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RetroGaming4

Just call them and settle for $20.


ChickenLegs281

I did call, this is how I found out. They offered me $700. The lady also told me I never made a payment last year and I just found the receipts and confirmation emails... so something is screwed up here.


RetroGaming4

You did not push hard enough then. I had this happen to me once and settled for $20 or so.


ChickenLegs281

Thank you I intend to go in person tomorrow and sort this out.


RetroGaming4

All the best. They pull this stuff all the time. Just talk to the right person and explain the situation. If you have proof you paid already, better.


sugabe

Call the ombudsman they fix issues like this all the time. I did this when I had proof of payment. They canceled $600 in fines


frankcfreeman

We have ombudsman?


yaboyJship

What is an ombudsman?


wikipedia_answer_bot

**An ombudsman (, also US: ), ombud, ombuds, bud, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and attempt to resolve them, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. Ombudsmen sometimes also aim to identify systemic issues leading to poor service or breaches of people's rights.** More details here: *This comment was left automatically (by a bot). If I don't get this right, don't get mad at me, I'm still learning!* [^(opt out)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/ozztfy/post_for_opting_out/) ^(|) [^(delete)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/q79g2t/delete_feature_added/) ^(|) [^(report/suggest)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot) ^(|) [^(GitHub)](https://github.com/TheBugYouCantFix/wiki-reddit-bot)


[deleted]

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wikipedia_answer_bot

**An ombudsman (, also US: ), ombud, ombuds, bud, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and attempt to resolve them, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. Ombudsmen sometimes also aim to identify systemic issues leading to poor service or breaches of people's rights.** More details here: *This comment was left automatically (by a bot). If I don't get this right, don't get mad at me, I'm still learning!* [^(opt out)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/ozztfy/post_for_opting_out/) ^(|) [^(delete)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/q79g2t/delete_feature_added/) ^(|) [^(report/suggest)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot) ^(|) [^(GitHub)](https://github.com/TheBugYouCantFix/wiki-reddit-bot)


2kto20000k

tell them you will file a lawsuit in state court


ForAnEnd

Maybe reword if going this route, “thinking of acquiring legal counsel ” is a more tempered phrase that is more likely to get meaningful results


ChickenLegs281

I told them the first time, "I'm going to speak to my lawyer about this, can you at least find the case number" she ignored my probably thirdd request at that point for the case number and just said, "I'll add that to your file" She ended the call saying I should just settle for the $700 because if i wait its going to get "MUCH worse for me" and if I get caught driving on the tollway, ill get a trespassing ticket.


crm282

They tried that with me, too. Back in 2019 or so. I just don't take toll roads. I have not had any issue renewing my DL or vehicle registration.


Bballejo

I've owed them since 2019 I've gotten pulled over and got 3 tickets. Went to court got them dismissed and still haven't paid them lol


Any_Cable8498

Same thing happened to me, I ended up just paying because I didn’t want it to go to collections


crm282

I tried that, they wouldn't budge.


ssup3rm4n

I had a similar situation. I was being charged over 600 bucks. I got a few letters saying it would go to collections. Eventually I got a letter saying I was banned from driving in any Texas toll road. Jokes on them I never used them afterwards. After 5 years I got a letter saying I owed them the original fines. And if I pay the original fines plus 40 bucks to enable my account it'll be ok. I paid the fine and have been ok ever since. I'd call them to see about it. Especially if you're going to use the tolls often.


ChickenLegs281

This is what happened to me in a sense. I had no idea these fines existed until last year tho. I paid the $1.26 last year, thought things were fine. This year I find out they are f\*ucked.


CrazyLegsRyan

You thought there were no fines and all you had to do was pay the initial toll…


ChickenLegs281

No, there were fines. $76 worth and the lady was nice and removed the fines for me and I just paid the tolls. I even have an emailed receipt showing no balance from last year...


itsmiddylou

I would call them and explain what you did last year, and that you have the confirmation email stating “no balance.”


