CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some drivers tell WCNC Charlotte avoiding traffic by using the toll roads in the Charlotte area is actually costing them time and money after their commute.
They said they're running into billing issues.
Yokima Cureton, a driver who used the toll lanes, said she's hoping to see her NC Quick Pass account reconciled after months of seeing late fees for a bill she says she paid on time.
"When we received the notification, we were careful about just putting it aside to make sure that we paid it in advance of its due date," Cureton said.
The toll was $1.22, which was cleared from her account on Nov. 2. However, according to her screenshot from bill payment company Doxo it didn't clear until Nov. 18. As a result, she saw late fees tacked onto her next bill.
She said called NCDOT to find out what was going on, saying she paid NC Quick Pass directly using the web address listed on her bill.
"The payments evidently were held at the third party for another two weeks before paying, which then made us late," Cureton said.
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Logen Hodges, communications director for NC Turnpike Authority, explained in an email if customers search online for the toll authority, companies like Doxo are paying to have ads prominently placed, leading customers to think it's an authorized payment processor.
NCDOT is seeking legal action against such companies.
"Doxo is not an authorized vendor for NC Quick Pass," Hodges said. "We became aware of the issue in December and have been working with customers who have been penalized for unknowingly using these unauthorized vendors."
The Better Business Bureau in Seattle, Washington, lists over 250 complaints against Doxo for billing issues.
In response, a spokesperson for doxo sent us an email explaining, "There is no delay from the time funds are received by doxo and when they are sent to the biller - it happens on the same business day. Any delays in posting are happening after the payment has been received by NC Quick Pass' payment processing vendor. And while we don’t have visibility into their systems and processes for handling the payments once received from us, we can see from our own records that those payments seem to be sitting at their service center for up to 3 weeks before they are cleared. Certainly users shouldn’t be getting charged late fees for payments that are arriving at the NC Quick Pass remittance address on time. doxo has tried to engage NC Quick Pass in an electronic deposit relationship (that is a free service from doxo that many of our biller partners leverage), but we have been unsuccessful to date. Most of doxo’s payments are transmitted electronically, which is immediate. In the meantime, the fact of the slow-processing-once-received is made very clear in our user experience when paying a bill to NC Quick Pass using doxo. To be clear, it is NOT doxo that is causing the delay in payments, it is the NC Turnpike Authority's own vendor."
Another driver, who does have a transponder, also reached out to WCNC Charlotte after seeing charges on his statement for using the express lanes on I-77. Screenshots show his car registered as HOV and therefore, he shouldn't have been charged again.
Hodges explained NC Quick Pass was working to get him the correct type of transponders and that they were going to credit his account.
Earlier this year, the NC Turnpike Authority announced that NC Quick Pass is working with customers affected by unauthorized payment vendors resulting in late payments and fees. The agency said if you see issues with your statements, call their customer service center at 877-769-7277 and they'll waive any late fees caused by those companies.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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