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report scam| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| City | Houston |
| Address | 7701 Wilshire Place Drive |
| Phone | 281-875-(3279) |
| Website | https://www.hctra.org |
Harris County has chosen to make it impossible for average citizens to pay their toll road fees by taking out all cashier's. This has got to stop. I hate the toll road. We pay a road tax with each gallon of gas we purchase. These fines are just used to line pockets of lawyers.
I've been a Harris county toll road account holder since 2001! I have 5 vehicles registered on my account and I pay automatically 1000.00 plus dollars a year! I bought a new car and simply forgot to call in and change my paper License plate out to my permenant one and was inadvertently hit with toll violations! When I called and spoke w toll road associate she informed me that would waive the fees and there were 2 billings that she couldn't see yet in the system that would also be waived! When those fees weren't waived I called the toll road back only to be put on hold for yet another hour while the assc needed to speak w supervisor! I explained to her that it should be easy to solve & self explanatory because of the notes from my previous conversations! They promised it would be fixed yet again, it wasn't so I simply disputed the charge w my crest card company so the investigation could go through due process and someone w some intelligence would simply see it I was their error and correct it! This still did not resolved the issue so I had to call in yet again, wasting my time & speak w representative! This rep informed me that they would look over the account and be on touch in 3-7 days! I never received a call from anyone from toll road addressing my complaint and 14 days later I received a collection letter for 79.46 Linebarger, Goggan, Blair; Sampson LLP stating I have unpaid toll violations! In the interim the toll road has continued billing my credit card monthly for my toll usage! This is abuse and its within a consumers legal right to open up a dispute in the event the were charged erroneously or my mistake but the toll road never even responded to dispute! Why would I pay 1000.00's of dollars yet dispute 65.00? This makes no rational senses and leaves me to believe that they are committing this acts to countless others that just feel intimidated and are unable to legally defend themselves! I'm a principle kind of human being! If I've made a mistake or owe it I'm happy to accept the consequences and in the case pay my debt! I'm on the verge of hiring an attorney not over the money but to help out an end the the abusive practices by the Harris county toll road authority!
If anyone has any advice or suggestions based on similar experiences please feel free to email me! Thanks in advance
I'm pretty much going through the same thing, I don't even feel like writing about this very unpleasant experience, just know I'm one more complaining paying over $800 in fees!!!!!!!!!!
I have an account with the state run Tx Tag toll road authority. A clerical problem with that agency's system led to me receiving toll violations in Houston by HCTRA. I was not even aware that there was a problem until I got an invoice for $25 in tolls and $165 in fees for 2 week's worth of driving.
HCTRA told me that I had to deal with Tx Tag and have them dispute the case on my behalf. I immediately contacted Tx Tag. Tx Tag corrected the problem immediately on their end and said they would forward the information to HCTRA.
After a couple of weeks, HCTRA had no record of anything from Tx Tag. I called Tx Tag several more times. Each time they were very helpful and courteous, and told me that "your case is in the system, just give it 10 - 15 business days". I would call every few weeks and get the same response.
Finally, I got a letter from Linebarger, Coogan, Blair, and Sampson stating that I now owed $400. I called them to let them know that my case was currently being disputed through Tx Tag. They were very rude and told me that they did not care about that, and that I needed to make an immediate payment to avoid further legal proceedings. they said that I did not contest the charges within 60 days of the original invoice. I have actually been trying to contest it since the week I received the first invoice. I just can't get the 2 agencies to talk to each other.
I have since had someone from Tx Tag confirm that they sent over the dispute and my accompanying support material, but HCTRA denies receiving it.
I even have my local state representative's office working on behalf, but making little progress.
A quick search on this site revealed dozens of similar claims against HCTRA and Linebarger, Coogan, Blair, and Sampson. I would guess trat they are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and reporting hundreds of people as delinquent to the credit bureaus for unwarranted violations.
Because each case is relatively small, there is little incentive for the victims to hire legal counsel or for attorneys to pursue these cases.
Please contact State Rep Ed Thompson in district 29, or your local state congressman if you have similar issues. If you contact a different state rep, let them know that there have been other complaints filed in district 29.
I would also be interested in organizing an effort to publicize this matter and possibly seek legal representation to represent other victims.
Attorneys, please feel free to contact me for more information.
A similar situation has most if these people keeps happening to me and my husband. I am sick of giving in and paying them. I also looked into the law firm that the toll road send our violations too. It's very inteterseting, this law firm has been looked into by the FBI.
