@$#**&@#)%!!!!!!!!!

[Michigan Girl]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I feel certain you are!!

[Everett]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I feel certain you are!!

I am. She just doesn't agree with my views on dennis that's why i'm not on her "like" list.

[G.I.Jim]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I'd sure like to find out!!

DAMN... Back down cougar! Down girl, DOWN!!!

[Saint John]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I'd sure like to find out!!

DAMN... Back down cougar! Down girl, DOWN!!!

Uh oh ... lucky it's you, Jim. I personally saw a guy at MR Fest II refer to MG as a "cougar" and she lit the poor motherfucker up.

[G.I.Jim]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I'd sure like to find out!!

DAMN... Back down beautiful! You're young AND good looking!!!

Uh oh ... lucky it's you, Jim. I personally saw a guy at MR Fest II refer to MG as a "cougar" and she lit the poor motherfucker up.

[Everett]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I'd sure like to find out!!

DAMN... Back down cougar! Down girl, DOWN!!!

Leave my cougar alone jim, go back to your lioness

[SuiteMadameBlue]

This is why i am thankful i live in wisconsin

So are the rest of us.

Not all of us

I'm a nice guy once you get to know me

I feel certain you are!!

I am. She just doesn't agree with my views on dennis that's why i'm not on her "like" list.

Believe me it's not your views about Dennis that I don't like, it's how you post and the things you say. Everyone has a right to their opinion, that I'm totally fine with, it's just the same remarks of cutting down bands and musicians, it's getting old. It's not just you, it's a few others on the Styx board. Whenever someone posts something, you and of course a few others have to cut down whatever is posted right away.

[Rip Rokken]

To add insult to injury, I placed an order with the Queensryche Store last month and ended up getting double-charged for it -- second charge came 3 weeks later. I left them a voicemail days ago and haven't heard back. If they'd put out a decent album in the last 8 or so, I might cut 'em some slack, but I'm getting pissed off and Geoff Tate does not want to see me when I'm angry!

UPDATE: Talked to them today, and they called me back -- turns out it was my mistake, and Geoff Tate is as spotless and blameless as a white lamb. I forgot I also renewed my Fan Club membership so I could request M&G passes to the next Dallas show, and the amount was exactly the same as my last purchase. Luckily I was polite and cool on the front end, huh? Now I think I'm going to get hooked up!

[Andrew]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

[Saint John]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

The person whose car you were in will get the fine!

[G.I.Jim]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

I'll give them your address.

[Andrew]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

The person whose car you were in will get the fine!

Rental van. Hopefully not enough coin for them to chase me... I already had the IRS after me and the local AU Tax office. Been a great fucking year!

[Rip Rokken]

It's a very objective system. Your license plate comes up on their screen, you're billed, and you either pay or are sent to collections. There's no fighting and winning.

LOL, you all should have taken Andrew's sled and went through the tolls about 56 times...he would fuckin freak the shit out would he not? Sorry Rokken, but this is hilarious to read. I know you aren't exactly thrilled, but it makes for a nice laugh..those goddamned communistic Illini.

Nah, I try to find the humor in everything.

SEE? THAT'S WHY IT PAYS TO READ ALL THE POSTS! *snort*!

Haha, hey I do that all the time. At least we are of the same mind. I don't hold on to anger very long -- makes life much less stressful.

[Rip Rokken]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

LOL!!! TRANSLATION for the curious. "There will definitely be NO MR FEST III (in Chicago at least).

[Arianddu]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

LOL!!! TRANSLATION for the curious. "There will definitely be NO MR FEST III (in Chicago at least).

Nah, it'll just be run by one Mr Neice McAndrew. Or else one of his kids.

[Andrew]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

LOL!!! TRANSLATION for the curious. "There will definitely be NO MR FEST III (in Chicago at least).

I know if I return to South Bend there will be issues

[Behshad]

Plus some of those tollway exits in Elgin had nothing but automated stations that took coins only -- if you had no change in the car, you had no choice but to run it if you were a tourist without a toll tag. Seems like an effed up system to me. Or a system that produces the desired result -- ginormous fines for the out-of-state chumps.

I was out of coins a few times also. Good luck to them finding me here

LOL!!! TRANSLATION for the curious. "There will definitely be NO MR FEST III (in Chicago at least).

I know if I return to South Bend there will be issues

let me guess , you forgot to pay for the room you destroyed when you partied hard in South Bend !

[Rockindeano]

let me guess , you forgot to pay for the room you destroyed when you partied hard in South Bend !

Either that or dude blew his load all over the hotel towels or robe, or even the drapery. You know that crazy fucker jizzes everytime JSS plays.

[G.I.Jim]

let me guess , you forgot to pay for the room you destroyed when you partied hard in South Bend !

