"TxTag Troubles: A Viewer-Driven Investigation"

INVESTIGATIVE CATEGORY — SHOWCASE SILVER

KXAN
Contributors: David Barer, Dalton Huey, Kelly Wiley, Avery Travis, Matt Grant
05/03/2023

As hundreds of Texas drivers began complaining about persistent billing and customer service problems with the state’s tollway operator and its contracted vendors, KXAN dedicated more than two dozen journalists to this major consumer issue. During our initial five months of reporting, the Texas Department of Transportation began reaching out to viewers who had contacted KXAN to resolve their issues, and state legislators renewed their approach to fixing future TxTag problems – passing a major consumer protection measure into law following our continuing coverage.

INVESTIGATIVE METHOD

Auto-payment issues, double billing, incorrect statements and customer service runaround were some of the biggest problems we discovered, cataloging hundreds of tips and sifting through thousands of pages of vendor contracts. The frustration from our viewers – TxTag customers – was something many had been dealing with for months or years, despite trying to work through the proper channels. Many had been unknowingly sent to collections, many owing tens of thousands of dollars.

When we started taking a fresh look at the problems, we met resistance from TxDOT. We filed dozens of public information requests for vendor performance histories and other financial details. Some records were stalled, and requests for interviews went unmet. Part of our inquiries were sent to the state attorney general for review, and – after repeated unsuccessful emails and calls – we took our questions for agency leaders to their meetings, even speaking during public comment to make sure our viewers’ concerns were heard. It worked. TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams soon spoke with us on-camera, even promising – along with his media staff – to look at complaints we shared with them to help find resolution for drivers. The day after that exchange, KXAN gave TxDOT a thumb drive containing more than 150 viewer tips about TxTag billing and customer service problems from the past three years. The agency looked into those tips and tried to help with those still unresolved.

Days later, we began crowdsourcing for current complaints through an online email form we created, encouraging viewers to “Share Your Story.” Over the next month, more than 720 people responded. The common thread: unresolved issues even after recently contacting TxTag customer service. We interviewed some of those drivers for stories and an online video gallery feature. But we had a bigger goal in mind – getting those drivers help fast. So KXAN provided TxDOT media personnel with names, phone numbers, email addresses and details about each person’s problem. We used a shared, secure online spreadsheet and could see the agency requested access within minutes of receiving it and began sorting the data for review. We soon heard from some drivers in the spreadsheet, who said TxDOT contacted them after our efforts and began helping with their specific problems.

When our investigation launched in early May 2023, we followed up with all 720+ viewers by email, explaining our efforts to pass along their information to TxDOT. We later learned from one viewer that within days of that message – which we also sent to TxDOT – and our first report publishing, TxTag customer service emailed them to speed up the resolution process. TxDOT verified it “set up a dedicated phone line and sent an email to everyone on the list (KXAN) provided.” Within a week, dozens of customers had responded, and most of their cases were then resolved. Customer service representatives were also “working to find more information to resolve the remaining cases.” When KXAN called the phone number, there was no wait, and an operator indicated our reporting had led to this faster, more direct option. While it is unclear if that streamlined approach and additional efforts to follow up with these frustrations would ever be an offered to all TxTag customers, the email sent to KXAN viewers suggested an intent to improve: “Our staff remains dedicated to addressing outstanding account issues and customer service complaints as quickly as possible. TxTag and TxDOT value your feedback as it is used to assist in improving system performance, customer service expectations and user experience.”

INNOVATION & IMPACT

KXAN produced 16 stories – including a handful of with a solutions journalism approach – and a one-hour special in the initial week of coverage with more reports in the months to follow. Those were showcased on a special landing page online with illustrative, flipping preview tiles. When the first stories published, we closed the crowdsourcing campaign but continued hearing from scores of additional drivers with problems. Beyond the interviews highlighted in our reports and sending complaints to TxDOT for review, the hundreds of stories we collected will continue being a valuable tool for customer accountability.

Our team also told state lawmakers about those complaints, leading to meaningful dialogue at the State Capitol – and possible policy changes down the road. KXAN wanted to make sure all 22 members of the Texas House and Senate Transportation Committees were fully aware of legislation filed that could address the issues we had been investigating, as well as the viewer complaints we received. Our team put together packets containing those items – along with a summary of the primary issues highlighted in tips – and hand-delivered them to each of those lawmakers’ offices, speaking to some members and their staffs directly. One conversation was with Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, who chairs the House committee. He thanked our team for its efforts to help drivers, saying: “Most of the stuff… that we learn comes from investigative reporting, so we appreciate what you do.” Canales added the research brought to him by KXAN would be valuable as his committee prepared to hear legislation requiring TxDOT to conduct a study comparing the practices and operations of toll entities across the state.

During KXAN’s visit to the Capitol, we actually passed TxDOT Executive Director Williams in the corridor and soon learned from some legislative offices they’d been given a “heads up” we were making the rounds under the dome. Within hours of wrapping up our packet deliveries, TxDOT’s director of state legislative affairs sent an email — obtained by KXAN through a public information request — to all legislative staff and lawmakers, regarding our efforts, telling them: “Our office is committed to working with your legislative offices to resolve TxTag-related issues and inquiries from you or your constituents as they arise.”

Following KXAN’s persistent coverage, legislators passed House Bill 2170 into law, effective Sept. 1, 2023. It requires tolling entities – including TxTag – to immediately notify customers if there is a problem processing toll charges through the electronic payment method associated with their accounts. The new state law further states toll authorities must provide customers an invoice of unpaid tolls, which must clearly indicate the document is a bill and the recipient is expected to pay it. Our project was also honored with an Emmy for Journalistic Enterprise.

ENTRY LINKS:

Project Landing Page / Investigative Summary Video

Latest TxTag contractor penalized millions, but driver complaints persist

700+ TxTag complaints sent to KXAN in a month. Here’s the impact

‘Highly misled and misguided.’ Capitol leaders react to TxTag viewer tips

Money, politics and TxTag: Gov. Abbott donors on oversight board

TxDOT Director: TxTag vendors doing better, but still not satisfied

Best practices: North Texas tollway’s human-centered approach

TxTag customer: ‘Amazing how fast it was all fixed’ after KXAN report

Submitted by Josh Hinkle