TEXAS, USA — TxTag customers are reporting they've been incorrectly billed.
The billing company used by TxTag changed its license plate reading system to read the letters "I" and "O" as numbers one and zero, which is causing drivers to be charged incorrectly.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles does exclude all vowels from general license plates, but the problem is that they're allowed on personalized license plates.
Just last year, the Texas Department of Transportation, which runs TxTag, ended a contract with a previous toll vendor because of a faulty system upgrade.
TxTag customers were overcharged or getting hit with large bills and late fees because they received the bills late. Customers also complained about website issues, like being able to see statements or pay bills and problems getting customer service on the phone.
TxTag reviews plates digitally before a person takes a second look to make sure certain plates aren't wrongfully charged, but the issue continues.
Although TxTag said things have improved, just Tuesday, customers said they could not view their statement online.
TxTag officials released the following statement on the issue:
"During the transition to the new TxTag system, there were changes made to reduce confusion related to Texas plates. When a customer’s TxTag sticker is not correctly read on the toll road, an image of the license plate is taken and through image review there’s an attempt to link the license plate number to a TxTag account. In this instance tolls could not be deducted from the customer’s TxTag account because (1) the TxTag sticker was not read and (2) the customer’s plate was listed with numbers 1 and 0 on the TxTag account.
We ask customers to contact the TxTag Customer Service Center at TxTag.org or by calling 888-468-9824 if they have similar experiences with their license plate that includes I, 1, O, and/or 0."