Either that or dude blew his load all over the hotel towels or robe, or even the drapery. You know that crazy fucker jizzes everytime JSS plays.

And YOU don't?!!!

[Rockindeano]

let me guess , you forgot to pay for the room you destroyed when you partied hard in South Bend !

Either that or dude blew his load all over the hotel towels or robe, or even the drapery. You know that crazy fucker jizzes everytime JSS plays.

And YOU don't?!!!

Oh Hell yes, buy see I don't pretend that I am prim and proper like Mac does. Mac thinks he walks on water. I know I am deep in shit, hence my piss poor behaviour at MR outings.

[Rip Rokken]

Anyway, here's the progress report. I called Illinois Tollway this morning and was very nice, explained the situation, and she verified that without a hearing (which can be done by mail), nothing could be done about the fines. I asked if there were a manager that may be able to help and she said no (whether true or not, I didn't press it). I was cool and went ahead and paid the $164.20 by credit card to get it done with. Might as well ear frequent flyer miles while I'm at it, right?

One interesting thing -- I pay close attention to communication and when I called, she had me give my full address and phone number before pulling up my records. Sometimes this is for ID verification or callback, but in this case nothing in their letter at least indicated they had my phone number and I bet they are trained to get additional information that can be used later in any collections process. Either way, I did what I could and paying the fine was much easier than trying to dispute it further and carrying this around in my brain any longer.

I'm still calling Alamo, though to see if they will do anything for me, even if it's just to refund their $10 administration fee. It irritates me that I was so clear with him that I wanted to make sure I did what I needed to avoid excessive fines, but ultimately it's really my fault for taking anyone's word for something like that instead of making the time to check further. I know I get on my wife's nerves sometimes for being so cautious and triple-checking everything, but it's situations like this that have made me that kinda OCD over time. I think I've just developed a natural distrust that most people care enough to do a decent and thorough job if it's anything that concerns customer service.

ANOTHER update, and now my mind is going again, LOL. I left a message for Alamo's Violations Dept. yesterday and they just called me back today. It was actually Enterprise, which also owns Alamo, and the lady was very nice. Now check this! I tell her what happened, and what the guy told me when I asked about what to do, and she actually said that's the way it was until very recently -- that Alamo PAID the fines and just sent you a bill + the $10 admin fee. So she admitted it was there mistake, and offered to take care of it if I'd just send in a check for the $4 and change in fines and give them the Illinois bill! I said that was very cool, but that I'd just gone ahead and paid it. Could they just reimburse me? She said oh... I could have had that taken care of with Illinios, but can't send you a reimbursement check. I said (still very nice), "Please understand, I never could reach anyone at Alamo and I'm just getting a call back after leaving a message two days ago. I didn't think I had a choice but to pay." I said I didn't think the charge had processed yet, and I could get it canceled. She said it was too late, that if I canceled they might levy more fines on me -- but she could send me a check to refund the $10 admin fee. I was nice and accepted it. But... I looked and the charge hasn't cleared my account yet. By God!!! I'm going to call Illinois tomorrow and ask them to cancel or refund the charge, that Alamo has offered to pay this, then I'm calling Alamo back. I still think I can get this done, and that will be my Great White money for this weekend.

[Saint John]

You're a far better man than me, Rip (but, then again, who isn't? ). I would have paid the $164.20 and never looked back. To me, it's simply not worth all of the time and aggravation. But, as you said, you're wired differently.

[Rip Rokken]

You're a far better man than me, Rip (but, then again, who isn't? ). I would have paid the $164.20 and never looked back. To me, it's simply not worth all of the time and aggravation. But, as you said, you're wired differently.

Haha, well it was just that one follow-up call to Alamo, and all I really hoped for was to get my $10 back. I couldn't believe she actually admitted he probably did make a mistake based on their very recent policy to cover the tolls themselves and then levy the $10 as an admin charge (which I think is completely fair to do). Now it's just stirred me up again, LOL. I'm not angry at all -- I was actually onsite with a client when I got their call and we laughed about the irony of my situation when I got off the phone. But I HATE to waste money on "stupid bills". Dude, there's nothing worse than having an extra chunk of change that you want to do something with like take a trip, put in savings or whatever, then have it sucked up by expenses caused by errors or negligence (getting speeding tickets is an example). I've been real conscious of that phenomenon for years, so I've had a theory that having extra money gives a person a false sense of security that makes them a little careless.

Anyway like I said before, ultimately it's my fault for not following up with Illinois on this myself (and it turned out the window was 7 days, not 10). BUT... I feel a whole lot less responsible for the mess now. $164 bucks is $164 bucks, and if I get it back I'm absolutely going to blow it on something stupid. I deserve that for all the "pain and suffering" this has caused me.

