Cashless tolls horror stories: 'I wept,' says she uses IRA to pay bill

[seicer]

Gotcha, but even still, it's on the driver and primary account holder to be responsible - not the Thruway Authority or the collections agency.

And those suspensions that the Thruway Authority requested are quite low: 8,262 requests for what I assume is FY 2017, considering how many people drive the Thruway each day. There is no way of knowing how many of those travellers are unique drivers.

And I get it, some are going to be confused. With a ticket and change/dollars, it's a physical transaction. That goes out the door when it's all electronic - especially with open-road tolling. It's like electronic bank transfers: I honestly hate having electronic fund transfers that are automatic, despite a "discount," because I always forget when it comes out of my pocket. When I manually write a check, I commit to a log that the check is going to a destination and that I should prepare myself for a debit.

[kalvado]

Gotcha, but even still, it's on the driver and primary account holder to be responsible - not the Thruway Authority or the collections agency.

And those suspensions that the Thruway Authority requested are quite low: 8,262 requests for what I assume is FY 2017, considering how many people drive the Thruway each day. There is no way of knowing how many of those travellers are unique drivers.

And I get it, some are going to be confused. With a ticket and change/dollars, it's a physical transaction. That goes out the door when it's all electronic - especially with open-road tolling. It's like electronic bank transfers: I honestly hate having electronic fund transfers that are automatic, despite a "discount," because I always forget when it comes out of my pocket. When I manually write a check, I commit to a log that the check is going to a destination and that I should prepare myself for a debit.

You see, my big concern is that a small charge can leads to big penalties and even bigger consequences - yet many people report not getting original bill, and things fall apart from there. There is same tune regarding E-470 in Denver, for example - first bill to show up is the one already with penalties. After a Florida trip, I got a trickle of toll charges for rental car coming in for 3 months - and fortunately my credit card expiration date was 5 months after the trip. I got 7 EZpass charges on IL Tollway for the round-trip last year, and I still don't know if 8th is still lingering somewhere or gantry in road work zone was deactivated.
My feeling is that toll agencies still can do a bit more in order to get those acting in good faith to actually pay the bill without going bankrupt over charges. Are they willing to? Seemingly not...

[J N Winkler]

You see, my big concern is that a small charge can leads to big penalties and even bigger consequences - yet many people report not getting original bill, and things fall apart from there. There is same tune regarding E-470 in Denver, for example - first bill to show up is the one already with penalties. After a Florida trip, I got a trickle of toll charges for rental car coming in for 3 months - and fortunately my credit card expiration date was 5 months after the trip. I got 7 EZpass charges on IL Tollway for the round-trip last year, and I still don't know if 8th is still lingering somewhere or gantry in road work zone was deactivated.

My feeling is that toll agencies still can do a bit more in order to get those acting in good faith to actually pay the bill without going bankrupt over charges. Are they willing to? Seemingly not...

I have often suggested that there should be a tollpayer's bill of rights to curb abuses such as hoarding license plate video until data for a fresh state comes online and then hitting cars registered in that state with toll plus violation charges plus interest (toll agencies in Texas have reportedly done this); sending a violation notice in the first instance; failing to process tolls promptly; etc.  One key provision of such a tollpayer's bill of rights is unpaid tolls, and any violations arising therefrom, aging out of collectability when the agency fails to make reasonable efforts to collect.  (This is similar in concept to statutes of limitation, or the doctrine of laches in equity law.)

In the meantime, my personal policy is not to use a pay-by-plate toll facility at all without establishing in advance that I can settle the toll online, preferably by setting up a time window in the future during which I authorize my credit card to accept toll charges incurred by a vehicle with my license plate number.  This is how I paid toll on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2014 (it is still the only pay-by-plate facility I have used).

