Avis - Charged for toll I thought I avoided in Houston

After driving around Texas for a week conscientiously avoiding all the e-toll gates so I wouldn't have to pay a $14.75 "convenience" fee, I just got a bill from Avis for... you guessed it, a $14.75 convenience fee plus $1.30 in actual tolls.

Now, I'm fairly sure I didn't go through any toll gate-lane-thingies, and I certainly didn't hear the little toll thing go beep, but on the other hand the bill does specify a location that I was probably somewhere near on the day and time in question.

Since I obviously can't prove that I didn't go through the toll gate, do I have any better options than just letting it slide? Can someone with more knowledge of Houston's toll gate system let me know whether it's possible that the toll system could have misread me as being on the main freeway when I was crawling along the road next to it? Or else just reassure me that the Houston tollway system is wacky and that it's super-easy to get charged a toll without ever actually going through anything clearly marked as a toll lane? (The specific gate was marked SHT-SAMN if that means anything to anyone.)

And yes, I do think that being charged $14.75 in fees for a single $1.30 toll is pretty darn excessive.

Sorry I am not familiar with Houston in particular, but in CA if you run a toll they also take a picture. You could request that evidence to support the charge. But then thy gets into the territory where is the effort/time worth it.

Not sure about Houston but in Dallas, some sections of the roads are e-toll only, meaning there are no cash lanes at all. If you don't have a toll tag, you have no choice but to get a paper bill in the mail. Maybe you drove through something like this and didn't realize it?

There are some on ramps that have gates that are both cash and EZpass, perhaps the reader scanned the EZpass and lifted the gate before your cash was registered.... Also, the EZpasses are stickers with some sort of passive RFID-type tag inside, they don't beep, so you wouldn't have gotten an indication that the toll gate read your tag or your cash.

Not sure about Houston but in Dallas, some sections of the roads are e-toll only, meaning there are no cash lanes at all. If you don't have a toll tag, you have no choice but to get a paper bill in the mail. Maybe you drove through something like this and didn't realize it?

Definitely those in Houston as well, but I thought I avoided 'em.

But on reflection it's more likely to be my mistake than theirs, so I might as well just suck it up and pay the money. Of all the dumb mistakes you can make while driving an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads, you might as well make the sixteen-dollar kind rather than the oh-dear-we'll-have-to-amputate-your-legs kind.

The easier way to avoid the EZ-Pass mis-read situation is to take the EZ-Pass off the windshield and put it in the center console. Having it inside its case, and inside the armrest, its much harder for it to be read.

No, they cannot be read from a side freeway. The distance reads on the EZ Pass interrogator is about 18 feet, and it goes out like a oval bubble. Longer read range in the lane, and shorter read range for the width of the lane. This is how they can tell what lane you are actually in.

The better answer what mlh1 stated which was that even though you paid cash, your tag was also read at the same time. Those plastic cases they put the tags in arent impenetrable so sometimes the radio signal from the interrogator slips through.

The easier way to avoid the EZ-Pass mis-read situation is to take the EZ-Pass off the windshield and put it in the center console. Having it inside its case, and inside the armrest, its much harder for it to be read.

No, they cannot be read from a side freeway. The distance reads on the EZ Pass interrogator is about 18 feet, and it goes out like a oval bubble. Longer read range in the lane, and shorter read range for the width of the lane. This is how they can tell what lane you are actually in.

The better answer what mlh1 stated which was that even though you paid cash, your tag was also read at the same time. Those plastic cases they put the tags in arent impenetrable so sometimes the radio signal from the interrogator slips through.

Some cars in Tx have the new fastpass or whatever its called..they look like an inspection sticker but have the RF embedded..not possible to remove

(The specific gate was marked SHT-SAMN if that means anything to anyone.)

And yes, I do think that being charged $14.75 in fees for a single $1.30 toll is pretty darn excessive.

I think that stands for Sam Houston Tollway - South Main Lanes.

As for being erroneously charged, I'd fire off an email to our County Judge, Ed Emmett. He is not a judge in the judicial sense, rather the CEO of Harris County, which oversees Harris County Toll Road Authority, including the $1M they take in per day. judge.emmett@cjo.hctx.net

I think it is important for him to know this is going on.

Also, fire off an email to El Franco Lee, a Harris County Commissioner. His Exec Admin is Dorothy_Washington@cp1.hctx.net

His private company has made $2 Billion from government contracts in the last 30 years including building IAH's consolidated car rental facility.

Note that some Houston area freeways have added HOT (High Occupancy Tolling) to the HOV lanes.

Best!

As for being erroneously charged, I'd fire off an email to our County Judge, Ed Emmett. He is not a judge in the judicial sense, rather the CEO of Harris County, which oversees Harris County Toll Road Authority, including the $1M they take in per day. judge.emmett@cjo.hctx.net


You're missing the point. The $14.75 comes from AVIS for using their toll system. The only money Houston collected was the $1.75.

Emailing the government because you dont like AVIS policies on their toll devices is a waste of time and resources.

You're missing the point. The $14.75 comes from AVIS for using their toll system. The only money Houston collected was the $1.75.