As a young, recent graduate from Texas State University, I moved to Houston, T.X. from San Marcos, T.X., with my B.A. degree, $5000 I had saved all year for this moment, a promising job offer as an accountant at an engineering firm, and my one year d son strapped safely in his car seat. I was determined to give my beautiful son the life he deserves. I began my 9-5 grind and all was going well. I was making enough to get by without asking for any handouts from anyone, not even the government, although I qualified for Medicaid, food stamps, etc. Raised an army brat, I learned from a young age that integrity & hard work were critical attributes. As a healthy, young adult, I made the decision early on that I would never take advantage of welfare programs designed to help those who weren't healthy or able & needed a little extra help for themselves & their little ones. I relied on my hard work to get a promotion that would provide me and my son with money we could save to build our bright futures. Four months after I began my job, my mom grew I'll and rented a place in Houston that would be large enough for the three of us to stay in & close enough so I could take care of her & keep my job. I had a one year lease with my apartment & paid my rent & all my bills online. I asked my neighbor to collect my mail for me once a week & notify me if there were any cards, important letters, etc . My mom got well enough to live on her own after two months & I returned to my apt. My neighbor gave me my mail & I noticed letters from Hctra. There were a few invoices billed to me for toll charges. I didn't have an ez tag because every other city & state I lived in had toll road authorities that would bill me my toll charges plus 25 cents for a convenience fee. I was mortified to discover the Houston toll authority charged a $37 fine. I frantically signed on to my online account with the knowledge that I had used the toll road a handful of times when I was in a rush to get to work. My fears were confirmed. I owed $600.00 for going through a toll a grand total of 13 times (lucky number huh?). I couldn't pay it and couldn't even afford to put $350, the minimum cost,to start a payment plan. I called Hctra to explain my situation and beg for leniency in vain. I was greeted my cold voices on the other end of the phone. Determined, I went to an Hctra physical location to talk to an employee. Within five minutes I realized I would have no mercy shown to me. Struggling to hold back tears of defeat and frustration, I caved. The woman told me if I couldn't pay, I needed to leave, there was nothing she could do. My son, sensing my anguish, clung to me tighter than ever and gave me a kiss that gave me the strength to regain my composure, thank the woman for her help, and leave with the small ounce of pride I clung so desperately to. Two months later I received a letter in the mail from linebarger goggan blair & Sampson llp, trying to collect the 600$ in fines us 400$ in fines that had accrued in the past 2 months. I've managed to save up 300$ for a down payment, although the minimum is now 500$. If I will be able to pay it in time is a question that races through my mind sever times a day. What Hctra does to their fellow citizens and hard working human beings makes me sick. It has made me reconsider if I want Houston to be the city I build my life in. The city I thought a year ago, at the age of 22, as I strapped my baby boy into his car seat and set out for the long road ahead, really was a place of promise & opportunity for young pioneers fighting for a spot in the professional world, and if so, why has such an immoral, unregulated, private company been contracted to steal money from the pockets of hard working Houstonians? When & how will they be stopped?
I paid HCTRA three (yes three) times for the same toll charges. First, when the actual tolls were charged. Second, when they sent me a "first and final" notice (saying they never received the tolls which was a lie), and third, after they turned me over to a collections law firm in Houston. The way they ripped me off is I have the TX TAG toll pass (not EZ Pass). What they tell TX TAG holders is they have no way of knowing if we paid and we have to pay them then file a dispute with TX TAG to get our money back (make the driver/owner jump through all the hoops).
This is very unfortunate and a horrible business practice used to separate hardworking citizens from their money. Just wanted to share my experience here. I'm sure I'm not the only one being ripped off in this manner. God Bless.
Received a letter from Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson stating that I owe $106.00 for tolls back in October of 2017. They stated that I received an invoice back in April of 2018. I would know if I received an invoice for toll charges because I have accountability of all my toll records.
I never missed a payment on any of my tolls because they can suspend your license if they want so I make sure that I pay my tolls. I tried to talk to the collection agency posing as a law firm to clear up the misunderstanding and was assaulted with rudeness and yelling. Tried to find out how the bill got to be that much and again was hit with rudeness and yelling.
I did not receive the first invoice for these charges and I just wanted to clear up the mistake and pay the fine. So I called the Harris County Toll customer service and was met with the same I asked the gentlemen to explain how it is that I receive all of my other toll invoices and all of a sudden I don't get that one bill.
He gave me some BS excuse about a slowed generation of the billing but I don't understand how a slowed billing generation can come 6 months later and an invoice still does not get sent to the customer for him/her to even attempt to pay. He also said that I was charged $11.00 for each toll on top of the toll charge and any other additional fees.
What additional fees would make a $3.25 toll charge a $106.00 this is just wrong. Not letting a consumer know about the charges to extort more money from them is wrong and something should be done about this.
I have been charged over 800 dollars for toll regarding a dispute that was filed from NTTA - I have an active account and I am being charged for fees after calling time and time again to get the error corrected. HORRIBLE! I HAVE READ HOW THEY HAVE DONE THIS TO SO MANY PEOPLE! I have a lawyer now!
I just left the Harris County Tax office where I tried to renew my car registration; to my surprise found out that I could not register my vehicle because of a vehicle registration block as a result of $1,500 toll violations; No, of course, I didn't run up $1,500 in toll violations after reviewing the online violations on the HCTRA website; I see that between 1/28/16 - 4/22/16 the period when I had temporary plates, I had used various toll booths equaling a total of $30.25 cents during the above period any my account may havenot been funded appropriatley even though I did have an EZ tag and continue to do so. In addition my address was not updated in their system so I was not receiving any mail correspondence. so the 12 times I used the toll with the highest daily toll being $2.50 cents. I now had a bill of $1500.00 of which $550 was a result of missing a court date that I was never notified of
I called the Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP only to be told my options were to pay 50% of the 1500.00 and go on a payment plan. Being someone who lives paycheck to paycheck... I realize that now I must become a criminal and drive with an unregistered car or find another loophole to get my car registered. This is how criminals are made!
After paying tolls that were said to be owed. They still sent my info to the collection agency as if I hadn't payed , and now I have a document saying the tolls were not payed and I not only owe the tolls , but also huge fees , and if i don't pay they can put a device on my car to keep me from driving. the funny thing is I have an easy tag and I had to pay those tolls in order in order to get it...the vehicle with reported violations is no longer registered to me hasn't been for over a year. So how is this legal?
HOV lanes sometimes free and other a toll depending on what times of day. Tried to get another toll EZTag for new purchased vehicle and system was down two weeks in June and July then finally recievedEZTag on July 18 Fines are $15 + toll and late fee when you try to fight you are on hold forty minutes to find out they won't do anything to help you.
I don't have one d**n idea what y'all are talking about, this is a criminal activity someone is trying to rip me off saying I owe money. Crazy,, I pay my registration on my truck which is state taxes to drive on any Hwy or road in Texas. I'm covered to drive on any Hwy so I'm sorry but you have made a mistake, again
The HCTRA has chosen to ignore the address listed on my vehicle registration that explicitly says in bold print "MAIL TO: PO BOX xxxxx Lafayette, LA". There is a temporary address listed under the "Owner's Name" section that they mailed their notice to and insist this is the address they should mail to by law. The problem with that logic is that every single entity including red light camera collections and toll collections have sent their collection notice to the address listed under the MAIL TO section on my vehicle registration and that includes the NTTA(North Texas Toll Authority).
I was not allowed to receive mail mail at the address listed under the "Owner's Name" section which was the whole reason I requested that all mail related to my vehicle go to the PO Box address when I was registering my vehicle. The Louisiana DMV would not allow me to put a P.O. Box address under the Owner's Name section of the vehicle registration and insited that I put the residential address I was living at at that time.
I've since explained this to the HCTRA and they insist that there is nothing they can do for me even though they are the ones who sent the initial notice to the wrong address. I've contacted Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson about how I never received an initial notice and how the HCTRA sent the initial notice to the wrong address. The law firm insisted that they did in fact send it to the right address and if I chose not to pay the 82.00 at the time of this report, they would bring me to court. The original toll fee was 4.32 which I would have gladly paid had I received the notice.
Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson bought bad debt and are essentially extorting me to either pay the 82.00 or drive 4 hours to show up in court. I will see them in court and will be consulting with an attorney to determine what kind of counter action I can take as I will have to take time out of my day spend my money to get to houston just to show the judge that the staff at the HCTRA and Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson are incompetant.
The problem with this entire scenerio is that this is currently affecting what was a pristine credit score and is contributing to unneeded stress. I have difficulties sleeping at night thinking that my vehicle could eventually be booted or that my re-registration will be rejected because the HCTRA and Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson will not admit to their mistake.
I was sent a new license plate by the State of Texas. The State will do this after several years as a replacement for worn or faded plates.
The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) is charging a fine because I did not advise them of the new tag number that the State of Texas issued and required me to replace my license plate. My bills are always paid in full, the credit card for auto billing was in good standing, the vehicle is still registered to me, I am still residing at the same address.
The response from HCTRA when requesting that they wave their overcharges was, that it is my civic responsibility to know that I am required to advise them of the license plate change.
This is not about the money…. It is about an abuse of power by the HCTRA just because they can get away with it and with no regards to what is right or wrong. This is the type of abuse of power is about greed is a pile of horse crap.
I wonder how much the company that is collecting tolls fees is chargeing? What is their gross income and net profit each year. How much of each dollar is making into pockets of the contractor who collects fees as an administrative and service fee? What % makes it to maintain the toll road? Has anyone done an audit on the HCTRC? Who is responsable for auditing HCTRA and who do they report to? How is the service contract for collecting tolls awarded?
Where is our money paid to the HCTRA going?
The county required me to change plates (all cars have to get new plates every 5-7 years). I have an active EZTag and my account is in good standing. I went thru the eztag toll booth 6 times and even though my tag was active, the booth didn't recognize my new plates and they charged me violation fines. I received the "violation" notice in the mail but when I called them, they simply reduced the fines instead of eliminating them, even though my tag and account was in good standing. From reading the other posts, I feel lucky that my total bill was under $20 but I am still furious at the principle. I get better treatment from my credit card company. The people who run this organization should be ashamed. They will face their Judge eventually and have to answer to Him.
They have to be the worst customer relations disaster in the USA.Never in my life have i been told that no compromise will be given and no concern for the circumstances will be shown.Pay the fees or go to court! When a 3.75 fee becomes 45 to 48 dollars that is far worse than any reasonable cost ! Especially when they collect those fees so randomly like theres no tomorrow. !!!! Talk about highway robbery !!! And they get away with it !! Do something tell your family and friends BOYCOTT HCTRA....
I haven't realized that I need to update my plates as I am getting my tag charged as normal. But yesterday I have receive a notice from LGB&S scammers firm that I owe them $80 as I have 3 violations (feb 19, may 6 and may 15) where my EZ tag did not get charged. I called them and counter questioned them that how come 5 out of 6 places on west park toll road my EZ tag got charged and it skipped to charge at one location just because my plate is not updated. They gave me this answer with no logic that our machines are not 100% working and I have to take the responsibility for it and yes I have not received any of the violation mails from them. After wasting my time and energy to this stupid people I had to pay the $80 fee. This is a clear scam in the name of their incompetency.
And they never sent me mailing notifications, only emails that are still not open because of the new google set up, they were getting filtered in a different folder, I had no clue about this. I know I'm at fault as well, but how about if I passed away or my email got hacked, I dont know, I think they should call customers, not only emailing them!! I just think the amounts are outrageous and I don't have money sitting in the bank to cover the ridiculous amounts they charge for $1.75 toll! Please, if there's anything I can do, or if you have any additional information please contact me. I really don't know what to do or who to complain to,
I got robbed back in November and I called them to let them know and I tried to give them my account info over the phone since I had zero credit cards, long story short, I now owe interest, fees after fees since November, they have my updated mailing address and they never sent me mailing notifications, only emails that are still not open because of the new google set up, they were getting filtered in a different folder, I had no clue about this. I know I'm at fault as well, but how about if I passed away or my email got hacked, I dont know, I think they should call customers, not only emailing them!! I just think the amounts are outrageous and I don't have money sitting in the bank to cover the ridiculous amounts they charge for $1.75 toll! Please, if there's anything I can do, or if you have any additional information please contact me. I really don't know what to do or who to complain to,
Happened same thing to me today. I dint even know I need to update my plates as I am getting my tag charged. But yesterday I have receive a notice from LGB&S scammers that I owe them $80 as I have 3 violations (feb 19, may 6 and may 15) where my ez tag did not get charged. I called them and counter questioned them that how come 5 out of 6 places on westpark toll road my ez tag got charhed and it skipped to charge at one location just because my plate is not updated. They gave me this answer with no logic that our machines are not 100% working and I have to take the resposiblity for it and yes I have not receievd any of the viloation mails from them. After wasting my time and energy to this stupid people I had to pay the $80 fee. This is a clear scam on the name of their incopetent policies and procededurs. EZ SCAM Toll road authority!!!
I have attempted to email the HCTRA directly, due to the fact that I have had to hold for more than an hour each time I call to attempt to speak with anyone. This is the email I sent:
I called in about violations on my BMW because the wrong vehicle was deactivated on my account and we have now accrued over 1000.00 in fees. (In less than 20 days) We have had toll tags on our vehicles and been in good standing for years. Your manager stated that this would take 2-3 business days to review and someone would get back to me, but in the meantime, I would be unable to drive on the toll road. I feel that some attempt should be made on your part to remove some "administrative" fees as you call them. We were not called or notified that our vehicle was incurring these fees until nearly a month after the fact when we began receiving letters in the mail with the various fees accrued.
How are we supposed to know that the vehicle is not active and working when the tag is still pasted on our front windshield and no one has called. We are still having funds withdrawn from our account almost daily for regular toll use. Now that we have been made aware of the fact that there was an issue, you are unwilling to waive any of these "administrative fees" and we are unable to drive on the toll road. We live just off the beltway. This compromises our ability to drive to work, to take kids to and from school and generally get around the city we live in. Because I have asked for the issue to he escalated, I have to wait an additional 2-3 business days for a response and to resolve the issue. We pay an average of 300-400 a month in toll fees just from regular use.
Your unwillingness to assist your clients simply because you know that you have the power of the city on your side to threaten your clients is despicable. I feel now I am forced to retain an attorney and see this issue through the legal system to receive justice for my mistreatment. If you were any other business and found that an error had occurred whether it be the client or your fault, you would work to retain your clients rather than dismiss them without concern for them whatsoever.
I have read several articles of the corruptness of the Sam Houston Toll Road Authority and the fact that it was never intended to remain a toll road once it was paid in full which it was several years ago, but the level of deceit is far worse than just a system forcing people to pay for a service that has more than paid for itself, but also by charging these outrageous "administrative" fees of 30.00 per "toll violation". I logged in to the HTCRA account today and can clearly see all of the vehicle's information still listed and cannot imagine that it could possibly cost you over 1000.00 to click a button and turn my account back on. Please have someone contact me immediately with a resolution other than "We can see if you qualify for a payment plan". Holding a road in this city hostage until you have collected your 1000.00 in fee is unconstitutional.
- This message was reviewed by the HCTRA website servers and rejected. The reason for its rejection was not given, but now I am unable to communicate with them in any way other than to call in and wait for over an hour or wait an additional 2-3 business days for a supervisor to get back to me. I have read other people's complaits who have been at least offered some sort of discount towards the totals, but in this case the company is unwilling to even remove SOME of the fees. I am frustrated to say the least. What business has the right to pursue legal actions which could include loss of driving privileges and jail time for unpaid fees that we are unncessary and unwarranted!
My Email to the Toll Authority won't work with me on lowering fees:
Dear Melanie Billingsley,
Thank you for allowing Harris County Toll Road Authority the opportunity to assist you. We apologize for any inconvenience. We are sorry to hear you are receiving violations and you have an EZ tag account. After detailed research of your EZ tag account, at this time we are showing that your account is suspended because we were unable to bill the credit card listed on the account. Because of the status of license plate BN3D284 and your EZ Tag account 1009004, we are unable to assist you with this request online. Please contact our office so that one of our customer service representatives can assist you further.
Should you have additional questions, you may call 281-875-3279 (Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or visit any of the EZ TAG stores during normal business hours or visit our website at www.hctra.org.
Daphne Smith
Harris County Toll Road Authority
Violation Enforcement Center
This toll road services know how essencial they are for us to move around houstons traffic.. and take advantaje of it ..
my experience w them is frustrating, and by reading prev. reports it feels like there is nothing we can do for their over charged... ive received a notice w 3 violations fees 5.25 and charges 33.00 i have an acnt w them and recently i bough my house,
on my new address i just received invoice (i had autodraf on my EZ tag account) my card was in froud alert and did not allow charges ... i've called to mk pymt and reset ad and rep w id number 138301 name: brittney was rude as it can be *no customer service at all* once you ask for supervisor you wont get a supervisor even if you are willing to wait.. and this after waiting for more than 30 mn just to get to talk to a representative.
no option to complain and no body to complain to no waiving fees at all i think on my case is definetly not the amount but the abuse . i refuse to tolerate this (specially when you have autodraft on acnt and they know that is a honest mistake)
i feel for previous situations w big $ amounts. there must be something we can do
please let me know if there is any possible way we can follow up because im sure there is pleny of complains out there that just have not being filled.
Harris County Toll Road Authority charges exhorbitant "violation" fees for using their roads. if you dare to call in to protest your personal rape session, they are polite enough to tell you that you can pay them even more money if you would just purchase their yearly EZTag. Katrina, the supervisor I spoke with, will tell you that you can be violated or you can pay more money to be violated further. These are your only options. She quoted me the Texas statute 284 that is apparently on every Harris County Toll Road in Houston and offered to send it to my address, which I never received.
I'm new to Texas, having moved here in 2012 for my career. I love the Renaissance Faire, and had heard that Texas has the best. I took a trip to Houston for the Renaissance Faire with my family and friends on Halloween weekend. We arrived 10-31-2015 and left 11-01-2015.
As I am not familiar with Houston, I used my GPS. GPS directed me to use some toll roads to get around. Being familiar with Dallas, as I have traveled through there, I knew that Harris County would just send me a bill in the mail, and I would pay my fee and be done with it. Boy was I mistaken. I received my invoice within 2 weeks of taking said toll roads with violation fees of $35 plus $2.25 (which are the actual fees for taking the toll road). And the top right of the invoice told me it was the "Final" notice. I was in shock! I checked the calendar to verify the date. I called my friend to make sure I hadn't lost time somewhere. But the date really was less than 2 weeks from my visit to Houston.
I knew that a mistake had been made. I quickly called in to Harris County Toll Road Authority. After providing my information, I explain how I was just in Houston less than 2 weeks ago. There's no way I have $35 in violations. The lady told me that the violations were accurate. I exited the toll road where there were no booths. I can only exit there if I have an EZTag. "Where is this written?" I demand. "I have never heard of such a thing." She explains that signs are posted by the side of the exit.
I explain that I was unable to stop in the middle of the freeway to view one. She says that they are posted by the exits so we can see them as we are exiting the freeway. I advise her that I'm an expert reader, however even with my excellent reading skills, I may have missed the sign while navigating traffic in an unfamiliar city, listening to directions from my GPS and trying to make sure I don't miss my exit. She patiently explains that they are clearly posted with larger than life letters saying, "Violators will be prosecuted!"
Now I'm tired, I have a headache, and my butt hurts from all the violation. I request to speak with her supervisor. That was no better. The only difference was that now the offer included a year's subscription to EZTag for a mere $55. If I purchase the EZTag, they will remove their violation. Now I'm offended, too! And I get it.
Harris County Toll Road Authority are highway robbers. And my car got pulled over for a stick up.
I have an account with the state run Tx Tag toll road authority. A clerical problem with that agency's system led to me receiving toll violations in Houston by HCTRA. I was not even aware that there was a problem until I got an invoice for $25 in tolls and $165 in fees for 2 week's worth of driving.
HCTRA told me that I had to deal with Tx Tag and have them dispute the case on my behalf. I immediately contacted Tx Tag. Tx Tag corrected the problem immediately on their end and said they would forward the information to HCTRA.
After a couple of weeks, HCTRA had no record of anything from Tx Tag. I called Tx Tag several more times. Each time they were very helpful and courteous, and told me that "your case is in the system, just give it 10 - 15 business days". I would call every few weeks and get the same response.
Finally, I got a letter from Linebarger, Coogan, Blair, and Sampson stating that I now owed $400. I called them to let them know that my case was currently being disputed through Tx Tag. They were very rude and told me that they did not care about that, and that I needed to make an immediate payment to avoid further legal proceedings. they said that I did not contest the charges within 60 days of the original invoice. I have actually been trying to contest it since the week I received the first invoice. I just can't get the 2 agencies to talk to each other.
I have since had someone from Tx Tag confirm that they sent over the dispute and my accompanying support material, but HCTRA denies receiving it.
I even have my local state representative's office working on behalf, but making little progress.
A quick search on this site revealed dozens of similar claims against HCTRA and Linebarger, Coogan, Blair, and Sampson. I would guess trat they are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and reporting hundreds of people as delinquent to the credit bureaus for unwarranted violations.
Because each case is relatively small, there is little incentive for the victims to hire legal counsel or for attorneys to pursue these cases.
Please contact State Rep Ed Thompson in district 29, or your local state congressman if you have similar issues. If you contact a different state rep, let them know that there have been other complaints filed in district 29.
I would also be interested in organizing an effort to publicize this matter and possibly seek legal representation to represent other victims.
Attorneys, please feel free to contact me for more information.