Before K-Tag became interoperable with the Texas toll agencies, I investigated the possibility of using NTTA toll roads on a pay-by-plate basis (NTTA calls its pay-by-plate program ZipCash) as part of a journey to San Antonio.  When I discovered that billing is in arrears only, I immediately rejected it as an option and avoided NTTA facilities altogether.

Because toll agencies have the ability to hoard video whether they choose to do so or not, I do not try to game pay-by-plate by using the facility and hoping the agency won't be able to access my license plate data.  And if I am a regular user of a particular toll facility, I prefer to have a transponder so that a transponder read rather than license plate imaging is the primary point of reference for billing.  It reduces the likelihood that I will be slapped with a violation fine for not paying because the plate design was misread and the first bill went to someone with the same plate number in another state or in the same state but on a different base (Kansas, for example, repeats license plate numbers across multiple bases, which I think is stupid).  It ensures that the toll will be paid automatically and my account will be kept in good order through auto-replenishment.  It also creates an audit trail that is available almost immediately; in contrast, many pay-by-plate programs do not share the license plate imagery with the customer at all.

[PurdueBill]

Indiana has credit card readers at the cashless lanes, though I'm not sure if those are there for a malfunctioning transponder, a transponder with no money on it, malfunctioning equipment that can't read the transponder, or all three.  It's still not quite a perfect solution when each car in the lane has to spend 5-10 minutes on the phone completing the transaction.

We've had an EZ-Pass for 6 years and I dread to think what will happen when the battery dies and we don't know it's dead.

I've been the victim of malfunctioning Indiana Toll Road E-ZPass equipment before.  What a pain in the ass.  The only reader at an entrance at US 131/IN 13 was not functioning so there was a guy handing out tickets (preprinted ones apparently for just such an occasion with a fake date).  Of course, exiting the highway at the Portage plaza, I tried to conceal the E-ZPass and pay, only to get dinged with an E-ZPass toll from the Ohio line as well.  Not helping was that it was a MassPike E-ZPass tag and the Indiana Toll Road people didn't care.  It only got sorted out when I disputed the credit card charge.

As far as battery life, I still have my Massachusetts tag despite no longer living there, because I got it when I did.  I exchanged it at the Sumner Tunnel Fast Lane (now E-ZPass) office in East Boston when it reached 10 years old and I happened to be in town, for free.  Keeping the Massachusetts one is advantageous; still no monthly fee.  But it is necessary to trade in every decade or so to keep from getting dinged for non-reads, especially in a rental car.

[abefroman329]

Indiana has credit card readers at the cashless lanes, though I'm not sure if those are there for a malfunctioning transponder, a transponder with no money on it, malfunctioning equipment that can't read the transponder, or all three.  It's still not quite a perfect solution when each car in the lane has to spend 5-10 minutes on the phone completing the transaction.

We've had an EZ-Pass for 6 years and I dread to think what will happen when the battery dies and we don't know it's dead.

I've been the victim of malfunctioning Indiana Toll Road E-ZPass equipment before.  What a pain in the ass.  The only reader at an entrance at US 131/IN 13 was not functioning so there was a guy handing out tickets (preprinted ones apparently for just such an occasion with a fake date).  Of course, exiting the highway at the Portage plaza, I tried to conceal the E-ZPass and pay, only to get dinged with an E-ZPass toll from the Ohio line as well.  Not helping was that it was a MassPike E-ZPass tag and the Indiana Toll Road people didn't care.  It only got sorted out when I disputed the credit card charge.

As far as battery life, I still have my Massachusetts tag despite no longer living there, because I got it when I did.  I exchanged it at the Sumner Tunnel Fast Lane (now E-ZPass) office in East Boston when it reached 10 years old and I happened to be in town, for free.  Keeping the Massachusetts one is advantageous; still no monthly fee.  But it is necessary to trade in every decade or so to keep from getting dinged for non-reads, especially in a rental car.

I just remembered the time I entered IN from OH in a moving truck and couldn't reach the toll ticket.  When I called for help, the solution was to tell the toll taker at the westernmost toll barrier that so-and-so had let me in.

