Residents to scrutinize SMSs
Resident receives e-toll bill although she has no vehicle.
Local resident Jill Stewart has fallen victim to the e-toll billing chaos.
Recently she received an sms asking her to pay her e-toll bill. There was only one problem, Stewart have not owned a car for almost a year.
Howard Dembovsky had the following to say about the miss practice.
“The traffic fines management company, Fines4U (Pty) Ltd has been inundated with emails and smses from TMT Services (Pty) Ltd in their capacity as tender winners for running the South African Roads Agency Limited’s (Sanral) Violations Processing Centre – (VPC).” Immediately it became apparent that TMT Services (Pty) Ltd had gleaned the personal particulars of motorists from a website called PayMyFines.co.za.
“The Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act forbids the unauthorised use of personal electronic contact details belonging to any person and PayMyFines.co.za’s own terms and conditions expressly state, “We will not disclose personal information collected about you without your express consent thereto or through due legal process”.
“On 18 December Fines4U’s lawyers, Dewey Hertzberg Levy Inc wrote to TMT Services to demand that they cease and desist the unauthorised use of one of their client’s personal particulars or face court action, and received a reply from TMT Services’ lawyers giving an undertaking that TMT indeed no longer would use any of the personal information held by PayMyFines.co.za.
“Another letter was sent to the lawyers for TMT Services, demanding that telephone calls from them also are ceased because they make similar use of the personal information provided to PayMyFines.co.za. In addition, the effect of these incessant phone calls are blocking her lines and making it impossible for her to do her work.
“By stark contrast, those who are not registered with PayMyFines.co.za but have driven on the Gauteng e-toll roads have not heard a word from the VPC,” says Dembovsky.
“I know this because I am one of those who have driven on them and I have not paid – nor have my friends,” he continued.
“Both, TMT Services and Sanral must stop acting like thugs, stick to the legislated requirements of sending invoices to people within 32 days after the expiry of the 7 day grace period and obey the laws they expect others to obey,” concluded Dembovsky.
