[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

They are supposed to have copy of RC and vehiclecle photo with number plates visible at time of issuing the tag, and if tag was issued to a new unregistered vehicle, then, as soon as registration is completed. Why did Axis bank ask it now?

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

They are supposed to have copy of RC and vehiclecle photo with number plates visible at time of issuing the tag, and if tag was issued to a new unregistered vehicle, then, as soon as registration is completed. Why did Axis bank ask it now?

I am not sure.

I dug deep and it turns out I have made 268 transactions via fastag since the beginning. It turns out 65% of transactions were mapped to class 4 and rest were to other classes. When l looked for patterns, there weren't any, as the same toll plaza has both correct and incorrect class marked at times.

Clearly there is either a scam or lack of due diligence.

Here is the pivot from excel.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Apparently the booth claimed Class 3 ( goods three-wheeler) while the vehicle is a car. They have settled the claim with NPCI / booth and are requesting RC copy and photos of the vehicle to refute the claim (current and future) from the bank's end. They are 'threatening' blacklisting of tag in case I do not submit within two days.

I have faced the very same problem, and so my suggestion is NOT to take this as a threatening call. I have FasTag from AXIS bank and the toll booth at Thoppur (Tamil Nadu) had tried the same tactic. They recorded my vehicle as a truck and levied the toll for a truck. Axis Bank refuted the claim by saying as per their records my vehicle was a car. But they did not have the RC card copy etc. So I scanned the RC card, took some photographs of the car on my mobile and e-mailed it to them (they gave an e-mail ID, which actually worked quite well). The dispute was settled favouring me and AXIS bank in a matter of 1-2 weeks.

Note: After the vehicle dealer fixed the Axis FasTag he did not mention to me any thing about KYC. It was just before a long trip that I came to know that my KYC was not complete. And a very good call centre staff heard my story and just flipped the "KYC complete" switch on his system . But then when the Toll booth chaps tried their trick, Axis Bank was left with no record to prove their claim.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Apparently the booth claimed Class 3 ( goods three-wheeler) while the vehicle is a car. They have settled the claim with NPCI / booth and are requesting RC copy and photos of the vehicle to refute the claim (current and future) from the bank's end. ...

This is what happens when we trust the system blindly. Our justice system (and any civilised one) is built on the principle of innocent until proven guilty and the onus to prove that we are in the wrong, is on the claimant.

Ideally, the toll operator should be asked to provide evidence for the class that they have claimed your vehicle falls under - CCTV footage from the toll booth should be easy to obtain because it's common place. There's a reason we, consumers, are asked to submit documents while obtaining the tag, and not just buy one like a bumper sticker.

The public grievance portal used to work well, but it's now become toothless, per my experience.

In this particular case, the only option is to provide the supporting documents and move on. However, if you have the time and resources to fight, please approach a lawyer and take advice on what to do. This is deficiency of service and may be classified as cheating too.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by silversteed

There's a reason we, consumers, are asked to submit documents while obtaining the tag, and not just buy one like a bumper sticker.
....
In this particular case, the only option is to provide the supporting documents and move on.

I agree with you. But in this case there is nothing to approach a lawyer with (unless we plan to pay more money as 'consulting fees'). There is an arbitrator agency who sits in between the toll operator and the bank. This agency puts a lock on the disputed money. Now both parties share their piece of evidence and claim the money. In my case, Axis bank did NOT have any documents to prove that my vehicle was a car. I gave it, and it helped both of us to win our case. The arbitrator ruled in favour of us, and the toll operator was asked to take a hike. Now with these documents in their record, at least for me this case of incorrect vehicle classification would not arise.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

I agree with you. But in this case there is nothing to approach a lawyer with (unless we plan to pay more money as 'consulting fees'). There is an arbitrator agency who sits in between the toll operator and the bank. This agency puts a lock on the disputed money. Now both parties share their piece of evidence and claim the money. In my case, Axis bank did NOT have any documents to prove that my vehicle was a car. I gave it, and it helped both of us to win our case. The arbitrator ruled in favour of us, and the toll operator was asked to take a hike. Now with these documents in their record, at least for me this case of incorrect vehicle classification would not arise.

Unfortunately, the shoddy implementation of this system has consumed your time and that of many others. You have quite literally donated a small part of your life to help keep this shoddy system going (I would do the same). I see no redeeming value of the arbitrator here. This office of the arbitrator also did not serve its intended purpose in the real sense, the person handling your case just took a shortcut, solved your particular problem and considered the case closed without completing his job.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Unfortunately, the shoddy implementation of this system has consumed your time and that of many others.