Indiana.

[PHLBOS]

As far as battery life, I still have my Massachusetts tag despite no longer living there, because I got it when I did.  I exchanged it at the Sumner Tunnel Fast Lane (now E-ZPass) office in East Boston when it reached 10 years old and I happened to be in town, for free.  Keeping the Massachusetts one is advantageous; still no monthly fee.  But it is necessary to trade in every decade or so to keep from getting dinged for non-reads, especially in a rental car.

From what I've heard, the average battery life on a transponder (regardless of agency) is about 7 years.

My PA E-ZPass transponder was over 7 years old when I noticed that I was no longer receiving the usual EZ PASS PAID displays at the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway toll booths.  I called the PTC to investigate and was told that my transponder (& battery) was old and had to be replaced.  They sent me a new one (free of charge), I mailed back the old one (such was the condition for not being charged); and that was that.

[roadman]

I just remembered the time I entered IN from OH in a moving truck and couldn't reach the toll ticket.  When I called for help, the solution was to tell the toll taker at the westernmost toll barrier that so-and-so had let me in.

Reminds me of the time in the pre E-ZPass days when I pulled up to the automatic toll ticket dispenser on the MassPike in Weston, only to discover it had run out of tickets.  Got the attention of the plaza supervisor by honking my horn a few times.  A flunky then came out with a ticket and a cone - he handed me the ticket and dropped the cone behind my car to close the lane.

[kalvado]

You see, my big concern is that a small charge can leads to big penalties and even bigger consequences - yet many people report not getting original bill, and things fall apart from there. There is same tune regarding E-470 in Denver, for example - first bill to show up is the one already with penalties. After a Florida trip, I got a trickle of toll charges for rental car coming in for 3 months - and fortunately my credit card expiration date was 5 months after the trip. I got 7 EZpass charges on IL Tollway for the round-trip last year, and I still don't know if 8th is still lingering somewhere or gantry in road work zone was deactivated.

My feeling is that toll agencies still can do a bit more in order to get those acting in good faith to actually pay the bill without going bankrupt over charges. Are they willing to? Seemingly not...

I have often suggested that there should be a tollpayer's bill of rights to curb abuses such as hoarding license plate video until data for a fresh state comes online and then hitting cars registered in that state with toll plus violation charges plus interest (toll agencies in Texas have reportedly done this); sending a violation notice in the first instance; failing to process tolls promptly; etc.  One key provision of such a tollpayer's bill of rights is unpaid tolls, and any violations arising therefrom, aging out of collectability when the agency fails to make reasonable efforts to collect.  (This is similar in concept to statutes of limitation, or the doctrine of laches in equity law.)

In the meantime, my personal policy is not to use a pay-by-plate toll facility at all without establishing in advance that I can settle the toll online, preferably by setting up a time window in the future during which I authorize my credit card to accept toll charges incurred by a vehicle with my license plate number.  This is how I paid toll on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2014 (it is still the only pay-by-plate facility I have used).

Before K-Tag became interoperable with the Texas toll agencies, I investigated the possibility of using NTTA toll roads on a pay-by-plate basis (NTTA calls its pay-by-plate program ZipCash) as part of a journey to San Antonio.  When I discovered that billing is in arrears only, I immediately rejected it as an option and avoided NTTA facilities altogether.

Because toll agencies have the ability to hoard video whether they choose to do so or not, I do not try to game pay-by-plate by using the facility and hoping the agency won't be able to access my license plate data.  And if I am a regular user of a particular toll facility, I prefer to have a transponder so that a transponder read rather than license plate imaging is the primary point of reference for billing.  It reduces the likelihood that I will be slapped with a violation fine for not paying because the plate design was misread and the first bill went to someone with the same plate number in another state or in the same state but on a different base (Kansas, for example, repeats license plate numbers across multiple bases, which I think is stupid).  It ensures that the toll will be paid automatically and my account will be kept in good order through auto-replenishment.  It also creates an audit trail that is available almost immediately; in contrast, many pay-by-plate programs do not share the license plate imagery with the customer at all.

