Here’s a place to talk about all the frustrations people seem to have with EPass and Sunpass. Let it rip!
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Everyone seems to have a nighmare story about EPass or Sunpass. A billing error, threats of losing driver’s licenses… the list could go on.
Let’s talk about experiences with Central Florida’s toll agencies.
I got socked with $2000.00 in Fines and a license suspension when my Transponder failed to work. I took it to the Main EPass office 3 times and they kept checking it and saying it was fine,when obviously it wasn’t.
I tried to fight it to no avail.
The person in the recent toll road Debacle,Cheryl Perry,needs to get proof of the fact that she wasn’t using the SunPass lanes. The Turnpike Authority needs to show photographic Evidence that she did…or didn’t. Its real easy to go on Camera and “SAY” that she did.
Its all a cover up because the system is screwed up and undoubtedly the people behind the scenes are corrupt as all get out.
I recently had my license suspended and can’t afford to get it back!
I received toll violations and paid them with my UTN numbers on the check that they cashed. But Sunpass says the payment was late and that they issued 4 citations which I never received and never knew there was any problems with my payment. They cashed my check in December and I heard nothing until march 08 that my license was going to be suspended. I was on the phone for 3 days trying to find a way to stop the suspension because I already PAID! I even faxed a Sunpass manager the cashed check. They said a refund was issued to return my money because I paid too late. But when I called the next week to confirm the violation dates and dates for the citation notices that I never received, they couldn’t tell me the refund date. They said there was no refund on file! I now owe over $900. I also contacted channel 9 news to get help with a problem so many others are having. And when Mrs Welch contacted Sunpass, they came back with a terrible reply to smear my name. Claiming that I was not a customer in good standing because the Epass transponder that almost never used was negative $1 in September. They’re reply also mentioned that because I added money the morning that I went through the tolls, Sunpass wouldn’t work. (But Epass did) ( they also say thier technology is exactly the same as Epass!)
And tried to say I never updated my vehicle information which I did from my cars make, model and tag. When I recently checked my vehicle info it was updated from my nissan truck to my honda civic but the tag wasn’t updated. I called this in but didn’t realize I’d have to check after them to see if they did their job.
The next time this happened through Sunpass my account was in the positive and the transponder still didn’t pick up the toll. But ALL my Epass tolls worked those days!
When I made so many calls to Sunpass, I never once blamed them but only asked that they realize something is not working right . . .
And that in this case there was an error. They had every chance to make a quick phone call to the clerk of courts to STOP the suspension. But they wouldn’t and they lied about my refund and I NEVER received ANY citations! And on top of everything else, I talked to SO many different people and not one person could tell me why my transponder didn’t work. It wasn’t until WFTV contacted them that they could explain a possible cause, smearing my name to cover up for their obvious mistakes.
I pay my taxes, am a good citizen and deserve to have more consideration in this matter. I was taking a foster child to get an emergency root canal over 3 hours away to Shand’s Hospital. But Sunpass says I’m not a person in “Good Standing”!
Now how do I get a court hearing to get this dismissed??????
I have e-pass. While I haven’t had all the fustrations of others, my complaint is with their website. It is never up to date, and according to them, when my account auto renews, it doesn’t show until the next time I use a toll road, even though they bill my account (credit card) immediately.
i dont see the need of the tollway needing the tag #on the car i drive if i used an sunpass or an e pass (witch i dont) i paid for the pass i should be able to use it on any vehicle i drive if they need my tag # they should gon to the police and get it from them and should pay the pd for the time that it takes the pd to look it up
Sunpass at the airport is a huge joke. Twice I’ve tried to use it, and twice I spent 15 minutes plus in the so called “express” lane while the schlep in the booth took each person’s sunpass transponder and called the number in manually. When I addressed the matter with the airport and Ampco, the parking vendor, both blew it off as “glitches in new technology” despite the fact the system has been in place now for over a year. There are toll agencies in other states that do electronic collection far more efficiently and far cheaper (i.e. offer higher discounts to electronic pass users); it’s high time for Sunpass to go away.
We are overcharged by e-pass almost every month. Usually at the 1.25 toll on 528. Sometimes as much as $4 per pass!!! Every time I report ther overcharge they “Credit” it back to my account the next month, but it always appears to be another charge and nobody can/will tell me why or explain it to me. This has been happening for more than a year now.
I had so many problems with Sunpass I switched to E-pass , I couldn’t get Sunpass to fix my problems of “missed” toll passings , 2 tickets violations were never sent to me and then got letter from the state to surrender drivers license{ still don’t know who got those 2 tickets]. I tried to fix the problem with Sunpass I got a lot of “please hold I try to find someone that help you” I even offered to donate a cash offering to fix the problem and they said it was too late even though they knew the tickets were never sent to me. I call OCEA{orange county expressway authority} to get their help , telling that my receiver was working on some days and others it would work 100% had the bills to prove it, It wasn’t a batterie problem , it was the first thing i did to try fix the problem. So I canceled my Sunpass account since it was 100 % them {bad transponder , bad mailing/filing for no pays on tickets, just plan couldn’t a problem if was the last thing to do.} So OCEA fixed the tickets and I have been with E-Pass happily so 3-4 years now.
Sometime during 2007 there was a billing glitch with my Sunpass account. I never knew about it because Sunpass was sending notifications about it to some mystery address in South Florida where I’ve never lived. I finally found out about it in October when I started receiving license suspension notices from Orange County. By the time I tracked down the problem, I received a total of 32 suspensions on my license. Even after admitting the problem, Sunpass would only rescind 16 of the suspensions. I eventually went to court in February and got the other 16 suspensions dismissed. But for nearly 3 months, my wife had to drive me both ways to work (a total of 120 miles per work day!). This put a lot of extra miles on my vehicle and cost me hundreds in extra fuel expenses. This should have been a problem that was resolved in a ten minute phone call. But, they have the typical attitude you find in any government run program: they don’t care about their customers because they don’t have to care. Nor does there appear to be any recourse against them. If anyone is interested in doing a class action suit, I’m in.
I neglected to add, I had contacted WFTV’s action line. They sent a letter to Sunpass. Sunpass made the effort to call to tell me that they received the letter and that they still weren’t going to do anything to help me.
I am glad that I don’t have a SunPass or an EPass. I just knew that problems like this would arise. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and that has proven true in this case. There have been EPass and SunPass problems for years, and they don’t get fixed.
What bothers me is that the Expressway Authority doesn’t fix the problem, and although they acknowledge that the problem exists, they refuse to comment on them, and they offer no timetable on when the problems will be resolved.
Also, tollroads are constitutionally illegal. It’s double taxation. We already pay for the use of public roads by paying gasoline taxes, federal, state and local. All road construction should be paid from those taxes. We burn those tax dollars when we drive on tollroads. The only alternative that I can offer is to provide tax-free gas on all toll roads.
I don’t use tollroads unless I absolutely need to. It’s my own personal boycott of an illegal government program.
My teenage son uses my Epass so I can track his speed between two points on the Greeneway. I received a photo in the mail of him “running” a toll, yet the 2nd toll and both return tolls on the same route were paid. Not only that, but the photo included the exact time (down to the second) of his “violation.” The difference between the two tolls going and the two tolls returning was exactly four seconds – pretty diligent for a teenage driver.
I called Epass and was told, “It’s taken care of.” I specifically asked, “That’s great. What exactly did you do?” The woman said they charged our account for the toll. Now why did they not do that in the first place rather than spend the postage on the letter and waste my time on the phone?
A month later, I get a citation in the mail! Again, I called Epass and apparently they entered the license plate number wrong from my original call, so nothing was done and I was ticketed. The photo I received had the picture of the license plate on it. How can they get the license number wrong? I was instructed to file a citation dispute request, but I can only guess that form, like every other step along the way, will be fouled up by Epass, too. Just to be safe, I am going to file “not guilty” for my citation and will take my turn in court if necessary.
Doesn’t it seem odd that in the past several months these issues have ballooned? The time I have spent dealing with this issue, as well as the labor and postage that has been spent by Epass and the state is ten times more expensive than the original $.25 toll. It would have made more sense to just charge my Epass account. What a hassle!
I, too, received a letter from the state of Florida in Dec. 07 saying that my license was to be suspended in two weeks for failure to pay a toll on the turnpike in June 07. I went on the circuit court website to look up my case number as I had no prior notification of any of it. After many calls and being transferred from EPASS (where the violation occurred), and SUNPASS (the pass I have), it was determined from the photo taken that day it was a TYPO of the plate number. The last digit entered off the photo was incorrectly typed in and that wrong number happened to be a plate I owned several years ago. Since I had moved twice, I had received no notification of a violation. EPASS admitted it was a typo and would send confirmation to the Clerk of Court. Well, back and forth that went and it came to the day before my license was to be suspended. The court still hadn’t received the suspension clearance letter (no, they are not allowed to fax it), so I opted to pay the fine to avoid my license being suspended instead of taking a chance that it would come through that day as I was told. I was then told I would be reimbursed the $103.50 once the clearance letter was received and that it would take 8 to 12 weeks. The case has been dismissed, my license was not suspended, but I have yet to receive my refund for a toll violation that was not even me to begin with in the first place. Sunpass and the Orange County Clerk of Court office were helpful once I reached them in this whole process. EPASS employees were extremely rude the four times I spoke to them.
I am in the same place as the gentleman your featuring on the news Monday night (4/7). My credit card changed and I forgot to update my Sunpass account with my new number. I moved and didn’t receive any notice, then found out 6 months later that my license had been suspended. The only thing I could do was pay the 14 violations against me or my license would be taken. For each violation I was charged $174, the total for all 14 violations was around $2,600. I called Sunpass and they said I had an outstanding balance of $120.00 which I had to pay, but the woman I spoke to agreed the charges were excessive. I’m pretty upset about it, but I had to pay in order to have my license reinstated. Then, 3 weeks later, I came back from my honeymoon and received a notice in the mail that because I paid the fines, I had admitted guilt on all charges and according to the new statue I would receive 3 points on my license for each violation. In total, 42 points were placed on my license, therefore revoking it for 12 months.
I registered for a work permit and am now in the process of writing a letter to send to a judge to see if I can get some leniency because this has totally gotten out of control.
Two years ago I was commuting from Oviedo to Ocoee everyday. I had an account with Sunpass, Epass continually wrote me tickets, and took my licensee three times during that school year. I was paying over $100.00 a month and receiving tickets. I actually moved what school I was teaching at to avoid any further problems. It is unfortunate that all of us that have suffered in the pasted will not be compensated.
Sincerely,
C. Devin Hoey
8136792059
ps I would love to help in anyway to stop this from happening to others. Thank you for doing this story.
We used the beachline from 95 to the airpirt on Friday April 18 and Tuesday Aparil 22. On the way we noticed our sumpass did not beep at the toll gate. but it beeped at the airport. We aere confused and called Sun Pass
we were advised our battery was weak and we need to replace it. I think we should be notified of they see that is is getting weak. I was told they noticed it in November 2007. They said a picture was taken of our plate and they would charge our account and if we get a letter, to call them back.
I have been having problems with sunpass. I have called both epass and sunpass and changed the battery in my transponder at Lowes and took the transponder in to the epass center be checked, but they said it was fine. They said my only recourse is to send a letter to the Florida DOT in Tallahassee.My problem is that since the end of January none of my sunpass toll charges have shown up on my account. I moved (about 4 years ago)since getting this transponder, travel frequently and would like to have my transponder work in the first place, as I still haven’t gotten my charges, almost 3 months later, let alone be able to pay them on time or get any possible reimbursements for work related tolls. I have done all I could to try to find out what to do, but they say there is nothing to do. The epass toll booths work fine, but the epass personnel tell me that the sunpass signal is just weak, so it doesn’t interact with my transponder when I go through. Thru Jan 08 it worked. Thanks for your help! Tim and Betty Wyma
I have a Sunpass account that was started in S. Florida, never once until moving to Orange County had I ever had any problems with tolls. Sunpass blames Epass and says that any toll violations that I have received have to be cleared through them. Funny how Epass has control over my Sunpass account when I just heard today on the radio that Epass cannot send violations to Sunpass customers. This all started with getting notices that my license was going to be suspended, surprise to me! I went to court to fight it, judge dropped it. Then I find out while there that there is another suspension pending. Had to wait for that and go to court again. This time a liason from Sunpass showed up and asked for the case to be dismissed. Don’t you think we can spend taxpayers money better than this? Well when I think it is all over, I get two more surprises in the mail. Both stating that I have toll violations, surprise, through Epass. When I contact Sunpass they suggest that I call Epass to have this taken care of. They continue to say that they probably will not dismiss the violations, nice way to treat your customers! I would like to know one thing, if the tolls were paid through a credit card with auto replenishment, why are we being charged a second time with additional fees? I found it to be ironic that the same day that I received these notices, I hear the Ch.9 news in the background talking about toll violations. I had just thought about contacting them myself. Unfortunatley in Orlando, you have to pay tolls wherever you go. Epass must be making some big bucks.
I think I really need to reiterate/clarify some things concerning my first Post here.
My License was suspended THREE years ago (I still can’t afford to pay these ridiculous fines so my Wife drives me to and from work) and the system wasn’t working then (Both EPass and SunPass as I live in Oviedo and work in Orlando) and its not certainly working NOW!
All these claims by the Expressway Authority that they are “Working on it” is truly laughable! They have been at it for THREE years and the still haven’t got it right! When will they get it right?????
FYI..I have been driving the 408 for nigh on 17 years, literally 7 days a week and always paid by cash. I had an EPass for less than one year and it created a nightmare.
My Transponder now resides in a box in my garage and I closed my account soon after they suspended my license….which I never received ONE citation for,and I haven’t moved either.
I have also advised friends and family that have moved here or are considering getting an EPass to not get one.
So when is the EA going to quit pointing fingers at everyone else and accept the blame for their own ineptitude?
By the way,thanks WFTV for trying to make things right!
i am scheduled to be in court for 2 violations because my battery was out..i failed to change my address which i agree was my fault, but a 487.00 fine for 2 -1.00 tickets..i pleaded with the toll agency to accept 50.00 but they flatly refused. i asked them to send me the letter that they sent to my previous address so i could use it as my defense and they refused. i have had my transponder for about 10 years and it is tied to my axp card..jeff
I received a bill for .50 for running a toll. The transponder obviously malfunctioned because the transponder has never been moved from my vehicle and I frequently use the toll system with no other problems. I called and had the .50 taken from my epass account which I do not understand why they did not do in the first place. Then I received a citation for 25.00 for not having the correct vehicle and tag on file. I never knew I had to change the information otherwise the information would have been correct. I tried to reconcile this through epass but could not dispute online as instructed by several agents I spoke to on the phone. Now since “time is running out” I have no other option except to either pay $158.00 or go to court. These options are ridiculous considering they take money from my account automatically and the incorrect information on file has no bearing on their profit.
I got socked with two 163.00 fines by OOCEA after my transponder fell under the seat. I appealed the fines and got a response saying that I had excessive infractions so they wouldn’t take my appeal. And of course by the time the appeal got denied I was past the 30 day mark so I couldn’t pay the $25 dollar fee plus the toll any longer and was hit with the 2 tickets and the 3 points each on my license. This is ridiculus that they would charge one of their own customers with these hefty fines. That and the ticket came from someone who isn’t even a police officer. This is no way to run a business.
I have been a Sunpass customer for 3 years and I have never experienced such a embarassing moment until I had to go to the clerk of court to prevent my license from being suspended. I kept receiving notices 3 months after the date of the violation. I called Sunpass since that is who bought my transponder from and I did not realize I was suppose to call Epass who is a totally different company. I started paying fines from $.50 cents (the fine) to $25.50 (the fine and the violation) finally serveral months went by and I was still paying on my transponder through automatic payment. To make a long story short I ended up paying around $800 in fines and viloations not counting what I was paying automatically. I believe (Sunpass & EPASS) are rip offs because the fines are ridiculous for a $.50 cents toll I ended up paying $187.00 for just one violation. I believe we should get our MONEY BACK for the fines and violations.
This whole Sun Pass program has so many problems that the whole system needs to be overhauled. Especially they should be required to FORWARD the tickets to any forwarding address that the post office has on file. How can someone be expected to pay a ticket that they do not even receive. Don’t we have a right to have the ticket forwarded to a new address if all of our other mail is being forwarded?
Please follow through with these issues for the people in ORANGE COUNTY as well. It is clearly “highway robbering” going on.
The transponders can not be trusted, the Sun Pass office can not be trusted to charge the credit card on file if there is a problem with a transponder, the Sun Pass ticket issuing department can not be trusted to send the tickets to the address on file with Sun Pass and they can not be trusted to FORWARD the tickets if the person has moved to a new address.
It looks as though the complete system is designed to take advantage of these loop holes which would then allow Sun Pass to send out more tickets and charge more fines thereby making an obscene amount of money every year. Clearly in these cases the punishment does not match the 50 cent crime, and Sun Pass certainly looks guilty of “organized crime” in fleecing the general public.
