Toll bill too high? Your windshield might be to blame
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มี.ค. 2024
- Is your car's windshield making you pay when you're carpooling? The windshields on some cars are keeping drivers from getting toll tag discounts. Chris Chmura reports.
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lol they were not going to give her a dime until the media showed up
There are plenty of companies that would have continued to fight against giving her a refund, let alone a full refund. I was actually surprised that they were so quick to agree.
Of course they would after the media show up. coz that's the goal.
make it big, make it controversial. so "STUPID" car buyer who doesn't read the manual finally understand it.
getting to the news is FREE real estate. instead of paying the news to publish a video about the same topic that won't hold coz it is "NOT YET" controversial.
Exactly
Accurate~
Still not sure why we have to pay Fucktrack when we are already paying gas tax, dmv tax, road tax on property tax bills, state income tax, sales tax,…..
True
they spent all that on Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Ukraine and Israel.
Tolls are neccessary in instances where road maintenance money is hard to come by. I find a lot of people don't quite understand that the US in general has an absolutely massive road debt and can't pay for most roads it has. Highways are expensive infrastructure to maintain and may pull funding from smaller roadways. While it is easy enough to say the government should spend money better, which I partially agree with, the way it is now will probably stay for the foreseeable future. Some special states like Texas don't have as many road related taxes so tolls are the only way to keep them funded. You can't forget either that some toll roads are owned by private corporations in cooperation with the local government so they don't get as much federal money.
@@supertrooper1367 All of that is because of wasteful government spending.
The fact that there are American military operations in Syria, probably bombing raids on Yemen, Small military units in Niger, Sudan etc... and who knows where else. Did Americans vote for all these interventions?
Money cheerfully refunded after being exposed on tv, otherwise she'd still be calling greedpigs
No, more like if she had pressed the issue to a supervisor, she would have gotten past the customer service people that have limited powers.
It is absolutely ridiculous to blame to toll agency for something she messed up.
Of course they would after the media show up. coz that's the goal.
make it big, make it controversial. so "STUPID" car buyer who doesn't read the manual finally understand it.
getting to the news is FREE real estate. instead of paying the news to publish a video about the same topic that won't hold coz it is "NOT YET" controversial.
It was actually her fault , the news basically outlined her mistake
I@Greymatter-to3th
scammers charging us to travel when we pay taxes for the roads already and hilariously people are only concerned with where should i put this device! 😂
Roads are crazy expensive to maintain. Even with taxes, the US has an insane amount of road debt and can't afford anywhere near what we have. Tolls are necessary if you want new/expanded highways or roads that don't have potholes everywhere. Well, unless you want to pay double the taxes.
@@supertrooper1367 About 40-50% of every dollar you make will in some way go to a tax. There is plenty of money but egregious waste.
2:32-2:36: Why didn't Bay Area Fastrak engage her in this discussion when she initially contacted them for assistance?
Cause they want the money
Maybe they didn't know she had an zero emission eligible vehicle? maybe all they got was "hey I set this to 3 people but it said I owe money"? Maybe they did engage her, but it was never fault so she didn't listen?
Because she didn't push the issue beyond a front line customer service worker that has limited powers.
Because they get paid the same regardless if the customer is satisfied or not
Why would they? Do you know how many calls they get on a daily basis arguing that they have been overcharged and how many of them are bogus claims? As far as they are concerned, the onus is on her to prove her case and initially she wasn't aware that she put the device in a bad location. I was actually surprised that they were so quick to give her a full refund.
Time to sue Fastrack!
it's almost like you didn't watch the video before leaving a dumb comment
@@boostftw123 almost like your a tax raising biden voter who loves extra fees and government regulation of free highway travel . These photo cameras screw up all the time and charge people wrong fees as we see here. Dummy^
@@boostftw123 I watched it full and then made the comment! It’s Fastrack’s problem that, they could not detect the Toll Tag on my car. Do you realize how many car owners are there who have been robbed by fastrack this way??
@@withvinayak lol it's literally your car that is not allowing for a propper detection....nothing to do with their systems but your car. SHould they be checking and allowing refunds, yes that is also the right thing to do.
Just run a fake plate 😂. Who tf even pays for toll roads. Just use fake plates or have no plates.
question back to California is , what happened to all the money ??? !!!!!! I've lived in states with snow, rain, freezing weather, sun and the road are free and well maintained ... corruption and terrible spending
We pay people to drive electric cars. up to $7000 off the price. Then we give them free use of the car pool lanes and express lanes.
