More drivers complain of extra fee on Good to Go pass
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SEATTLE -- Some Washington drivers are suffering from sticker shock, and it's all because of problems with their Good to Go toll accounts.
The shock is from unexpected fees -- 25 cents a pop -- showing up on some drivers' Good to Go accounts when they cross the 520 or Tacoma Narrows bridges.
That's compounded by the Washington Department of Transportation's customer service department, which may not be helping the situation.
When complaints about the extra quarter charge started rolling in, WSDOT's toll director told drivers to call the customer service center for a refund.
"Well, that's not really the case, because I tried that and it just didn't work," said driver Jason Whiting.
The charges happen when the toll system can't get a good read on the driver's pass, either because weather or traffic interferes with with the transponder or because the pass was improperly applied.
When that happens, the system takes a photo of the license plate and then charges the driver's Good to Go account, plus a 25 cent enforcement fee.
Lots of drivers have reported getting hit with the extra fee. Whiting said sometimes his pass works and sometimes it doesn't.
"See, it's real sporadic, and that's what I get real frustrated with," he said.
As recently as last week, WSDOT said the system is "99.9 percent accurate." On Friday, an official said Whiting's pass didn't work because he switched it to another vehicle. However, that doesn't explain why a two-month-old pass that's only been on his Jeep got a misread and extra charge.
Whiting has made three calls to the customer service department for a refund, and three times he's been denied.
"It's frustrating that you're trying to do the right thing and it just seems like the cards are kind of stacked against you," he said.
Another driver said he did get a refund for one 25-cent charge, but was told after that it's his responsibility. Even more than the fee, most drivers say they're just frustrated with the department and the way they feel they're being treated.
The shock is from unexpected fees -- 25 cents a pop -- showing up on some drivers' Good to Go accounts when they cross the 520 or Tacoma Narrows bridges.
That's compounded by the Washington Department of Transportation's customer service department, which may not be helping the situation.
When complaints about the extra quarter charge started rolling in, WSDOT's toll director told drivers to call the customer service center for a refund.
"Well, that's not really the case, because I tried that and it just didn't work," said driver Jason Whiting.
The charges happen when the toll system can't get a good read on the driver's pass, either because weather or traffic interferes with with the transponder or because the pass was improperly applied.
When that happens, the system takes a photo of the license plate and then charges the driver's Good to Go account, plus a 25 cent enforcement fee.
Lots of drivers have reported getting hit with the extra fee. Whiting said sometimes his pass works and sometimes it doesn't.
"See, it's real sporadic, and that's what I get real frustrated with," he said.
As recently as last week, WSDOT said the system is "99.9 percent accurate." On Friday, an official said Whiting's pass didn't work because he switched it to another vehicle. However, that doesn't explain why a two-month-old pass that's only been on his Jeep got a misread and extra charge.
Whiting has made three calls to the customer service department for a refund, and three times he's been denied.
"It's frustrating that you're trying to do the right thing and it just seems like the cards are kind of stacked against you," he said.
Another driver said he did get a refund for one 25-cent charge, but was told after that it's his responsibility. Even more than the fee, most drivers say they're just frustrated with the department and the way they feel they're being treated.
Im having a problem with the pay by mail, they have never sent us a bill and now tabs are due they are saying they added on civil penalty's in the amount of 500 bucks, This is ridiculas, when we never received a bill in the first place. Now they are blocking the tabs to the truck. Cause i aint got that kind of extra money good job Washington screwing over people as usualÂ
This is intentionally written in the software! Â You have to write the software to ding you the 25 cents.
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This is what you get when you merge government and business (aka fascism). Â Doesn't this remind you of all the strange bank and phone fees you see on your statements. Â Real Networks just got busted by the state for similar actions. Â It cost them $2.4 million.
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If the system was 99.9% accurate then you should only have one of these 25 cent charges for every 1000 trips. Â In this report there were 7 charges on one page of his statement. Â
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We need to ditch the tolls and go to a state income tax. Â