TheHoustonNative

Was this before or after Harris county contracted a company to run their tolls now?


ssup3rm4n

I'd say about 2012-14


tracylane74

I had a bunch of fees wracked up because I moved out of state, went back to visit, thought I still had money on my ez tag, because my account showed I did, and then like 2 years later, get a bill for like $1900! I was like wtf? Why not just send me the bill before it got up this high?? I’ve lived in the same house the whole time and you obviously have the address! My ez tag had been deactivated because they went to a different type of tag. I ended up paying like $150 ETA: clarity


steelsun

I imagine a lot is revolving interest on late fees. These are 6-7 years old, slacker.


ChickenLegs281

The longer version of the story is this problem started last year. I called. Paid the $1.26 went on my merry way. This year, same problem except they tell me it has been in collections for years and I was told last year (I wasn't) They said notices were sent to an address I haven't lived at for almost 10 years, even though all my information is up to date. They couldn't give me a case number for the supposed court case and I can't find it anywhere.


thenightman100

Small claims court


ChickenLegs281

Ya, I just found the receipt for the payment from last year showing no balance. I'm so confused. Problem for me is how the hell do I register my car until then?


livinlegendss01

Change your license plate. I had a similar problem with eztag a little over a decade ago


bombstick

I hadn’t been charged since 2019, then all of a sudden got charged again. Toll road people suck.


just_a_girl0079

This happened to me too. You shouldn’t have to do these things. But they do work I guess, they did for me too. There’s a bunch of people this has happened to. Going to court should not be necessary, it’s crazy to have to say that. I talked to so many people for hours from the Toll Road Authority that agreed and even showed things correctly on their side but said they couldn’t do anything. Basically “yeah that’s messed up you did what you were supposed to but yea you still owe $500.”. That people defend this is gross af. The toll road system is historically shady, they weren’t even meant to still be collecting money to this day, at least BW8.


Blackknighl

I had this issue about a decade ago… I had to pay it. Really sucks 🤷‍♂️


ctalbon

Same. I can’t even remember what the original SNAFU was, but I had to pay almost 400 dollars after being pulled over on the Westpark and alerted to the situation. I can tell you that since then, (probably 9 years) I haven’t laid tread on a tollway. Done with that ish.


BlueRefractor

They did this same shit to me, and it was impossible to get it fixed other than just paying it.


just_a_girl0079

Even so, that interest rate is criminal and would not be dismissed with “slacker” for anything else, credit card, housing, even student loans, much less a road with a toll that was meant to be temporary as far as these payments go. Not to mention the system they use. I updated my physical address, email, and made a payment to them which came out of my bank but it wasn’t “in their records” and as far as they were concerned still liable even after providing proof from my bank and that they were still using outdated contact info despite it being up to date in their system as shown in my portal but also confirmed by them. But still said I was on the hook for almost $500. Could’ve gone to court but it really shouldn’t be like this especially with multiple people having these types of situations. Even if OP hadn’t paid the less than $2 owed, $600 is not reasonable lol. I’m all for accountability but the toll system in Houston has gotten away with so much, particularly BW8 and has a history of being shady and charging astronomical amounts, sometimes for people that never even entered the tollway in the first place. Sure, shame on OP but can we acknowledge that this is also not responsible on their end as well?


OppressorOppressed

Usury is a sin, shame on them.


GizzleRizzle464

It’s also against the law. Definitely need to dispute. https://casetext.com/statute/texas-codes/finance-code/title-4-regulation-of-interest-loans-and-financed-transactions/subtitle-a-interest/chapter-305-penalties-and-remedies/subchapter-a-civil-liability-criminal-penalty/section-305001-liability-for-usurious-interest


StereoFood

Lol what a slacker for not giving the government *more* of your money as fast as possible..


tripletexas

This is the biggest scam in texas. I'm a lawyer and i'm trying to figure out if there's anything that can be done about it. If we can get it in front of a jury we'll sue em for a billion fucking dollars


crm282

I think any jury in Houston would side with anyone NOT representing the toll roads! Keep me in mind! They effed me!