It all goes into a slush fund. Called the general fund. 0 accountability.
Paying anything for tolls is absurd in my mind. I mean if you have "mass transit and commercial only" only lanes where we charge commercial that's one thing but tolls are absurd.
In the future, you'll step outside of your house, a machine will see your face and charge you a fee... for breathing or something.
They’ll regulate how many times you’re allowed to exhale.
@VictorVictor-oq6dh not gonna happen
Not gonna happen
That machine is your smart phone which already records your position.
@@jeremyperruccio4869 its already working.
Welcome to California where You pay for your existence.
Thing is, this is perfectly solvable by moving over from a fast lane :)
The Biggest Scam is the Tolls themselves.. We pay taxes to use & upkeep the highways therefore all lanes should be accessible without a fee. The 10 fwy in front of my parents house for decades were all regular lanes until caltrans took away 2 lines and made it fast track..
The toll roads are BS. Way too expensive.
I vaguely remember knowing about a potential issue with windshields when I got my first fastrack transponder, do they not mention this in the box the devices come in anymore?
They do.
I have a solution, move out of the bay area. I live in South Carolina, and we dont have them except in a couple of spots, I hear, elsewhere in the state, the infamous 185, road to nowhere near Greenville is one. As I travel the country I occasionally encounter them, but it seems they dont solve congestion, I encountered one in Charlotte, 1 pass costed about 22 bucks, but thats OK, I adjust my taxes for those amounts, as I am corporate. Also when i travel I avoid rush hour excursions into cities, and that is what happened with Charlotte, normally I would pass through there at 2am, not 5pm.
Yes move to South Carolina where the citizens would love to move laws back into the dark ages over California because FasTrack.
exactly, I moved away from California, best decision ever. I don't understand why people still live there
Because we hate humidity, snow, mosquitoes, and in breds
Lies. I drove the full Fastrak from Oakland to Milpitas set to 3 (free) and I was charged at a few select scanners. It should be charged for all scans or none at all if my windshield is blocking.
I wouldn't immediately jump to "lies" just based on variable results. The angle that the scanners are set to relative to your course of travel is one factor, the other is common in technology - small variations cause different results. Happens all the time in radio signals.
Its powered by a microwave transmitter that aims at the center of the lane. If you are not directly centered the beam will miss the device on your window. If you are passing someone or driving on the lines it wont read the device and you will be photographed and chargrd
If windshield were blocking the device she would have been charged a fine for driving without a Fastrak. In no event it would impact the setting on the device. It's either all or nothing. This is what Fastrak web site says: "An image of the license plate was captured and a violation notice will be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner at the address on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 21 days of the violation."
It’s absolutely ridiculous that a news channel had to get involved to get her money. The toll agency knew exactly what they were doing by refusing her. They just got caught. Imagine how many people simply pay it to stay out of trouble.
I've had a few different FasTrak modules over the many, many years as they aged and failed right from the initial launch of the service. I can honestly say that the only installation instructions I ever received were for the very first module and the instructions were to install in the bottom left corner of the windshield (that was the box that was about 4 inches square.)
I just pulled out the owner's manuals for both of my current vehicles and neither has word one about where to install devices like the fastrak dongle.
didn't know there could be a "sweet spot" for the tags, good to know thanks for the investigative journalism!
How does the fast track verify the number of people in your vehicle?
So you can just select the number of people riding in the car for fastrak to read?
Correct. Just as with car pool lanes that don't have a toll - lying is expensive if one is caught - and they do catch.
I noticed she didn't even have the right type of FasTrak module. She's in a Mustang Mach-E, she should be using a FasTrak CAV for clean air vehicles, not a standard FasTrak Flex.
Oh blame the windshield bull shit
Even after you have been provided proof that the glass coating blocks radio waves?
It's usually modified engines and unusual extra modifications. I never heard windshield are a problem unless there modified by making them thick heavy bulky and or wide.
I mean, the auto manufacturer tells you where to place the device, right on the owner's manual. It's easier to blame "greedy corporations" than to accept personal responsibility.
It’s literally in the owners manual for the car.