I don't feel so. Point #1, I had not completed the KYC (even though my dealer washed his hands off the moment the car left the show room; ignorance is not an excuse) and landed up in this situation. All it took was pretty much the same time it would have taken me to complete the KYC. How long does it take for me to scan the RC Card copy and take a couple of pictures of my car and e-mail it? Not even the time I spend at the cafetaria drinking a cup of coffee .

Point #2, the AxisBank support staff actually marked my KYC as done to help me (so that I can load the wallet with more money). Sure the process was violated here. But this violation got auto corrected when I had to complete my KYC in order to stop paying extra money.

You have quite literally donated a small part of your life to help keep this shoddy system going (I would do the same).

Did not understand what the 'shoddy' part of the system was. I was one of the early birds who took FasTag when it was launched nearly three years back and when it was not even mandatory. Even then I found the system to be of an advantage as I could quickly get the toll payment done. I would have crossed Toll booths using FasTag at least 800-1000 times by now, and it was only ONCE (1/800 or 1/1000) that the toll booth people tried to get more money from me. I understand that there is a large section of society who wanted a status quo; who prefers the old "cash" system for pretty much every transaction. I also understand there is a large eco system in India which requires "cash" transactions as it is the easiest way to hide a lot of things. But perhaps the authorities have decided to turn the screws on. Implementing any 'disrupting' system (i.e one which makes drastic changes in one's usual practise) is going to be a challenge in India, but as the old saying goes "there is always a first time".

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

I have faced the very same problem.

I am sorry , I beg to differ. Our problems are not same. I have done KYC long ago. So seeking documents again is poor judgement by Axis, they have photos and copy of RC already.

They can not place the onus on me to prove the class of vehicle. As a fellow member cited it should be a conversation between toll agency and bank.

I do see blacklisting suggestion as threat. Let them forfeit the deposited amount (200 in my case) until a resolution is found. Why should I stand in queues for mischief by a toll gate operator ?

[sabkaraja]

I got a fastag from an external provider from Thane. I came to know it was Axis bank at the end moment and I cringed in disgust. Since I was starting my trip the next day I went ahead with it.

While crossing Mumbai Pune Expressway, the booth operator told me Fastag doesn't work and I paid 230/- in cash. But when I exited at Talegaon my Fastag was deducted 173/- I called up their toll-free number (at 6:45 am) and was instructed to send an email to etc.management@axisbank.com. I promptly sent an email with toll paid receipt copy as proof. I got a request number and continued my journey satisfied that things are being addressed.

A week later I came back and still see no response. So I call up toll free number again - they tell me that I need to lodge request at toll free number with the SR received a week earlier, then only things proceed. I was like "who's gonna tell me this!"

Anyways, within two days, case was closed with no feedback. So much for the SR. I opened a new ticket on the website (on 08/01) and its 06/02 and there is no response. The ticket is still open and inviting. I sent emails to axisbank nodal officer. After waiting for a response - I sent an email to IHMCL (Fastag implementation team) as well as Axis Bank Officer in charge of ETC. And I am happy to let you know that there is no response.

I will see this to the very end. Looks like this is my watershed moment - the crusade I was waiting for.

[longhorn]

The system is a disaster. Why should the toll operator be allowed to select the class of vehicle, when the FarceTag is issued based on the vehicle's RC? They should not be allowed to do this. The only validation should be for the balance in the tag. If sufficient balance is there, the vehicle should be allowed to pass through, no questions asked.

If there is a fraud on the part of the vehicle owner (it will be very minimal, if at all, compared to the toll booth operators), the operator should be asked to submit a video grab to dispute the claim. The tag should be blacklisted only if fraud is proved, and not on the whims of the toll booth operator. I'm sure there are may people who are unaware or lack the time to fight for this and hence end up paying twice or entail unnecessary deductions even when their vehicle is parked at home.

I'm not going to get this FarceTag anytime soon. Just too much headache for the so called convenience it offers. I'm better off just paying cash at the toll booth, especially since my highway jaunts are like just once or twice a year, it makes no sense at all to get into this mess at least for now.

[binand]

Originally Posted by longhorn

The system is a disaster. Why should the toll operator be allowed to select the class of vehicle, when the FarceTag is issued based on the vehicle's RC?

They are not allowed to do this. At the time you enter the toll lane, your tag is scanned and a lookup is made in the database managed by NPCI (a database populated by the tag issuer, after your KYC and verification of your vehicle documents). The response contains the vehicle class and applicable toll calculation rules.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by binand

They are not allowed to do this. At the time you enter the toll lane, your tag is scanned and a lookup is made in the database managed by NPCI (a database populated by the tag issuer, after your KYC and verification of your vehicle documents). The response contains the vehicle class and applicable toll calculation rules.