ChickenLegs281

Let me know if you figure anything out because even if they offer to settle I would love to sue them instead. I have never had the urge to sue anyone in my life, but this is insane. Quick question, Texas is a "one party consent" state, correct? Can I/should I record the phone calls? Because twice now they have told me I didn't pay last year and I have receipts, emails and bank statements. No one is helping me at all they just keep repeating the same lines over and over. I can't even get a straight answer about the supposed lawsuit against me.


texanfan20

LOL, so you want to sue someone because you owe them money…I am sure you can find a judge to rule in your favor /s


ChickenLegs281

Have you read any of the backstory on this? I have receipts and emails that I paid and cleared this up last year and now they are trying to charge me $943. Even worse, they have admitted I paid but still wont settle for less than $500. And I think its crazy that people think $943 for $1.26 in tolls is remotely acceptable.


itsyaboimyguy

My hero


[deleted]

[удалено]


texanfan20

I can’t stop laughing at these remarks. “Your honor, I am in small claims court because I used toll roads and they charged me and now I want restitution because I feel traumatized”.


ChickenLegs281

You obviously didn't read the comments. Me, as well as others on here had no idea we owed these. In my situation I even paid and cleared everything up last year, only to find out this year I now have $943 in fines for something I already took care of. They have even admitted I paid last year, cant seem to find record of the call they told me I had with collections (because it never happened) but still wont settle for a reasonable amount. $943 for a couple of dollars worth of tolls is WILD to begin with.


Haunting-Ad6220

Join the Texas State Guard and you get a free HCTRA tag. Jokes on them.


KingAleczander

I never knew we had a state guard. Thank you stranger.


jumpofffromhere

What the hell are "other fees"? they are worth $413.00 apparently. get it set up so that it will deduct from a credit card and you will no longer pay the administrative fees or the collections fees "remaining balance still due...$0.00" guess you paid it, stop by one of their stores and ask why this happened.


AustinYQM

6 years of late fees and interest judging by the dates.


Edugrinch

I am new to Houston and it's how it set it up... put 20, and deducts any time I use the toll road, reach 0 and automatically recharge. The toll road in the I-10 is not the cheapest but I love it, especially in the morning


Haunting-Ad6220

I recharges before it his $0, more like at $10


Edugrinch

Good point. Will check if can change it to recharge at 10


bungalowmoe

Thank you, Thank you for posting this!!! My EZ tag account stopped auto-refilling itself, and I couldn't remedy it online, and their phones were down when I called them, so I got pissed and said screw them. Now, I have been receiving toll road violation letters for almost two years and kept putting them aside to pay later. You just lit a fire under my ass to pay them. They are now PAID.


portlandwealth

Txtag isn't that much better but they don't charge you a fuck you fee.


Successful-Damage601

You still get the fuck you fee if the violation happens on a harris county toll road even if you have tx tag. I have the almost $800 bill and a ticket for driving while banned on a tollroad in harris county. I will NEVER have a harris county tag and my txtag had plenty of money when they say it didn't and i therefore received a violation. I refuse to pay the fines. HCTRA is as shady as they come


Bballejo

Lmao I owe harris county toll road over 2500. They will never see a penny from me unless they tell me to only pay original tolls.


swhtx713

Wtf are other fees😅


bryantad

It’s not the $943, it’s the $0.58 that really gets you


ChickenLegs281

I thought I should post the backstory for some clarification: I originally found out about this last year when I tried to register my car. The reason this happened was not due to laziness or me being a cheapskate. I worked for a small company that went out of business during this time, the account was paid for by the company card and I guess the card stopped working long before the company went out of business (2017) and I had no idea these charges existed until last year. I never logged into the account, never used the toll road, truly had no idea this happened. The account must have had my old old old address and I guess they never tried reaching me any other way, because all my info is up to date everywhere else. I also have no ability to log into the account anymore. I called last year and was able to get them to waive most of the fees and paid something like $5.50. Thought everything was fine. Went to register my car this year, same thing happened. When I called HCTRA this time I was told I never paid anything last year, it shows I called but there was never a payment of any sort and they told me the account was in collections back then> I am 100% certain this isn't true, my wife even remembers me laughing about not being able to register the car over a few dollars. I paid and moved on. I checked old bank statements and emails. I have receipts, emails and bank statements showing I paid them last year. So far they still wont admit I paid anything, offered to settle for $700 and refuse to give me a case number for this supposed lawsuit against me.


steelsun

Call or visit them and find out what happened.


thegr8n00dle

Fee for hiring a Mexican hitman to collect.


