VETC suspends 6,600 dong monthly e-wallet service fee after user backlash

VETC, a toll collection service provider in Vietnam, has halted the implementation of a monthly service fee for its e-wallet following a strong negative reaction from users. The company announced on August 20 that it is suspending the collection of the 6,600 Vietnamese dong (approximately $0.25 USD) monthly fee to develop a more suitable solution.

The decision to pause the fee collection was made after VETC registered significant user backlash concerning the new policy. A VETC representative acknowledged that the communication and rollout of the policy were insufficient, failing to achieve customer consensus. The company emphasized that no fees have been collected from accounts to date.

Initially, VETC planned to charge individual users 6,600 dong per month and organizations 66,000 dong per month, regardless of the number of vehicles registered. This fee was set to take effect in August. Similarly, Viettel's ePass application also introduced a monthly fee from August, collected via its Viettel Money e-wallet.

Both VETC and ePass explained that the intended purpose of the fee was to cover the costs of maintaining and upgrading technology infrastructure, processing real-time transactions, enhancing security, and ensuring continuous 24/7 connectivity between e-wallets and traffic accounts. However, many drivers expressed dissatisfaction, particularly those who had pre-loaded funds into their wallets, arguing they should not incur additional charges for account maintenance.

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VETC has decided not to apply and temporarily suspend the implementation of this fee policy to review, listen further to customer feedback, and develop a more suitable solution.