Good point, but probably such thing has to happen on federal level - states show little interest in rectifying the issue. But I'm afraid feds will have jurisdiction problems. Regulate how out-of-state motorists are treated under interstate commerce clause - and then hope that in-state treatment would be at least as good?

[hbelkins]

After going a few years after not having used mine, I was apprehensive if mine would work when i was on some toll facilities last year. It worked fine, although I think it's about 10 years old and the battery can't have a lot of life left. I probably should call WV and ask.

And I'm still waiting for a bill from the Bush Turnpike in Dallas from eight years ago.

[J N Winkler]

Good point, but probably such thing has to happen on federal level - states show little interest in rectifying the issue. But I'm afraid feds will have jurisdiction problems. Regulate how out-of-state motorists are treated under interstate commerce clause - and then hope that in-state treatment would be at least as good?

I think it would definitely require an Act of Congress to institute a tollpayer's bill of rights.  As for the Interstate Commerce Clause applying narrowly to toll road users from out of state, I think in-state toll road users might be able to benefit from substantive due process since to extend more favorable treatment to out-of-state drivers would amount to imposing a disadvantage without due process of law.  Even if that legal theory doesn't hold up in the courts, toll agencies would be under considerable pressure from in-state customers (who are also voters) to extend to them the same protections that are afforded to out-of-state drivers.

[1995hoo]

The idea of discriminating against out-of-state drivers might run afoul of the "Dormant Commerce Clause,"  a principle of constitutional law that says states can't discriminate against interstate commerce by favoring in-state commerce.

A recent example was a case where one of the federal courts (I forget which one) ruled that states cannot prohibit out-of-state wineries from shipping direct to customers but allow in-state wineries to do so (example: if I could have wine shipped to me from a Virginia winery but Virginia wouldn't allow wineries in any other state to ship to me). Of course, this sort of thing can backfire if the state describes to screw over in-staters equally with out-of-staters!

[kalvado]

The idea of discriminating against out-of-state drivers might run afoul of the "Dormant Commerce Clause,"  a principle of constitutional law that says states can't discriminate against interstate commerce by favoring in-state commerce.

We're talking about something different. What if federal government choose to implement some uniform rules on toll collection? Because, you know, states seem to be doing a rough job. Would there be any legal standing for such idea?
First thought is that toll of out of staters can possibly be regulated by federal agency. In-state? I doubt so.

[1995hoo]

The idea of discriminating against out-of-state drivers might run afoul of the "Dormant Commerce Clause,"  a principle of constitutional law that says states can't discriminate against interstate commerce by favoring in-state commerce.

We're talking about something different. What if federal government choose to implement some uniform rules on toll collection? Because, you know, states seem to be doing a rough job. Would there be any legal standing for such idea?
First thought is that toll of out of staters can possibly be regulated by federal agency. In-state? I doubt so.

There's precedent for finding seemingly purely in-state conduct to be "Interstate commerce."  The Supreme Court's Heart of Atlanta Motel case (involving a motel that didn't allow blacks) is a good example.

But setting that aside, the way the US government can get around it is to link highway funding or something similar to the uniform toll collection rule, just like they did with the speed limit and the drinking age.

[wxfree]

NTTA has committed every kind of customer abuse, such as mailing violation notices without sending a regular bill first and delaying payment processing until after the due date and then sending a violation notice for late fees.  But they even got creative, too.  In the past, they used single-month billing.  A driver who hadn't been on the toll roads in a while may get a bill for one month's tolls and pay it and then get a bill for another month's tolls and assume it was a copy of the bill he'd already paid because everyone in the world sends bill for the total amount due, not for what's due just for a single month.  They now use standard total-due billing.

