Today I got an invoice in the mail for $1.10....

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around experiences with toll road invoices and disputes, highlighting issues with billing accuracy, automated systems, and the frustrations of dealing with toll collection agencies. Participants share personal anecdotes related to incorrect charges and the challenges of contesting them.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant received an invoice for a toll road charge that was incorrectly attributed to their license plate due to a misreading by the image-recognition software.
  • Another participant expressed frustration over receiving a late notice for a toll without any details, leading them to pay without contesting it.
  • A different participant reported receiving notices for tolls they did not incur, claiming it was a scam, as they had not driven in the relevant areas for years.
  • Some participants suggested that companies often waste resources on small disputes, sharing humorous anecdotes about their own experiences with billing errors.
  • There are mentions of automated systems and their shortcomings, with one participant noting the lack of options to dispute charges in their area.
  • Several participants reflected on the absurdity of companies spending more on processing disputes than the original amounts owed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a common frustration with toll invoicing systems and the challenges of disputing charges. However, there are multiple competing views regarding the effectiveness and reliability of these systems, and no consensus is reached on the best approach to handle such disputes.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of uncertainty regarding the accuracy of toll charges and the reliability of automated systems. Some anecdotes highlight the lack of transparency in billing processes and the potential for errors in automated recognition.

jtbell
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...from North Carolina Quick Pass, for supposedly driving on the Triangle Expressway, a toll road near Raleigh, a couple of weeks ago and going through a Quick Pass lane without a transponder. Their automatic camera took a picture of the license plate, which is almost identical to mine except that the picture shows the letter I where my plate has the letter T. And the license plate number printed on the invoice underneath the image is mine, with the T. Looks like their image-recognition software needs some tweaking. Or a human image scanner needs new eyeglasses.

So I went to the Quick Pass web site, found their Toll Dispute Form, downloaded it, filled it out, printed it, made a copy of the invoice, stuffed them both into an envelope, addressed it, and stuck $0.49 in postage on it. All to avoid paying $1.10!

I did happen to be in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, but it was in the Charlotte area (about 160 miles from Raleigh), where there are no toll roads.
 
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I just recently got a "late notice" including a 'late fee" for when Evo Child went through a toll road somewhere, sometime on the planet in my car. The problem is, I never got the original bill and there are no dates, no license plate number, no location, the address for the bill is in in Colorado, she has been driving in Colorado. it was just $11, so I just paid it, but this was last week and now jtbell, you have me riled up! I'm calling them tomorrow and giving a piece of my mind to their automated IVR phone number! :devil:
 
Yeah, I got a notice by e-mail from the company (E-Z Pass) which administers toll roads in the northeast (NY, NJ, and PA, I believe) saying I had all these tolls which I didn't pay, whatever.

The only problem was I hadn't driven a car in 5 years due to an injury to my leg, and I hadn't visited those areas in more than 30 years. It was a scam to collect money from the unwary.

Always check these things before throwing money at them, even if the amount is small. You'd be surprised how many reputable companies have their corporate identities stolen and used by internet scammers to fool the unwary. It's not just individuals who get their identities stolen or misappropriated. I've got a file with fake notices from insurance companies, Fedex, even the US Post Office.
 
jtbell said:
So I went to the Quick Pass web site, found their Toll Dispute Form, downloaded it, filled it out, printed it, made a copy of the invoice, stuffed them both into an envelope, addressed it, and stuck $0.49 in postage on it. All to avoid paying $1.10!
Just for funzies, you should have stuck it in a drawer for free and let them spend a whole bunch of money coming after you for $1.10.
 
Evo said:
just recently got a "late notice" including a 'late fee" for when Evo Child went through a toll road somewhere, sometime on the planet in my car.
You have a child version of you? I don't have a child version of me.
jtbell said:
Their automatic camera took a picture of the license plate, which is almost identical to mine except that the picture shows the letter I where my plate has the letter T. And the license plate number printed on the invoice underneath the image is mine, with the T. Looks like their image-recognition software needs some tweaking. Or a human image scanner needs new eyeglasses.
The cameras from my place charge you hundreds of dollars in fines, not a dollar and something. It's ridiculous. And there is no place to file any kind of dispute. If the camera decides you are guilty you are guilty. And the Major of the city was caught using the people's money to go to Dubai... And I'm getting off topic...

I have an idea jtbell, if you don't have a job, how about you offer yourself to tweak their image recognition system? They could give you a job, no one knows.
 
Psinter said:
You have a child version of you? I don't have a child version of me.
I have two. It's also known as "having children" :wink:
 
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russ_watters said:
Just for funzies, you should have stuck it in a drawer for free and let them spend a whole bunch of money coming after you for $1.10.

A long time ago, I did this with a dentist's bill. They sent out hand printed bills and the 6's looked like zeroes, so I underpaid by 60 cents. After three straight bills for 60 cents at 25 cents postage per bill, I finally dropped off the payment in person (they were located very near my house and I drove by every day).

Evo said:
I just recently got a "late notice" including a 'late fee" for when Evo Child went through a toll road somewhere, sometime on the planet in my car. The problem is, I never got the original bill and there are no dates, no license plate number, no location, the address for the bill is in in Colorado, she has been driving in Colorado. it was just $11, so I just paid it, but this was last week and now jtbell, you have me riled up! I'm calling them tomorrow and giving a piece of my mind to their automated IVR phone number! :devil:

She was on Denver's E-470? No toll booths anymore. All the tolls are by EZ pass or by mail after the fact. And the amount sounds about right if a person drives close to the entire stretch that bypasses the Denver traffic on the interstates.
 
It's amazing how you can get companies to spend money needlessly

got an invoice for a local Telco for $ 10.50 amount but when I went online to pay it I discovered that it would only accept payments in
whole dollars so I rounded it up to the next $ amount of $11.00, so as not to still be in debt to them

3 years later they are still sending me an invoice every 2 months showing that I am 50c in credit
I dread to think of how much they have spent in that time on paper invoices, envelopes and postage

the mind boggles haha

Dave
 

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