Why didn't the highway ETC deduct money?
3 Answers
There are two scenarios where highway ETC fails to deduct fees: one is when the barrier arm is damaged, causing fee deduction failure due to vehicles passing through the ETC lane at excessive speed; the other is when ETC adopts deferred billing, meaning fees won't be deducted immediately but will be charged within a certain billing cycle. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. When encountering a stationary vehicle ahead, maintain a distance of over 10 meters to prevent accidental fee payment for the preceding vehicle in case of ETC device malfunction or absence. The ETC lane recognition speed is 20km/h. Excessive speed will prevent reading vehicle device information, leading to fee deduction failure. Unauthorized removal/relocation of OBU devices, detached or loose ETC electronic tags will deactivate the tag. These can be inspected at the issuing bank or highway service centers. Non-intentional loosening only requires reactivation. Insufficient balance when using debit card-linked ETC will cause deduction failure. Follow staff guidance to use manual MTC lanes with cash/card payment. Overly thick windshields may cause poor signal reception, especially for vehicles with replaced/repaired windshields after accidents or modified front windshields.
Last time after driving on the highway, I also noticed the ETC wasn't deducted, so I specifically called customer service to ask. It's normal for highway tolls to have delayed deductions, especially for cross-province travel where you have to wait for data transmission—it might take three to five days. However, you should check the small box on the windshield; a flashing green light means it's working properly, but if it's red, you'll need to visit a service point. If it's linked to a bank card, make sure to check if the balance is sufficient—a friend of mine had insufficient funds and only received a payment reminder after half a month. If the deduction hasn't occurred after a week, it's best to call 12122 and ask customer service to check the travel records—they can see in their system if it was missed. If you're still worried, you can manually pay the toll in the ETC app—I encountered this situation once when I went to Xinjiang.
After driving a taxi for so many years, delayed ETC deductions are quite common. The new system now charges by sections, like from Beijing to Hebei, you have to wait for data synchronization between both sides. Once, a passenger urgently needed reimbursement, and I taught him to apply for an electronic invoice on the WeChat mini-program 'China ETC Service,' only to find the fee hadn't been recorded at all. If the device is loose, this can also happen; it's prone to poor contact on bumpy roads, so I recommend pushing the OBU device to see if it wobbles. By the way, credit card users need to be extra careful, as some banks only batch deduct highway fees on their monthly settlement day. Last week, a regular passenger who had an Agricultural Bank card linked didn't get charged until two weeks after crossing the Hangzhou Bay Bridge.