As part of the toll payers' bill of rights, I think late fees should be revenue neutral, limited to the cost of recovering payment.  There's no reason a single late payment should result in thousands of dollars in late fees. They could send someone to your house to collect for less than that.

[slorydn1]

I wouldn't call it a "horror story" per se, it was only like $8.00 but its the principle of the thing that pisses me off. I used the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel one time on one of my extended cruises with my wife. It was a last minute decision and I knew from a thread on this topic that I would be able to pay by plate and that it would be the full price. Fine I'm good with that. I have no reason to have a reader, I might end up on a toll facility of some kind once every decade or so.

When I got home I pulled up their site and I confirmed that I had been right, that I would get a bill in the mail and as long as I paid that I'd be good.

Fast forward 40 days later I finally get a notice from them. Only, its not a bill, its a late notice, and I now have to pay a late fee. That's funny because the only reason I'm late is because they haven't sent me a bill.I thought about calling but I decided it just wasn't worth the headache and getting transferred around and all of that, it's only $8 so I paid it.

Its situations like this is why I don't like automated anything when it comes to paying for things. I still believe there should be a way for me to pay right when I use the facility, just like there is a cashier at the store when I walk in to buy an item. Heck even when I do buy something online, I still have to give my credit card info and I am charged right then, not some time in the future when I am not thinking about that anymore.

I understand the many arguments to the contrary and yes cashless tolling does help out a ton traffic wise compared to the way it used to be. But I am beginning to wonder if the capping the many opportunities for abuse is more important than free flowing traffic.

[jeffandnicole]

Last year, the NJ Turnpike Authority received a petition for rulemaking from two people of the general public challenging the $50.00 administrative fee tacked on to any EZ Pass violation in NJ as excessive  The petitioners said that the rule be changed to allow only a fee "based upon the actual cost of processing and collecting individual violations."

As this was an actual petition, in this case state law requires the authority to review their costs and procedures to determine if the $50 fee was excessive.

Here's the minutes of the meeting that referenced this case: http://www.njta.com/media/3502/bm_minutes-_2017_11-21.pdf .  Page 11 of the PDF provides a brief summary and conclusion.  Page 33 starts the more in-depth review of the fee.

In short:  When the fee was increased to $50 in 2011, the actual costs to the Turnpike authority was...anyone wanna take a guess?  $51.36!  However, that was just a quick and dirty estimate.  Due to this petition, the Turnpike did a more thorough analysis of its costs, which utilized the 2011 review.  The actual costs to the Turnpike to collect a toll from someone who didn't have a legit EZ Pass account or who sped thru the toll lane without paying:  $91!!!  So the Turnpike is actually losing money, even with the $50 fee.  The Authority then went to review their actual costs in today's pricing.  Due to numerous factors, the cost to the authority actually went down a bit, to $80/violation.

Now, this seems hard to believe, mostly because people are just going to look at one thing - the toll cost.  There's still employees that have been hired to review the violations, computer equipment, in-lane electronics, etc, etc.  Really, when number crunchers analyze numbers, they go down to every nut and bolt that was used to determine the actual value.  And the actual value usually surprises people. 

Even something like going to the supermarket - most of us will say, we spent $100.  For a company though, they're going to say: You spent $100, plus gas in your car, plus depreciation on the vehicle, plus the time you spent shopping that they're paying you for, plus the time to put the groceries away, plus the cost of the cabinets and fridges, and it can go on and on, depending how meticulous they want to be about such costs and how they're actually allocated.

Thus, a company's actual costs are generally going to appear much higher than what most people think they are.



Now, this all said, a late fee is different.  There's still various costs, such as reports that need to be run, additional mailings, and even things like interest that the agency could have been earning on the money if the money came in on time.  But that will no way, no how, approach the thousands of dollars being demanded in some instances.

