Courtesy car - Congestion charge fine

zudecke

Hi guys,

Got a call from the rental company who have given me a courtesy car to use while mine is being fixed.

They left me a voicemail this morning explaining they had received and paid a £60 congestion charge fine and they've told me they will be billing me for this, with an additional £30.83 admin charge (which is charged by their finance company, apparently).

Is that fair? How do these things usually work?

It sucks, because I am registered for residents discount and AutoPay and this whole thing is stressful as hell!

Z

Stephen_Leak

For a start, ask for documentary evidence of the fine.

zudecke

Just got the copies of the PCNs via email .. Two of them!

It relates to another thread I made the other day (https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/52680371#Comment_52680371) - I DID actually pay for the congestion charge day, on the day, but unfortunately, for the wrong car !

Any ideas?

Z

Coupon-mad

You could try posting on pepipoo forums for further advice. I would first of all check the small print of the Courtesy car forms you signed, I suspect it allows them to do this.

zudecke

Hi,

Bit of news..

So I called Congestion Charging London today on a whim, and explained to them my mistake in paying for the wrong car. To my surprise, the guy was sympathetic and said he'd issue an immediate refund of both fines!!

I then passed this information to the rental company, who explained they still require payment of £55 admin charge (would have been £110, but because they're not actually getting fined, they give me 50% of this fee back), which is apparently the cost charged to them by their car financier/leaser.

It seems a massive "admin fee" considering all the registered keeper (the financier/leaser) needs to do is copy and send the PCNs over to the rental company...

Any legs for a dispute of this? Unfortunately, another one of my mistakes was giving them my actual active debit card info... They've processed the payment already .

Z

The_Slithy_Tove

Your numbers don't make sense. Was the admin fee £30.83 or something else? What difference does it make to them what the "fine" was?

Most importantly, what did it say in the agreement you signed when you took the courtesy car? It probably wasn't a normal rental agreement, as it tends to be a bit different with courtesy cars. While it almost certainly talks about you having to pay fines and the like, what exactly does it say about admin charges? And if it doesn't specify an amount, how could you possible have agreed to an arbitrary sum made up by the rental company?

Stephen_Leak

Regardless of the numbers, they've paid a fine they didn't need to and have now charged you for the priviledge. Ask for a refund of whatever the admin' charge is, or you'll sue them.

See https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

give_them_FA

Yes, it's a try-on, as soon as they get your claim they will pay it. The Small Claims system is very easy and convenient and is often worth a hundred letters.

zudecke

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the replies so far!

The print of the T&Cs reads:
"19. An administration fee of £55 will be applied to all motoring offences received"

So I received 2 separate Congestion Charge PCNs, which is 2x £55 (£110) in admin fees. But apparently, because I have successfully appealed/overturned them, they will give me a 50% discount on admin fees, bringing the amount payable in admin fees to a total of £55. The "discount" they're applying isn't mentioned anywhere in the T&Cs.

Not sure this makes much difference, as in any case, I have signed the agreement, but for information, the car is a courtesy car, but it's not like a traditional claim... It was actually a driver of a rented car of the same company who crashed into me and so the rental company in question have offered to foot the bill for all repairs and have simply supplied one of their own fleet to me use until my car is fixed.

Any thoughts?

Z

give_them_FA

The discount should now be 100%. If it has been accepted that no offence occurred and the fines are cancelled, then there is nothing for them to raise an administration charge over.

Which, had it been me, I would have in any case challenged as being an unfair term given its ridiculous amount.

Refund or you sue are the options you should give them.

zudecke

Thanks for the reply.

I'm kicking myself for providing them with my debit card information in the first place! They've debited £230 from my account today!

You think Halifax can reverse the transaction under the ground that I'm disputing it?

Regards,

Z