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Man Keeps Receiving Toll Road Bill
The bill is for a vehicle from another state that he does not own
Jan 14, 2015
KRGV.com
MISSION - A Mission man said he has been battling with the Texas Department of Transportation for years. The problem is a TxTag toll bill he received by mistake.
The man called 5 On Your Side for help.
Elwood and Avis Hedin have been coming down to the Rio Grande Valley from Minnesota for years.
“It's very frustrating. When you are talking to a person, it's like talking to a machine,” said Elwood Hedin.
It was back in 2012 when Hedin first got a bill from the Texas Department of Transportation's TxTag Office, which handles toll roads.
He paid his small bill, but then started getting billed for another vehicle which was not his.
“You can see perfectly clear that it says Arkansas on that, and I live in Minnesota,” he said. So Hedin called the phone number on the bill.
“I was guilty no matter what, and I told them it was not my plate. They said well prove it wasn't your plate.”
So Hedin got a letter from the state of Arkansas confirming that the plate Texas was trying to bill him for did not belong to him.
He sent that letter to TxTag. He finally received a letter back from TxTag admitting their mistake.
Hedin thought the matter was settled, but received another bill from TxTag a couple of weeks ago. They told him he was driving the same vehicle with Arkansas plates. The bill was for $29.50.
“I don't want to get in any trouble. I've never had a delayed overdue bill in my whole life. I'm 74 years old. Now I get this. I'm just so disgusted,” he said.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS contacted the Texas Department of Transportation and was given a number of a supervisor in the TxTag Customer Service Center.
Hedin called the number and said, “She's still saying that's my license plate.”
He told the woman that he had a letter from the state of Arkansas stating the plate does not belong to him. TxTag removed the balance to his account.
Hedin said they did not admit to a mistake and is afraid he may get another bill in the future for the Arkansas plate.
He said regardless, he will never drive on a toll road in Texas again.
TxTag said if tolls are not paid, the fees can add up.
Under questions about disputing a toll bill, the Web page does not include the option that the motorist may have received the bill by mistake.
The options are the vehicle was sold or transferred to another party before the violation occurred, the vehicle was leased or rented to another party, or the vehicle was reported stolen before the violation occurred.
The number for the TxTag Customer Service Center is (214) 210-0477. A supervisor said there is also an online form where you can also submit more detailed information about the nature of your dispute.
This is the third time in recent weeks that a Valley resident has contacted CHANNEL 5 NEWS about receiving a toll bill by mistake.
Liane Gutierrez of Weslaco received a toll bill from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority from a time and place she had never visited. The bill was only for $1.92, but there were consequences for not paying.
If the bill was not paid, fees will continue to be added and there could be possible misdemeanor charges.