A DRIVER has complained of “harassment” after being charged monthly toll fees for a car she does not own.
She’s been stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare with lazy Florida transportation officials – for three years.
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Pamela Laplante of Tampa, Florida, has been using a hay trailer to get food for her three horses.
She purchased the trailer several years ago.
But since purchasing the trailer, Laplante has received toll violations for a white car that repeatedly passed through the same toll booths in South Florida.
Warnings come every month about a mysterious Mercedes SUV she doesn’t own for the past three years.
It feels like harassment, every month.
Pamela Laplante
And she has repeatedly called the Florida Department of Transportation to sort out the mess — but the bills keep coming.
She was so angered by the lack of intervention that she contacted an NBC affiliate WFLA this month for urgent help.
“It feels like harassment, every month,” she explained.
“I waste at least a good 30 minutes of my time trying to talk to someone.
“A living person is supposed to look at these invoices before they send them out. And that’s supposed to put an end to that, but it actually looks worse now than it was.”
And, incredibly, WFLALaplante’s intervention finally brought some relief a fortnight later.
The transportation department told the station Tuesday it could not comment on individual reports.
Combat incorrect toll violations
A legal expert says a toll violation notice can be challenged with a few simple steps.
- Double-check the name and license plate number. Breaches are finalized by a technician before they are sent, and sometimes a simple mistake can be made. If the problem is as simple as someone misinterpreting the sign due to a grainy photo, the problem can be resolved by calling the toll agency.
- If the license plate is correct but the car is no longer registered in your name, you can dispute it by contacting your state’s transportation agency (i.e. DMV) to provide proof that the vehicle is no longer yours. .
- If the violation claims it was issued due to a missing account and you actually have an active account, the violation can usually be challenged on the toll agency’s website. Otherwise, calling is an option.
- Dispute the notice immediately. Many toll agencies impose a short deadline for drivers to contest a notification, so it’s important to do so quickly to avoid late fees.
- Be clear when submitting a dispute online. The more details you include, the easier it will be to resolve the issue.
- If necessary, drivers can file a hearing to dispute the charge.
Read more here.
But he promised the broadcaster that he would immediately escalate the problem and contact them directly.
Yesterday, a transportation officer contacted Laplante and gave him a phone number to call if he received another mistaken violation.
“I don’t have to go through that whole maze on the phone and spend 30 minutes trying to talk to someone,” said a relieved Laplante.
“So I hope I don’t get another one. But if I do, at least I’ll have his direct line, so I really appreciate it, thank you.”
RED FLAGS
Laplante said he hopes his story of “harassment” encourages transportation authorities to resolve these types of situations much more quickly.
“They need to find some different type of screening to make sure they are actually sending tolls to the correct people,” she advised.
“And they should have something in place so that if they send the toll to the wrong person, they flag it so it doesn’t happen repeatedly.”
Laplante said he still has no idea why he received the toll violation notices.
This is because the department did not provide an explanation.
But she was told that her tag would be just one letter away from the white car being stolen at the tollbooth.
DO NOT PAY
The broadcaster recommended that other drivers also incorrectly caught in a toll violation loophole not pay the fee.
“You should call the breach number to alert them of the error and make sure you take detailed notes about every call you make,” he said.
“Most importantly, don’t pay the bill as this will only confuse the situation further – some people just pay to make the situation go away.”
The US Sun has reached out to the transportation department for further comment.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
