When the Expressway Authority of Thailand introduced the Easy Pass system towards the end of 2009, I was one of the first to drop in to the office near the Port expressway to pick up my little grey sensor box and top-up smart card. I was happy to pay the 1,000 baht deposit in order to snub my nose at the long queues lining up at the toll booths every rush hour.
I dutifully stuck the little grey sensor box behind my rear-view mirror as instructed, and frowned at drivers who insisted on holding up their Easy Pass boxes at awkward angles so that the sensor beam failed to pick it up, thereby holding us up. Then there were those cars with dark, tinted film screens that either served to protect drivers from getting a farmer's tan, or mafia dons from would-be assassins. These cars would also have trouble passing through the Easy Pass lane, eliciting expletives from the cars behind.
Anyway, my Easy Pass generally got me through the rush hour queues swiftly, which was merciful when you were late for picking up kids from school, which was quite often.
At toll gates with heavy traffic, like Bang Na, Din Daeng or Dao Khanong, I would speed through the Easy Pass lane with my nose smugly up in the air, feeling sorry for the poor souls who had to creep along at a snail's pace to pay their 45 baht (now 50 baht).
Then, without any warning, things changed. Perhaps I should have known. After all, this is Thailand, and even runways start cracking not long after they've been paved, depending on who you believe, of course.
I'm not meticulous about my book-keeping habits. When the smart card shows less than 100 baht and the sensor starts bleeping hysterically, I realise it's time to top up. When the system showed I had 550 baht in my card time and time again, it wasn't really cause for worry. It didn't even hit me that the social networks were beginning to buzz with complaints about the system.
But when I couldn't top up at the normal toll booths after several attempts due to "System failure", I began to take notice. I actually topped up through the ATM service which charged me a 5 baht fee per transaction. It worked... for a while.
Then, one day, when I couldn't even get through the gate because the system said, "No equipment detected", I really bolted upright, fuming through my ears.
So what do you think that little grey box behind my rear-view mirror is? A powder compact for women drivers on the go? A chewing gum dispenser?
I went to the BECL website, and there, below a banner that said, "Easy Pass Fast Service", there was a little announcement referring to these complaints about incorrect toll tallies, and that the system was currently being reprogrammed to help process toll fee deductions more efficiently. There was no apology, or no time frame for how long this was going to take.
What also surprised me was that there was an item dated June 25 last year announcing the cancellation of the 1,000 baht deposit, and informing owners to bring their ID cards and a bank book in their name to the BECL office from July 14-Sept 30, last year, to get a refund.
Now I admit I might have been spending too much time on Facebook between those dates because this announcement totally slipped me by. I asked a few friends, and few of them knew of this announcement.
Some mentioned that they heard the refund would be automatically transferred to the smart card, but unless you've been meticulous about keeping a tabs on your tolls, you probably didn't notice it either.
So does that mean I've forfeited my 1,000 baht deposit? Or I have I spent it all on toll fees without realising? And I thought I was so good about keeping the original packaging which was supposed to be required to get a refund when it was first launched.
The little devil on my shoulder is telling me that BECL probably knew the Easy Pass system had reached the end of its three-year warranty and could break down any day, so they quickly cancelled the deposit, just in case everyone came demanding a refund. It's done its three-year duty at least, unlike some dubious bomb detectors that cost a fortune and couldn't tell an explosive from a Gameboy, but that's another can of worms.
So now I'm back in the queue, just like the rest of the masses, paying my escalated toll fees and getting reduced service.
Usnisa Sukhsvasti is the features editor of the Bangkok Post.