Toll agency fumbling E-ZPass refunds
Readers of this blog know I have no problem with thye Maryland Transportation Authority's deciision to impose a $1.50 a month E-ZPass account fee, but it's ridiculous when those who choose to close their accounts get the run-around. Here's a report from David Gosey of Towson on the troubles he's been having:
While EZ-Pass is good for some motorists, getting a refund from them is anything but EZ. On 6/22/2009 I both e-mailed and called EZ-Pass to try to close our account. I received a return e-mail confirming that, along with a request #. On 7/2/2009 I received another e-mail saying our request had been resolved and we would get the funds owed us once closure was completed (approximately 30 business days). According to their web site as of last Friday, our account is still open and they took out a $1.50 service charge fee on July1st. I called EZ-Pass earlier today and got a run-around. The lady at EZ-Pass told me the we would get the refund 30 business days from the 7/2 e-mail. When I said it was over 45 business days from when we asked them to close the account and well over 30 business days from 7/2, she said the same thing. 30 BUSINESS DAYS, as though I didn't hear her the first time. When I explained once again that it was well over 30 BUSINESS DAYS, she said there was a back-log, but we should get our money in 30 business days. I gave up and said goodbye. I would like to get the $46.80 due us before the State of Maryland decides that the state is in such bad shape that they will not be giving refunds. Or perhaps giving us an I.O.U., ala California. I know this is small potatoes in the over-all scheme of things but it must be a very large sum of money if they are holding out on all of the 5,000 people who tried to close their account. Thanks for letting me vent.
You're welcome. Here's what Teri Moss, spokeswoman for the authority, had to say about the foot-dragging:
As you know, there has been a greater volume of account closure requests than normal. This has resulted in delays in processing the requests. We are currently processing requests from mid-July and a few from late June.
To address the anticipated higher volume of inquires and closure requests, we began supplementing staff in May and have continually added to the staffing levels as needed. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers and appreciate their patience. We are processing as expeditiously as possible.
We are waiving the $1.50 account fee during the closure process if there has been no activity since June 30.
Does this seem like a lame excuse to you? Do you think the authority could have anticipated an uptick in cancellations? You're not alone.
Categories: Maryland toll facilities
Comments
"To address the anticipated higher volume of inquires and closure requests, we began supplementing staff in May and have continually added to the staffing levels as needed."
So they increased staffing levels? Aren't they in a budget crunch? Isn't that why they added this fee?
Posted by: Richard | September 2, 2009 9:26 AM
They still owe me $6. They charged me the fee for July, then reimbursed it to my account, but my account is still open. I've also already returned my transponder.
Oddly enough though, my boyfriend was told that he didn't have to return his transponder to close his account. He's also in the same boat as me: account's "closed" but no refund yet.
Posted by: SH | September 2, 2009 10:05 AM
At least they're offering a refund. Right before I got married in March, my then soon-to-be husband and I went to the EZPass office and put our accounts together (so we'd only have to pay the service fee once each month). Both accounts had money in them - we had to sacrifice the amount in one of the accounts. They couldn't just credit the other account. Luckily, it was only about $8, but still, it was MY $8.
Consider yourself lucky if you ever get the refund.
It sure would be nice if they could also open the left NB 95 lane (outside of the dedicated EZpass) to just EZPass holders in the afternoons. It gets SO backed up on the dedicated lane...and some days there is another option...on others, not so much. Consistency would be nice.
Posted by: lvnbraves | September 2, 2009 10:21 AM
"Oddly enough though, my boyfriend was told that he didn't have to return his transponder to close his account. "
I originally canceled my account in mid July and got their standard "Close Account Request Confirmation" email, which stated that all transponders should be returned within 10 days.
A month later, when my account was still not closed (I thought because I forgot to return my transponders), I called to inquire. I was told that there was no need to return my transponders. In fact, they said that it would make no difference in the amount of $ refunded.
Their customer service rep - who was surprisingly pleasant - claimed that my account had not been closed/processed yet simply due to their backlog of cancellation requests.
Posted by: JB | September 2, 2009 10:50 AM
Wait a minute, let me see if I got this correct? Michael Dresser is actually CRITICIZING the MdTA for messing up on these refunds for closed EZ-Pass accounts? I'm absolutely shocked, because every other post on here has him endlessly defending the MdTA for what he calls a reasonable $1.50 monthly charge for the "privilege" of having an EZ-Pass account. I had to read this post 3 times because I just couldn't believe that he was criticizing MdTA.
Posted by: Steve | September 2, 2009 10:05 PM
Ah the Government is always so quick to take your money but so slow to give it back. maybe they can take all of those extra cops they have and put them in the office for a few days to help with the refunds.
Posted by: rob | September 4, 2009 5:38 PM