It’s been 10 months since tolling began on the 520 Bridge, and there is still confusion and complaining.
A recent Good To Go bill befuddled Bruce Ferry.
“I was expecting something like a phone bill where you see your prior payments and your current charges and what you owe,” Ferry said.
Instead, Ferry says only a partial past payment was noted and he says a call to customer service for clarification left him even more confused.
“OK, if I pay my current bill of $40 and some, will I have any
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It’s been 10 months since tolling began on the 520 Bridge, and there is still confusion and complaining.
A recent Good To Go bill befuddled Bruce Ferry.
“I was expecting something like a phone bill where you see your prior payments and your current charges and what you owe,” Ferry said.
Instead, Ferry says only a partial past payment was noted and he says a call to customer service for clarification left him even more confused.
“OK, if I pay my current bill of $40 and some, will I have any more late charges next month?” Ferry says he asked the customer service representative. “And he said yes, and I said OK, hold it. And he said to avoid it I have to pay $44.50,” Ferry said, adding the extra amount needed to avoid the late charge was not on the bill.
The 520 Bridge has prompted 30 million transactions in its 10 months of tolling, but many of the billing complaints come from the 20 percent of customers who don’t own a pass and opt to pay by mail. Some have complained that they didn’t get a bill in the mail but still faced a $40 penalty.
“If you got a parking ticket in Downtown Seattle you’re still responsible for that parking ticket whether you saw it on your windshield or not,” said Craig Stone, the director of the WSDOT Toll Division.
The DOT sends a bill two weeks after you drive the bridge.
“If we haven’t seen you for a month or you haven’t paid the bill we’ll send you a second bill,” Stone said.
After 80 days, 520 drivers might receive a $40 fine in the mail, and it’s still your responsibility to pay it even if you don’t see it.
“Mail is returned to us if your mailbox is full or if you haven’t picked up your mail,” Stone said.
But if you did get Good To Go mail and don’t like what you see, Stone says that’s why they have customer service.
Another way to avoid any late fee surprises in the mail is to make sure your vehicle registration is up to date. The DOT uses Department of Licensing information to mail you bills.