Challenging Congestion Charge Penailties

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Wed 4 Nov 2015 16:45
Challenging Congestion Charge Penailties - Biba

Hi all, I hope you can help me.

At the end of 2012 my partner bought a van that I use for my businesses. I ocassionally do deliveries in London and have registered on the Congestion Charge website but could not register for automatic payment as someone had registered the vehicle details before me. My partner contacted the car company he bought the vehicle from and asked them to contact the previous owner and tell them to remove their detais so we could register for automatic payment. Needless to say we got nowhere.

On 05/11/15, 2 years later, I received a call from a court debit collector saying that they were taking the vehicle away as we had many congestion charge penalties unpaid. He was already in front of our garage with the clamp in place. Have to say he was a nice guy and contacted me as we have the tel number on the van.

Since buying the van, my partner moved address (moved to another house on the other side of the road) but forgot to change the address on the vehicle logbook. Result.... the penalties were sent to my partner old address and thats why we did not receive penalties.

When we signed for the Congestion Charge online , we have to put all the details, including address, email, tel no, vehicle details etc and we were under the impression that any correspondence would be sent to that address.

I have paid to the bailiffs straight away £790.00 for 2 unpaid penalties+bailiffscharges and have phoned the congestion charge people and paid 5 other fines at £65.00 each. Previously they could not give me any information when I phoned to ask if I had entered any congestion charge zone.

I have paid congestion charges before and the ones I did not paid is because I did not know I was entering a congestion charge zone or forgot to pay it...hence wanting to register for automatic payment.

Questions:

1. Do we have any grounds to appeal the fines and pay only the standart £65.00 or the £11.00 original congestion charge for all fines?

2. Can my partner be fined for not changing the address on the car logbook (we have since sent the papers to the DVLA)

3. Is my partner is trouble with the courts/police for not paying the fines at the time?

Many thanks and sorry for the long message.


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Wed 4 Nov 2015 16:59
Challenging Congestion Charge Penailties - skidpan

Unfortunately the problems are all of your own making. You should have ensured all the charges were paid regardless of the other dificulties you were having.

You can be fined for not notifying DVLA of change of address.

providing you pay all the fines it should be the end of the matter.

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Wed 4 Nov 2015 17:01
Challenging Congestion Charge Penailties - Biba

Thanks for the reply.

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Thu 5 Nov 2015 09:44
Challenging Congestion Charge Penailties - Palcouk

I would have though Tfl would have had in place procedures for a new owner to register for automatic payments, if the original had failed to cancel.

I have had auto payments in place for the last 3 cars I have owned, I cannot remember if I canceled this when I sold the car.

But if auto payments were still in place for the original keeper they would have been billed

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Mon 9 Nov 2015 17:32
Challenging Congestion Charge Penailties - concrete

What a mess. A real muddle if ever there was one. Skidpan is right, it would be virtually impossible to unpick everything and start again. I also feel you probably would be unsuccessful in an attempt to reclaim money. At least if you settle the matter in full, you are able to draw a line under it and move on. Poorer but infinitely wiser.

And of course rectify matters regarding future payments, addresses etc.

Best of luck. Concrete

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