I do not believe all of this is done by accident or poor management I believe it is done with the intention to make as much money as possible otherwise if they really wanted to follow the law and care about the rights of the citizens they would be sure to forward the tickets to the new forwarding address with the post office. The letter notifying me that my license was going to be suspended was certainly FORWARDED to my new address so why weren’t the tickets FORWARDED?
When I had to enroll in the CAPS program in order to make monthly payments to pay my total in tickets which was over $3,000 the woman who works in the CAPS office told me that over 85% of the people on the payment plan are there because of SunPass. She said that even her own husband received a letter warning him that his license was going to be suspended because his transponder did not register at a toll booth, and he even had the automatic replenishment program so his account was never below $15.00. Why should the public be penalized when the equipment that the Expressway Authority owns and maintains isn’t working correctly?
It was not her husbands transponder that was not working because it was working on the next toll booth. Someone has to stop this insanity, cancel the electronic EPASS and SUNPASS and make fewer toll booths. It would be better to pay $2.00 once then to pay $.50 four separate times.
I have found other roads so that I can avoid the toll roads as much as possible and I keep a roll of quarters in my car to use if I do choose to get on a toll road.
I think it is interesting to read the judges comments about assigning a ticket to a “driver” based on the license plate number alone. There are often several drivers in the same family using the same car from time to time how can they even know who to give the ticket to? There are so many problems with this system we should just go back to paying cash only.
Hello world. I am beyond myself. I am a truck driver with a CDL license I was given a Sunpass from my company to use for my personal vehicle. I was thrown over 8 violations in which 4 turned into violations because of a faulty lane I pass 8 tolls roundtrip daily and they site me for the same one everytime. I have called them had my company call them my CEO call them to try and get this resolved. The company is uptodate on all of the tolls they have never ran out of money in their account and even have a back up credit card on file just in case funds run low in the base account. I can not get points on my license because this is how I feed my family. I have requested a court hearing because this is not my fault at all. I had to pay ouy $51 dollars last week for late charge to even request a hearing. I travel on their roads every day 60 miles round trip and however many more while working. They have suspended all violations in Seminole and Brevard county but what aout Orange county. Something has to be done about this it is costing us alot of money and stress. The court system should decide whether they have a creditable company working with them before issueing citations and suspendtion of license.
Sincerly, “Fired” up man
I held an EPass account & noticed that whenever there was an issue with the transponder or if funds ran out, EPass took any negatvie funds off the top when the account was replenished. I had no problem with that, but sometime in June, I believe, my transponder didn’t work. While I was working in the field 2 tolls didn’t register & apparently EPass issued me citations; even though the account was replenished many times over. I didn’t get notification because I had relocated & no mail was forwarded (EPass’ policy). I found out the hard way that my license was suspended. I relocated to Georgia, was pulled over by police for my Florida window tint & when my license was run it was in fact suspended. I was arrested in front of my son. I went to court to explain the situation but the judge didn’t seem to care & I am currently serving a year of probation, having to complete 80 hours of community service & paid over $1400 in fines/fees. My biggest problem is that the State of Georgia handles traffic citations as criminal, so I have a record. EPass was very unhelpful regarding the situation & needless to say I no longer have an account with the agency. The experience is still upsetting and the service is horrible.
For along time this has been happening. I used to use the 408 but not any more because the transponder doesn’t always go off. I’m not loosing my liecense. I’m affraid to.
My license was suspended because of toll violations that I never received. I haven’t even changed my address. On top of that I didn’t know it and I was pulled over and almost arrested. Then I find out that I had thousands of dollars worth of unpaid tolls on my license when their was money in my sunpass account and that my license had so many points on it that it would be suspended for a year. My work requires me to drive so they have caused me loose alot more than my license. On top of that I requested a court date to get this resolved and it has been over two months and they still haven’t responded! I don’t know what to do about getting this done. I need my license back or I’m going to be living on the street with my family.
After receiving three “toll violation” letters, all from the Lake Jessup toll plaza (operated by SunPass) I put my transponder (brand new battery, worked perfectly fine at every other toll station) in the junk drawer and went back to paying cash.
Congratulations EPass/Sun Pass and Mr. Crotty! Once again we’re allowed to witness the proof of that old axion “Never give a small mind a little power”.
When I think of a toll road I think of a man walking through a town in the 1700s, and being stopped at a checkpoint by the kings guards. Where this man is then held upsidedown and shook until all the money falls out of his pockets. I am surprised how irresponsibly the traffic situation in Orlando is handled. Bad traffic jams and poorly timed lights dominate the Orlando scene. Orlando’s traffic engineers and law makers need not pride themselves in a job well done at all.
Charge Orlando Citizens a toll for the highway? We do not even have a public transportation system to help declog the DANGEROUS highways in the area.
What happened to personal responsibility? All you have to do is call Epass and give them your license plate number and none of these problems would happen. If you can’t do that, why are you driving on their road? Do you think driving is your right? Do you think using a toll road is your right? If you can’t give Epass your license plate number it sounds like you are just trying to get out of paying tolls. Now that you are caught, you’re making up excuses and blaming the “government” for your own ineptitute. Do me a favor and take I-4.
I always thought the idea of putting somebody else in charge of my life (SunPass and E Pass) would lead to trouble……wow I really feel bad for all you commuters that are getting screwed. I hope you get back eveything it cost you. I see now that if you want to ’save time’ by just being able to breeze by us poor souls in the old fashioned toll lanes, the time you saved will be taken up by repeated phone calls, and court appearances, not to mention the costs (money and suspensions) Wow technology….. what a wonderful thing !!!! I just had a ‘gut’ feeling this would eventually happen. Big Brother is watching but he’s a Thief !!!!!
It looks like 72,000 people have been irresponsible over the last 2 years in Orange County. When you buy a epass or Sunpass transponder you agree to the rules. If your credit card expires or is lost or stolen you have to stop using the express lanes and you have to tell them. If your credit card is maxed out, you have to stop using the express lanes and change your payment method. If you use up more money than your selected replenishment rate you have to stop using the express lanes until you pick a replenishment rate that works for your travel pattern. If you move you have to change your address with them, you have to change your address on your license and also on your license plate. And as Wayne says above, if you give them your plate number you wouldn’t have any of these problems because the toll would automatically get deducted from your account when your battery dies or when the transponder doesn’t work because you are speeding through at 70 miles an hour while holding it in your right hand and holding your cell phone in your left hand with your coffee between your legs. I’m talking about the 72000 people who didn’t change their address when they moved and then got a suspension for running the tolls. You are the kind of people who need to stay off the toll roads. Do me and Wayne a favor and drive on I-4.
Maryilyn and Wayne are right, except Marilyn and Channel Nine cannot be right about the 72000 figure. I work for the clerk’s office and I can tell you that the figure is a total amount of suspensions, that include DUI’s, Driving on a Suspended License, child support, financial judgment for accidents while un-insured, too many points on your license, etc., etc. This is another example of the facts being manipulated to sell advertising!
To Wayne and Marilyn…you are of the mindset that there could be ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with the tool system and that you’d rather dump INNOCENT people that have been RAPED by this so called perfect system in with ne’er do wells that run the tolls without paying!
I know 15 people,all of them upstanding and hard working citizens that have been burned by both Epass and Sunpass..so what,are they evil doers in your eyes because they don’t meet your high moral standards?
This blog was for people to tell their stories about how screwed up the system is and wasn’t created for trolls such as yourselves to come here and and show all of us how high and mighty you are.
And by the way…this “system” is privately owned and publicly traded with most of the investors based out of New York. Do some research people before you toss in the word “government”.
I have been incorrectly charged a total of $9 since the first of the year (by E-Pass) for going through toll booths that I have never ever been through in my life (2 in Polk County), and some of the charges were billed on days when I never even drove my car!!! I am the only person who drives my car, the only one who has a set of keys to my car, and my car was never stolen or used without my permission. Go figure. I have appealed the incorrect charges, and am waiting for a response.
The only person I see who has a valid complaint is the person who had their liscense plate misread. To the rest I say stop whining and admit that it is your own mistakes that caused your problems. Either you were unwilling to take the time to read your user agreement or thought that you are special and it doesn’t apply to you. Folks it’s not that hard….all you have to do is keep money in your account, list your license plate with the toll authority and if you move, update your registration address with DMV as required by law. That’s it. Simple. If you follow those steps it doesn’t matter if your transponder works or not, you won’t get a ticket. I am sick and tired of stupid people and Vanessa Welch making an issue out of something that is not the governments’ fault. Look at youselves….the credit card I had on file expired and I got a ticket (boo hoo), I moved and didn’t update my address with DMV and the tickets went to my old address(boo hoo), my battery was dead and I didn’t have my license plate listed on my account (boo hoo), I didn’t have my transponder mounted on the windshield so it didn’t read (boo hoo). WAKE UP! It is your own fault. Do the rest of us a favor and start using other roads so we don’t have to listen to your crying and lying anymore. Vanessa, find a real story to write about and start paying your own tolls. By the way how many toll tickets did you receive? What a bunch of wimps!!!!
This is a reply to Ralph. What about the people who are charged $4.00 instead of $.50 at a toll booth, is that their fault too? What about the man who went to court who had changed his address with the DMV and had the correct address on his registration but the DMV had not updated their database and so the ticket went to an old address, was that his fault?
Ralph, you need to read the judges orders and comments, he even questioned the legality of ticketing a “driver” based on the photo of the license tag alone. How can they prove who the driver was? Was it the husband, the wife, or the 19 yr. old son? Since each driver is only responsible for their own actions, is it right to always ticket the father every time something goes wrong with the transponder when his wife or son is driving the car? Many families can only afford one vehicle and have to share transportation.
The judge determined that since SunPass and E-Pass has the customer’s credit card on file that those customers should never be ticketed because SunPass and E-Pass can easily charge their credit card for the 50 cent toll if the transponder or if the toll booth equipment does not work properly.
Obviously people who give SunPass and E-Pass their credit card numbers are not deliberatly out to rip SunPass off at the toll booth or they would never have given them their credit card numbers in the first place.
I still believe it is the customer’s constitutional right to have all of their mail forwarded especially any mail that involves a legal document such as a traffic ticket. If a police officer pulls someone over to give them a ticket they have to have the driver sign their signature on the ticket and the officer has to read the “rights” to the driver letting them know how many days that they have to pay the ticket and what their recourses are if they want to challenge the ticket in court. If the tickets are deliberately NOT FORWARDED to the customer’s new address then all of those rights are deliberately being ignored and refused to the driver.
SunPass and E-Pass is a privately owned business it is not a government agency. If McDonalds over charged peoples credit cards as often as SunPass and EPass you know that there would be a big investigation into their business practices. I believe the judge was right in shutting down their right to ticket SunPass and EPass customers in Seminole and Brevard County, I just want to know why he didn’t include Orange County in that judicial degree as well.
What in the world is going on with the troll authority?
let me see If I have this correct…..Go to Epass/SunPass open an acount with a credit card…enable auto pay…receive a transponder.
Then when technology goes bad…they have the power to fine you and suspend your license while your acount is and has been in good standing since the acount was opened….Truly a cover up is under way….who is to blame for giving this private business this kind of power?
i was working in cocoa beach,i live in mt.dora, i was spending $300.00 a month on my “pay as you go sunpass”. i recieved a total of 5 citations and fined 87.50 for 3 of them and the other 2 , i was able to pay a $25.00 fine. i requested a court date to fight the 3 $87.50 tickets. i missed my court date because of the flu and even showed a drs. bill to prove it, but to no avail.asked for a new court date but have been denied twice. heres the best part, all 5 citations have been at the first tollbooth heading towards the east on the 417.no other tollbooth had a problem, i feel it is a tollbooth problem and not mine.my licences are suspended, im not working much and dont have almost $1000.00 to pay fines i dont deserve. best response from sunpass “you should read the rules when you purchased a sunpass”. mytag had changed because the state makes you every four years!
Attempting to resolve any issue on the phone with E-Pass is a joke in itself. Every time I have spoken with a phone representative I have been treated rudely. I finally had to go personally and stand in line for 30 minutes in order to straighten out my account. After my dreadful experiences with the call center I have learned to take care of my business online or in person. In my opinion, a complete restructuring with professionals is in order.
When are we going to see a law suit that represents Orange County? SunPass must be making a fortune off of Orange County customers! If what they are doing is wrong in Brevard and wrong in Seminole it has to be wrong in Orange County as well! Where are those money hungry attorney’s when you need them? Are they afraid to fight “city hall” and the powers that be in Orange County? Sure looks suspicious.
I have recently had a horrible experience with both Sun Pass and E-Pass. Yesterday, I was pulled over. The officer told me my license was suspended and handed me a ticket for driving under a suspended license. I asked him why it was suspended and he said I had some toll violations from Oseola County from October of 2007. I had to do more research and come to find out I had two Sun Pass toll violations but had never been notified of any violations. I have held an account with E-pass for the past four years and have never had any problems. While on the phone with Sun Pass and E-pass both, I was treated very rudely and was on hold forever. After further investigation, I found out that my transponder failed to work on two occasions even though my account was current and had plenty of money in it. So, two $.75 tolls are going to cost me over $400 in fees ($185 per violation and $50 to get my license reinstated). I was out of state from the end of October to the end of January and my mail was being forwarded. A rep from Sun Pass told me… “we don’t forward citations!” So, how was I to know that I had any outstanding toll violations. This system is horrible and the both Sun pass and E-pass deserve a class action law suit against them for putting so many people out. I work in health care and need my license to go to work each day. I had to hire a lawyer today to attempt to resolve these issues. I now have to pay for the toll fees and the ticket for driving while under a suspended license. This isn’t right. When all is said and done… I’m looking to spend over $1300 for two $.75 tolls! There is something very wrong with this system and the penalties being placed on people’s records can cause serious problems. I want to take my experience to anyone who will hear me and hopefully get a class action lawsuit in place to repay everyelse who can been severly inconvienced by this system. It is a very helpless feeling to have this injustice placed on you. Please let me know if anyone else feels the same.
Thank you WFTV! It is ashamed that we had to blog in to a local news station to help us with our State wide issues. I am very grateful that our “local” station cares about how the County city, and state treats us with our money! WFTV more notably Vanessa Welch and Melanie Holt was on the spot helping me with my Toll nightmares. May god bless you all with the same blessing that you have blessed me with… Thank you again
V. Deltoro
After reading so many horror stories about Sun Pass and E pass customers makes me glad I never bought into their services. I’ll gladly pay the extra 25 cents for piece of mind knowing they have no personal information on me. Everyone who’s been injusticed by these two should ban together and file a class action lawsuit.
Well. it seems like if the D.O.T. lawyers get their way, this nightmare is far from over. And they are going to try sticking it to the Toll users because of their own faulty equipment and system.
I agree with JOV…A class action lawsuit will probably be the only recourse left to get these jokers to back off.
I thought that since I’ve never had a sunpass or epass account, I would be safe from the terrorism of the techno-toll mafia, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Someone unbeknownst to me to this day drove my vehicle through the sunpass lane at the turnpike entrance close to my residence. I got the notice in the mail about a month later. My vehicle has never been stolen that I know of, nor have I allowed anyone to borrow it, but there it was clear as day in a photograph going through the sunpass lane. I recognized it as my vehicle, and my license plate was plainly readable. I still can’t explain it.
The money for the toll certainly wouldn’t make me or break me, but I was concerned about it being on my driving record and possibly causing an increase in insurance premiums. So I took it to court. It turns out that the law as it stands doesn’t place the burden on the state to prove that I was driving – only that I own the vehicle. I’m sure that to lawyers and politicians, it makes perfect sense, but to any rational person without an agenda, it’s completely insane. I appealed to the hearing officer in court by pointing out to him that this is an isolated incident, and he could look at my driving record which was in front of him at the time to verify it. He was sympathetic, so he withheld adjudication and did not impose a fine, but did impose a $30 court cost, saying that there was nothing he could do about that. I wasn’t happy about a $1.25 toll turning into $30, but I could live with it since it wasn’t going on my driving record.
I’d be party to a class-action lawsuit against the state, the turnpike authority, epass and sunpass for negligence, extortion, racketeering, and I’m sure we can find a myriad of other laws that they have violated. I applaud the judge in Seminole County for dismissing thousands of citations and upholding the natural rights of the people to avoid being held responsible for someone else’s stupidity. If the sunpass and epass authorities are going to implement substandard and imperfect technology, then they’re the ones who need to be responsible for it. I chose not to participate in it for obvious reasons, and I still got entangled with it. At the very least, the lawmakers should shift the burden to the state to prove that an individual was driving when the violation occurred, and if it causes a burden on the FDOT et. al., that’s their problem. I have no doubt that I could have successfully challenged the law itself as being unconstitutional and in violation of my civil rights, but I choose my battles, and I chose not to fight that one because I have too many more important things to conquer and devote my limited time and resources to. However, if the same or a simliar incident happens again, I will most likely consider it to be a significant threat to my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, as is given to me by our Creator and secured by the Constitution for the united States of America; and I will act accordingly.
been e pass user since 1997, have auto deduction from credit card. i moved recently and 75 cent toll violation sent to old address and i never got it. what i did get is a letter from orange county to suspend my license. went to court house, they could do nothing, told me to go to e pass and talk to them. went to office on goldenrod road, they said call sunpass as it was one of their toll booths. called sunpass, they said too bad it is not our problem you did not receive the violation ticket. back to courthouse to get a court date, cannot get court date now as the time frame to file for court date was expired on violation ticket. ended up having to pay $180 to orange county so my license was not revoked.
