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Do you still have to pay it? If it’s a private meter my first thought is that non-payment becomes a civil matter and in that case you likely can get away withou

Do you still have to pay it? If it’s a private meter my first thought is that non-payment becomes a civil matter and in that case you likely can get away without paying. I get “civil speeding tickets” (traffic cameras) all the time in my state. I simply throw them away without repercussion because the cost of suing to collect from every individual who hasn’t paid just isn’t worth it. Not sure if it applies in this case but in my state these also cannot legally be reported to credit agencies or insurance companies. If this is not the case and the city is criminally prosecuting people (with taxpayer resources) to enforce private debts owed to the meter company, there’s a good chance a court would find the practice to be illegal. At least I hope that’s how it would turn out…

NotYourLawyer 4y ago
This is where my mind immediately went too. It’d be an interesting case.
LanceH 4y ago
Typically laws get passed along with them allowing for an (insane) increase in fees associated with this. So the $0.75 toll might not be worth collecting, but on the Dallas tollway, every single one of those unpaid incurs a $75 charge on top. It very quickly becomes worth collecting.
- idrathernot 4y ago
  $75 is not enough to pay a lawyer for 1 hour to prove the company’s right to collect $75, and they have to file a new suit for each person who didn’t pay. Not to mention there is a chance of losing and having to pay legal fees for both parties after years fighting in court. It’s far more profitable for them to pocket the money from those who do pay and forget about the rest. In my case, the tickets I get are usually $150 to $350 per and there isn’t a single instance of someone being sued for non-payment.
  - LanceH 4y ago
    They tack that $75 on per unpaid toll. So you drive the length of the tollway and pick up 9 of them, that's 9x$75 or $675. Then you drive back in the evening. Do that for a couple weeks before the mail arrives.
kerpotgh 4y ago
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jlarocco 4y ago
They'll tow you. Hell, they may tow you even if you pay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfTcZbOmLl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfTcZbOmLl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJg9m0eOjsM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJg9m0eOjsM https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/rogue-towing-some-tow-companies-not-paying-fines/ https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/rogue-towing-some-to... I can't find a reference now, but when I visited in January there was a story on the news where a tow truck was starting to tow a legally parked car, the owner showed up and tried to stop them, so a tow company employee pulled a gun and left with the car. The police came and basically said they couldn't do anything and suggested paying the fine to get the car back, or something to that effect. Edit: Found the story - https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/unlawfully-towed-refunds-are-hard-to-come-by-even-at-state-regulators-request/3048670/ https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/unlawfully-towed-refunds...
MikePlacid 4y ago
> criminally prosecuting people (with taxpayer resources) to enforce private debts owed to the meter company, there’s a good chance a court would find the practice to be illegal. The deal structure is as follows: - if the city fails to prosecute a parking violation, the city pays to the parking company anyways. - so your debt is to the city: fee for a parking violation, not a debt to the private company. - the city can immobilize / tow your car if it has an unpaid ticket. That’s very expensive.

NotYourLawyer 4y ago

This is where my mind immediately went too. It’d be an interesting case.

LanceH 4y ago

Typically laws get passed along with them allowing for an (insane) increase in fees associated with this. So the $0.75 toll might not be worth collecting, but on the Dallas tollway, every single one of those unpaid incurs a $75 charge on top. It very quickly becomes worth collecting.

idrathernot 4y ago
$75 is not enough to pay a lawyer for 1 hour to prove the company’s right to collect $75, and they have to file a new suit for each person who didn’t pay. Not to mention there is a chance of losing and having to pay legal fees for both parties after years fighting in court. It’s far more profitable for them to pocket the money from those who do pay and forget about the rest. In my case, the tickets I get are usually $150 to $350 per and there isn’t a single instance of someone being sued for non-payment.
- LanceH 4y ago
  They tack that $75 on per unpaid toll. So you drive the length of the tollway and pick up 9 of them, that's 9x$75 or $675. Then you drive back in the evening. Do that for a couple weeks before the mail arrives.

kerpotgh 4y ago

[dead]

jlarocco 4y ago

They'll tow you. Hell, they may tow you even if you pay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfTcZbOmLl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfTcZbOmLl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJg9m0eOjsM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJg9m0eOjsM https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/rogue-towing-some-tow-companies-not-paying-fines/ https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/rogue-towing-some-to... I can't find a reference now, but when I visited in January there was a story on the news where a tow truck was starting to tow a legally parked car, the owner showed up and tried to stop them, so a tow company employee pulled a gun and left with the car. The police came and basically said they couldn't do anything and suggested paying the fine to get the car back, or something to that effect. Edit: Found the story - https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/unlawfully-towed-refunds-are-hard-to-come-by-even-at-state-regulators-request/3048670/ https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/unlawfully-towed-refunds...

MikePlacid 4y ago

> criminally prosecuting people (with taxpayer resources) to enforce private debts owed to the meter company, there’s a good chance a court would find the practice to be illegal. The deal structure is as follows: - if the city fails to prosecute a parking violation, the city pays to the parking company anyways. - so your debt is to the city: fee for a parking violation, not a debt to the private company. - the city can immobilize / tow your car if it has an unpaid ticket. That’s very expensive.