HOUSTON - TxTag’s toll nightmare continues to spark frustration among drivers who are upset they’re having to deal with an issue that they say isn’t their problem.
KHOU 11 News is trying to find out exactly what steps drivers should take to get those unwarranted toll violations taken care of.
Kimberly Colwell received not one, but three letters in the mail. Each had the same issue.
“To look at it and see that there were 9 on mine alone, I knew that there was a bigger problem," Colwell said.
There were roughly twenty toll violations in all from both personal and work vehicles.
KHOU sat down with Colwell when she tried to get it fixed.
“Thank you for calling the TxTag customer service center," said a pre-recorded message from TxTag Call Center. A pre-recorded message was all she got.
“If you wish to speak with a customer service representative, please try your call again later. Thank you for your patience and we apologize for any inconvenience," the message said and then the call was dropped.
Colwell was surprised, but decided to call back. This time, there was no message, she just a busy signal. Colwell got the same busy tone for each call after that.
Colwell then called her EZ TAG account holder.
“Thank you for calling Harris County Toll Road Authority," the pre-recorded message said. This time, the recording gave instructions on what to do if you’ve gotten violations in May.
“Please email the TxTag invoice along with your EZ TAG account number to txtagdisputes@hctra.org," the recording said.
Colwell decided to wait on the line to see if it could be handled over the phone.
“Your call will be answered in approximately 11 minutes," the recording said. About nine minutes later, a representative picked up, but only to inform Colwell that she couldn’t help her.
“I spoke to someone. I could not resolve the issue over the phone. They told me to send an email for statements from violations in May and June," Colwell said.
So with no other choice, she attached copies of the TxTag invoices as well as the EZ TAG account numbers. And now she waits to fix a problem she says wasn’t hers to fix.
“It takes up time that you could be using elsewhere. My time is valuable," Colwell said. The entire process took Colwell about 20 minutes.
Send both a copy of your TxTag invoice as well as your EZ TAG account number to txtagdisputes@hctra.org. It is unknown how long it will take for them to respond.