Finally, a judge that is not prejudiced in favor of the government. The US constitution says that we are innocent until proven guilty, but the Expressway Authority thinks that they can sidestep that law by making people prove that they are not guilty. Sorry. They are not in business to gain revenue through fines, only tolls. And if the equipment that they supply to drivers doesn’t work properly, it is the Expressway Authority who should be punished, not the innocent drivers.
That’s why I don’t have an EPass or a SunPass. Never have, never will.
Beachboy
well, after 5 times trying to get officer morrison to give me a retrial and being denied because i was ill and in bed with the flu and missed my first trial, i got pulled over this morning pulling a trailer that the lights did not work on because a fuse blew. this is my work trailer that carries my tools. im just glad to have a little work in constuction. of course the nice officer made me feel like a criminal, he was asking me what tow company i wanted to use to haul my truck and trailer in to a compound. he was taking me (my ass as he put it) to jail. driving on a suspended liceince and no lights. after 45 minutes of pleading, i was let go. dont drive, move my truck, look at him funny, nothing! so, monday morning ill go pay the $987.00 they (seminole county- previous post) say i owe them for my $3.00 in tolls that their equiptment did not pick up. ill do this to get a work permit so my criminal a$$ can go to work before my court date in october. i am smashing up my sunpass with my 28 ounce estwing hammer and sending it back with a nice note!
I can’t believe it. Now I’m going to end up with points on my license?!?!?! This nightmare will never end. The following is a copy of an email that I have sent to the governor’s office, my local representatives and the state attorney’s office several weeks ago and as of this posting I haven’t heard anything back.
“On January 2, 2008 I did not realize that my transponder didn’t register while going through a 50 cent toll and I received a citation (Citation number 8856-ZAJ) from the state on February 18, 2008. On the citation I followed the directions to resolve this by sending a Uniform Traffic Citation Dispute Request to my local Epass office and on February 29, 2008 I received a letter from the Expressway Authority stating that my dispute request had been approved and forwarded to the traffic court for dismissal. 8 months later on October 21st I received a court notice stating that my license was going to be suspended on November 18th for failure to pay the citation which was now $183. I called the Expressway Authority and they told me they would resend my approval for dismissal. The following Monday I saw online that my license was still pending suspension so I called the Clerk of the Courts office and they said that I had to submit a letter to the Seminole County Judges Office asking them to dismiss these charges and all would be taken care of. So rather than take a chance mailing this letter I took off another day from work and did this in person. With the letter I also gave them a copy of the letter from the Expressway Authority stating that this infraction was dismissed and reversed. The following week on October 31, 2008 I received 3 more letters. One from Mary Ann Morse’s office saying that my request was neither denied nor granted but instead a date was set for me to attend a civil infraction hearing on January 9th. In the meantime I had to go back to the clerks office and pay the late fees on the citation and then take the receipt to the DMV to keep my license from being suspended or just pay the fine. Well, I cannot afford to keep taking time off to resolve this issue nor can I allow my license to be suspended so I just paid the fine to get this behind me although I do not feel I should have been put through all this because of a defective product. I did this, not because I am guilty of purposely doing anything wrong, but simply because I don’t think going to a hearing is going to do anything since I and the expressway authority had already sent my documentation proving that this was a mistake several times to the clerk of the court, and that going to a hearing was just going to be a waste of time and ultimately cost me more money. It was a 50 cent toll to which I would gladly have paid without issue if given the opportunity. Instead I was run through the ringer by several departments that either don’t communicate properly or just don’t care. I have an open account with Epass and If my car is registered with a transponder why wasn’t I debited for the amount and sent a letter to have my transponder checked? It is not like I had multiple toll violations. It was one time.
I am just frustrated beyond belief that mistakes or incompetence on the part of the state cannot be handled properly without citizens like myself having to run through hoops to correct. I also know that I am not alone in this and that there are thousands of others in similar situations because of the Expressway Authority. I lived in Chicago for 6 years and never had an issue with the Tollway IPASS system. What are we doing wrong here in Florida?”
Please do not let our stories fall on deaf ears. There are too many people getting treated unfairly due to this injustice. Like I wrote earlier, it is apparent that our elected officials don’t care about this since I have written several of them the letter above and not one of them sent any type of reply. We need the media behind us to give this cause a voice or this WILL continue.
I HAVE WORKED THE TURNPIKE AS A WRECKER DRIVER ON AND OFF SINCE 1973.
THIS TOLL PROBLEM IS ONE OF THE WORST PROBLEMS I HAVE EVER SEEN. EVER SINCE THE INCEPTION OF AUTOMATED TOLL COLLECTIONS THERE HAS BEEN PROBLEMS BE IT DOUBLE BILLING OF THE CONSUMER OR THE TRANSPONDER NOT TRANSMITTING AND NOW TRYING TO ADD POINTS TO DRIVERS LICENSES RETROACTIVLY. I MEAN COME ON WHATS UP WITH THAT?
DID SOMEONE GET THEIR PANTIES IN A BUNCH BECAUSE THE COURT SAID AT FIRST YOU COULDN’T GET YOU WAY WITH THE TICKET THING AND NOW THAT THE APPEALS COURT SAID YOU COULD YOUR NOW TRYING TO GET PAYBACK ON EVERYONE?? SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE SMILING TOLL COLLECTOR AT THE BOOTH THAT COULD ACTUALLY RENDER A SERVICE? INFORMATION, DIRECTIONS AND JUST A PLEASENT SMILE AFTER A LONG AND STRESSFUL DRIVE?? YOU FOLKS AT THE TURNPIKE TOLL AUTHORITY HAVE LOST SIGHT OF ONE OF THE VERY THINGS YOUR TRYING TO IMPROVE UPON. CUSTOMER SERVICE. OR SO YOUR PRINTED ADVERTISEMENTS SAY. YOU STRESS CUSTOMER SERVICE TO WHAT EMPLOYEES YOU DOHAVE LEFT THAT ACTUALLY INTERACT WITH THE PUBLIC FACE TO FACE AND NOW THE VERY PUBLIC YOU SERVE YOU ARE TRYING TO PENALISE FOR USING YOUR SERVICE?? HOW ABOUT TAKING SOME OF THAT WAISTED TIME YOUR USING TO ASSIGN PIONTS TO UNAWHARE DRIVERS AND PUT IT TOWARD FIXING THE REAL PROBLEMS WITH YOUR SYSTEM??
EVER THINK THAT SOME OF THE VEHICLES USING NEWER TECH TO SHIELD DRIVERS FROM THE SUN AND ULTRA VIOLET RAYS LIKE TITANIUM LINED WINDSHIELDS MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM?? OR PERHAPS SOME OTHER NEW TECH THAT IS CAUSING INTERFERANCE WITH YOUR TRANSPONDERS OR RECIEVERS AT THE TOLL PLAZAS??
CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE ENTERPRISE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU PAYING CUSTOMERS SHOULD EXPECT NOT THE CONTINUING HARASSMENT. GET A GRIP FOLKS.
IF ANY OTHER BUSINESS ON THE PLANET TRIED THIS STUFF THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PUT OUT OF BUSINESS BY THE STATE. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT?
HUMM SEEMS I DID READ THAT IN YOU EMPLOYEE HAND BOOK. CAN YOU SAY DOUBLE STANDARD?? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOUR BUDGET IF CONSUMERS QUIT USING THE TOLL ROADS?? JOB CUTS MAYBE?? OR EVEN BETTER WHAT IF THE CONSUMER ACTUALLY REVIEWED THEIR TOLL BILL AND FOUND ALL THE DOUBLE CHARGING YOU HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THESE YEARS AND ACTUALLY BROUGHT A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINTS YOU TO RECOUP ALL THE FRAUDGELENTLY COLLECTED FUNDS YOU HAVE GOTTEN OVER THE YEARS. WHAT THEN?? CAN YOU SAY STAND IN LINE LIKE THE REST OF US AT THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE?
ONE MORE THING THAT I WANT TO MENTION.
AS BEING A LONG TIME EMPLOYEE ON THE TURNPIKE I KNEW IN MY HEART THAT WHEN THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM CAME ONLINE THERE WOULD BE PROBLEMS AND AS SUCH I DO NOT AND HAVE NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED USING A TRANSPONDER FOR MY PERSONAL USE. I USE CHANGE AND STOP AND PAY. MY WAY OF DOING THINGS TO ENSURE THAT I PAY AND YOU DON’T DOUBLE CHARGE ME. SIMPLE AS THAT.
AND AS SUCH USING THE TRANSPONDERS FOR THE TRUCKS I DRIVE AS A CONTRACTOR ON THE TOLL ROADS I HAVE SEEN PROBLEMS WITH THOES I HAVEBEEN STOPPED BY THE HIGHWAY PATROL DURING A VERY BUSY DAY TO LET ME KNOW AS A COURTESY THAT THE TRANSPONDER WASN’T WORKING AFTER MANY TRIPS THRU MANY DIFFERENT TOLL GATES. WELL IT TURNS OUT THE TRANSPONDER WAS WORKING. YOUR SYSTEM JUST WASN’T REGISTERING THE DRIVE THRU SO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER FOLKS. DON’T BLAME THE CONSUMER FOR YOUR LACKING SERVICE.
AND ALL YOU FOLKS OUT THEY REVIEW YOUR BILL FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. BET YOU WILL FIND SOME PROBLEMS. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.
ANOTHER THOUGHT AS I SIT HERE A SEE AGAIN THE STORY ON CH 9 ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.
WHY DOESN’T THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISION GET INVOLVED?? OR SOME OTHER STATE AGENCY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE CONSUMER??
POOR EQIUPMENT, FRAUDGELENT CHARGES, POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, NOT ABLE TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM IN A TIMELY MANNER AND THEN OUT OF THE BLUE BACK CHARGE A CONSUMER? AND IN DOING SO COST THAT CONSUMER HIS OR HER RIGHT TO DRIVE AND MAKE A LIVING TO PROVIDEFOR THEIR FAMILY??
SOUNDS LIKE THE STATE HAS DROPPED THE BALL ON WATCHING OUT FOR THE CONSUMER.
MAYBE A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION IS IN ORDER. WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE? MAYBE SOMEONE WITH OUT THEIR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR SHOULD LOOK INTO THINGS.
People losing their licenses. Mistakes due to transponders giving people tickets. Loyal employees losing their jobs to be replaced by machines thet are unreliable! It’s time to send a message Florida!
I really-think it is time, past time, for people to stop using the toll. Granted, it- is a nice ride compared to the alternatives but Sunpass and/or e-pass don’t care about anything or anyone except $$’s- -
I have a transponder. I have never had a problem- but I do care about other people.
The toll people don’t even care about their employees let alone you or me or our licenses-etc.. I have a friend who works for those people. TRUST ME! It’s all about the Benjamins.
If just one day a week – two days- weekends when traffic isn’t So horrible on I-4 or other EW and NS roads, all of Florida took other roads THAT would send a message!
Forget about your bucket of quarters being the answer to a serious problem. Collectors are being replaced with machines. There Ts only one thins that will fix the problem. Hit them in the wallet! It might be a little inconvenient for Us one day a week Boycott! one day a week- every Monday after you have had two days off. Leave a little early for work and take another road.
Boycott the toll roads on you drive to and from work every Monday. It would only take a short time before the toll people pay attention to the people who drive their highways.
I too am going through a nightmare with Sunpass and Epass. I received a postcard in the mail stating my license was suspended. I call the courthouse and was advised Sunpass had suspended my license for an unpaid toll. I called my Epass customer service line and much to my surprise the lady on the other end of the line was angry that I even demanded answers. Matter of fact she told me to check online to review my account. After my own investigation I found that back in January 22 2008 my transponder did register at a sunpass toll however it did work at the epass tolls the same day. I had money in my account this day and felt I did nothing wrong. Epass is telling me I changed my tag number on their website (which I never did) and sunpass is telling me they sent a violation (which they never did) and they supposedly could not track my transponder to take the $2.00 toll out of my account. I now have a $185.00 fine $50.00 to get my license reinstated and a suspended license with 3 points on my perfect driving record! The court tells me there is nothing they can do. They told me Sunpass/Epass has the right to dismiss tickets, however sunpass/epass tell me they do not. I was told I have no other choice than to pay the fines and have a suspention on my record. This is a sunpass error and they wont fix it! I along with everyone else cannot afford to pay for sunpasses mistake, nor can I afford to have a bad driving record while im looking for a job. Sunpass and Epass should not have the legal ability to suspend licenses. I can only hope at this point that hopefully ch 9 or someone can help us customers that so desperately need it! Someone from epass or sunpass has to take responsibility for their terrible actions. They really dont understand the damage they are causing their customers!
These tolls were supposed to be lifted after the completion of construction…we didn’t see what was comming LIKE A PAID EURO VACA! I too have a NIGHTMARE story but I’m sure there isn’t enough memory for me to go on for hours. Long story short, I had been forced to pay tickets in the past that were undisputable (unless I wanted to loose my license) and now it looks like I’m in the same F*&KIN boat! Im so fed up! WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE PUNISHED FOR THEIR MISTAKES! GREAT YOU CAUGHT IT NOW START IT FROM THE DAY YOU CAUGHT IT!!!
Hi, I am from Pompano Beach (S.FL) and was wondering if anyone could post a link(s) to any attorneys that are or willing to lead a class action lawsuit through this mess would be great or if theres an email address of the judge’s secretary/receptionist to whom I can contact personally to thank for being on the right side of this issue.
It seems that the system is a bit more understanding in regards to the judges that threw out those citations and being that I’m in S.FL theres even less of a chance for us in the S. side of getting the judges to do that as well.
BTW does anyone know if theres someone at the D.O.T to whom can “confirm” w/ a printout of the info that “PROVES” I am in violation??
Heck if they can just do something as simple as that I wouldnt give a damn about paying the violations but simply to send citations via mail when in fact I NEVER received the initial sunpass toll violation notice in the mail to begin with.
Do I sound like someone to whom is whining or irrational with my observation?
Please email me at ens_audio@yahoo.com to send me any of the requested info. that I posted or if you wish to start a class action lawsuit or to incl. me into one (if theres one already started)
Thanks and good luck to you all for which justice will prevail!!!!
Let’s get a mailing list going if all of you folks to whom have already posted wish to post a “temp email address” to which we can all correspond and keep ourselves informed on the latest developments would be a first logical step to resolving this madness.
Well, I guess I am now part of this too. Any info sent to me I would appreciate as well. Here is my story:
I get a collection notice to my home in Texas with my mothers name on it. After looking into it, and talking to Orange county clerk, EPASS, and Sun Pass I discovered there were 3 toll violations that occured in April and May of 2007. I never received any notice of these until 2 days ago. When I called EPASS they told me that I was fine and suggested that I contact Sunpass…so I did. Bingo! Sunpass apparently sent in violations to Orange county and never checked with EPASS or they would have certainly found out that I had an EPASS account with money in good standing that was working just fine. Sunpass was unwilling to help me, they just told me I should contact EPASS to get copy of my statement and contact the court. So for these 3 tolls that would have totaled $1.50 they have hit my mother with a collection of $403.00. They claim that they sent her the notice(that never showed up) to either of us because she was the first name on the title. Any advice? At this point I am waiting for my statement and I plan to call the Court to see if I can reach someone with some common sense who will let me take care of this small toll due and get rid of this ridiculous collection amount. Please email me at rbower2@att.net if you have any suggestions.
Hey there.. here’s my lovely observation on ScamPass.
For MONTHS, the new ‘open road tolling’ gantry installed on the south end of the Sawgrass Expressway (northbound) in Broward County simply never worked. It would never charge anyone, including myself.
As of January, they turned on the enforcement cameras, but not the actual Sunpass readers. Can anyone say “violation cash cow”? I got a letter asking me to pay the uncollected toll… we’ll see how this goes.
My Sunpass is one of the first generation ones, with the LCD display. The state of Florida doesn’t like these much anymore, as the customer can immediately see how much they were charged, and what their remaining balance is…. no chance for a “secret” overcharge or low balance. Heh… good times. It’s in perfect working order, the plaza itself wasn’t.
Oh-Oh, I hear the Expressway Authority wants to raise the tolls because of less revenue. What a pompous reaction from a beaurocrats. Do what business does when revenue declines. CUT RATES. Restaurants and other businesses have cut prices to get their business back and it works.
