european vignette fine

[tuneltek]

Hi, I travel across europe a few times a year and always buy a vignette in every country I pass through. Last year on my way back to UK I filled up with fuel in Romania as its cheap ,at the border crossing with Hungary. I entered Hungary and drove to Budapest and then stopped for breakfast and a refuel. I purchased the vignette then and continued home. I have just been sent a fine for not having a vignette for the journey from the border to Budapest. The fine is because i did not have a vignette before I entered the motorway.

I always have entered a country and purchased a vignette at the first petrol stop ..this new to me law really will make travelling across europe a lengthy process having to stop at every border crossing to purchase a vignette rather than fit it into scheduled fuel and rest stops

Do I have a chance at getting off of this fine? The company that issued it is EPC plc
a european company with an office in London that chases up fines from across europe

Any advice much appreciated

aaron

[S11Steve]

Ignore... I posted this elsewhere some time ago, and nothing has changed. I think there is another lever arch file though.


I have 3 lever arch files bulging with letters from EPC Plc. I've spoken to them numerous times regarding transfer of liability, making a representation, trying to identify who is the creditor, what laws are they chasing us under, and even challenged them in writing to take us to court on the alleged total debt - somewhere in the region of £58k at the moment.

18 months into this, they will still only send letters. I've moved the files out of my office into the post room, so I do not even see them on my desk any longer.

My offer to discuss this in court still stands.

Also, with regards to the vehicle going back to Dublin, Norway, Hungary or Belgium or any other country they chase fines from, to date I have not had a single issue with any of them being stopped at a border crossing or by a police officer in relation to a previously unpaid charge.

EPC plc are very persistent at sending letters, and when they get bored of sending letters, they change the header to "Contractum International Debt Collection", so I have a template letter for them. When Contractum International Debt Collection get fed up wasting paper and postage, they then pass it to Rossendales.

To be fair to Rossendales, they get a lot of alleged debts passed to them from PPCs for my company. They no longer write to me either.

From my own experience, EPC plc will not pursue this beyond a chain of letters. Again from my own experience, there is no risk taking the same vehicle back to the country where the fine originated from.

[Hainey]

Steve, commendable post, thank you.

[S11Steve]

Posted elsewhere too - and if this gets Google indexed again, all the better. The bit that annoys me is that enough people must be paying for them to make it worthwhile to continue this charade.


I've spoken with E-Flow and EPC directly about this a number of times to try to create a workable solution, but they just go into broken record mode.

When a UK vehicle is identified, they pass the debt to EPC plc for collection. Crucially though, E-flow will also cancel the charge off their system.
EPC will send two letters, with the penalty amount increasing each time. They will then send a "letter before debt collection" notice, and then Rossendales send a letter, again increasing the charge to try to skim their piece of revenue.
It will then get passed back to EPC plc, who start the process again.

E-flow have confirmed they can not take legal action in the UK as it is out of their jurisdiction, EPC claim they can take all sorts of action under various EU laws, but ultimately they are only a debt collector.

I've asked them to put their money where their lawyer is, but still the letters continue...

[tuneltek]

Thanks for the quick replies. I have been using this technique of stopping for fuel and buying the vignette at the same time for around 10 years and never had a problem before.

I will proceed with ignoring the demands for the fines.

Looking at the websites for vignette rules across europe it seems that you must have a vignette before entering the motorway system or no later than the first junction after the border crossing.

I am now suitably educated ,and will purchase my vignettes online before departure.

[chopper602]

Can't you just send them a photo of the vignette in place on your vehicle? Surely they don't have cameras of high enough resolution to be able to spot a vehicle with or without a vignette? I took my motorhome to Czech Republic in 2015 and there doesn't seem to be any big marks on the sticker that look like it 2015 rather than 2016 (unlike the Swiss).

[tuneltek]

I have the receipt for the vignette ,i scanned and sent it to them with my explanation for not purchasing the vignette at the border.

All of europe has signed up to the insurance database and these ANPR cameras are appearing everywhere now ,so its going to be harder to get away with any traffic offences as its now so easy to trace the owners/ details etc.

I was expecting quite a few speeding tickets from my journey, as I was enjoying every tunnel to its max...finding a gap in traffic slowing down and then flooring it ...not one single speeding ticket and i was redlining in 4th and 5th....E90 M3...i still play the audio recordings on my car stereo whilst stuck in traffic

[Short Grain]

"still play the audio recordings on my car stereo whilst stuck in traffic"


made me smile!! Windows Open?

Edited by Short Grain on Tuesday 24th January 18:33

[H.7]

Doesn't help your current situation, but I buy all my vignettes and rent automatic toll devices from www.tolltickets.com prior to travelling. The Swiss are now just as bad at stopping and fining you as soon as you arrive in their country without a vignette displayed. They used to give you some leeway, by selling you the vignette on the spot, but fining you is clearly more lucrative

[JMGS4]

H.7 said:

Doesn't help your current situation, but I buy all my vignettes and rent automatic toll devices from www.tolltickets.com prior to travelling. The Swiss are now just as bad at stopping and fining you as soon as you arrive in their country without a vignette displayed. They used to give you some leeway, by selling you the vignette on the spot, but fining you is clearly more lucrative

NOTE!!!
The Swiss keep a log for years and WILL stop you at a large border crossing at a later date (APNR). I have been stopped on a Sunday morning at 7am for a "speeding" fine 3 1/2 years later for 85kph in an 80kph badly signed limit. Paid SFR 220,- on the spot when they threatened to seize the Porsche. Nowadays they work with the German Authorities who give them name adress etc and send the fine direct and legally.....

[Ken Figenus]

Blissfully unaware of that Swiss vignette thing despite a trip there last year! The cost seems lower than for a chicken madras above a shoe shop in Luzern mind. Odd business!