How then is a car getting charged the rate of a truck as members have reported. Moreover how is class of vehicle getting changed between different tolls as mentioned by another member a few posts back? I don't get it. What am I missing?

[binand]

Originally Posted by longhorn

How then is a car getting charged the rate of a truck as members have reported. Moreover how is class of vehicle getting changed between different tolls as mentioned by another member a few posts back? I don't get it. What am I missing?

I don't know. But to me, it is curious that Axis Bank is a very prominent player in a majority of issues relating to Fastag that has been reported here or elsewhere.

Take a look at this:



As you can see, the implementation requirements is clear that "vehicle class received from NETC Mapper" (the aforementioned database maintained by NPCI) is to be used in calculating toll. It is eminently possible that Axis Bank's systems are so buggy that they return different vehicle classes for different queries arising from different toll booths for the same tag. Obviously only a bank-level audit can resolve this.

As of now, all I can suggest is to avoid Axis Bank for Fastag.

Edit: I made a mistake in the previous post. The exerpt actually mentions that "Acquirer host system contains the business rules for toll calculation". I incorrectly said that applicable toll calculation rules come as part of the NPCI database lookup - this is wrong.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by silversteed

This is what happens when we trust the system blindly. Our justice system (and any civilised one) is built on the principle of innocent until proven guilty and the onus to prove that we are in the wrong, is on the claimant.
...
Ideally, This is deficiency of service and may be classified as cheating too.

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Did not understand what the 'shoddy' part of the system was. .

Originally Posted by Thilak29

... I have done KYC long ago. So seeking documents again is poor judgement ...
...
a conversation between toll agency and bank.

I do see blacklisting suggestion as threat. Let them forfeit the deposited amount (200 in my case) until a resolution is found. Why should I stand in queues for mischief by a toll gate operator ?

Originally Posted by sabkaraja

... I paid 230/- in cash. But when I exited at Talegaon my Fastag was deducted 173/- I called up their toll-free number...

A week later I came back and still see no response.

...And I am happy to let you know that there is no response.

I will see this to the very end. Looks like this is my watershed moment - the crusade I was waiting for.

Originally Posted by longhorn

...

...The tag should be blacklisted only if fraud is proved, and not on the whims of the toll booth operator. ...

Originally Posted by longhorn

How then is a car getting charged the rate of a truck as members have reported. ...

Originally Posted by binand

...Axis Bank is a very prominent player in a majority of issues relating to Fastag that has been reported here or elsewhere.

...As of now, all I can suggest is to avoid Axis Bank for Fastag.

In support of my "shoddy system" comment and my assertion that the arbitrator's office is not doing it's job, I have the following additional explanation to clarify (now that I'm at a laptop with a keyboard, I can compose my responses better )

1. Most of the cases mentioned here clearly show malafide intent on part of the toll operator. Putting the onus on the user is unacceptable.
2. It should not be necessary for a user to produce any documents ever again for verification - the verification was done when the tag was issued, period. In the case of fraud on part of the owner or user, the police should be involved. But what about fraud on the toll operator's part? Shouldn't a case be registered and punitive action initiated? What about the "verification" station that verified the documents? Did they do their job? What if they didn't? Any punitive deterrent? Any data on how many errors as a percentage of tags processed? Any feedback to this verification station on the errors found? I guess not! What is the allowed threshold for error percentage?
3. Finally the Arbitrators Office. What is the objective? What are the processes in place? Have they been communicated to the public and other stakeholders? How is the functioning of this office evaluated? Are reports on the number of cases, the actions taken, the root cause, the entity at fault, etc made public? It seems to me that this office exists only to assure the public in theory that a redressal mechanism exists and nothing more.
4. Who are the people behind this whole Fastag initiative? Who runs the show? What are they really doing? Are they answerable to the public? Ultimately, there are faces and people behind that corporate banner or brand, and in the case of Fastag there is a government organization with certain officers who should be made accountable. What about the ministry or ministries responsible? Of course, our officials don't want to answer questions, but they are working for the public, and those who don't wish to face scrutiny are better off working elsewhere.
5. If the government or the Arbitrator's Office was doing it's job, Axis Bank should be facing a huge fine, given the number of complaints here. The same should happen to the toll operator firm that tries to put the onus on users without exhausting other measures first.

I don't know if I have covered all the points, but these are my thoughts and expectations from the above entities. I feel victimizing the consumer is a great pastime of businesses and government entities in our country and this should stop.

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