My license was suspended because a a sunpass mistake! We have an epass and traveled to South Florida last summer. After the trip we received two tickets in the mail from Sun-pass. We contacted epass and both tickets were dismissed due to a transponder failure. Later, we attempted to renew our registration online and learned of a suspended license! Evidently, sunpass issued a third ticket (which we never received) and Epass had no record of the third ticket either. We had to appear in court in South Florida and pay to have my license re-instated. Our registration could not be renewed until the license was re-instated causing yet ANOTHER fine from the system. The case was also dismissed but was a huge headache to travel to South Florida for a 10 minute court case. There was no record of the ticket, I never received information on my suspended license nor did I ever receive any information regarding a court date. It’s evident that Epass and Sunpass can’t get their system working together!
here is a copy of the letter I was advised to write to Judge Freeman, in the traffic court of Orange County, after the clerks of the court sat on a letter asking to reset my hearing for 4 toll violations (due to a bad epass) for 6 WEEKS! The worst one is a lady named PAM who is a “supervisor” and a direct assistant to a judge. She will PRETEND to be helping you, and by the time you are done, your license will be virtually UNUSABLE for YEARS, & YOU WILL LOSE YOUR JOB!!!
TO: Judge Freeman
c/o Clerk of Court, Orange County
425 N. Orange Ave.
Orlando. FL 32862
I could not attend the hearing that day, as I was under medical treatment for stress-related issues dealing with the impending foreclosure of my home. (Upcoming hearing dtd May 6, 2009, Orange County Circuit Court, 9th District.)
Attached for your review, you will find a copy of the letter I hand-delivered on 3/12/09 asking for another hearing. I called the Orange County Clerk at 407-836-2000 EVERY WEEK and was told “the Judge hasn’t had time to read your letter yet,” and this happened EVERY WEEK, FOR SIX WEEKS. Your staff refused to check further, and simply hung up.
Meanwhile, I received notices from the State of Florida saying my license would be suspended by 4/9/09, due to “18 pts in an 18 mos. period,” and another asking for proof of insurance through a certain date. (I completed the form with the following information: TRAVELERS, Policy # 982955787-101-1 & returned it immediately.)
On March 1st, I made the decision to return my car to the finance company and cancelled my auto insurance with Travelers, because I could not get anyone at the Orange County Courthouse to work on my case.
Finally I called the courthouse again, only this time asked for the clerk of court’s supervisor, and got someone I thought would help me, on 4/17/09. Pam, Clert of Court, told me that she WOULD help me. She admitted to me that the other department NEVER SENT THEM MY LETTER, even after SIX WEEKS OF PHONE CALLS. She told me, “I am going to help you with this problem.”
One week later I still hadn’t heard back. Meanwhile, I returned my car to the finance company after receiving another letter warning of suspension from the state. Then I cancelled my car insurance, just prior to March 1st, 2009. (So I should not have an SR 22 pending! – Pam added that herself, to further complicate my case, in spite of me telling her that I had gotten rid of my vehicle, and cancelled the insurance in Mar.!)
So I contacted an attorney, who told me my letter was being ignored so it would be past 60 days and then I could not have another hearing, as it would be “too late.” I wrote a letter that revealed my extreme frustration trying to resolve this, and faxed it to Pam. After that, I never could get Pam to answer the phone..
On 4/23/09, I had to call a cab to come to the courthouse, since Pam would not answer her phone or return my calls. I was inside the courthouse for 1.5 hrs before she would return my call. By the time I found her, my ride was leaving and I had to go.
I am going to lose my job unless this matter is resolved, since I must be able to get to client’s homes & have reliable transportation.
I am counting on your help to resolve this issue. In Seminole County, the OCEAA does not issue citations, because the judges do not recognize them, or issue points, my friends on the police dept tell me.
I have had a Sunpass for four years and as an out of state visitor, I don’t get to use it much.
In early May, I flew into Miami International Airport and got a rental car from Hertz at their nearby lot. A nice Ford Mustang. In my suitcase I brought my Type IIe (gray box with one light indicator) Sunpass, which I had bought back in 2005, had set up the account, but had not yet used. As a precaution, I bought and installed a fresh new battery in the device right before my flight.
I headed east on the SR-112, Sunpass firmly affixed to the window via suction cup mount. Passing through the open road toll lane, I expected to hear the device beep as I went through. Not a sound! This continued two or more times at other plazas. Finally at the southern most plaza on the Florida Turnpike Homestead Extension, the device beeped. I was so astonished, I made a roundabout trip back to exit 2 to go slowly through the ramp toll — it beeped again.
However, the Sunday I returned the car up north to Georgia, Sunpass chaos resumed. It failed to pick me up at either of the two plazas I went through on the Homestead Extension, didn’t pick me up at the I-95 HOV express lane or at Golden Glades entrance to the Turnpike. I couldn’t believe this! As someone who has successfully used E-ZPass in the northeast and TXTag in Texas on many occasions, the Florida Sunpass seemed inept in comparison. I wasn’t picked up at the beginning of the ticket system of the Turnpike at Lantana, which left me wondering whether I’d be a phantom in the system. I decided to try yet again to see if I could get a register on a lightly traveled exit ramp, so I went through Jog Road. It did read there with a beep. However, when I re-entered the Turnpike to continue north at nearby SR-704 and passed through a manned lane- the transponder did not beep as I was clicked through by the collector.
The transponder failed to beep at any of the remaining plazas all the way up to the northern terminus of the Turnpike. Fortunately, I was renting with Hertz, so Platepass picked up the tolls when the violation cameras snapped the car going through. Those tolls were charged to my credit card as part of the rental agreement.
Still, this experience made me realize how “buggy” the Florida electronic toll collection enterprise really seems to be. There was no reason for a never before used transponder to work so poorly on the road. Likewise, FTE fails to provide users with some mechanism, such as a test lane (as the folks at Lee County’s LeeWay do) for people to go through and see if their transponder is read by a dummy receiver. No, rather, one has to go through a plaza at full tilt and “hope” their transponder gets read or face violation tickets galore later.
CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT!!!!!! LET’S DO IT SOON BEFORE THEY CREATE SOME OTHER LOOPHOLES TO GET AROUND EVERYTHING!!!
FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT REALIZE THESE FACTS:
* SUN PASS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY!!!
* THEY ARE A PRIVATE COMPANY HIRED BY FL TO HANDLE THE TOLLS!!!
* WE WOULD BE SUING A PRIVATE COMPANY & FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE ALL THE PROOF THEY NEED TO DO THIS!!!
THIS IS A SCAM BECAUSE SOME FL STATE OFFICIALS AND SUN PASS ARE SCHEMING TO STEAL OUR MONEY!!!!!!! I LOVE THE IDEA A FEW PEOPLE HAVE OF DOING “MONDAY” STRIKES AND NOT USING ANY TOLL ROADS! IMAGINE THE $$$ THE STATE AND SUN PASS WOULD LOSE JUST WITH ONE DAY EACH WEEK!!!!! I WON’T USE THEM ANYMORE!!!! IF WE HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS, LIKE THEY’VE DONE TO US, THEN THAT JUST MIGHT GET THEIR ATTENTION!!!!!
I just simply cannot believe that I am hearing literally the same exact type of story that happened to me with the non receipt of notices and being VERY lied to by EVERY SunPass person I spoke with!
I have been dealing with this since 6/08 and I STILL HAVE A SUSPENDED LICENSE & of course like so many others, I am now in a position of not being able to register my vehicle.
I am literally working the system in a “legal” way to my advantage, and I am telling everyone this because it will work at least for the legal registration of your vehicle: I have a good friend who works in one of Florida’s major counties in the tax collectors office, specifically titles & registration, but he knows ALL about what is happening to so many “innocent” people!
OK FOLKS LISTEN UP: Although this won’t help you with your DRIVERS license if it’s been suspended, it WILL fix your reg. Choose someone you trust implicitly of course, my Sister being mine, and DONATE YOUR CAR TO THEM! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY TAX IN FL FOR THAT! Now, that will give you a legal registration in the other persons name of course and avoid the drama of possibly having your car impounded & the state won’t be able to demand your plate turned in! My sister is adding the car to her insurance.
Now here’s where I tell everyone I know that this is the risk YOU must choose while working this insane system to hopefully get your license reinstated. In this economy, how in the world can most of us afford NOT to drive to work!?! With that said, I know I will be driving at times and taking the risk. I recommend you keep everything you have in ANY TYPE OF COURT DOCUMENTS showing that you are dealing with your case & hope they have mercy on you if you did get pulled. I DON’T drive where I don’t have to and when I do I literally even dress appropriately and watch the hours I’m on the road so that I could LIE, YES LIE, AS I HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM AND LIED TO, and say I’m coming from work. I keep my business cards with me to prove it. I’m certain I’m taking a scary risk, but losing the job is scarier! I have a nice fat file I take with me when I do drive! I KNOW as crazy as it probably sounds that I will take these risks, I’m POSITIVE there are many people out there in the same sick, sad boat due to the insanity of Sun Pass!!!
Oh and by the way, no offense to people with alcohol addictions, but how in the world do people who have committed the VERY DANGEROUS crime of driving DRUNK and end up with DUI’s get HARDSHIP LICENSES AND US “NON CRIMINALS” CAN’T???? THAT IS COMPLETELY TRUE AND NOT MY ASSUMPTION. I’ve done the research folks.
NOW IF THAT ISN’T ONE OF THE MOST LUDICROUS THINGS YOU’VE EVER HEARD??????????????????
I just moved to the Tampa area in Jan 08 & got my Sun Pass. In my case I went through both Pasco & Hillsborough county and 3 toll booths EACH way on the Veterans Expwy for work 5 days a week. Three months later, I renewed my registration and was informed by the state that after so many years you will get a new plate with a different #! (Thanks Mr. Tax Collector, that really helps to confuse things!)
Since I was new to Sun Pass I wasn’t aware that I had to inform them of this as I thought it was the transponder # that identified the vehicle. Im single and only had one car on the system. I too like so many others had a debit card that expired around the same time & didn’t know I would have to update the info as I thought the bank would see that. For those two things I feel SO STUPID b/c it MAY, probably not, have stopped some of this mess!
So imagine it only took 5 days folks, and I had unknowingly racked up 30, YES 30 VIOLATIONS IN TWO COUNTIES!!!
Now for the part that EVERYONE ELSE IS SUFFERING FROM: I moved in April 08 to South Tampa & no longer needed to use the veterans. I threw the transponder in the glove box as there were still funds on it & I would use it if need be. I did not close my Sun Pass account so the transponder was still valid. Since I moved and at that time Sun Pass didn’t forward notices, I received NOTHING until June 08. Somehow one letter from the DMV got through to my new address, thank god, letting me know I had like 5 violations and my license was up for suspension. I called sunpass of course, I was told all I had to do was to bring my account up from a negative balance, which they claimed was $60 and that didn’t make sense to me and they said that if the transponder was in my car, even if I had paid cash at the booth, it could still read the sensor, and OH IMAGINE THAT…DOUBLE CHARGED!!! I HAD NO CASH RECEIPTS SO THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO! I was told that once my account was paid that day, then they inform the DMV that you are in good standing and all would be clear. Sounded like that made sense to me and the person I dealt with that day was very helpful at least it seemed.
Then the REAL NIGHTMARE started: I was randomly (officer told me he did a random run on my plate) pulled and informed that I had a suspended license! Of course I asked if he knew why and he said it looked like Sun Pass!!!!!!!!! He actually handed me my license back and of course then I had to appear in Criminal Court on that charge! In the meantime I started doing some HEAVY DUTY research and calling. I mean I would literally HANG UP (and I work in customer service! LOL!) on any Sun Pass person who was rude, take a deep breath, and try again to find a more decent acting individual who didn’t treat you like you’re trying to “get away with some crime!” I FINALLY got a supervisor to email me my last 6 months of statements as well as proof of my final payment for the negative balance. His email even stated that “attached is proof of your payments to Sun Pass and there should be no problem having your license reinstated.”
So now it’s Dec 08 and I ended up going to court twice as it was “cancelled” due to “other” business and we were all sent home.
Funny, we can’t skip court for “other business” can we???????
When I did make my 2nd date, now Feb 09, I came well armed with “my file”. I HAD MY PAPERWORK IN TRIPLICATE, STAPLED AND HIGHLIGHTED THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS. I’m telling you all this because I KNOW THAT IS THE REASON I WAS FOUND “NOT GUILTY” IN THE CRIMINAL COURT OF DRIVING WITH A SUSPENDED LICENSE!!!
I had to stand alone up there with the prosecutor across from me, and the police officer next to me. This wasn’t easy to do by myself, but folks DON’T BE AFRAID!!!! BE PREPARED!!! The prosecutor literally argued with the judge in disagreement, but the judge thanked me for being prepared and of course the officer was pissed. I think it’s crazy that made him go there for that when he could be on the street catching REAL CRIMINALS!!!!!!!! In closing the judge actually said she felt people were being taken advantage of by Sun Pass & that I was one of them! Woo Hoo I almost kissed her and thought I was done, but not so fast………..
Then I was informed that I would have to set court cases in both counties to clear all this up. I thought, ok, no problem, when they see the other judges decision, they might throw it all out as I had heard they did that with some people. Well, not me!!!
In late April 09 I went for my arraignment hearing and pled not guilty with a court date set for July. At that time I was treated SO BADLY by the judge that he literally said to me “I don’t care what the other judge said about your license, it’s suspended and I would like to find you guilty on all counts!” He was nutty over the fact that it was 30 violations, but WOULD NOT LISTEN OR HARDLY LOOK AT MY EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT WAS ONLY 5 DAYS OF DRIVING!!!! No they make you feel like a common criminal. And I literally have had ONE speeding ticket in the last 6 years and have NO POINTS on my license.
In July I went for the hearing and what a joke it was that they inform you in the beginning of the process that there will be a Sun Pass Officer there to “HELP” you with your case. Oh yeah, right!!!!! She was as rude as the judge in the EXACT same ways. They found me guilty of 4 violations at $100 each, $60 for the D6 clearances and around $50 to reinstate my license, but ONLY AFTER ALL OF THE FEES ARE PAID!!! The only thing that I was lucky about was that no points were assesed since my driving record was so good.
ALL THIS AND I STILL HAVENT DEALT WITH PASCO YET….GOD HELP ME!!!
I’ve had VERY LITTLE success with lawyers as most of them are in bed with the whole legal system too! By the time I were to pay the average $1,000-1,500 fees they wanted it would be almost as bad as paying the fines!
I tried the DA’s office, they said they only handle “criminal” cases. I told her jokingly that she may end up seeing me there then b/c of how this was going.
PLEASE PEOPLE EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY PAID FINES AND PUT THIS BEHIND YOU…THINK OF ALL THE PEOPLE THIS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN TO!!!
OUR ONLY HOPE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS:
PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU’RE INTERESTED OR IF ANYONE KNOWS OF A DECENT LAWYER WHO REALLY WOULD WANT TO HELP WITH SINGLE OR CLASS SUIT????????
WHAT ABOUT THE JUDGE IN SEMINOLE COUNTY WHO THREW OUT ALL THE CASES AND WON’T ALLOW SUN PASS TO OPERATE WITH VIOLATIONS THAT WAY!!!!
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET PEOPLE IN HIS “CAMP” TO LEND AN EAR & GET THIS TO POSSIBLY THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE!!!!????
Has this happened to anyone else? I had a balance of approx 86.00 on my EZ-Pass. My usual replishment amount is 110. My EZ Pass usage for the previous two months totaled about 65.00. Suddenly EZ Pass decided to replenish my card for 325.00. They have never taken that much before, I had no balance, no fines and no issues on the account.
I’ve been trying to get EZ Pass support with no luck so far. I’ve never had a problem with them before and this floored me.
April 15, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Everyone seems to have a nighmare story about EPass or Sunpass. A billing error, threats of losing driver’s licenses… the list could go on.
Let’s talk about experiences with Central Florida’s toll agencies.
April 15, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I got socked with $2000.00 in Fines and a license suspension when my Transponder failed to work. I took it to the Main EPass office 3 times and they kept checking it and saying it was fine,when obviously it wasn’t.
I tried to fight it to no avail.
The person in the recent toll road Debacle,Cheryl Perry,needs to get proof of the fact that she wasn’t using the SunPass lanes. The Turnpike Authority needs to show photographic Evidence that she did…or didn’t. Its real easy to go on Camera and “SAY” that she did.
Its all a cover up because the system is screwed up and undoubtedly the people behind the scenes are corrupt as all get out.
April 17, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I recently had my license suspended and can’t afford to get it back!
I received toll violations and paid them with my UTN numbers on the check that they cashed. But Sunpass says the payment was late and that they issued 4 citations which I never received and never knew there was any problems with my payment. They cashed my check in December and I heard nothing until march 08 that my license was going to be suspended. I was on the phone for 3 days trying to find a way to stop the suspension because I already PAID! I even faxed a Sunpass manager the cashed check. They said a refund was issued to return my money because I paid too late. But when I called the next week to confirm the violation dates and dates for the citation notices that I never received, they couldn’t tell me the refund date. They said there was no refund on file! I now owe over $900. I also contacted channel 9 news to get help with a problem so many others are having. And when Mrs Welch contacted Sunpass, they came back with a terrible reply to smear my name. Claiming that I was not a customer in good standing because the Epass transponder that almost never used was negative $1 in September. They’re reply also mentioned that because I added money the morning that I went through the tolls, Sunpass wouldn’t work. (But Epass did) ( they also say thier technology is exactly the same as Epass!)
