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Report: #944234

Complaint Review: Harris County Toll Road Authority - Houston Texas

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  • Reported By: Lydia — Houston Texas United States of America
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  • Harris County Toll Road Authority 7701 Wilshire Place Drive Houston, Texas United States of America

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12 HCTRA Toll Invoices:

$61.75   Actual Tolls
$396       HCTRA Administrative Fees ($33 per invoice)
$504       Collection Fees ($42 per invoice)

To date I have paid $138.75 and now owe $823 due to all the added fees and possibly more.
 
On or around Tuesday, April 10, 2012 it was brought to my attention that the funds on my HCTRA EZ Tag Account ####### had been depleted triggering toll violations (via e-mail). Having recently closed my checking account the credit card linked to my EZ Tag Account was also cancelled leaving no source to replenish my EZ Tag Account.  It was an honest mistake. 

Not having a credit card to update my EZ Tag Account with, I visited the HCTRA Store off Beltway 8 near Fairmont Parkway on Saturday, April 21, 2012.  At that time I was told that they could not accept any cash payments and did not have the authority to dismiss the $396 Administrative Fees and instructed me to contact HCTRA at (281) 875-EASY.  After several lengthy phone conversations, e-mails and countless times explaining the exact situation I was told that there was nothing that could be done and that I just needed to pay the fees in full, $457.75.  At that time I did not have and still do not have that sum of money available to me unfortunately. 

To date I have made payments on this balance when I have been able to, the debt was NEVER ignored.  I logged on Friday, July 13, 2012 to make a payment and was taken aback when I realized that an additional $504 had been added to my balance in fees!  I once again contacted the HCTRA and was told that this was out of their hands and that my DEBT had been transferred to the Law Firm, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP whom is playing collection agency for the County.

$900 is an outrageous amount to charge for an original debt under $100.  I find it incredibly impossible that I have been trying to resolve this issue for months now however I continue to get the run around.  I have documented proof of the attempts I have made at contacting Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP to no avail requesting that they consider dismissing the $900 in fees as the original debt has already been paid in full times two.  The Law Firm has yet to contact me again regarding this matter however continues to re-send their collection letter over and over again.

I find it amazing that the County has hired an outside law firm to play as collection agency for them and cannot collect their own debt or correct their own customers accounts when it is an HONEST MISTAKE. 

My next step is to bring this matter to the attention of my local state representative, media outlets and seek legal counsel.  This is apparently a wide spread issue in Harris County and nothing is being done to fight it.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/20/2012 02:16 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/harris-county-toll-road-authority/houston-texas-77040/harris-county-toll-road-authority-proving-that-theft-by-the-county-is-perfectly-legal-in-h-944234. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
6Consumer
1Employee/Owner

#7 REBUTTAL Owner of company

I WANT TO PAY MY FINES

AUTHOR: Stuter65 - (USA)

POSTED: Thursday, February 25, 2016

When my credit card number was stolen my bank disabled it without warning.  I used the toll road admittedly.  I have made a valiant attempt to pay my tolls and fines. I knew I had fines, although, I had not received any document in the mail.  I called the Harris count toll road authority for a week, waited on hold for hours, getting disconnected, or having to hang up to deal with work or other things.  The number I called was..281-875-3279.  After 7 days I finally got through to speak to someone and I was told that my tolls had been sent to collections. When I asked why I had not received the letters in the mail the woman argued that they were sent to my old address. I told her my "old address" was my parents house and that I still would have received the documents HAD THEY BEEN SENT.  I was also told that now all my tolls had to be paid through the collections agency.  I was given the 713-576-7202 number to call.   I have called this number repeatedly and NO ONE answers.  It either rings and then goes to a busy signal or it sounds like someone picks up but no one talks and then the call disconnects.  I know in 2015 they had repeated billing issues and I received letters stating thatt there were issues and to disregard any tolls during a certain time period.  I would like to make a payment,  I just don't know how to do because no one picks of the phone to receive my payment!