Emailing the government because you dont like AVIS policies on their toll devices is a waste of time and resources.

No I'm not missing the point. Sending an email may take a few minutes, at most, and yield results. I am quite familiar with our county elected officials and know they have a very close working relationship with the major car rental outfits.

A little bit of topic :

I am leaving for Houston in about a week. I used to take Hertz, but now switched to AVIS. Are all their cars equiped for EZ tag? Or do I have to ask for it ? I did not notice it as an option when I made the reservation.

thanks,

Luc

Another option is to request a out of state car, last time we got one with MI licence plate on so we didn't have to worry about being wrongfully charged.

A little bit of topic :

I am leaving for Houston in about a week. I used to take Hertz, but now switched to AVIS. Are all their cars equiped for EZ tag? Or do I have to ask for it ? I did not notice it as an option when I made the reservation.

thanks,

Luc

Some Avis/IAH cars have HCTRA tags in the windows with on/off switches for the box. Some don't have this. However, they participate in TXTag (http://www.txtag.org/faqs_rental.php). The details are there and on the Avis page (http://www.avis.com/car-rental/content/display.ac?contentId=etoll-service-US_en-001366):


State of Texas
In the state of Texas customers automatically opt-in to use Avis e-Toll when they use EZ Tag, Toll Tag or Tx Tag. Vehicles are equipped with either video tolling capability or toll transponders. Simply drive through a designated EZ Tag, Toll Tag or Tx Tag based lane. When a renter utilizes these video/transponder based toll lanes, the toll system identifies the car and charges the standard non-discounted fee for the toll roads published by the toll authority, plus the convenience fee of $2.95 per day ($14.75 maximum per month). Fees will be charged to Renter's credit card. There is no charge for Avis e-Toll unless you use it.

Thanks for the info

Luc

I had a similar experience in NYC, a few years ago. I thought the Avis installed unit was switched off. I have my own EZ Pass, and used it. I subsequently got a bill from Avis, which I complained about, since my EZ Pass account was also charged, but the difference was enormous, with the Avis fee included. They basically told me to pound sand, saying it was a separate company. I located the tolling company, sent a copy of my own EZ Pass charges, showing the duplication, but they never responded. A little due diligence revealed that the "separate company" was also located on the same street as Avis corporate, in Garden City, NY. It's a scam. They own it. On the rare occasions when I use those thugs, I make sure the unit is off, when I stop at the exit booth of the rental area.

Some Avis/IAH cars have HCTRA tags in the windows with on/off switches for the box. Some don't have this. However, they participate in TXTag (http://www.txtag.org/faqs_rental.php). The details are there and on the Avis page (http://www.avis.com/car-rental/content/display.ac?contentId=etoll-service-US_en-001366):

Wow - that seems to indicate that OP should at most have been charged $2.95 + the toll, since he only used it for one day. Further, it is shameful that Avis is charging the full toll amount, when they are only paying the discounted toll amount assessed by the transponder. Shouldn't the 'convenience fee' cover the overhead of re-billing? :confused: Sounds like a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen.

OP - yes, it is easy to mistakenly end up on a toll road without realizing it. Some of the toll roads don't have real booths, just cameras/RFID readers attached to a metal frame near the on-ramp. There are also free interstates that suddenly morph/merge into paid toll highways with little or no warning.

Wow - that seems to indicate that OP should at most have been charged $2.95 + the toll, since he only used it for one day. Further, it is shameful that Avis is charging the full toll amount, when they are only paying the discounted toll amount assessed by the transponder. Shouldn't the 'convenience fee' cover the overhead of re-billing? :confused: Sounds like a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen.

OP - yes, it is easy to mistakenly end up on a toll road without realizing it. Some of the toll roads don't have real booths, just cameras/RFID readers attached to a metal frame near the on-ramp. There are also free interstates that suddenly morph/merge into paid toll highways with little or no warning.
Nope. The terms state that once you use the tag, be it intentionally or not, you're charged the service fee for each day of the rental, even if you never use the tag again (although it typically caps at 5 days worth of admin fees).

There are some places with open-road tolling (cashless toll roads, like the E-470 near DEN) where the only options are tag or license plate photo, and either one would activate the daily fee. The only sure-fire way to avoid the eToll fee is to avoid toll roads altogether.

I'll be interested to see if the belt-and-suspenders approach I used in Florida will help. I had my SunPass mounted, their transponder box in the 'off' position, and added the rental car's license plate to my SunPass account. Hopefully, even if the transponder failed to read for some reason the system will bill my account since I had the plate listed.

I had a TollTag box for many years before it died and I had to send it in to NTTA and they sent me instead one of their sticker tags (which is not portable).

I complained to the high heavens but since they no longer offer the boxes I was stuck with the sticker tag, which is useless as it can be damaged easily and does not work unless one holds it perfectly against the glass.

Add to that the last time through I tried to register the AVIS car's plates onto my account and it warned me that the car was already registered and would not let me register it.

FL still gives out boxes and their website allows one to register Rental Cars so that you can pay the toll yourself vs. the E-Toll type service.

Dan