates... just so that there 'guy' doesn't get caught. Do you really know how stupid that excuse is??

The picture of the car doesn't match the description in my rental agreement.

[JETX]

The only thing that doesn't match is the color (white vs. 'silver'). The camera is not a 8x10 Hasselblad used to taking high fashion pictures. The difference between the two colors (if even noticed) is NOT sufficient to cause any reasonable person to even expect that the ticket would be challengeable.... or waived.

Your options are simple:
1) Pay the fine, or
2) Argue your 'color' issue in court.

It's clear that it's not a white car. There are several white cars & a bus in the photo and this one isn't white. The person I spoke with at the NYC office also said it wasn't white.

I can't fight it in court now, even if I wanted to. NYC says I'm not responsible because the rental company hasn't given them my info.

This is very frustrating, because I wasn't in NYC at the time and have never driven in Queens. No one else took the van and drove it in Queens either.

Oh well.

[JETX]

Wow, I guess there are two vans out there, same year, same make, same model and even same LICENSE PLATE, except one white, one 'silver'!!!
Must be mighty confusing to the state DMV and the rental company, huh???

Since I know it wasn't me, I am trying to sort this out with the rental car company. They admit that mistakes with the plates and registration do occur.

Next time I rent a car I'll be sure to check the plates and vin number against my rental agreement.

[lwpat]

"NYC says I'm not responsible at this time. Rental car company says I am and to contest it with NYC."

Then what is the problem? The rental company can't do anything. It is easy to accidently put the wrong plates on the vehicle if you get a bunch of tags at one time. If NYC has dismissed any charges against you then send the rental company that information CRRR and advise them not to contact you again.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by lwpat

Then what is the problem? The rental company can't do anything.

Yes they can. Since they have your credit card information and the contract that says YOU are responsible for any tickets you receive, they will simply process the cost of the ticket to your card.

It is easy to accidently put the wrong plates on the vehicle if you get a bunch of tags at one time.

*** Did you even read this thread?? Where does it say that the rental car put a 'bunch' of tags on at one time?? And what makes you think that the license plates all went on the same year, make and model of car?? Do you have any idea how unlikely that is???

If NYC has dismissed any charges against you then send the rental company that information CRRR and advise them not to contact you again.

*** Again, you must be reading a different thread than this one. There is NOTHING in this thread that says anything about NYC filing charges, much less dismissing them. Also, there is NO statutory obligation that would prevent the rental car company from contacting the writer.

I was able to verify that our car had different plates than those in the pictures. We took the car on vacation and had to provide the tag info to a few places.

They differ by one number and are registered to the same year, make and model vehicle, one white, and the other tan. The car rental company believes they made a mistake somewhere. I'm hoping they will follow through with double checking the VIN numbers and plates.

NYC did not say the fine did not have to be paid. They said that at this point the car rental company owes them the money. My concern is that the car rental company will still hold me responsible. The problem I was having is that NYC said it's between them and the rental company and the rental company said it's between me and NYC. Now the rental car company seems to be willing to try to figure out what is going on.

I wonder if NJ can fine them for having the plates mixed up. It probably happens a lot with big companies getting a lot of the same vehicle (as this company does).

If anyone was wondering, the car rental company checked the van and they had indeed switched the plates with a similar, tan van.

They paid NYC on Thursday!

[tipdrill]

Good for you! Looks like some members are just plain idiots with their comments.

[You Are Guilty]

Idiot #3 here.

For future reference, in NYC, photo tickets are the responsibility of the car's registered owner (which, as you have seen here, is the rental company, or it's agent). The way they get around that is the rental contract passes their liability onto you - that is, if you run the light and get a ticket, they pay it and assess you with a charge for the same amount. So in essense, you do pay for it in the end, but that's how.

Which light was it anyway, Queens Blvd. in Woodside?

I'm not sure where the light was. I don't have the papers handy. I filed them with the letter from the car rental co. saying I am not responsible for the fine!

It was a large intersection with 3 straight lanes plus a left hand turn lane.

The person who rented the other van didn't even know they got a citation. Good deal!