Automated Ticket on E-470
Got one of those automated “civil violations” in the mail from the good people at E-470 the other day. Best I can figure, here’s how it happened…
Our next door neighbor’s husband passed away suddenly last month. My wife volunteered to shuttle out-of-town relatives to/from the airport, to help out the family. Another neighbor suggested my wife take E-470, which is more direct to the airport and faster than going the usual (free) route using I-225 to I-70, etc. The neighbor offered my wife her “toll tag” to pay the tolls. Well, apparently, that’s not allowed? The toll tag can only be used by the vehicle it’s registered for. (At least that’s what I’m assuming, since there was a photo of our car as “proof of the violation.” We didn’t know that, not ever having traveled on E-470 ourselves.) Anyway, it was quite an unpleasant surprise to find out that we now owe a $79 fine.
I suppose if my wife had been pulled over by a real human being, there might have been some grace allowed. Maybe this points to the problem of automating everything, whether it’s a toll camera or a customer service phone line. (”If you’d like to check your account balance, press ONE…”)(Puh-LEEEZ!)
So, I’ll pay the fine, and will TRY to be civil about it…
+++POST SCRIPT, June 6–turns out I *didn’t* have to pay the fine after all! When I called to pay, and explained what happened, they told me to have the neighbor whose toll tag we used call the office and they would waive the fine and simply deduct the toll from their toll tag! SWEET! THANK you, E-470!!