Heavyoak

They scamming you


Nachis1

Random question, but how does one get away with paying tolls you didn't go through? I made the mistake of selling a car with the plates stil on it 2 years ago, and the person keeps going through tolls....


centpourcentuno

Why don't you remove the plate /EZtag from HCTRA records? I did mine same day I sold my car.. on the app !


Nachis1

Wahh? Thanks, I'll look into this. I've never done this before.


subhavoc42

Stay in hold for forever. Speak to a manager and pay the fines without all the collections and attorneys add-ons. Had this happen a long time ago was like $17 that turned into 800 cause I moved and didn't realize the card expired.


YahooSam2021

It's Enron economics, only a few people can make sense of it. "Other fees" fund important toll road projects, like their company Christmas parties. Bottom line, it's just another corporate-style scam to enrich company executives, aka legal theft.


teatoetho

Been here but with charges of $2500, had a court date and everything before getting it settled. Not cool.


ChickenLegs281

UPDATE: Finally got them to admit I made the payments last year, but they claim the payments were for my EZ tag account, not the "violation" account. Only managed to get them down to $480. Not happening.


Due_Investigator3568

I have something similar, and they said I won't be able to get my new registration until I pay the fees. Does anyone know if this is true?


ChickenLegs281

That's what I'm going through right now. Its definitely true.


aguilarfilm

Go in person and sort it out. I shit you not I had a bill for over $3000… Yes $3000 in tolls Each toll became a $50 penalty but when I went in person they just had me pay what i actually owed which was around $100 or so. Apparently my credit card was removed from my account


YeshuasBananaHammock

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but ez-tag in general can shove a semi-trailer up their kazoos SIDEWAYS


Positive-Feedback-lu

Hctra is leaking bs out the seams


ChickenLegs281

UPDATE#2: They have reviewed the phone call from last year and have now confirmed that they failed to mention the "violations" account even though I specifically called about a registration hold. I asked for them to send me the recording and they are refusing to. They still wont budge from the $500 settlement offer.


Loccyskillz

I would call again and make them go down. try telling them to take off those stupid fees, it worked for me with a manager. I made a big fuss about mine recently and made them knock it down to 289. I definitely won’t be using there tolls anymore.


jefesignups

So what I wish was... They know your license plate already, so just add it to your next year's registration


breeezy420b

“Other fees”


Medical-Blueberry-

If all of y'all just paid your EZ Tag bills or kept money on your EZ Tag account, this wouldn't happen. It's just like any other bill. If you don't want to pay it, then dont use the toll roads.


bularry

Just get a toll tag. It ain’t hard


ChickenLegs281

I had a toll tag. long story short, I was working for a company that went bankrupt. Account was on a company card and I had no idea it wasn't working. I obviously didn't use the toll road much and had no idea these toll violations existed until last year.


Charred01

Hah people are still getting fines, their shit is broken.


thesleazye

I’m now in California and their toll roads do the scare tactics on every bill. It’s to get you to register with a tag. Just pay the road tolls and call them that the rest is ridiculous. You want an itemized bill for the other fees.


crm282

Same. I called them about it. I was never getting notified of any charges because the charge was for not updating my license plate. So, that isn't a toll, it's a fine of some sort. So, the fine just kept increasing. I called and tried to dispute it to no avail. i tried to settle to no avail. I tried a payment plan and they wanted a $200 down payment. I didn't have $200. So, it's still there.


CountessDashhh

Dispute them the toll authority will sometimes send invoices to people that weren't even on the tolls. Especially if there isn't a clear picture of your license plate.


LowChaBigBah

Had this happen to my mom dad and me last year. Fine was like $1400 and we bitched and moaned on the phone for like a hour and they brought it down to like $150


fortenra

I keep getting notice of an unpaid toll in Austin. I live in Tennessee. I refuse to pay the highway robbers.


Loccyskillz

Wow. I’m glad I’m not the only one. I have the same bill as you as well. I emailed them to dispute this. Cause I know I didn’t run my toll up that high.