Many car owners withdraw money from VETC wallets
On the evening of August 18, on some groups specializing in automobiles and traffic on Facebook, many users actively withdrew money from their VETC payment wallets, and posted transaction images on social networks.
This move takes place in the context that the policy of collecting fees to maintain accounts for VETC and ePass e-wallets is of interest to many car owners. According to shared information, individual customers have to pay 6,600 VND/month for each wallet, while the fee for corporate customers is 66,000 VND/month, including VAT.
On a group called OTO+ with about 1 million members, topics related to this fee received many comments. Some car owners said that the fee is not large but can become a significant expense for people who rarely use cars or manage many vehicles.
Phan Vu Cat's account shared that he used to keep a few hundred thousand VND in his account, even though there were times when the car was almost unused for a whole year. However, before the incurred maintenance fee, this person said he decided to withdraw all the money from his wallet.
Another account, Thu Trang, said that she had withdrawn all the money in her wallet and rated the application 1 star. Similar reactions also appeared in many comments under the post.
However, not all users object. Some opinions suggest that the amount of 6,600 VND/month is not too large if this is the cost to maintain the payment system, servers, personnel, security and technology infrastructure to serve users.
The mixed reactions show that the issue of concern is not only the amount to be paid but also the way businesses inform about the type of fee, scope of application and customer choice.
VETC application receives many 1-star reviews
Below the posts about the fee policy, many users called for a 1-star rating for the VETC application. At the time of recording on the night of August 18, the VETC application on the App Store application store had a rating of 2.9/5 stars, based on about 4,800 ratings.
Many recent reviews focus on account maintenance fees and wallet management. Some people think that paying extra fees is unreasonable, while others reflect dissatisfaction with account management operations and application usage experiences.
What do businesses say about the fee?
On VETC's side (VETC Automatic Toll Collection Co., Ltd.), the enterprise said it will publicly disclose the scope of application, fee level, collection method and invoices on the application, website and at service points. The enterprise also maintains channels to receive and review complaints and refund fees if incorrect collection is detected.
Previously, VETC explained that account management fees are to serve the maintenance and improvement of the quality of e-wallet services, ensuring the payment system operates stably and safely 24/7. The fee is also related to the cost of operating technology infrastructure, security, transaction control and connection to the banking system.
Meanwhile, also applying a similar fee collection policy, ePass said that the fee contributes to maintaining and upgrading technology infrastructure, operating and controlling transactions in real time, enhancing security and improving service quality.
VETC and ePass also said that vehicle owners can proactively cancel links with e-wallets if they do not agree with the management fee. Users can choose other forms of payment and links that suit their needs such as bank accounts, prepaid services, credit cards or Visa, Mastercard international cards...
