No one likes paying for tolls in Texas, but a woman in Weatherford said she was very angry after getting billed for a car she doesn’t even own anymore.
Brenda Balaski inherited a car from one of her close friends, but it was one she really didn’t need.
So in May, she decided to sell it to an online buyer.
"It was sold on May 31. It was no longer in my possession," she said.
Balaski thought it was a done deal. That’s until she started getting pink bills in the mail from the North Texas Tollway Authority.
"The NTTA kept sending me bills and they were taking money from my bank account," Balaski said.
She eventually learned that the owner, who she sold the car to, never registered the vehicle in his name.
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Balaski said she filled out a vehicle transfer form with the Texas DMV, which is how you notify the DMV that you have sold your vehicle to remove liability.
She then sent a DMV document over to NTTA.
"But even after I sent them that, they hit my bank account like three or four more times," she explained.
Balaski said she talked to an NTTA representative, who acknowledged the problem and told her they’d credit her account.
But it didn’t take long for her to get another bill from NTTA on a car that’s no longer hers.
"I’m like, no. It’s unacceptable! That ain’t happening," she said. “Do I need to get a lawyer or what?”
Forget a lawyer.
Balaski realized she had a team on her side that specializes in solving problems. She called NBC 5 Responds.
"Two minutes later and you call me, and I was like, 'Oh god! You really do work quick,'" she said.
We got in touch with NTTA and the company quickly responded.
NTTA says, “We should have noted that the customer sold the vehicle... She is right and we are issuing a credit to her account. We apologize for the inconvenience and will use this as a training situation so we can better serve our customers in the future.”
That $147 is going back into Balaski's account.
"You guys like getting things done. You go for the little person," she said. "When it doesn’t seem like there’s any way, it’s like you fight for us."
Even though her case is closed, there are some things we can learn from her especially if you’re selling a car.
If you plan on selling your car, here are Samantha Chatman's Solutions:
-Go to the DMV with the buyer. That way you can make sure the title is transferred from your name to the new owner.
-You’ll also want to fill out a bill of sale and a release of liability form.
-For more information, click here.