And tried to say I never updated my vehicle information which I did from my cars make, model and tag. When I recently checked my vehicle info it was updated from my nissan truck to my honda civic but the tag wasn’t updated. I called this in but didn’t realize I’d have to check after them to see if they did their job.
The next time this happened through Sunpass my account was in the positive and the transponder still didn’t pick up the toll. But ALL my Epass tolls worked those days!
When I made so many calls to Sunpass, I never once blamed them but only asked that they realize something is not working right . . .
And that in this case there was an error. They had every chance to make a quick phone call to the clerk of courts to STOP the suspension. But they wouldn’t and they lied about my refund and I NEVER received ANY citations! And on top of everything else, I talked to SO many different people and not one person could tell me why my transponder didn’t work. It wasn’t until WFTV contacted them that they could explain a possible cause, smearing my name to cover up for their obvious mistakes.
I pay my taxes, am a good citizen and deserve to have more consideration in this matter. I was taking a foster child to get an emergency root canal over 3 hours away to Shand’s Hospital. But Sunpass says I’m not a person in “Good Standing”!
Now how do I get a court hearing to get this dismissed??????
April 18, 2008 at 12:21 am
I have e-pass. While I haven’t had all the fustrations of others, my complaint is with their website. It is never up to date, and according to them, when my account auto renews, it doesn’t show until the next time I use a toll road, even though they bill my account (credit card) immediately.
April 18, 2008 at 2:32 am
i dont see the need of the tollway needing the tag #on the car i drive if i used an sunpass or an e pass (witch i dont) i paid for the pass i should be able to use it on any vehicle i drive if they need my tag # they should gon to the police and get it from them and should pay the pd for the time that it takes the pd to look it up
April 18, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Sunpass at the airport is a huge joke. Twice I’ve tried to use it, and twice I spent 15 minutes plus in the so called “express” lane while the schlep in the booth took each person’s sunpass transponder and called the number in manually. When I addressed the matter with the airport and Ampco, the parking vendor, both blew it off as “glitches in new technology” despite the fact the system has been in place now for over a year. There are toll agencies in other states that do electronic collection far more efficiently and far cheaper (i.e. offer higher discounts to electronic pass users); it’s high time for Sunpass to go away.
April 18, 2008 at 10:17 pm
We are overcharged by e-pass almost every month. Usually at the 1.25 toll on 528. Sometimes as much as $4 per pass!!! Every time I report ther overcharge they “Credit” it back to my account the next month, but it always appears to be another charge and nobody can/will tell me why or explain it to me. This has been happening for more than a year now.
April 18, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I had so many problems with Sunpass I switched to E-pass , I couldn’t get Sunpass to fix my problems of “missed” toll passings , 2 tickets violations were never sent to me and then got letter from the state to surrender drivers license{ still don’t know who got those 2 tickets]. I tried to fix the problem with Sunpass I got a lot of “please hold I try to find someone that help you” I even offered to donate a cash offering to fix the problem and they said it was too late even though they knew the tickets were never sent to me. I call OCEA{orange county expressway authority} to get their help , telling that my receiver was working on some days and others it would work 100% had the bills to prove it, It wasn’t a batterie problem , it was the first thing i did to try fix the problem. So I canceled my Sunpass account since it was 100 % them {bad transponder , bad mailing/filing for no pays on tickets, just plan couldn’t a problem if was the last thing to do.} So OCEA fixed the tickets and I have been with E-Pass happily so 3-4 years now.
April 18, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Sometime during 2007 there was a billing glitch with my Sunpass account. I never knew about it because Sunpass was sending notifications about it to some mystery address in South Florida where I’ve never lived. I finally found out about it in October when I started receiving license suspension notices from Orange County. By the time I tracked down the problem, I received a total of 32 suspensions on my license. Even after admitting the problem, Sunpass would only rescind 16 of the suspensions. I eventually went to court in February and got the other 16 suspensions dismissed. But for nearly 3 months, my wife had to drive me both ways to work (a total of 120 miles per work day!). This put a lot of extra miles on my vehicle and cost me hundreds in extra fuel expenses. This should have been a problem that was resolved in a ten minute phone call. But, they have the typical attitude you find in any government run program: they don’t care about their customers because they don’t have to care. Nor does there appear to be any recourse against them. If anyone is interested in doing a class action suit, I’m in.
April 18, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I neglected to add, I had contacted WFTV’s action line. They sent a letter to Sunpass. Sunpass made the effort to call to tell me that they received the letter and that they still weren’t going to do anything to help me.
April 18, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I am glad that I don’t have a SunPass or an EPass. I just knew that problems like this would arise. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and that has proven true in this case. There have been EPass and SunPass problems for years, and they don’t get fixed.
What bothers me is that the Expressway Authority doesn’t fix the problem, and although they acknowledge that the problem exists, they refuse to comment on them, and they offer no timetable on when the problems will be resolved.
Also, tollroads are constitutionally illegal. It’s double taxation. We already pay for the use of public roads by paying gasoline taxes, federal, state and local. All road construction should be paid from those taxes. We burn those tax dollars when we drive on tollroads. The only alternative that I can offer is to provide tax-free gas on all toll roads.
I don’t use tollroads unless I absolutely need to. It’s my own personal boycott of an illegal government program.
April 20, 2008 at 2:35 am
My teenage son uses my Epass so I can track his speed between two points on the Greeneway. I received a photo in the mail of him “running” a toll, yet the 2nd toll and both return tolls on the same route were paid. Not only that, but the photo included the exact time (down to the second) of his “violation.” The difference between the two tolls going and the two tolls returning was exactly four seconds – pretty diligent for a teenage driver.
I called Epass and was told, “It’s taken care of.” I specifically asked, “That’s great. What exactly did you do?” The woman said they charged our account for the toll. Now why did they not do that in the first place rather than spend the postage on the letter and waste my time on the phone?
A month later, I get a citation in the mail! Again, I called Epass and apparently they entered the license plate number wrong from my original call, so nothing was done and I was ticketed. The photo I received had the picture of the license plate on it. How can they get the license number wrong? I was instructed to file a citation dispute request, but I can only guess that form, like every other step along the way, will be fouled up by Epass, too. Just to be safe, I am going to file “not guilty” for my citation and will take my turn in court if necessary.
Doesn’t it seem odd that in the past several months these issues have ballooned? The time I have spent dealing with this issue, as well as the labor and postage that has been spent by Epass and the state is ten times more expensive than the original $.25 toll. It would have made more sense to just charge my Epass account. What a hassle!
April 21, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I, too, received a letter from the state of Florida in Dec. 07 saying that my license was to be suspended in two weeks for failure to pay a toll on the turnpike in June 07. I went on the circuit court website to look up my case number as I had no prior notification of any of it. After many calls and being transferred from EPASS (where the violation occurred), and SUNPASS (the pass I have), it was determined from the photo taken that day it was a TYPO of the plate number. The last digit entered off the photo was incorrectly typed in and that wrong number happened to be a plate I owned several years ago. Since I had moved twice, I had received no notification of a violation. EPASS admitted it was a typo and would send confirmation to the Clerk of Court. Well, back and forth that went and it came to the day before my license was to be suspended. The court still hadn’t received the suspension clearance letter (no, they are not allowed to fax it), so I opted to pay the fine to avoid my license being suspended instead of taking a chance that it would come through that day as I was told. I was then told I would be reimbursed the $103.50 once the clearance letter was received and that it would take 8 to 12 weeks. The case has been dismissed, my license was not suspended, but I have yet to receive my refund for a toll violation that was not even me to begin with in the first place. Sunpass and the Orange County Clerk of Court office were helpful once I reached them in this whole process. EPASS employees were extremely rude the four times I spoke to them.
April 22, 2008 at 1:56 am
I am in the same place as the gentleman your featuring on the news Monday night (4/7). My credit card changed and I forgot to update my Sunpass account with my new number. I moved and didn’t receive any notice, then found out 6 months later that my license had been suspended. The only thing I could do was pay the 14 violations against me or my license would be taken. For each violation I was charged $174, the total for all 14 violations was around $2,600. I called Sunpass and they said I had an outstanding balance of $120.00 which I had to pay, but the woman I spoke to agreed the charges were excessive. I’m pretty upset about it, but I had to pay in order to have my license reinstated. Then, 3 weeks later, I came back from my honeymoon and received a notice in the mail that because I paid the fines, I had admitted guilt on all charges and according to the new statue I would receive 3 points on my license for each violation. In total, 42 points were placed on my license, therefore revoking it for 12 months.
I registered for a work permit and am now in the process of writing a letter to send to a judge to see if I can get some leniency because this has totally gotten out of control.
April 22, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Two years ago I was commuting from Oviedo to Ocoee everyday. I had an account with Sunpass, Epass continually wrote me tickets, and took my licensee three times during that school year. I was paying over $100.00 a month and receiving tickets. I actually moved what school I was teaching at to avoid any further problems. It is unfortunate that all of us that have suffered in the pasted will not be compensated.
Sincerely,
C. Devin Hoey
8136792059
ps I would love to help in anyway to stop this from happening to others. Thank you for doing this story.
April 22, 2008 at 10:15 pm
We used the beachline from 95 to the airpirt on Friday April 18 and Tuesday Aparil 22. On the way we noticed our sumpass did not beep at the toll gate. but it beeped at the airport. We aere confused and called Sun Pass
we were advised our battery was weak and we need to replace it. I think we should be notified of they see that is is getting weak. I was told they noticed it in November 2007. They said a picture was taken of our plate and they would charge our account and if we get a letter, to call them back.
April 22, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I have been having problems with sunpass. I have called both epass and sunpass and changed the battery in my transponder at Lowes and took the transponder in to the epass center be checked, but they said it was fine. They said my only recourse is to send a letter to the Florida DOT in Tallahassee.My problem is that since the end of January none of my sunpass toll charges have shown up on my account. I moved (about 4 years ago)since getting this transponder, travel frequently and would like to have my transponder work in the first place, as I still haven’t gotten my charges, almost 3 months later, let alone be able to pay them on time or get any possible reimbursements for work related tolls. I have done all I could to try to find out what to do, but they say there is nothing to do. The epass toll booths work fine, but the epass personnel tell me that the sunpass signal is just weak, so it doesn’t interact with my transponder when I go through. Thru Jan 08 it worked. Thanks for your help! Tim and Betty Wyma
April 23, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I have a Sunpass account that was started in S. Florida, never once until moving to Orange County had I ever had any problems with tolls. Sunpass blames Epass and says that any toll violations that I have received have to be cleared through them. Funny how Epass has control over my Sunpass account when I just heard today on the radio that Epass cannot send violations to Sunpass customers. This all started with getting notices that my license was going to be suspended, surprise to me! I went to court to fight it, judge dropped it. Then I find out while there that there is another suspension pending. Had to wait for that and go to court again. This time a liason from Sunpass showed up and asked for the case to be dismissed. Don’t you think we can spend taxpayers money better than this? Well when I think it is all over, I get two more surprises in the mail. Both stating that I have toll violations, surprise, through Epass. When I contact Sunpass they suggest that I call Epass to have this taken care of. They continue to say that they probably will not dismiss the violations, nice way to treat your customers! I would like to know one thing, if the tolls were paid through a credit card with auto replenishment, why are we being charged a second time with additional fees? I found it to be ironic that the same day that I received these notices, I hear the Ch.9 news in the background talking about toll violations. I had just thought about contacting them myself. Unfortunatley in Orlando, you have to pay tolls wherever you go. Epass must be making some big bucks.
April 23, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I think I really need to reiterate/clarify some things concerning my first Post here.
My License was suspended THREE years ago (I still can’t afford to pay these ridiculous fines so my Wife drives me to and from work) and the system wasn’t working then (Both EPass and SunPass as I live in Oviedo and work in Orlando) and its not certainly working NOW!
All these claims by the Expressway Authority that they are “Working on it” is truly laughable! They have been at it for THREE years and the still haven’t got it right! When will they get it right?????
FYI..I have been driving the 408 for nigh on 17 years, literally 7 days a week and always paid by cash. I had an EPass for less than one year and it created a nightmare.
My Transponder now resides in a box in my garage and I closed my account soon after they suspended my license….which I never received ONE citation for,and I haven’t moved either.
I have also advised friends and family that have moved here or are considering getting an EPass to not get one.
So when is the EA going to quit pointing fingers at everyone else and accept the blame for their own ineptitude?
By the way,thanks WFTV for trying to make things right!
April 23, 2008 at 10:10 pm
i am scheduled to be in court for 2 violations because my battery was out..i failed to change my address which i agree was my fault, but a 487.00 fine for 2 -1.00 tickets..i pleaded with the toll agency to accept 50.00 but they flatly refused. i asked them to send me the letter that they sent to my previous address so i could use it as my defense and they refused. i have had my transponder for about 10 years and it is tied to my axp card..jeff
April 23, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I received a bill for .50 for running a toll. The transponder obviously malfunctioned because the transponder has never been moved from my vehicle and I frequently use the toll system with no other problems. I called and had the .50 taken from my epass account which I do not understand why they did not do in the first place. Then I received a citation for 25.00 for not having the correct vehicle and tag on file. I never knew I had to change the information otherwise the information would have been correct. I tried to reconcile this through epass but could not dispute online as instructed by several agents I spoke to on the phone. Now since “time is running out” I have no other option except to either pay $158.00 or go to court. These options are ridiculous considering they take money from my account automatically and the incorrect information on file has no bearing on their profit.
April 24, 2008 at 12:00 am
I got socked with two 163.00 fines by OOCEA after my transponder fell under the seat. I appealed the fines and got a response saying that I had excessive infractions so they wouldn’t take my appeal. And of course by the time the appeal got denied I was past the 30 day mark so I couldn’t pay the $25 dollar fee plus the toll any longer and was hit with the 2 tickets and the 3 points each on my license. This is ridiculus that they would charge one of their own customers with these hefty fines. That and the ticket came from someone who isn’t even a police officer. This is no way to run a business.
April 24, 2008 at 2:19 am
I have been a Sunpass customer for 3 years and I have never experienced such a embarassing moment until I had to go to the clerk of court to prevent my license from being suspended. I kept receiving notices 3 months after the date of the violation. I called Sunpass since that is who bought my transponder from and I did not realize I was suppose to call Epass who is a totally different company. I started paying fines from $.50 cents (the fine) to $25.50 (the fine and the violation) finally serveral months went by and I was still paying on my transponder through automatic payment. To make a long story short I ended up paying around $800 in fines and viloations not counting what I was paying automatically. I believe (Sunpass & EPASS) are rip offs because the fines are ridiculous for a $.50 cents toll I ended up paying $187.00 for just one violation. I believe we should get our MONEY BACK for the fines and violations.
April 24, 2008 at 2:34 am
This whole Sun Pass program has so many problems that the whole system needs to be overhauled. Especially they should be required to FORWARD the tickets to any forwarding address that the post office has on file. How can someone be expected to pay a ticket that they do not even receive. Don’t we have a right to have the ticket forwarded to a new address if all of our other mail is being forwarded?
Please follow through with these issues for the people in ORANGE COUNTY as well. It is clearly “highway robbering” going on.
The transponders can not be trusted, the Sun Pass office can not be trusted to charge the credit card on file if there is a problem with a transponder, the Sun Pass ticket issuing department can not be trusted to send the tickets to the address on file with Sun Pass and they can not be trusted to FORWARD the tickets if the person has moved to a new address.
It looks as though the complete system is designed to take advantage of these loop holes which would then allow Sun Pass to send out more tickets and charge more fines thereby making an obscene amount of money every year. Clearly in these cases the punishment does not match the 50 cent crime, and Sun Pass certainly looks guilty of “organized crime” in fleecing the general public.
I do not believe all of this is done by accident or poor management I believe it is done with the intention to make as much money as possible otherwise if they really wanted to follow the law and care about the rights of the citizens they would be sure to forward the tickets to the new forwarding address with the post office. The letter notifying me that my license was going to be suspended was certainly FORWARDED to my new address so why weren’t the tickets FORWARDED?
When I had to enroll in the CAPS program in order to make monthly payments to pay my total in tickets which was over $3,000 the woman who works in the CAPS office told me that over 85% of the people on the payment plan are there because of SunPass. She said that even her own husband received a letter warning him that his license was going to be suspended because his transponder did not register at a toll booth, and he even had the automatic replenishment program so his account was never below $15.00. Why should the public be penalized when the equipment that the Expressway Authority owns and maintains isn’t working correctly?
It was not her husbands transponder that was not working because it was working on the next toll booth. Someone has to stop this insanity, cancel the electronic EPASS and SUNPASS and make fewer toll booths. It would be better to pay $2.00 once then to pay $.50 four separate times.
