A car owner in Kochi was taken by surprise when he discovered that toll charges had been deducted from his FASTag account, despite not passing through the toll gate at Kumbalam. The incident occurred last Sunday, according to Bijoy Chandran, a marketing executive, who stated that he and his family remained in the city the entire day and didn’t travel towards Kumbalam.
“In the evening, while checking my phone messages, I was astonished to see Rs 45 deducted at Kumbalam toll plaza at 11:32 am. Upon logging into the application, I confirmed the debit from my account. However, I hadn’t traveled in that direction that day,” he explained.
Following this, a complaint was filed, and CCTV footage at the plaza was reviewed. It confirmed that another car had passed through the plaza at the exact time the charge was deducted.
“The issue was identified as a technical glitch. The scanner misread the RFID number. The FASTag account of the vehicle that passed was…3A0, whereas the charge was deducted from the account…3E0,” explained a toll plaza employee.
Bijoy expressed his bewilderment, asking, “How can machines make mistakes like this? If I hadn’t checked my SMS, I wouldn’t have been aware of the error.”
The employee acknowledged that such occurrences are not isolated incidents. “There have been cases where FASTag recharges made online or through mobile apps have been credited to incorrect accounts. Drivers only realize their accounts lack sufficient balance when they pass through toll plazas,” he stated.
Steps to Resolve Incorrect Toll Charges with FASTag
- If you encounter an incorrect payment record, promptly call and file a complaint with customer service using the number provided on the back of the tag.
- Furnish the vehicle number and the time when the toll charge was deducted to request a ‘chargeback’.
- If there is no response or refund within 15 days, reach out to the toll plaza directly.