[abefroman329]

Last year, the NJ Turnpike Authority received a petition for rulemaking from two people of the general public challenging the $50.00 administrative fee tacked on to any EZ Pass violation in NJ as excessive  The petitioners said that the rule be changed to allow only a fee "based upon the actual cost of processing and collecting individual violations."

As this was an actual petition, in this case state law requires the authority to review their costs and procedures to determine if the $50 fee was excessive.

Here's the minutes of the meeting that referenced this case: http://www.njta.com/media/3502/bm_minutes-_2017_11-21.pdf .  Page 11 of the PDF provides a brief summary and conclusion.  Page 33 starts the more in-depth review of the fee.

In short:  When the fee was increased to $50 in 2011, the actual costs to the Turnpike authority was...anyone wanna take a guess?  $51.36!  However, that was just a quick and dirty estimate.  Due to this petition, the Turnpike did a more thorough analysis of its costs, which utilized the 2011 review.  The actual costs to the Turnpike to collect a toll from someone who didn't have a legit EZ Pass account or who sped thru the toll lane without paying:  $91!!!  So the Turnpike is actually losing money, even with the $50 fee.  The Authority then went to review their actual costs in today's pricing.  Due to numerous factors, the cost to the authority actually went down a bit, to $80/violation.

Now, this seems hard to believe, mostly because people are just going to look at one thing - the toll cost.  There's still employees that have been hired to review the violations, computer equipment, in-lane electronics, etc, etc.  Really, when number crunchers analyze numbers, they go down to every nut and bolt that was used to determine the actual value.  And the actual value usually surprises people. 

Even something like going to the supermarket - most of us will say, we spent $100.  For a company though, they're going to say: You spent $100, plus gas in your car, plus depreciation on the vehicle, plus the time you spent shopping that they're paying you for, plus the time to put the groceries away, plus the cost of the cabinets and fridges, and it can go on and on, depending how meticulous they want to be about such costs and how they're actually allocated.

Thus, a company's actual costs are generally going to appear much higher than what most people think they are.



Now, this all said, a late fee is different.  There's still various costs, such as reports that need to be run, additional mailings, and even things like interest that the agency could have been earning on the money if the money came in on time.  But that will no way, no how, approach the thousands of dollars being demanded in some instances.

Late fees are intended to be deterrents to paying bills late.  That's why your credit card has one, and why I'm assessed a fee if I pay my rent late.  If they're too low, then they're not an effective deterrent, and people will just pay their bills late.

[SP Cook]

To me this seems pretty simple.

Be it toll by plate, or random tax (red light or "speed" cameras) those in charge should be given 2 choices:

- Well over 99% accuracy, with the burden of proof on the biller in any dispute.

or

- Any dispute between the motorist and the biller is a PRIVATE matter handled in CIVIL court with no access to suspension of a person's RIGHT to drive.

That simple.

[kalvado]

Last year, the NJ Turnpike Authority received a petition for rulemaking from two people of the general public challenging the $50.00 administrative fee tacked on to any EZ Pass violation in NJ as excessive  The petitioners said that the rule be changed to allow only a fee "based upon the actual cost of processing and collecting individual violations."

As this was an actual petition, in this case state law requires the authority to review their costs and procedures to determine if the $50 fee was excessive.

Here's the minutes of the meeting that referenced this case: http://www.njta.com/media/3502/bm_minutes-_2017_11-21.pdf .  Page 11 of the PDF provides a brief summary and conclusion.  Page 33 starts the more in-depth review of the fee.

$50-80 means that they allocate 0.5-1 hr of employee time per violation, plus overheads. which seems a bit excessive.
Their spreadsheets  are almost impossible to read; an old one for $51 is a bit clearer.
30% of that amount goes straight to vendor. OK, maybe..
Next biggest line is the cost of issuing 3.5 million "initial APR" - sounds as initial non-bill case, at $3/piece. Later they reduce 5-fold - I assume 80% of non-reads are good faith situations. But - behold - entire cost is allocated to 650k of violations at $15/case. Hmmmmm..