I have found other roads so that I can avoid the toll roads as much as possible and I keep a roll of quarters in my car to use if I do choose to get on a toll road.
I think it is interesting to read the judges comments about assigning a ticket to a “driver” based on the license plate number alone. There are often several drivers in the same family using the same car from time to time how can they even know who to give the ticket to? There are so many problems with this system we should just go back to paying cash only.
DLM
April 24, 2008 at 11:46 am
Hello world. I am beyond myself. I am a truck driver with a CDL license I was given a Sunpass from my company to use for my personal vehicle. I was thrown over 8 violations in which 4 turned into violations because of a faulty lane I pass 8 tolls roundtrip daily and they site me for the same one everytime. I have called them had my company call them my CEO call them to try and get this resolved. The company is uptodate on all of the tolls they have never ran out of money in their account and even have a back up credit card on file just in case funds run low in the base account. I can not get points on my license because this is how I feed my family. I have requested a court hearing because this is not my fault at all. I had to pay ouy $51 dollars last week for late charge to even request a hearing. I travel on their roads every day 60 miles round trip and however many more while working. They have suspended all violations in Seminole and Brevard county but what aout Orange county. Something has to be done about this it is costing us alot of money and stress. The court system should decide whether they have a creditable company working with them before issueing citations and suspendtion of license.
Sincerly, “Fired” up man
April 24, 2008 at 11:25 pm
I held an EPass account & noticed that whenever there was an issue with the transponder or if funds ran out, EPass took any negatvie funds off the top when the account was replenished. I had no problem with that, but sometime in June, I believe, my transponder didn’t work. While I was working in the field 2 tolls didn’t register & apparently EPass issued me citations; even though the account was replenished many times over. I didn’t get notification because I had relocated & no mail was forwarded (EPass’ policy). I found out the hard way that my license was suspended. I relocated to Georgia, was pulled over by police for my Florida window tint & when my license was run it was in fact suspended. I was arrested in front of my son. I went to court to explain the situation but the judge didn’t seem to care & I am currently serving a year of probation, having to complete 80 hours of community service & paid over $1400 in fines/fees. My biggest problem is that the State of Georgia handles traffic citations as criminal, so I have a record. EPass was very unhelpful regarding the situation & needless to say I no longer have an account with the agency. The experience is still upsetting and the service is horrible.
May 1, 2008 at 10:32 pm
For along time this has been happening. I used to use the 408 but not any more because the transponder doesn’t always go off. I’m not loosing my liecense. I’m affraid to.
May 1, 2008 at 10:52 pm
My license was suspended because of toll violations that I never received. I haven’t even changed my address. On top of that I didn’t know it and I was pulled over and almost arrested. Then I find out that I had thousands of dollars worth of unpaid tolls on my license when their was money in my sunpass account and that my license had so many points on it that it would be suspended for a year. My work requires me to drive so they have caused me loose alot more than my license. On top of that I requested a court date to get this resolved and it has been over two months and they still haven’t responded! I don’t know what to do about getting this done. I need my license back or I’m going to be living on the street with my family.
May 1, 2008 at 10:56 pm
After receiving three “toll violation” letters, all from the Lake Jessup toll plaza (operated by SunPass) I put my transponder (brand new battery, worked perfectly fine at every other toll station) in the junk drawer and went back to paying cash.
Congratulations EPass/Sun Pass and Mr. Crotty! Once again we’re allowed to witness the proof of that old axion “Never give a small mind a little power”.
May 1, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Wow–I was considering getting a SunPass, but after reading these horror stories I’ll just stick with my little bucket of quarters.
Oh, and I heard on the radio this morning that toll road rates may go up 25%. Fantastic.
Too bad Orlando isn’t more bike-friendly. . .
May 2, 2008 at 12:06 am
When I think of a toll road I think of a man walking through a town in the 1700s, and being stopped at a checkpoint by the kings guards. Where this man is then held upsidedown and shook until all the money falls out of his pockets. I am surprised how irresponsibly the traffic situation in Orlando is handled. Bad traffic jams and poorly timed lights dominate the Orlando scene. Orlando’s traffic engineers and law makers need not pride themselves in a job well done at all.
Charge Orlando Citizens a toll for the highway? We do not even have a public transportation system to help declog the DANGEROUS highways in the area.
May 2, 2008 at 3:19 am
testing
May 3, 2008 at 4:19 pm
What happened to personal responsibility? All you have to do is call Epass and give them your license plate number and none of these problems would happen. If you can’t do that, why are you driving on their road? Do you think driving is your right? Do you think using a toll road is your right? If you can’t give Epass your license plate number it sounds like you are just trying to get out of paying tolls. Now that you are caught, you’re making up excuses and blaming the “government” for your own ineptitute. Do me a favor and take I-4.
May 3, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I always thought the idea of putting somebody else in charge of my life (SunPass and E Pass) would lead to trouble……wow I really feel bad for all you commuters that are getting screwed. I hope you get back eveything it cost you. I see now that if you want to ’save time’ by just being able to breeze by us poor souls in the old fashioned toll lanes, the time you saved will be taken up by repeated phone calls, and court appearances, not to mention the costs (money and suspensions) Wow technology….. what a wonderful thing !!!! I just had a ‘gut’ feeling this would eventually happen. Big Brother is watching but he’s a Thief !!!!!
May 4, 2008 at 2:27 pm
It looks like 72,000 people have been irresponsible over the last 2 years in Orange County. When you buy a epass or Sunpass transponder you agree to the rules. If your credit card expires or is lost or stolen you have to stop using the express lanes and you have to tell them. If your credit card is maxed out, you have to stop using the express lanes and change your payment method. If you use up more money than your selected replenishment rate you have to stop using the express lanes until you pick a replenishment rate that works for your travel pattern. If you move you have to change your address with them, you have to change your address on your license and also on your license plate. And as Wayne says above, if you give them your plate number you wouldn’t have any of these problems because the toll would automatically get deducted from your account when your battery dies or when the transponder doesn’t work because you are speeding through at 70 miles an hour while holding it in your right hand and holding your cell phone in your left hand with your coffee between your legs. I’m talking about the 72000 people who didn’t change their address when they moved and then got a suspension for running the tolls. You are the kind of people who need to stay off the toll roads. Do me and Wayne a favor and drive on I-4.
May 4, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Maryilyn and Wayne are right, except Marilyn and Channel Nine cannot be right about the 72000 figure. I work for the clerk’s office and I can tell you that the figure is a total amount of suspensions, that include DUI’s, Driving on a Suspended License, child support, financial judgment for accidents while un-insured, too many points on your license, etc., etc. This is another example of the facts being manipulated to sell advertising!
May 4, 2008 at 6:15 pm
To Wayne and Marilyn…you are of the mindset that there could be ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with the tool system and that you’d rather dump INNOCENT people that have been RAPED by this so called perfect system in with ne’er do wells that run the tolls without paying!
I know 15 people,all of them upstanding and hard working citizens that have been burned by both Epass and Sunpass..so what,are they evil doers in your eyes because they don’t meet your high moral standards?
This blog was for people to tell their stories about how screwed up the system is and wasn’t created for trolls such as yourselves to come here and and show all of us how high and mighty you are.
And by the way…this “system” is privately owned and publicly traded with most of the investors based out of New York. Do some research people before you toss in the word “government”.
May 5, 2008 at 6:00 am
I have been incorrectly charged a total of $9 since the first of the year (by E-Pass) for going through toll booths that I have never ever been through in my life (2 in Polk County), and some of the charges were billed on days when I never even drove my car!!! I am the only person who drives my car, the only one who has a set of keys to my car, and my car was never stolen or used without my permission. Go figure. I have appealed the incorrect charges, and am waiting for a response.
May 5, 2008 at 10:23 am
The only person I see who has a valid complaint is the person who had their liscense plate misread. To the rest I say stop whining and admit that it is your own mistakes that caused your problems. Either you were unwilling to take the time to read your user agreement or thought that you are special and it doesn’t apply to you. Folks it’s not that hard….all you have to do is keep money in your account, list your license plate with the toll authority and if you move, update your registration address with DMV as required by law. That’s it. Simple. If you follow those steps it doesn’t matter if your transponder works or not, you won’t get a ticket. I am sick and tired of stupid people and Vanessa Welch making an issue out of something that is not the governments’ fault. Look at youselves….the credit card I had on file expired and I got a ticket (boo hoo), I moved and didn’t update my address with DMV and the tickets went to my old address(boo hoo), my battery was dead and I didn’t have my license plate listed on my account (boo hoo), I didn’t have my transponder mounted on the windshield so it didn’t read (boo hoo). WAKE UP! It is your own fault. Do the rest of us a favor and start using other roads so we don’t have to listen to your crying and lying anymore. Vanessa, find a real story to write about and start paying your own tolls. By the way how many toll tickets did you receive? What a bunch of wimps!!!!
May 5, 2008 at 2:37 pm
This is a reply to Ralph. What about the people who are charged $4.00 instead of $.50 at a toll booth, is that their fault too? What about the man who went to court who had changed his address with the DMV and had the correct address on his registration but the DMV had not updated their database and so the ticket went to an old address, was that his fault?
Ralph, you need to read the judges orders and comments, he even questioned the legality of ticketing a “driver” based on the photo of the license tag alone. How can they prove who the driver was? Was it the husband, the wife, or the 19 yr. old son? Since each driver is only responsible for their own actions, is it right to always ticket the father every time something goes wrong with the transponder when his wife or son is driving the car? Many families can only afford one vehicle and have to share transportation.
The judge determined that since SunPass and E-Pass has the customer’s credit card on file that those customers should never be ticketed because SunPass and E-Pass can easily charge their credit card for the 50 cent toll if the transponder or if the toll booth equipment does not work properly.
Obviously people who give SunPass and E-Pass their credit card numbers are not deliberatly out to rip SunPass off at the toll booth or they would never have given them their credit card numbers in the first place.
I still believe it is the customer’s constitutional right to have all of their mail forwarded especially any mail that involves a legal document such as a traffic ticket. If a police officer pulls someone over to give them a ticket they have to have the driver sign their signature on the ticket and the officer has to read the “rights” to the driver letting them know how many days that they have to pay the ticket and what their recourses are if they want to challenge the ticket in court. If the tickets are deliberately NOT FORWARDED to the customer’s new address then all of those rights are deliberately being ignored and refused to the driver.
SunPass and E-Pass is a privately owned business it is not a government agency. If McDonalds over charged peoples credit cards as often as SunPass and EPass you know that there would be a big investigation into their business practices. I believe the judge was right in shutting down their right to ticket SunPass and EPass customers in Seminole and Brevard County, I just want to know why he didn’t include Orange County in that judicial degree as well.
May 10, 2008 at 3:34 am
What in the world is going on with the troll authority?
let me see If I have this correct…..Go to Epass/SunPass open an acount with a credit card…enable auto pay…receive a transponder.
Then when technology goes bad…they have the power to fine you and suspend your license while your acount is and has been in good standing since the acount was opened….Truly a cover up is under way….who is to blame for giving this private business this kind of power?
May 13, 2008 at 1:47 am
i was working in cocoa beach,i live in mt.dora, i was spending $300.00 a month on my “pay as you go sunpass”. i recieved a total of 5 citations and fined 87.50 for 3 of them and the other 2 , i was able to pay a $25.00 fine. i requested a court date to fight the 3 $87.50 tickets. i missed my court date because of the flu and even showed a drs. bill to prove it, but to no avail.asked for a new court date but have been denied twice. heres the best part, all 5 citations have been at the first tollbooth heading towards the east on the 417.no other tollbooth had a problem, i feel it is a tollbooth problem and not mine.my licences are suspended, im not working much and dont have almost $1000.00 to pay fines i dont deserve. best response from sunpass “you should read the rules when you purchased a sunpass”. mytag had changed because the state makes you every four years!
May 18, 2008 at 8:13 am
Attempting to resolve any issue on the phone with E-Pass is a joke in itself. Every time I have spoken with a phone representative I have been treated rudely. I finally had to go personally and stand in line for 30 minutes in order to straighten out my account. After my dreadful experiences with the call center I have learned to take care of my business online or in person. In my opinion, a complete restructuring with professionals is in order.
May 22, 2008 at 6:36 pm
When are we going to see a law suit that represents Orange County? SunPass must be making a fortune off of Orange County customers! If what they are doing is wrong in Brevard and wrong in Seminole it has to be wrong in Orange County as well! Where are those money hungry attorney’s when you need them? Are they afraid to fight “city hall” and the powers that be in Orange County? Sure looks suspicious.
Orlando SunPasser
May 22, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I have recently had a horrible experience with both Sun Pass and E-Pass. Yesterday, I was pulled over. The officer told me my license was suspended and handed me a ticket for driving under a suspended license. I asked him why it was suspended and he said I had some toll violations from Oseola County from October of 2007. I had to do more research and come to find out I had two Sun Pass toll violations but had never been notified of any violations. I have held an account with E-pass for the past four years and have never had any problems. While on the phone with Sun Pass and E-pass both, I was treated very rudely and was on hold forever. After further investigation, I found out that my transponder failed to work on two occasions even though my account was current and had plenty of money in it. So, two $.75 tolls are going to cost me over $400 in fees ($185 per violation and $50 to get my license reinstated). I was out of state from the end of October to the end of January and my mail was being forwarded. A rep from Sun Pass told me… “we don’t forward citations!” So, how was I to know that I had any outstanding toll violations. This system is horrible and the both Sun pass and E-pass deserve a class action law suit against them for putting so many people out. I work in health care and need my license to go to work each day. I had to hire a lawyer today to attempt to resolve these issues. I now have to pay for the toll fees and the ticket for driving while under a suspended license. This isn’t right. When all is said and done… I’m looking to spend over $1300 for two $.75 tolls! There is something very wrong with this system and the penalties being placed on people’s records can cause serious problems. I want to take my experience to anyone who will hear me and hopefully get a class action lawsuit in place to repay everyelse who can been severly inconvienced by this system. It is a very helpless feeling to have this injustice placed on you. Please let me know if anyone else feels the same.
June 2, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Thank you WFTV! It is ashamed that we had to blog in to a local news station to help us with our State wide issues. I am very grateful that our “local” station cares about how the County city, and state treats us with our money! WFTV more notably Vanessa Welch and Melanie Holt was on the spot helping me with my Toll nightmares. May god bless you all with the same blessing that you have blessed me with… Thank you again
V. Deltoro
June 19, 2008 at 8:03 am
After reading so many horror stories about Sun Pass and E pass customers makes me glad I never bought into their services. I’ll gladly pay the extra 25 cents for piece of mind knowing they have no personal information on me. Everyone who’s been injusticed by these two should ban together and file a class action lawsuit.
June 19, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Well. it seems like if the D.O.T. lawyers get their way, this nightmare is far from over. And they are going to try sticking it to the Toll users because of their own faulty equipment and system.
I agree with JOV…A class action lawsuit will probably be the only recourse left to get these jokers to back off.
June 19, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I thought that since I’ve never had a sunpass or epass account, I would be safe from the terrorism of the techno-toll mafia, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Someone unbeknownst to me to this day drove my vehicle through the sunpass lane at the turnpike entrance close to my residence. I got the notice in the mail about a month later. My vehicle has never been stolen that I know of, nor have I allowed anyone to borrow it, but there it was clear as day in a photograph going through the sunpass lane. I recognized it as my vehicle, and my license plate was plainly readable. I still can’t explain it.
The money for the toll certainly wouldn’t make me or break me, but I was concerned about it being on my driving record and possibly causing an increase in insurance premiums. So I took it to court. It turns out that the law as it stands doesn’t place the burden on the state to prove that I was driving – only that I own the vehicle. I’m sure that to lawyers and politicians, it makes perfect sense, but to any rational person without an agenda, it’s completely insane. I appealed to the hearing officer in court by pointing out to him that this is an isolated incident, and he could look at my driving record which was in front of him at the time to verify it. He was sympathetic, so he withheld adjudication and did not impose a fine, but did impose a $30 court cost, saying that there was nothing he could do about that. I wasn’t happy about a $1.25 toll turning into $30, but I could live with it since it wasn’t going on my driving record.
I’d be party to a class-action lawsuit against the state, the turnpike authority, epass and sunpass for negligence, extortion, racketeering, and I’m sure we can find a myriad of other laws that they have violated. I applaud the judge in Seminole County for dismissing thousands of citations and upholding the natural rights of the people to avoid being held responsible for someone else’s stupidity. If the sunpass and epass authorities are going to implement substandard and imperfect technology, then they’re the ones who need to be responsible for it. I chose not to participate in it for obvious reasons, and I still got entangled with it. At the very least, the lawmakers should shift the burden to the state to prove that an individual was driving when the violation occurred, and if it causes a burden on the FDOT et. al., that’s their problem. I have no doubt that I could have successfully challenged the law itself as being unconstitutional and in violation of my civil rights, but I choose my battles, and I chose not to fight that one because I have too many more important things to conquer and devote my limited time and resources to. However, if the same or a simliar incident happens again, I will most likely consider it to be a significant threat to my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, as is given to me by our Creator and secured by the Constitution for the united States of America; and I will act accordingly.
