Man fed up after Triangle Expressway bill mix-up
GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- One man from Garner is tired of getting charged for being on the Triangle Expressway despite not actually driving on it when the bill claims he did. It's happened to Wes Stephens not just once, but several times.
Stephens says when he did drive the Triangle Expressway to get to and from work, he would just pay the bill when he got it. But after working at home for a few months, he got another bill.
He took a look at the charges, wondering how that could be possible since he didn't drive on it.
"I just always looked through the bill and paid it," he said. "I never realized it until I paid close attention and my tag was transposed between a 6 and an 8."
On the bill, the picture of the license plate the Triangle Expressway cameras captured shows the tag ending in 87. Stephens' tag ends in 67.
He called the customer service for the Triangle Expressway and says he was told they would do an audit on his account to see how many times he was charged and paid on a tag that didn't belong to him.
He says he was refunded about $20 and was told the mix-up would not happen again.
A few months later, more bills came for a tag that didn't belong to him.
"I talked to the person, that person told me it would be taken care of. So now it's been three months later, I got another bill in the mail for the same tag," he said.
Wes was fed up, "Takes time out of your day, takes time to call and sit through the whole music and customer service people."
I got in touch with the state, and a rep said the license plate mismatch happened when the computer incorrectly read the number as a 6 instead of an 8. The rep assures me adjustments were made in the system so it does not happen again. He adds all erroneous charges were dropped.
The best advice is to not just pay bills when you get them. Read through every charge to make sure it belongs to you before paying it.
