Italian ZTL fine - 5yrs on
Discussion
During a trip to Italy in 2014 I may have strayed into the wrong bit of a city and was picked up by one of the many ZTL enforcement cameras. I wasn't aware of this several months later when my credit card company called to say they had detected a suspicious transaction and did I know what 'obscure hire company initials' for €80 was all about. I didn't, so they blocked the transaction and issued me with a new card.
Many months later a letter arrived from the Italian municipal Police force requesting €200. It was well over a year from the alleged offence and a bit of internet research suggested that ZTL fines must be issued within a year to be valid, so rightly or wrongly I chose to ignore it. A second letter arrived a few months later, and then it all went quiet. Curiously, the hire firm never contacted me regarding the blocked admin fee. I've been back to Italy a few times since, both in my own cars and hired cars without any issues.
That was until last week, 5 years and 2 months from the date of the offence, the fine has now been handed over to a UK based 'debt recovery specialist'. Looking at their website they appear to specialise in selling nasty letters and not a lot else. They've added €200 in interest and commission and have suggested it's very much in my interest to settle this before their client starts legal proceedings.
It would appear that the limitation period for ZTL fines is 5 years:
http://www.euroconsumatori.org/82058d82507.html
http://www.italychronicles.com/speeding-fines-in-i...
Whilst the letter from the UK firm is rich with detail around the car involved it doesn't include anything around the dates. I'm half-tempted to send them an email requesting confirmation of the date of the offence and then point out the limitation period. But I'm a little cautious to engage with them as I suspect they might exert more effort if they think they've got a live one.
To complicate things a little I moved a few years ago and it was only by chance that last week's letter was passed onto me. Would it be silly to continue ignoring this?
Many months later a letter arrived from the Italian municipal Police force requesting €200. It was well over a year from the alleged offence and a bit of internet research suggested that ZTL fines must be issued within a year to be valid, so rightly or wrongly I chose to ignore it. A second letter arrived a few months later, and then it all went quiet. Curiously, the hire firm never contacted me regarding the blocked admin fee. I've been back to Italy a few times since, both in my own cars and hired cars without any issues.
That was until last week, 5 years and 2 months from the date of the offence, the fine has now been handed over to a UK based 'debt recovery specialist'. Looking at their website they appear to specialise in selling nasty letters and not a lot else. They've added €200 in interest and commission and have suggested it's very much in my interest to settle this before their client starts legal proceedings.
It would appear that the limitation period for ZTL fines is 5 years:
http://www.euroconsumatori.org/82058d82507.html
http://www.italychronicles.com/speeding-fines-in-i...
Whilst the letter from the UK firm is rich with detail around the car involved it doesn't include anything around the dates. I'm half-tempted to send them an email requesting confirmation of the date of the offence and then point out the limitation period. But I'm a little cautious to engage with them as I suspect they might exert more effort if they think they've got a live one.
To complicate things a little I moved a few years ago and it was only by chance that last week's letter was passed onto me. Would it be silly to continue ignoring this?
Had exactly several years ago after apparently contravening some law in Sardinia with a hire car.
You are entitled to a clearly legible & clear set of details - what the offence is, when where etc. I downloaded a pro-forma letter online & sent it to the UK based bunch of try on merchants who were debt chasing years down the line. Letter requested all dets, if not forthcoming any further contact would be harassment etc, usual sort of thing similar to responses to debt recovery by UK coy's & their DR agents.
Never heard anything again.
While researching stuff prior to downloading the letter i used, the 'buying' of these overseas debts by UK DR companies is easy money for them. They buy the debt as the organisation with the original debt has basically parked it as unrecoverable, too costly for such a small sum & written it off. Our lot come along, send a letter, job blogs dim as a 5 watt bulb civvy craps it & pays up.
You are entitled to a clearly legible & clear set of details - what the offence is, when where etc. I downloaded a pro-forma letter online & sent it to the UK based bunch of try on merchants who were debt chasing years down the line. Letter requested all dets, if not forthcoming any further contact would be harassment etc, usual sort of thing similar to responses to debt recovery by UK coy's & their DR agents.
Never heard anything again.
While researching stuff prior to downloading the letter i used, the 'buying' of these overseas debts by UK DR companies is easy money for them. They buy the debt as the organisation with the original debt has basically parked it as unrecoverable, too costly for such a small sum & written it off. Our lot come along, send a letter, job blogs dim as a 5 watt bulb civvy craps it & pays up.
Echo66 said:
Had exactly several years ago after apparently contravening some law in Sardinia with a hire car.
You are entitled to a clearly legible & clear set of details - what the offence is, when where etc. I downloaded a pro-forma letter online & sent it to the UK based bunch of try on merchants who were debt chasing years down the line. Letter requested all dets, if not forthcoming any further contact would be harassment etc, usual sort of thing similar to responses to debt recovery by UK coy's & their DR agents.
Never heard anything again.
While researching stuff prior to downloading the letter i used, the 'buying' of these overseas debts by UK DR companies is easy money for them. They buy the debt as the organisation with the original debt has basically parked it as unrecoverable, too costly for such a small sum & written it off. Our lot come along, send a letter, job blogs dim as a 5 watt bulb civvy craps it & pays up.
This exactly. Don't engage, they're just fishing and looking for a nibble. You are entitled to a clearly legible & clear set of details - what the offence is, when where etc. I downloaded a pro-forma letter online & sent it to the UK based bunch of try on merchants who were debt chasing years down the line. Letter requested all dets, if not forthcoming any further contact would be harassment etc, usual sort of thing similar to responses to debt recovery by UK coy's & their DR agents.
Never heard anything again.
While researching stuff prior to downloading the letter i used, the 'buying' of these overseas debts by UK DR companies is easy money for them. They buy the debt as the organisation with the original debt has basically parked it as unrecoverable, too costly for such a small sum & written it off. Our lot come along, send a letter, job blogs dim as a 5 watt bulb civvy craps it & pays up.
Thanks, both.
Echo66 said:
They buy the debt as the organisation with the original debt has basically parked it as unrecoverable, too costly for such a small sum & written it off.
I think that's probably spot-on. I'm sure it's no coincidence that it's been handed over to these chancers just after the time period where it's legally enforceable, and probably no accident that no dates are provided on the letter that I've received.Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff