Illinois Tollway violations. Received the notification after due date! Options? Payment Plan?

I lived in Chicago for a few months. Was unfamiliar with the tolls and several co-workers drove my car.

I stopped at an Oasis and told the woman I had driven through some tolls and asked if at the end of my business trip in a few weeks I could have my company pay the toll balance that I had run up.

She told me that should be fine and gave me the website.

I forgot about it and it wouldn't have mattered anyways because I found out you have to pay 7 days after the run toll.

Due to mail forwarding I didn't receive my 1st notice until after the due date. I called them and they said it wasn't their problem, they couldn't give me a payment plan and I was going to receive a letter with an increased fine!

Right now it is $915!!! I don't have that money and the thug that was helping me on the phone said I was out of luck and my license was going to get revoked.

I was never a resident and live in TN.

What are my options!?!

I never claimed it wasn't my fault. I wasn't familiar with the tolls. I got off an exit and there was a change bucket that had "$.50" written on it with a sharpie marker. I went to a tollway "oasis" and asked an employee if my co. could pay for the tolls at the end of the summer. Which wasn't accurate and I should have looked for some official information.

I am not looking to be personally attacked. I am just a college student trying to get me and my wife through school and was asking if there was any way to get the fines lowered or get set up on a payment plan because the thug that I spoke to on the phone when I called wouldn't talk to me or let me speak to a supervisor.

If there are no options and I have to pay the $900 or inflated $4,000 immediately then I guess I will be getting my license revoked because I don't have that kind of money to throw around.

If I bounced a check for $30 at a restaurant and they charged me $900 in fines the govt wouldn't allow it. Double Standard?

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. That was established over 200 years ago in American courts. When you drive from state to state it is YOUR responsibility to learn the laws of each state you drive in. You can not assume the laws are the same.

The fact you did not know about tolls does not count. You let others use your car and they ignored the tolls also? And then you do get the toll information and "forget?" Then you do not get mail forwarded to you..

They are correct, none of this is THEIR fault.

It is all yours due to ignorance of the law, letting others drive your car, driving through tolls, not paying them via the website and not keeping up on your mail.

Your option is to pay the tolls.

Illinois can not revoke your license, however if you fail to pay them, they can send a warrant to Tenn about outstanding fines. Since the states work together to ensure their laws are followed, Tenn can revoke your license.

In the meantime, Illinois can add more penalty to the fine.

Illinois can't revoke a TN driver license, but they can damage your credit.
You said yourself, you forgot. The mistake is yours. Try calling again and talking with someone else (probably a supervisor). If you no longer live there then you probably won't be able to have your day in court.
Try having it reduced. You are going to have to pay this or take the hit on your credit.