[conversationpc]

Rip buddy...You're a much more patient person than I. I'm almost always calm when speaking to people on the phone but I think I would've gone off in this case. Not only that but I'm stubborn enough that I would've refused to have paid it regardless of it going to collections, suspended license, etc.

[Rip Rokken]

Rip buddy...You're a much more patient person than I. I'm almost always calm when speaking to people on the phone but I think I would've gone off in this case. Not only that but I'm stubborn enough that I would've refused to have paid it regardless of it going to collections, suspended license, etc.

I admire ya! LOL... the main thing that worried me was a chance of it affecting my credit, or problems on any return trip to Chicago. I'm actually on the phone with Illinois Tollway now trying to see if they'll refund my CC charge so I can go back to Alamo and get them to pay it. She's going back and forth with a manager to ask if they can do that. She's real nice but young, and now she's getting the manager for me to talk to.

[bluejeangirl76]

Rip buddy...You're a much more patient person than I. I'm almost always calm when speaking to people on the phone but I think I would've gone off in this case. Not only that but I'm stubborn enough that I would've refused to have paid it regardless of it going to collections, suspended license, etc.

I admire ya! LOL... the main thing that worried me was a chance of it affecting my credit, or problems on any return trip to Chicago.

I promise you, they won't be waiting inside the state line or at the airport for you. The credit thing, yeah, that's really the ONLY problem, and certainly one you want to avoid. But we don't keep a list or a photo album of toll-skippers.... can you imagine? The 10 most wanted toll thieves are on a poster at the police station... An alarm goes off when you even think about getting on the entrance ramp, and they chase your ass OJ style, just WAITING for you to try and get by without giving over your fifty cents!!

Hmm... come to think of it, around here that would actually not surprise me. This state does not particularly like to go easy when it comes to charging for stuff.

[Rip Rokken]

Rip buddy...You're a much more patient person than I. I'm almost always calm when speaking to people on the phone but I think I would've gone off in this case. Not only that but I'm stubborn enough that I would've refused to have paid it regardless of it going to collections, suspended license, etc.

I admire ya! LOL... the main thing that worried me was a chance of it affecting my credit, or problems on any return trip to Chicago.

I promise you, they won't be waiting inside the state line or at the airport for you. The credit thing, yeah, that's really the ONLY problem, and certainly one you want to avoid. But we don't keep a list or a photo album of toll-skippers.... can you imagine? The 10 most wanted toll thieves are on a poster at the police station... An alarm goes off when you even think about getting on the entrance ramp, and they chase your ass OJ style, just WAITING for you to try and get by without giving over your fifty cents!!

Hmm... come to think of it, around here that would actually not surprise me. This state does not particularly like to go easy when it comes to charging for stuff.

Hahahahaha.... on the phone with my CC company now. The Tollway manager never got on the phone, so the poor girl had to keep going back. She actually said they recommended I dispute the CC charge since they couldn't issue a credit on a closed case. I repeated that back to her and made sure she agreed that they were recommending I dispute it, and that doing so would not incur the wrath of IL. She said no, it wouldn't (I still technically have 14 days to pay). The CC company is issuing a temporary credit on my acct., and I've left another voicemail for the lady I spoke with yesterday telling her IL was allowing me to do this. She's out of the office until Monday, but I will call her again then to follow up.

[Rip Rokken]

I FREAKIN' DID IT!!!!! The lady from the rental car violations dept. called back today, and I told her Illinois let me dispute the charge, and that the amount had already been credited back to my card. She said that was the FIRST she'd heard of them ever doing that, and they are going to go ahead and take care of the $164.20 for me. All I have to do is send them a check for $4.20 for the missed tolls and they keep the $10 admin fee. I have to say, I'm most pleased with myself.



Still a little follow-up to do with the credit card company and also Illinois Tollway to make sure this goes smooth, but I'm on it.

[Behshad]

I FREAKIN' DID IT!!!!! I have to say, I pleased myself.



.

TMI bro, but good for you

[Rip Rokken]

I FREAKIN' DID IT!!!!! I have to say, I pleased myself.



.

TMI bro, but good for you

LOL... I didn't see this until now. Very funny!



I was cleaning off my desk at the office the other day and ran across all my paperwork for this. I was JUST about to throw it away when something inside told me to hang onto it for a little while. (Hmm...... could it be....?) I get home that very day and find a new notice from the Illinois Tollway asking for the money again, and giving he 7 days before it goes up to $500+. I started making calls again and found out that the rental car company had actually paid it, and they called the IL Tollway and found out they've been holding their payment for some reason. They got it cleared up, so this is officially a done deal and I've learned a valuable lesson. I don't think I'm ever going to miss another freaking toll in Chicago, and will drive around with an ashtray chock full of change if I need to.

But more importantly, my faith is restored because I know that someone up there is watching out to protect my concert money!