[pissant]

Rick Perry’s wet dream

[JRandomFreeper]

"People need to be proactive and not ignore things that come in the mail," said CTRMA Spokesperson Steve Pustelnyk.

KMA Steve. It's a government/leftist business scam.

I check my mail as often as I check my TV. And I got rid of the noise-box when I got rid of the last ex-wife.

As always, I check with an attorney before doing anything rash.

/johnny

[piytar]

Yeah, it’s nuts, but who in their right mind drives a toll road for months without checking to see if they should have paid? That’s nuts, too.

[OrangeHoof]

I accidentally got on 183-A when coming home from my mother’s funeral and took the first exit once I realized my error. There are no toll booths here and, while there are warning signs, the paths to take 183 (no-toll) and 183-A (toll) were confusing to me.

There was no place to make immediate restitution but when I got a bill in the mail a couple of weeks later, my charge had become $6.80, thanks to “administrative costs”. I would have gladly paid $.50 at the time if they had only provided a basket to pitch it into as there are on other area toll roads.

The whole things smelled like a scam to me. I avoid toll roads whenever possible except in long interstate travel where the toll road is clearly the best option.

[Moltke]

"I'm just dumbfounded," Crebo said.

Fixed.

[Sarajevo]

TxDOT stands by its third-party billing company and says most problems are a result of driver error.

It's always easier to blame the public. TxDot seems to be up to their old tricks.

[arthurus]

It looks like pay-by-mail is the most profitable alternative for the state.

[justlurking]

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) has a "forgiveness" program that is reasonably fair. They will waive all the fees and penalties and reduce it to the tolls that are owed, if you sign up for a TollTag.

The third-party collection is definitely a rip-off, especially since pay-by-mail is the only option (aside from a TollTag). A friend's son drove on a toll road a few times, and there was no bill or any notice until a collection agency called.

Further investigation revealed that they were using an out-of-date car registration database, and sending the bills to a previous address. TxDOT confirmed they had the correct address, but the third-party biller didn't.

The penalties were waived and only the tolls were paid. And then a few months later, it happened again. The third-party biller even confirmed their record of the previous billing problem -- but they still sent the new bill to the wrong address. Once again, the penalties were waived.

Now, my friend's son has a TollTag. The tolls are a lot cheaper anyway.

The third-party biller gets more money if the bill goes to collections (there's a $40 penalty, per toll). So, they have a vested interest in "making mistakes".