June 20, 2008 at 9:25 am
been e pass user since 1997, have auto deduction from credit card. i moved recently and 75 cent toll violation sent to old address and i never got it. what i did get is a letter from orange county to suspend my license. went to court house, they could do nothing, told me to go to e pass and talk to them. went to office on goldenrod road, they said call sunpass as it was one of their toll booths. called sunpass, they said too bad it is not our problem you did not receive the violation ticket. back to courthouse to get a court date, cannot get court date now as the time frame to file for court date was expired on violation ticket. ended up having to pay $180 to orange county so my license was not revoked.
June 23, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Finally, a judge that is not prejudiced in favor of the government. The US constitution says that we are innocent until proven guilty, but the Expressway Authority thinks that they can sidestep that law by making people prove that they are not guilty. Sorry. They are not in business to gain revenue through fines, only tolls. And if the equipment that they supply to drivers doesn’t work properly, it is the Expressway Authority who should be punished, not the innocent drivers.
That’s why I don’t have an EPass or a SunPass. Never have, never will.
Beachboy
September 5, 2008 at 10:12 pm
well, after 5 times trying to get officer morrison to give me a retrial and being denied because i was ill and in bed with the flu and missed my first trial, i got pulled over this morning pulling a trailer that the lights did not work on because a fuse blew. this is my work trailer that carries my tools. im just glad to have a little work in constuction. of course the nice officer made me feel like a criminal, he was asking me what tow company i wanted to use to haul my truck and trailer in to a compound. he was taking me (my ass as he put it) to jail. driving on a suspended liceince and no lights. after 45 minutes of pleading, i was let go. dont drive, move my truck, look at him funny, nothing! so, monday morning ill go pay the $987.00 they (seminole county- previous post) say i owe them for my $3.00 in tolls that their equiptment did not pick up. ill do this to get a work permit so my criminal a$$ can go to work before my court date in october. i am smashing up my sunpass with my 28 ounce estwing hammer and sending it back with a nice note!
December 5, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I can’t believe it. Now I’m going to end up with points on my license?!?!?! This nightmare will never end. The following is a copy of an email that I have sent to the governor’s office, my local representatives and the state attorney’s office several weeks ago and as of this posting I haven’t heard anything back.
“On January 2, 2008 I did not realize that my transponder didn’t register while going through a 50 cent toll and I received a citation (Citation number 8856-ZAJ) from the state on February 18, 2008. On the citation I followed the directions to resolve this by sending a Uniform Traffic Citation Dispute Request to my local Epass office and on February 29, 2008 I received a letter from the Expressway Authority stating that my dispute request had been approved and forwarded to the traffic court for dismissal. 8 months later on October 21st I received a court notice stating that my license was going to be suspended on November 18th for failure to pay the citation which was now $183. I called the Expressway Authority and they told me they would resend my approval for dismissal. The following Monday I saw online that my license was still pending suspension so I called the Clerk of the Courts office and they said that I had to submit a letter to the Seminole County Judges Office asking them to dismiss these charges and all would be taken care of. So rather than take a chance mailing this letter I took off another day from work and did this in person. With the letter I also gave them a copy of the letter from the Expressway Authority stating that this infraction was dismissed and reversed. The following week on October 31, 2008 I received 3 more letters. One from Mary Ann Morse’s office saying that my request was neither denied nor granted but instead a date was set for me to attend a civil infraction hearing on January 9th. In the meantime I had to go back to the clerks office and pay the late fees on the citation and then take the receipt to the DMV to keep my license from being suspended or just pay the fine. Well, I cannot afford to keep taking time off to resolve this issue nor can I allow my license to be suspended so I just paid the fine to get this behind me although I do not feel I should have been put through all this because of a defective product. I did this, not because I am guilty of purposely doing anything wrong, but simply because I don’t think going to a hearing is going to do anything since I and the expressway authority had already sent my documentation proving that this was a mistake several times to the clerk of the court, and that going to a hearing was just going to be a waste of time and ultimately cost me more money. It was a 50 cent toll to which I would gladly have paid without issue if given the opportunity. Instead I was run through the ringer by several departments that either don’t communicate properly or just don’t care. I have an open account with Epass and If my car is registered with a transponder why wasn’t I debited for the amount and sent a letter to have my transponder checked? It is not like I had multiple toll violations. It was one time.
I am just frustrated beyond belief that mistakes or incompetence on the part of the state cannot be handled properly without citizens like myself having to run through hoops to correct. I also know that I am not alone in this and that there are thousands of others in similar situations because of the Expressway Authority. I lived in Chicago for 6 years and never had an issue with the Tollway IPASS system. What are we doing wrong here in Florida?”
December 5, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Please do not let our stories fall on deaf ears. There are too many people getting treated unfairly due to this injustice. Like I wrote earlier, it is apparent that our elected officials don’t care about this since I have written several of them the letter above and not one of them sent any type of reply. We need the media behind us to give this cause a voice or this WILL continue.
December 6, 2008 at 9:01 am
I HAVE WORKED THE TURNPIKE AS A WRECKER DRIVER ON AND OFF SINCE 1973.
THIS TOLL PROBLEM IS ONE OF THE WORST PROBLEMS I HAVE EVER SEEN. EVER SINCE THE INCEPTION OF AUTOMATED TOLL COLLECTIONS THERE HAS BEEN PROBLEMS BE IT DOUBLE BILLING OF THE CONSUMER OR THE TRANSPONDER NOT TRANSMITTING AND NOW TRYING TO ADD POINTS TO DRIVERS LICENSES RETROACTIVLY. I MEAN COME ON WHATS UP WITH THAT?
DID SOMEONE GET THEIR PANTIES IN A BUNCH BECAUSE THE COURT SAID AT FIRST YOU COULDN’T GET YOU WAY WITH THE TICKET THING AND NOW THAT THE APPEALS COURT SAID YOU COULD YOUR NOW TRYING TO GET PAYBACK ON EVERYONE?? SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE SMILING TOLL COLLECTOR AT THE BOOTH THAT COULD ACTUALLY RENDER A SERVICE? INFORMATION, DIRECTIONS AND JUST A PLEASENT SMILE AFTER A LONG AND STRESSFUL DRIVE?? YOU FOLKS AT THE TURNPIKE TOLL AUTHORITY HAVE LOST SIGHT OF ONE OF THE VERY THINGS YOUR TRYING TO IMPROVE UPON. CUSTOMER SERVICE. OR SO YOUR PRINTED ADVERTISEMENTS SAY. YOU STRESS CUSTOMER SERVICE TO WHAT EMPLOYEES YOU DOHAVE LEFT THAT ACTUALLY INTERACT WITH THE PUBLIC FACE TO FACE AND NOW THE VERY PUBLIC YOU SERVE YOU ARE TRYING TO PENALISE FOR USING YOUR SERVICE?? HOW ABOUT TAKING SOME OF THAT WAISTED TIME YOUR USING TO ASSIGN PIONTS TO UNAWHARE DRIVERS AND PUT IT TOWARD FIXING THE REAL PROBLEMS WITH YOUR SYSTEM??
EVER THINK THAT SOME OF THE VEHICLES USING NEWER TECH TO SHIELD DRIVERS FROM THE SUN AND ULTRA VIOLET RAYS LIKE TITANIUM LINED WINDSHIELDS MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM?? OR PERHAPS SOME OTHER NEW TECH THAT IS CAUSING INTERFERANCE WITH YOUR TRANSPONDERS OR RECIEVERS AT THE TOLL PLAZAS??
CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE ENTERPRISE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU PAYING CUSTOMERS SHOULD EXPECT NOT THE CONTINUING HARASSMENT. GET A GRIP FOLKS.
IF ANY OTHER BUSINESS ON THE PLANET TRIED THIS STUFF THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PUT OUT OF BUSINESS BY THE STATE. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT?
HUMM SEEMS I DID READ THAT IN YOU EMPLOYEE HAND BOOK. CAN YOU SAY DOUBLE STANDARD?? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOUR BUDGET IF CONSUMERS QUIT USING THE TOLL ROADS?? JOB CUTS MAYBE?? OR EVEN BETTER WHAT IF THE CONSUMER ACTUALLY REVIEWED THEIR TOLL BILL AND FOUND ALL THE DOUBLE CHARGING YOU HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THESE YEARS AND ACTUALLY BROUGHT A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINTS YOU TO RECOUP ALL THE FRAUDGELENTLY COLLECTED FUNDS YOU HAVE GOTTEN OVER THE YEARS. WHAT THEN?? CAN YOU SAY STAND IN LINE LIKE THE REST OF US AT THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE?
December 6, 2008 at 9:11 am
ONE MORE THING THAT I WANT TO MENTION.
AS BEING A LONG TIME EMPLOYEE ON THE TURNPIKE I KNEW IN MY HEART THAT WHEN THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM CAME ONLINE THERE WOULD BE PROBLEMS AND AS SUCH I DO NOT AND HAVE NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED USING A TRANSPONDER FOR MY PERSONAL USE. I USE CHANGE AND STOP AND PAY. MY WAY OF DOING THINGS TO ENSURE THAT I PAY AND YOU DON’T DOUBLE CHARGE ME. SIMPLE AS THAT.
AND AS SUCH USING THE TRANSPONDERS FOR THE TRUCKS I DRIVE AS A CONTRACTOR ON THE TOLL ROADS I HAVE SEEN PROBLEMS WITH THOES I HAVEBEEN STOPPED BY THE HIGHWAY PATROL DURING A VERY BUSY DAY TO LET ME KNOW AS A COURTESY THAT THE TRANSPONDER WASN’T WORKING AFTER MANY TRIPS THRU MANY DIFFERENT TOLL GATES. WELL IT TURNS OUT THE TRANSPONDER WAS WORKING. YOUR SYSTEM JUST WASN’T REGISTERING THE DRIVE THRU SO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER FOLKS. DON’T BLAME THE CONSUMER FOR YOUR LACKING SERVICE.
AND ALL YOU FOLKS OUT THEY REVIEW YOUR BILL FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. BET YOU WILL FIND SOME PROBLEMS. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.
December 6, 2008 at 9:25 am
ANOTHER THOUGHT AS I SIT HERE A SEE AGAIN THE STORY ON CH 9 ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.
WHY DOESN’T THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISION GET INVOLVED?? OR SOME OTHER STATE AGENCY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE CONSUMER??
POOR EQIUPMENT, FRAUDGELENT CHARGES, POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, NOT ABLE TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM IN A TIMELY MANNER AND THEN OUT OF THE BLUE BACK CHARGE A CONSUMER? AND IN DOING SO COST THAT CONSUMER HIS OR HER RIGHT TO DRIVE AND MAKE A LIVING TO PROVIDEFOR THEIR FAMILY??
SOUNDS LIKE THE STATE HAS DROPPED THE BALL ON WATCHING OUT FOR THE CONSUMER.
MAYBE A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION IS IN ORDER. WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE? MAYBE SOMEONE WITH OUT THEIR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR SHOULD LOOK INTO THINGS.
December 6, 2008 at 11:06 am
People losing their licenses. Mistakes due to transponders giving people tickets. Loyal employees losing their jobs to be replaced by machines thet are unreliable! It’s time to send a message Florida!
I really-think it is time, past time, for people to stop using the toll. Granted, it- is a nice ride compared to the alternatives but Sunpass and/or e-pass don’t care about anything or anyone except $$’s- -
I have a transponder. I have never had a problem- but I do care about other people.
The toll people don’t even care about their employees let alone you or me or our licenses-etc.. I have a friend who works for those people. TRUST ME! It’s all about the Benjamins.
If just one day a week – two days- weekends when traffic isn’t So horrible on I-4 or other EW and NS roads, all of Florida took other roads THAT would send a message!
December 6, 2008 at 11:40 am
Forget about your bucket of quarters being the answer to a serious problem. Collectors are being replaced with machines. There Ts only one thins that will fix the problem. Hit them in the wallet! It might be a little inconvenient for Us one day a week Boycott! one day a week- every Monday after you have had two days off. Leave a little early for work and take another road.
Boycott the toll roads on you drive to and from work every Monday. It would only take a short time before the toll people pay attention to the people who drive their highways.
BOYCOTT – EVERYONE ! OR STOP COMPLAINING !
December 6, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I too am going through a nightmare with Sunpass and Epass. I received a postcard in the mail stating my license was suspended. I call the courthouse and was advised Sunpass had suspended my license for an unpaid toll. I called my Epass customer service line and much to my surprise the lady on the other end of the line was angry that I even demanded answers. Matter of fact she told me to check online to review my account. After my own investigation I found that back in January 22 2008 my transponder did register at a sunpass toll however it did work at the epass tolls the same day. I had money in my account this day and felt I did nothing wrong. Epass is telling me I changed my tag number on their website (which I never did) and sunpass is telling me they sent a violation (which they never did) and they supposedly could not track my transponder to take the $2.00 toll out of my account. I now have a $185.00 fine $50.00 to get my license reinstated and a suspended license with 3 points on my perfect driving record! The court tells me there is nothing they can do. They told me Sunpass/Epass has the right to dismiss tickets, however sunpass/epass tell me they do not. I was told I have no other choice than to pay the fines and have a suspention on my record. This is a sunpass error and they wont fix it! I along with everyone else cannot afford to pay for sunpasses mistake, nor can I afford to have a bad driving record while im looking for a job. Sunpass and Epass should not have the legal ability to suspend licenses. I can only hope at this point that hopefully ch 9 or someone can help us customers that so desperately need it! Someone from epass or sunpass has to take responsibility for their terrible actions. They really dont understand the damage they are causing their customers!
December 8, 2008 at 4:27 pm
These tolls were supposed to be lifted after the completion of construction…we didn’t see what was comming LIKE A PAID EURO VACA! I too have a NIGHTMARE story but I’m sure there isn’t enough memory for me to go on for hours. Long story short, I had been forced to pay tickets in the past that were undisputable (unless I wanted to loose my license) and now it looks like I’m in the same F*&KIN boat! Im so fed up! WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE PUNISHED FOR THEIR MISTAKES! GREAT YOU CAUGHT IT NOW START IT FROM THE DAY YOU CAUGHT IT!!!
December 8, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR 4 MONTHS AND MY EPASS WAS “CHARGED”…I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME…
December 30, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Hi, I am from Pompano Beach (S.FL) and was wondering if anyone could post a link(s) to any attorneys that are or willing to lead a class action lawsuit through this mess would be great or if theres an email address of the judge’s secretary/receptionist to whom I can contact personally to thank for being on the right side of this issue.
It seems that the system is a bit more understanding in regards to the judges that threw out those citations and being that I’m in S.FL theres even less of a chance for us in the S. side of getting the judges to do that as well.
BTW does anyone know if theres someone at the D.O.T to whom can “confirm” w/ a printout of the info that “PROVES” I am in violation??
Heck if they can just do something as simple as that I wouldnt give a damn about paying the violations but simply to send citations via mail when in fact I NEVER received the initial sunpass toll violation notice in the mail to begin with.
Do I sound like someone to whom is whining or irrational with my observation?
Please email me at ens_audio@yahoo.com to send me any of the requested info. that I posted or if you wish to start a class action lawsuit or to incl. me into one (if theres one already started)
Thanks and good luck to you all for which justice will prevail!!!!
December 30, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Let’s get a mailing list going if all of you folks to whom have already posted wish to post a “temp email address” to which we can all correspond and keep ourselves informed on the latest developments would be a first logical step to resolving this madness.
Thanks again…..
January 22, 2009 at 4:02 am
Well, I guess I am now part of this too. Any info sent to me I would appreciate as well. Here is my story:
I get a collection notice to my home in Texas with my mothers name on it. After looking into it, and talking to Orange county clerk, EPASS, and Sun Pass I discovered there were 3 toll violations that occured in April and May of 2007. I never received any notice of these until 2 days ago. When I called EPASS they told me that I was fine and suggested that I contact Sunpass…so I did. Bingo! Sunpass apparently sent in violations to Orange county and never checked with EPASS or they would have certainly found out that I had an EPASS account with money in good standing that was working just fine. Sunpass was unwilling to help me, they just told me I should contact EPASS to get copy of my statement and contact the court. So for these 3 tolls that would have totaled $1.50 they have hit my mother with a collection of $403.00. They claim that they sent her the notice(that never showed up) to either of us because she was the first name on the title. Any advice? At this point I am waiting for my statement and I plan to call the Court to see if I can reach someone with some common sense who will let me take care of this small toll due and get rid of this ridiculous collection amount. Please email me at rbower2@att.net if you have any suggestions.
February 5, 2009 at 6:59 am
Hey there.. here’s my lovely observation on ScamPass.
For MONTHS, the new ‘open road tolling’ gantry installed on the south end of the Sawgrass Expressway (northbound) in Broward County simply never worked. It would never charge anyone, including myself.
As of January, they turned on the enforcement cameras, but not the actual Sunpass readers. Can anyone say “violation cash cow”? I got a letter asking me to pay the uncollected toll… we’ll see how this goes.