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#6 Consumer Comment

Harris County Toll Fees, a robbery!!

AUTHOR: Pattym782 - ()

POSTED: Friday, January 31, 2014

I am also a victim of these ridiculous fees. It is a total robbery, how is this even allowed!??? $1,200 for less than $100 in tolls because I forgot to change my credit card info in time!
It honestly makes me want to hire an attorney but that would be much more expensive than the fees alone and that's what I'm trying to take care of now. What a nightmare!! If anyone knows of a way to have the fees reduced PLEASE SHARE!!

Thank you!

 

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#5 Consumer Comment

NEED YOUR HELP!

AUTHOR: DRAZIQ - ()

POSTED: Monday, December 09, 2013

Jeremiah (and others)-

I work at the CBS TV station here in Houston, Texas and have been doing research for a possible story about drivers getting charged for toll violations they didn't commit.

I would REALLY like to talk to you about your experience and how everything turned out in the end. Our conversation would ABSOLUTELY confidential and not-for-publication but just to help me understand what's going on.

Can you please email me ASAP at draziq@khou.com?

Thank you so much for your help.

David Raziq
KHOU-TV
1945 Allen Parkway
Houston, TX. 77019

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#4 General Comment

JOURNALIST NEEDING HELP/LOOKING TO HELP

AUTHOR: DRAZIQ - ()

POSTED: Monday, December 09, 2013

Jeremiah and others-

I work at the CBS TV station here in Houston, Texas and have been doing research for a possible story about drivers getting charged for toll violations they didn't commit.

I would REALLY like to talk to you about your experience and how everything turned out in the end. Our conversation would ABSOLUTELY confidential and not-for-publication but just to help me understand the what's going on.

Can you please email me ASAP at draziq@khou.com?

Thank you so much for your help.

David Raziq
KHOU-TV
1945 Allen Parkway
Houston, TX. 77019

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#3 General Comment

Harris County Toll Road Authority

AUTHOR: jeramiah - ()

POSTED: Monday, November 11, 2013

We received a bill in the mail from this Harris County Toll Road Athourity.  We live in Mississippi and have never been to Harris County, nor have we traveled on their "toll roads".  On the bill was a black and white picture of the back of a car with Mississippi plates. The county was the same as ours and the plate numbers were exactly the same except for the very last digit. It was one digit off.  Our car(a toyota) was bought and registered in June of 2013. The so called toll violation was in August. The car has not even left the state of Mississippi since we have owned it and I really dont get how they could confuse the car in the picture(a cadillac) with plates that are clearly not ours, with our toyota registered in our name.  I assumed the entire outfit was a scam. Their website looks like it was designed by a 7th grader.  This is an obvious and blatant attempt at a scam. 

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#2 Consumer Comment

Dont let them get away with it.

AUTHOR: Paul - ()

POSTED: Sunday, August 18, 2013

I am also in the same boat as you guys are. It seems that the HCTRA has been granted total authority in these matters. Get the word out and come together to make a solution to the tyranny. I will not be exploited by these bullies anymore. There has to be someone who is willing to stand up for what is right and defend the helpless and innocent people who are being taken advantage of. If we have to use our voting voices then we need to do it. Vote these bums out who support our exploitation and lets make some real changes in the Houston area. We can move mountains together but only if we take the first step. Please respond to this comment if you have any reasonable solution to this injustice that has been going on. Take some time and do some research on the subject. Read some law books and lets nip this thing in the bud and move on to our next project to make our corner of the world a better place to live.

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#1 General Comment

How can we challenge this

AUTHOR: kayleen - (United States of America)

POSTED: Thursday, January 10, 2013

I too have been a victim of these ridiculous fees. I return from school only to see that i owe $2600 IN FEES to HCTRA!!! Apparently my EZ tag was inactive.. IM A a full time student and mother. I pleaded with them to pay a minimum that i could afford but they refused. If i miss a payment ,a fee of $610 will be added. This is unjust and fraudulent on Harris County's part and needs to be challenged

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