It should probably be on page one of the installation guide that comes with the FastTrack
@@RedFoxwithTubeSocks-hi7jj
You’re one of those people who never blame corporations for anything. The fast track tells you how to install the device. They probably should tell you to check your owners manual for proper placement for your vehicle. But they chose not to do that. And they also chose not to tell her what the problem was when she complained .
Well, the next story that you should do are the toll jumpers. The kinda low lives that use the express lane all the time but suddenly and violently merge into right lane to avoid the sensor, only to jump back into express lane 100 feet after. One of these idiots damm nearly crashed into me and it did cause me a minor scratch with another vehicle as I had to brake hard. Fortunately, the truck that I made contact with saw what happened in front of me and we shook hands all the while shaking our heads at the aHOLE that did this. It was a Honda Accord Burgandy color with jewel covered rear license plate. I was not able to get the plate numbers. The toll jumper had already left the scene. BTW, there is a grey Honda pilot on 237 that does this every single day (between 5:30 to 6:00 PM) and I have seen him do this for over 2.5 years, especially sensor close to North 1st street on 237.
Excellent information
I got a ticket once for fare evasion while driving next to the express lane. Fortunately there was a motorcycle next to me in the express lane on the picture so I was able to dispute it.
these things should come with a "check your owner's manual for proper placement" notice
Also take a glance at the toll tag in those express lanes it says how many people it is registering due to said toll tag.
I have had issues myself with them before. They charged me on my transmitter and as a car on my account with out a tag for the exact same time and same bridge. When I called they told me well how do we know you didn't drive two cars that day. Through the same lane at the exact same time and picture on both charges where the same. I had to get it elevated to a senior manager and 3 hours of my day to get it right.
Even if she wants to sue , she’s not gonna get that far because they going to blame her not knowing her vehicle where to place it , having a Manuel and everything , something that everyone should learn and be educated with your vehicle
So good nbc is helping people financially like this. I saw the pothole claim form coverage sometime ago too
Most of us don't check the bill until later. It would be hard for some of us to remember if we were travel alone or not. They should just text you how much they charge. With the technology nowadays, this is not hard at all. And they don't even have an app if I remember correctly.
Always like these stories.🎉
How is this possible? Radio waves have much longer wavelengths than UV and a thin layer of coating should have negligible scattering effect.
It is a metal coating, this is what blocks the magnetic waves.
The metallicized windshield tint is a reflective coating utilizing the physical properties of titanium dioxide to specifically absorb UV but not visible light. It doesn't work like a microwave screen whose purpose is to create a barrier so small that certain waves can't pass through it. If that was the case you'd block visual light which has a larger wavelength as well and being able to see through a windshield is quite important to it's function.
What happens when don’t live in the Bay Area and you also don’t have a FasTrak device in your windshield?
Probably like most toll roads, there are cameras that will snap your plate if it doesnt see the tracker, and if the vehicle is not even registered you get fined for it.
the owners manual on my 96' honda civic doesn't say where to put those crappy devices
Because in newer cars due to the AMOUNT of technology and signals that has to go through electric cars nav screens etc it hurt the signal and also well um compared to todays cars your car is alot “thinner”
@@scrapgamingx1942 you're no fun at parties aren't ya?
Because your 96 civic didn't come with a metallicized titanium dioxide windshield so it doesn't matter where you put it.
In Cali you have to pay for which lane you want to be in??
To improve traffic flow, they added a toll / express lane which drivers pay to use. You can get a discount if you car pool or drive electric cars or know how to cheat they system.
the fast lane now charges a fee. some areas 24 hours, other areas anywhere from 9-12 hours
Very interesting 👌
Mine beeps when I go through the fast track scanners, if it doesn’t beep you might just need to move it.
Happy Easter, brought to you by Fastrack.😁
That never happens to me and my truck has a tinted windshield I always place the transponder in the middle of the dashboard and I always here it beep and it says zero charge when I see my account… but the users should always read their vehicles owner manual bc of cars being so full with tech now it doesn’t surprise me that this was the issue for the young lady.. but also check the battery those don’t last forever they should be replaced every so often
Taxation, taxation, taxation, 4.00 tomatoes? Uh huh. Yep. Hows your salad? Next big problem? You guessed it 10.00 gallon gas. Wait. Yep. Coming to a mcdonalds near YOU.