My Sunpass is one of the first generation ones, with the LCD display. The state of Florida doesn’t like these much anymore, as the customer can immediately see how much they were charged, and what their remaining balance is…. no chance for a “secret” overcharge or low balance. Heh… good times. It’s in perfect working order, the plaza itself wasn’t.
February 23, 2009 at 11:55 am
Oh-Oh, I hear the Expressway Authority wants to raise the tolls because of less revenue. What a pompous reaction from a beaurocrats. Do what business does when revenue declines. CUT RATES. Restaurants and other businesses have cut prices to get their business back and it works.
February 24, 2009 at 9:49 pm
My license was suspended because a a sunpass mistake! We have an epass and traveled to South Florida last summer. After the trip we received two tickets in the mail from Sun-pass. We contacted epass and both tickets were dismissed due to a transponder failure. Later, we attempted to renew our registration online and learned of a suspended license! Evidently, sunpass issued a third ticket (which we never received) and Epass had no record of the third ticket either. We had to appear in court in South Florida and pay to have my license re-instated. Our registration could not be renewed until the license was re-instated causing yet ANOTHER fine from the system. The case was also dismissed but was a huge headache to travel to South Florida for a 10 minute court case. There was no record of the ticket, I never received information on my suspended license nor did I ever receive any information regarding a court date. It’s evident that Epass and Sunpass can’t get their system working together!
April 28, 2009 at 10:03 pm
here is a copy of the letter I was advised to write to Judge Freeman, in the traffic court of Orange County, after the clerks of the court sat on a letter asking to reset my hearing for 4 toll violations (due to a bad epass) for 6 WEEKS! The worst one is a lady named PAM who is a “supervisor” and a direct assistant to a judge. She will PRETEND to be helping you, and by the time you are done, your license will be virtually UNUSABLE for YEARS, & YOU WILL LOSE YOUR JOB!!!
TO: Judge Freeman
c/o Clerk of Court, Orange County
425 N. Orange Ave.
Orlando. FL 32862
RE: FL DL # W160-582-56-672-0
Case # TRO-2008-0203514 (Points assessed: 3) Citation # 3402 RNP Pts assessed: ?
Case # “-0203527 (Points assessed: 3) Citation # 3403 RNP Case # -0203529 (Points assessed: 3) Citation # 9201 PQC Case # -0203501 (Points assessed: 3) Citation # 5070 RQD
Epass # (was never informed that there was any issue with my epass!)
Dear Judge Freeman,
Re: Hearing dtd 2/12/09 (1st 4 cases listed above)
I could not attend the hearing that day, as I was under medical treatment for stress-related issues dealing with the impending foreclosure of my home. (Upcoming hearing dtd May 6, 2009, Orange County Circuit Court, 9th District.)
Attached for your review, you will find a copy of the letter I hand-delivered on 3/12/09 asking for another hearing. I called the Orange County Clerk at 407-836-2000 EVERY WEEK and was told “the Judge hasn’t had time to read your letter yet,” and this happened EVERY WEEK, FOR SIX WEEKS. Your staff refused to check further, and simply hung up.
Meanwhile, I received notices from the State of Florida saying my license would be suspended by 4/9/09, due to “18 pts in an 18 mos. period,” and another asking for proof of insurance through a certain date. (I completed the form with the following information: TRAVELERS, Policy # 982955787-101-1 & returned it immediately.)
On March 1st, I made the decision to return my car to the finance company and cancelled my auto insurance with Travelers, because I could not get anyone at the Orange County Courthouse to work on my case.
Finally I called the courthouse again, only this time asked for the clerk of court’s supervisor, and got someone I thought would help me, on 4/17/09. Pam, Clert of Court, told me that she WOULD help me. She admitted to me that the other department NEVER SENT THEM MY LETTER, even after SIX WEEKS OF PHONE CALLS. She told me, “I am going to help you with this problem.”
One week later I still hadn’t heard back. Meanwhile, I returned my car to the finance company after receiving another letter warning of suspension from the state. Then I cancelled my car insurance, just prior to March 1st, 2009. (So I should not have an SR 22 pending! – Pam added that herself, to further complicate my case, in spite of me telling her that I had gotten rid of my vehicle, and cancelled the insurance in Mar.!)
So I contacted an attorney, who told me my letter was being ignored so it would be past 60 days and then I could not have another hearing, as it would be “too late.” I wrote a letter that revealed my extreme frustration trying to resolve this, and faxed it to Pam. After that, I never could get Pam to answer the phone..
On 4/23/09, I had to call a cab to come to the courthouse, since Pam would not answer her phone or return my calls. I was inside the courthouse for 1.5 hrs before she would return my call. By the time I found her, my ride was leaving and I had to go.
I am going to lose my job unless this matter is resolved, since I must be able to get to client’s homes & have reliable transportation.
I am counting on your help to resolve this issue. In Seminole County, the OCEAA does not issue citations, because the judges do not recognize them, or issue points, my friends on the police dept tell me.
Please advise.
Sincerely,
June 12, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I have had a Sunpass for four years and as an out of state visitor, I don’t get to use it much.
In early May, I flew into Miami International Airport and got a rental car from Hertz at their nearby lot. A nice Ford Mustang. In my suitcase I brought my Type IIe (gray box with one light indicator) Sunpass, which I had bought back in 2005, had set up the account, but had not yet used. As a precaution, I bought and installed a fresh new battery in the device right before my flight.
I headed east on the SR-112, Sunpass firmly affixed to the window via suction cup mount. Passing through the open road toll lane, I expected to hear the device beep as I went through. Not a sound! This continued two or more times at other plazas. Finally at the southern most plaza on the Florida Turnpike Homestead Extension, the device beeped. I was so astonished, I made a roundabout trip back to exit 2 to go slowly through the ramp toll — it beeped again.
However, the Sunday I returned the car up north to Georgia, Sunpass chaos resumed. It failed to pick me up at either of the two plazas I went through on the Homestead Extension, didn’t pick me up at the I-95 HOV express lane or at Golden Glades entrance to the Turnpike. I couldn’t believe this! As someone who has successfully used E-ZPass in the northeast and TXTag in Texas on many occasions, the Florida Sunpass seemed inept in comparison. I wasn’t picked up at the beginning of the ticket system of the Turnpike at Lantana, which left me wondering whether I’d be a phantom in the system. I decided to try yet again to see if I could get a register on a lightly traveled exit ramp, so I went through Jog Road. It did read there with a beep. However, when I re-entered the Turnpike to continue north at nearby SR-704 and passed through a manned lane- the transponder did not beep as I was clicked through by the collector.
The transponder failed to beep at any of the remaining plazas all the way up to the northern terminus of the Turnpike. Fortunately, I was renting with Hertz, so Platepass picked up the tolls when the violation cameras snapped the car going through. Those tolls were charged to my credit card as part of the rental agreement.
Still, this experience made me realize how “buggy” the Florida electronic toll collection enterprise really seems to be. There was no reason for a never before used transponder to work so poorly on the road. Likewise, FTE fails to provide users with some mechanism, such as a test lane (as the folks at Lee County’s LeeWay do) for people to go through and see if their transponder is read by a dummy receiver. No, rather, one has to go through a plaza at full tilt and “hope” their transponder gets read or face violation tickets galore later.
September 12, 2009 at 2:11 am
CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT!!!!!! LET’S DO IT SOON BEFORE THEY CREATE SOME OTHER LOOPHOLES TO GET AROUND EVERYTHING!!!
FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT REALIZE THESE FACTS:
* SUN PASS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY!!!
* THEY ARE A PRIVATE COMPANY HIRED BY FL TO HANDLE THE TOLLS!!!
* WE WOULD BE SUING A PRIVATE COMPANY & FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE ALL THE PROOF THEY NEED TO DO THIS!!!
THIS IS A SCAM BECAUSE SOME FL STATE OFFICIALS AND SUN PASS ARE SCHEMING TO STEAL OUR MONEY!!!!!!! I LOVE THE IDEA A FEW PEOPLE HAVE OF DOING “MONDAY” STRIKES AND NOT USING ANY TOLL ROADS! IMAGINE THE $$$ THE STATE AND SUN PASS WOULD LOSE JUST WITH ONE DAY EACH WEEK!!!!! I WON’T USE THEM ANYMORE!!!! IF WE HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS, LIKE THEY’VE DONE TO US, THEN THAT JUST MIGHT GET THEIR ATTENTION!!!!!
I just simply cannot believe that I am hearing literally the same exact type of story that happened to me with the non receipt of notices and being VERY lied to by EVERY SunPass person I spoke with!
I have been dealing with this since 6/08 and I STILL HAVE A SUSPENDED LICENSE & of course like so many others, I am now in a position of not being able to register my vehicle.
I am literally working the system in a “legal” way to my advantage, and I am telling everyone this because it will work at least for the legal registration of your vehicle: I have a good friend who works in one of Florida’s major counties in the tax collectors office, specifically titles & registration, but he knows ALL about what is happening to so many “innocent” people!
OK FOLKS LISTEN UP: Although this won’t help you with your DRIVERS license if it’s been suspended, it WILL fix your reg. Choose someone you trust implicitly of course, my Sister being mine, and DONATE YOUR CAR TO THEM! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY TAX IN FL FOR THAT! Now, that will give you a legal registration in the other persons name of course and avoid the drama of possibly having your car impounded & the state won’t be able to demand your plate turned in! My sister is adding the car to her insurance.
Now here’s where I tell everyone I know that this is the risk YOU must choose while working this insane system to hopefully get your license reinstated. In this economy, how in the world can most of us afford NOT to drive to work!?! With that said, I know I will be driving at times and taking the risk. I recommend you keep everything you have in ANY TYPE OF COURT DOCUMENTS showing that you are dealing with your case & hope they have mercy on you if you did get pulled. I DON’T drive where I don’t have to and when I do I literally even dress appropriately and watch the hours I’m on the road so that I could LIE, YES LIE, AS I HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM AND LIED TO, and say I’m coming from work. I keep my business cards with me to prove it. I’m certain I’m taking a scary risk, but losing the job is scarier! I have a nice fat file I take with me when I do drive! I KNOW as crazy as it probably sounds that I will take these risks, I’m POSITIVE there are many people out there in the same sick, sad boat due to the insanity of Sun Pass!!!
Oh and by the way, no offense to people with alcohol addictions, but how in the world do people who have committed the VERY DANGEROUS crime of driving DRUNK and end up with DUI’s get HARDSHIP LICENSES AND US “NON CRIMINALS” CAN’T???? THAT IS COMPLETELY TRUE AND NOT MY ASSUMPTION. I’ve done the research folks.
NOW IF THAT ISN’T ONE OF THE MOST LUDICROUS THINGS YOU’VE EVER HEARD??????????????????
I just moved to the Tampa area in Jan 08 & got my Sun Pass. In my case I went through both Pasco & Hillsborough county and 3 toll booths EACH way on the Veterans Expwy for work 5 days a week. Three months later, I renewed my registration and was informed by the state that after so many years you will get a new plate with a different #! (Thanks Mr. Tax Collector, that really helps to confuse things!)
Since I was new to Sun Pass I wasn’t aware that I had to inform them of this as I thought it was the transponder # that identified the vehicle. Im single and only had one car on the system. I too like so many others had a debit card that expired around the same time & didn’t know I would have to update the info as I thought the bank would see that. For those two things I feel SO STUPID b/c it MAY, probably not, have stopped some of this mess!
So imagine it only took 5 days folks, and I had unknowingly racked up 30, YES 30 VIOLATIONS IN TWO COUNTIES!!!
Now for the part that EVERYONE ELSE IS SUFFERING FROM: I moved in April 08 to South Tampa & no longer needed to use the veterans. I threw the transponder in the glove box as there were still funds on it & I would use it if need be. I did not close my Sun Pass account so the transponder was still valid. Since I moved and at that time Sun Pass didn’t forward notices, I received NOTHING until June 08. Somehow one letter from the DMV got through to my new address, thank god, letting me know I had like 5 violations and my license was up for suspension. I called sunpass of course, I was told all I had to do was to bring my account up from a negative balance, which they claimed was $60 and that didn’t make sense to me and they said that if the transponder was in my car, even if I had paid cash at the booth, it could still read the sensor, and OH IMAGINE THAT…DOUBLE CHARGED!!! I HAD NO CASH RECEIPTS SO THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO! I was told that once my account was paid that day, then they inform the DMV that you are in good standing and all would be clear. Sounded like that made sense to me and the person I dealt with that day was very helpful at least it seemed.
Then the REAL NIGHTMARE started: I was randomly (officer told me he did a random run on my plate) pulled and informed that I had a suspended license! Of course I asked if he knew why and he said it looked like Sun Pass!!!!!!!!! He actually handed me my license back and of course then I had to appear in Criminal Court on that charge! In the meantime I started doing some HEAVY DUTY research and calling. I mean I would literally HANG UP (and I work in customer service! LOL!) on any Sun Pass person who was rude, take a deep breath, and try again to find a more decent acting individual who didn’t treat you like you’re trying to “get away with some crime!” I FINALLY got a supervisor to email me my last 6 months of statements as well as proof of my final payment for the negative balance. His email even stated that “attached is proof of your payments to Sun Pass and there should be no problem having your license reinstated.”
So now it’s Dec 08 and I ended up going to court twice as it was “cancelled” due to “other” business and we were all sent home.
Funny, we can’t skip court for “other business” can we???????
When I did make my 2nd date, now Feb 09, I came well armed with “my file”. I HAD MY PAPERWORK IN TRIPLICATE, STAPLED AND HIGHLIGHTED THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS. I’m telling you all this because I KNOW THAT IS THE REASON I WAS FOUND “NOT GUILTY” IN THE CRIMINAL COURT OF DRIVING WITH A SUSPENDED LICENSE!!!
I had to stand alone up there with the prosecutor across from me, and the police officer next to me. This wasn’t easy to do by myself, but folks DON’T BE AFRAID!!!! BE PREPARED!!! The prosecutor literally argued with the judge in disagreement, but the judge thanked me for being prepared and of course the officer was pissed. I think it’s crazy that made him go there for that when he could be on the street catching REAL CRIMINALS!!!!!!!! In closing the judge actually said she felt people were being taken advantage of by Sun Pass & that I was one of them! Woo Hoo I almost kissed her and thought I was done, but not so fast………..
Then I was informed that I would have to set court cases in both counties to clear all this up. I thought, ok, no problem, when they see the other judges decision, they might throw it all out as I had heard they did that with some people. Well, not me!!!
In late April 09 I went for my arraignment hearing and pled not guilty with a court date set for July. At that time I was treated SO BADLY by the judge that he literally said to me “I don’t care what the other judge said about your license, it’s suspended and I would like to find you guilty on all counts!” He was nutty over the fact that it was 30 violations, but WOULD NOT LISTEN OR HARDLY LOOK AT MY EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT WAS ONLY 5 DAYS OF DRIVING!!!! No they make you feel like a common criminal. And I literally have had ONE speeding ticket in the last 6 years and have NO POINTS on my license.
In July I went for the hearing and what a joke it was that they inform you in the beginning of the process that there will be a Sun Pass Officer there to “HELP” you with your case. Oh yeah, right!!!!! She was as rude as the judge in the EXACT same ways. They found me guilty of 4 violations at $100 each, $60 for the D6 clearances and around $50 to reinstate my license, but ONLY AFTER ALL OF THE FEES ARE PAID!!! The only thing that I was lucky about was that no points were assesed since my driving record was so good.
ALL THIS AND I STILL HAVENT DEALT WITH PASCO YET….GOD HELP ME!!!
I’ve had VERY LITTLE success with lawyers as most of them are in bed with the whole legal system too! By the time I were to pay the average $1,000-1,500 fees they wanted it would be almost as bad as paying the fines!
I tried the DA’s office, they said they only handle “criminal” cases. I told her jokingly that she may end up seeing me there then b/c of how this was going.
PLEASE PEOPLE EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY PAID FINES AND PUT THIS BEHIND YOU…THINK OF ALL THE PEOPLE THIS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN TO!!!
OUR ONLY HOPE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS:
PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU’RE INTERESTED OR IF ANYONE KNOWS OF A DECENT LAWYER WHO REALLY WOULD WANT TO HELP WITH SINGLE OR CLASS SUIT????????
WHAT ABOUT THE JUDGE IN SEMINOLE COUNTY WHO THREW OUT ALL THE CASES AND WON’T ALLOW SUN PASS TO OPERATE WITH VIOLATIONS THAT WAY!!!!
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET PEOPLE IN HIS “CAMP” TO LEND AN EAR & GET THIS TO POSSIBLY THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE!!!!????
September 12, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Has this happened to anyone else? I had a balance of approx 86.00 on my EZ-Pass. My usual replishment amount is 110. My EZ Pass usage for the previous two months totaled about 65.00. Suddenly EZ Pass decided to replenish my card for 325.00. They have never taken that much before, I had no balance, no fines and no issues on the account.
I’ve been trying to get EZ Pass support with no luck so far. I’ve never had a problem with them before and this floored me.