Rental Car PCN admin fee

AmritC93

Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster, unfortunately couldn't find the help I need browsing through the forums this time round.

Currently driving a courtesy car from the rental company Auxillis, whilst insurance arrange to pay out for my written-off vehicle.

Received an email from them on Friday stating I'd received a fine for: "Failing to comply with a sign indicating vehicles must pass to a specified side of the sign, on 11.4.19 at 17.02pm At Lionel Road North."

Attached to this email was an invoice for a £60 admin fee that had already been debited from my bank account via the debit card I provided them with upon receiving the vehicle.

Following receipt of this email, I called up Auxillis to get a copy of the original PCN letter and as suspected there was photographic evidence of me passing on the wrong side of a pedestrian island. It was a lazy manoeuvre from me, to have easier passage as there were some cars parked on the left hand side of the road near the left side of the pedestrian island and I'm sure I'd done this many times before without any penalty.

I paid the PCN directly with the council using the details on the original PCN letter sent over to me as it was around 14 days after the date of issue on that letter and I didn't want to the £65 sign to double.

I originally started writing this post not knowing that the money had already been debited from my account but have since discovered this fact after checking my account, so I've now paid a total of £125 for a short-sighted mistake.

I wanted to ask if there was any other way I could have handled this, assuming I was definitely in the wrong for the contravention, should I have still gone ahead and paid the fine quickly? Would there have been any way of clawing back any of what I believe to be a bit of an extortionate £60 admin fee for essentially forwarding a notice over to me? Is there anything left for me to do here now that I've paid both fines?

Appreciate any help and guidance.

Coupon-mad

should I have still gone ahead and paid the fine quickly?

No, probably not. Even if a driver looks bang to rights it's always worth checking on pepipoo forum first because:

- often these moving traffic offences have an 'out' due to signage, and
- you should have just appealed to buy some time, and the discount is re-offered (the back of the PCN told you this...).

There is never an advantage, IMHO by just paying a Council PCN, especially when the discount is in play as it will be frozen at the first appeal stage - this is standard.

As for the £60, you can still ask the hire firm for the breakdown as to how this 'admin fee' for 2 letters (one to you one to the Council) is made up. And admin fee must be proportionate.

Doesn't sound like it is to me. I would query it then refer the hire firm to the BVRLA to investigate the proportionality of this very high 'admin fee'. Costs you nothing to make those complaints.