WOW
One of the biggest things that I DON'T miss about living in Pleasanton is having to keep up multiple FasTrak devices for my cars and motorcycles. I was happily able to send them all back and get refunds on the account. I now live in a state with zero tolls of any sort. I loved the Bay Area for most of the years that I live there, but I have no desire to go back.
Naawwww, it their faulty equipment.
Guess she should have read the manual. This was an issue when I got my tag over 10 years ago. There were documents that came with my tag that mentioned the windshield problem on some cars. Fastrack knew about it then too and some car manufactures did not state what type of windshield they used. At the time, their solution was to hold the tag out the window or you could get a license plate mounted tag. Looks like a fail on both sides. She should have read the manual(or done some research) and when she contacted Fastrack, they should have told her about windshield placement.
They only credited her back due to you guys! Great job!
Always wondered how Fastrack works.
Good Job NBC
That’s helpful
Hmm, Fastrak switched to reading my license plate instead of the device years ago. I haven't displayed the device since.
Fine,, if you like paying full price with no discounts for car pooling.
@@danc2014No, I am charged the discount Fastrak rate.
I stay confused because I have a fast track and I didn't know that the fast track couldn't be used I'm riverside or Orange County. Didn't realize that until I got the ticket in the mail.
Tolls are illegal. Fastrak is illegal.
It happensd to me years ago, US implementation of fast pass sucks. They couldnt develop a proper module and syatem that could charge for tolls properly.
Good to read your owners manual regardless
They’re blaming the coating on the windshield? How did they know who to bill if the tag wasn’t working?
Ford itself had known about this issue starting in the late '80s when they were first to offer that thin metallic coating as an electric defroster, similar to the lines on the back window - it would block (outgoing) police radar and they had to replace windshields on cop cars and delete it from all future police-package models.
Went to Chicago last week & had problems with our pass being read. One toll took it going into Chicago two others didn’t & it took backing out & trying another toll & paying with a card. Had more issues later on when leaving Chicago. Going to have to check the owners manual now! Would have never thought these devices would face problems if not in certain set locations!
Time for somebody to update their tech!
Ive got no Fastrack and pay $0 on fees or violations, it's crazy to think that it can charge you $7 to use the lane during commuting hours. If this is the road you take everyday it adds up quick!
you voted them in and this was the solution to reduce pollution and traffic congestion. make people pay and they will use less. PS you can drive in the non toll lanes but it will move slower.
What kind technology is this? Who is the service provider? Are they using 5g? Many american infrastructures are behind many asian countries. Poor americans still have to suffer this kind of pain.
It was developed 20+ years ago and just recently deployed. It's very obsolete and the government is incompetent
**The government is to blame. Fixed it for you.
Is it gps based???
⚠️❗⚠️❗⚠️❗
Also, *DON'T* mount them any other way besides horizontal. It will interfere with the tiny radio antenna inside and most likely will not read transponder.
I recently bought a new car and this topic came up in a conversation I had with my uncle. I told him that I was taking the time to read the owner's manual. A practice that most people NEVER think to do. He told me his acronym for it was "RFM" which means Read the F***in Manual, lol.
Which hardly anyone does anymore or ever DID DO because this is supposed to be "You can put it ANYWHERE in your vehicle and it just works!"
User error. The manual is there for a reason.
In Georgia, you can use Toll, HOV, and HOT lanes for free if you have an EV in most cases, but there are some exceptions.
THE NERVE OF AMERICA. Like hello?? wtf do you think we are out here? Will you be charging us to breathe next? Am I able to sneeze without being charges for g sake?
But she's in a Mustang EV. She didn't need to switch the Fast Trak. Set it to Setting 3 for EVs!!!!!
This is just one of many Fastrak's un-addressed issues. - I drove across the Richmond / San Rafael bridge in May of 2023 and promptly paid the $7.00 toll when I received the invoice. A month or so later I was re-invoiced for the toll and a penalty. I had documents of my processed W.F. check and the date but Fastrak would'nt budge so where did the money go? I paid the toll AGAIN + the penalty so that I could renew my vehicle registration but if this happened to me, it has happened to hundreds of thousands of other Bay Area motorists ( maybe millions of us ) so where does that money go ? - Mr. Bonta, our attorney general, is an AUDIT of Fastrak in order ? It should be !
Agreed. Invoices from FasTrack are too delayed - transactions should be viewable in account within an hour (it's reasonable delay for non-critical systems), not couple of days.
