I fought City Hall - and won!!

[wineguruchgo]

Well not really City Hall, but it was a victory with the Illinois Tollway Authority.

Last week I was furious because I went to put money on my I-Pass (the thing that lets you go through the tollbooths) and they said the minimum that I could put on it was $40.00. Well, that's outrageous! This is all computerized - no man hours involved and I fought it.

I asked to speak with a supervisor and they let me put $20.00 on it after I bitched up a storm.

Then I went even further and wrote to our local news reporter to let them know about it.

I wasn't stopping there. I wrote to the tollway directly and told them how unhappy I was about them tying up my money, interest free, for what could be months.

Then I called the tollway authority to get a copy of the "Terms and Agreements" that I agreed to when I got this thing in 1998.

The guy from the tollway called me back and said that he agreed with me that it was a lot of money, especially a few weeks before the holidays and he would speak with his supervisiors about it.

I just got an email today:

Thank you for bring to our attention your recent experience with your I-PASS account. I-PASS is intended to provide convenience to our customers. We are dedicated to bringing the best possible driving experience to our patrons.

The minimum amount for replenishments for I-PASS accounts was at $40.00. Tele sales representatives have been instructed to allow patrons to replenish at $20.00. If you experience any problems with this, please let me know.

For your convenience, you can now manage your I-PASS account at www.getipass.com. You will need your account number or transponder number, and your drivers license information the first time you log on.

Sincerely,

Kevin Foster

This is a sweet victory for the entire State of Illinois!