THORNTON, Colo. — No one likes getting bills in the mail, but imagine being blindsided with one for more than $10,000.
It happened to a Thornton woman.
“I honestly thought it was a cruel joke. I really did,” Kylie Harris said.
Harris received a bill totaling $10,557 for tolls and late fees accumulated on the Northwest Parkway.
“$10,557. I would have to spend all day everyday on a toll just driving back and forth through the lights to rack up that kind of bill,” she said.
Harris tells the FOX31 Problem Solvers she drives the parkway almost daily, but in the past, those tolls were always included in her ExpressToll bill.
“I was taking it to and from work everyday,” she said.
Harris didn’t realize the Northwest Parkway segment of her commute was no longer being included until her first bill from the parkway arrived in the mail.
“I received it Monday night when I got home from work,” she said.
The bill listed charges dating back to March 2018 and included around $1,500 in toll fees and around $9,000 in late charges and processing fees.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers called Northwest Parkway.
We’re told Harris’ ExpressToll account was disconnected per policy, because the Harrises were more than 45 days late making a payment.
When that happens, ExpressToll accounts are converted into license plate accounts, which means Northwest Parkway and E-470 bill customers separately.
However, what Harris still doesn’t understand is why Northwest Parkway didn’t bill her for more than a year. When they finally did, they charged more than $8,000 in late fees.
“I think they should correct it. I might as well get this out there, so hopefully, it will be stopped and not continue for other people who may not have the time or patience to fight with them everyday,” she said.
The Problem Solvers asked Northwest Parkway about that delay. They tell us it took that long to get plates back from the Department of Motor Vehicles for Harris’ vehicle.
However, there some good news for Harris: Northwest Parkway is waiving all the late fees and processing fees, which means the Harrises now owe $1,500 instead of more than $10,000.