YOUR WINDSHIELD IS NOT TO BLAME. FASTRAK IS TO BLAME. THEIR TECHNOLOGY IS TO BLAME. Why are civilians liable to pay pay pay immediately and wait for a refund but it's okay for companies like this to blame us for their issue but also not give the benefit of the doubt and refund and worry later.
What are you talking about? Placement is the owners responsibility not fastraks. As far as fastrak is concerned if they dont see your rfid signal then you dont have one.
Companies? You mean tyrannical government, lol
why even have tolls like this in the first place?
this is old news The ford windshields have been known to be a problem. why do you think they put that shadesd spot on the car now. But why does F track not inform people too?
@@4TwentyFour20 because they can't build better highways because they spent all the money on a high speed rail to nowhere. Also, poor zoning
All that info is spelled put in all the paperwork you get. It is important to read
Interesting how they admitted to the device placement problem after the media got involved... 🙄
Gotta pay the troll toll.
Sounds like fastrak charging extra fees for bonuses
Of course it takes a News org to get a refund..
Where does all the toll money end up? Does it help repair the crappy roads?
I need those rf & Spyware blocking films.
Why would anyone put a transponder at the bottom of the windshield, let alone a bottom corner of the windshield? I think it was mostly her fault.
sounds like a design problem from FastTrak
no they still mange to bill her, she just needs to correct things to reduce the higher price to get her discount.
Now, this is reporting done right ! Good job in getting to the root cause and the solution...
paying for using the road that you're already paying taxes for
Better question? How does a student afford that nice mustang?
❤❤
The solution would be for automakers to adopt the ETC card technology used in countries like Japan and Taiwan. No janky box or sticker you mount to the windshield, just a card reader in the glove box and a transmitter outside your car.
the inside box allows you to alter the number inside the car when it changes.
Funny how they can keep track of this with your license plate.
Of course it’s in the owners manual! That’s what it’s for! God bless her
Getting a deal? We have the highest gas tax rate in the country applied to the highest gas prices … this should be free..
Windshield??!?!? What about Caltrains???
I can say…fastrak needs to fix both the toll tag given to us and the transponders on the highways…not our windshields per se due to moving my tag with 2 of my cars.
Once you register your cars you do not need the transponder. They will read your plate and charge you full price.
I mounted my FastTrack by the mirror like I was supposed to, the glue melted while parked for lunch, the FastTrack fell off, and it split open. Happened in both vehicles. Bad product design by whoever made the tags.
Never understood why they go by a transmitter when they can just go by the license plate number.
Even with transponder you still have to input your license plate on the account incase it the transponder didn't transmit, like this person's case....her transponder allows her to be exempt from the toll if the car is +2/+3 depending on certain time of the day
Toe tag? Or tow tag?😂😂
that sweet spot blocks the signal yet it's able to somehow recognized it was on the bridge at the specific date and time for the bill. That makes a lot of sense
Plate readers. If your FastTrack device didn't beep, it didn't read the device. If you watch the overhead reader while you're sitting in traffic in the regular lanes, you'll see the camera flash for every passing vehicle in the express lanes. When you register for the device, they ask for your plate number. If you never registered for one, or if someone else is using your plates, you'll get a bill in the mail based on your registration's name and address.
@@foxtrotwolf6081 so they should be able to figure something is up when they keep seeing your car but your device has never pinged. the guy even said it's a well known issue...so there's really no excuse for giving people the runaround when they call in about unexpected charges.
@@foxtrotwolf6081Some (all?) new FasTraks don't beep.
@foxtrotwolf6081 fasttrak flex transponders do not beep unfortunately, atleast ones from socal
@@foxtrotwolf6081 This is what Fastrak web site says: "An image of the license plate was captured and a violation notice will be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner at the address on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 21 days of the violation."
There are also a lot of fast lane cheaters who set it to “3” but really only have one person.
They need to put back the toll collective people back on the booths the pandemic has been over with.
Take the plates off. Toll is theft.
1. I bet you have to contact a news station consumer protection department to get you money back.
2. Why TF is there a selection of how many people in the first place... Ur paying to use their cash grab... o.0
I would never trust one of those devices. Looks like it came out of 1992.
register and use ur license plate instead
Wow this has been happening to me
Yeah let’s blame the windows and not the insane fees used to travel the roads