Overall, the way I look at it is top down.
Numbers below are completely random, do not include different distance traveled, vehicle class etc.
But assume you run a toll road for a cost of $500M/year , and you have $100M drivers/year - and need to spread costs (and profit) over those drivers.
Of those 100 million drivers, 90 million pay without a problem, 9 million get a problem while acting in good faith, 900 000 try to gamble the system - but fail, and 100 000 end up not paying at all. How do you allocate the cost of road in "fair" manner - given that last 10 million drivers cost more than 90 problem-free million?
Not collecting problem tolls and charging a bit more to those doing good job just encourages violators - even if not prosecuting them is cheaper...

[J N Winkler]

Now, this seems hard to believe, mostly because people are just going to look at one thing - the toll cost.  There's still employees that have been hired to review the violations, computer equipment, in-lane electronics, etc, etc.  Really, when number crunchers analyze numbers, they go down to every nut and bolt that was used to determine the actual value.  And the actual value usually surprises people. 

Even something like going to the supermarket - most of us will say, we spent $100.  For a company though, they're going to say: You spent $100, plus gas in your car, plus depreciation on the vehicle, plus the time you spent shopping that they're paying you for, plus the time to put the groceries away, plus the cost of the cabinets and fridges, and it can go on and on, depending how meticulous they want to be about such costs and how they're actually allocated.

The flip side:  detailed cost analyses of this kind open the door to goldbricking, especially if the goal is to defend a position the agency has previously staked out and not to refine business processes so that the same outputs are purchased at lower resource cost.

I have seen this behavior from public agencies that are subject to freedom-of-information requirements but are determined not to disclose anything to the public and argue that, e.g., they have to charge a $25/hour fee for staff to supervise a member of the public as he or she examines documents in a locked room.

[vdeane]

I wouldn't call it a "horror story" per se, it was only like $8.00 but its the principle of the thing that pisses me off. I used the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel one time on one of my extended cruises with my wife. It was a last minute decision and I knew from a thread on this topic that I would be able to pay by plate and that it would be the full price. Fine I'm good with that. I have no reason to have a reader, I might end up on a toll facility of some kind once every decade or so.

When I got home I pulled up their site and I confirmed that I had been right, that I would get a bill in the mail and as long as I paid that I'd be good.

Fast forward 40 days later I finally get a notice from them. Only, its not a bill, its a late notice, and I now have to pay a late fee. That's funny because the only reason I'm late is because they haven't sent me a bill.I thought about calling but I decided it just wasn't worth the headache and getting transferred around and all of that, it's only $8 so I paid it.

Its situations like this is why I don't like automated anything when it comes to paying for things. I still believe there should be a way for me to pay right when I use the facility, just like there is a cashier at the store when I walk in to buy an item. Heck even when I do buy something online, I still have to give my credit card info and I am charged right then, not some time in the future when I am not thinking about that anymore.

I understand the many arguments to the contrary and yes cashless tolling does help out a ton traffic wise compared to the way it used to be. But I am beginning to wonder if the capping the many opportunities for abuse is more important than free flowing traffic.

Stuff like this is the reason why I will never, ever use toll by plate.  A toll facility better take E-ZPass or have cash booths, because otherwise I won't use it.

[leroys73]

I already replied referencing toll roads.  However, by far my worst experience has been 20 minutes from my home at the DFW airport.  My wife flies a lot and I usually take her to DFW.  I have a NTTA tag on all of our vehicles.  About half the time the gate will not go up.  I follow the directions given.  That is I stop behind the line until the car clears in front of me then I stop where I am supposed to stop for my tag to be read.  It sure is frustrating especially since the nearest employee is a few lanes over and really don't care.  I sat there one time for more than five minutes with people behind me pissed.  I beeped my horn and yelled until finally someone came over.

[Alps]

Discussion of Audi self-paying tolls moved to https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=22340.0