Anyone just avoid toll roads because of what a scam it all is? (Dallas: credit, house)

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

I've had multiple tags on cars since the early 90's and never had any billing issues much less big collection bills like the OP mentioned. I think those cases are drivers who ignore the letters, don't update their driver license info when they move, don't update their billing info when it changes, or switch tags around without registering. Your account is tied to a credit card or bank account. Your little charges would be paid as they were incurred unless your account billing info became invalid or they couldn't match the license plate to your account.

I have a credit score of about 830. I am a very conscientious, reliable, stable person who pays my bills in a very timely manner, and who watches my bank accounts online carefully. I don't "ignore letters." I always update my driver license info when I move, which is about once every 5 years or so. My billing info simply rarely changes and when it does, I update it immediately. I don't "switch tags around without registering."

Just to be clear.

You admit to not watching your bills from your toll tag companies closely. I think they count on that - they count on people trading ease of use for accuracy. I find this fascinating actually.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Attach your NTTA account to a credit card and cross reference NTTA statements to the bills. I've been doing this for a couple of decades across multiple accounts at a time and caught one mistake.

My issues haven't been with NTTA just for the record. They have been with NTRMA, which is in the Tyler area. They are absolute idiots, I tell you. I've had no issues with NTTA at all, but I don't live in that area so I only drive on NTTA roads a few times a year. They send me the bill, I pay it, no issues at all.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I don't "manufacture" these issues in any way other than insisting that they send me a bill rather than automatically deducting it from my bank account. My background is in banking - and I don't allow anyone access to my bank account. By that I mean, that I insist on sending someone money rather than allowing them to come get it, if that makes sense. With bill pay online, this is super easy. So even if I didn't have an issue with their honesty and/or ability to bill correctly, I'd have an issue with giving them a debit card or account info so they could just access my bank account when they deemed that I owe them money.

There is the world as we would like it to be and the world as it actually is. The way it is, is that companies are more and more streamlining, automating, and removing the human element from processes. If you insist on being the exception then enjoy continued frustrations because it's only going to get worse.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

You admit to not watching your bills from your toll tag companies closely. I think they count on that - they count on people trading ease of use for accuracy. I find this fascinating actually.

That's a misrepresentation, I said that when I have checked the bills closely I have not found these inaccuracies that seem to plague you.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

There is the world as we would like it to be and the world as it actually is. The way it is, is that companies are more and more streamlining, automating, and removing the human element from processes. If you insist on being the exception then enjoy continued frustrations because it's only going to get worse.

Sigh. This is the ONLY entity I have any sort of billing issue with. The only one. I simply am not going to allow any entity access to any debit or credit card or bank account of mine without me instigating and controlling the transaction.

[KathrynAragon]

What you said was this:

I used to carefully review the monthly charges and never found an error, or I should say an error where I was charged a toll I didn't pass through though occasionally they failed to bill a toll. I've since quit wasting my time scouring the detailed log to find a wrongful dollar charge.

If I were to get a charge over $40 or more frequently than seems correct, I'll look into it closer. Until then, I have better things to do with my time and it doesn't make economic sense to spend hours looking for a few dollars.

And I'll clarify this - I have NEVER carefully reviewed each bill (which isn't monthly by the way - their billing system seems to be completely random here), unless there was a late charge, which has been several times a year, and which every single time has been a mistake on their part, not mine. It's pointless for me to even try to determine if I'm accurately charged at each charge point for every time I drive on a toll road - so I generally only check whether or not I've paid a bill they sent when they say I didn't (randomly, I might add - often MONTHS after I supposedly used a particular toll road).

As I've stated, NTRMA has sold or changed hands or something, so maybe the next entity will be better at their billing process. I have slim hopes of that though since I've already received a letter stating that I didn't pay a bill (I did) and that my late fees were over $400. This was from the new company. A few days later, I got a letter stating that the earlier letter was in error and to just ignore it. Here we go again!

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

You're absolutely right that it doesn't make economic sense to spend hours looking for a few dollars - and they know that. That's exactly what I said - they'd only have to add a few extra charges to everyone's automatic bills to make a LOT of extra money.

I don't "manufacture" these issues in any way other than insisting that they send me a bill rather than automatically deducting it from my bank account. My background is in banking - and I don't allow anyone access to my bank account. By that I mean, that I insist on sending someone money rather than allowing them to come get it, if that makes sense. With bill pay online, this is super easy. So even if I didn't have an issue with their honesty and/or ability to bill correctly, I'd have an issue with giving them a debit card or account info so they could just access my bank account when they deemed that I owe them money.

And no, I don't waste any time "scouring the detailed log" UNLESS they send me a "late payment" bill with a late charge attached - which is several times a year, and when I "scour the detailed log" I always - ALWAYS - find that I have already paid this bill, so no, I'm not going to pay it again AND pay them some stupid late charge.

Yes, I have much better things to do with my time, too - so it's frustrating.

Withdrawn. Thought you were having issues with NTTA.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

There is the world as we would like it to be and the world as it actually is. The way it is, is that companies are more and more streamlining, automating, and removing the human element from processes. If you insist on being the exception then enjoy continued frustrations because it's only going to get worse.

This.

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Why would I give these idiots free rein to any of my money?

You know what - every other entity I pay manages to figure out how to send me an accurate bill or get paid without having access to a debit card or checking account and without me having to go open up an account just for their use. Every single other entity except these yahoos. Nope. Not gonna happen here.

Fine. Keep overpaying and having billing issues. Your choice - I have a feeling the “yahoo” in question might be in the mirror.

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

There is the world as we would like it to be and the world as it actually is. The way it is, is that companies are more and more streamlining, automating, and removing the human element from processes. If you insist on being the exception then enjoy continued frustrations because it's only going to get worse.

Yep. 100% agree.