Unpaid Portuguese Toll Road fine arrived - 4 years later

[river_rat]

I've just received a penalty charge notice from Euro Parking Collection for unpaid Toll Road usage in Portugal from January 2019.

Tolls were allegedly 76.57 Euro plus they have added a 145.73 admin charge. A slight further issue is I was in Portugal another 2 times in 2019 and also once in 2018) when I used same hire company and also didn't pay the tolls, so more charges could be imminent.

In my defence, the hire car wasn't fitted with a transponder and the only way to pay the tolls was to go into a Post Office and pay afterwards, which obviously isn't possible when driving back to airport (and also if trying to pay at the Post Office you also had to pay all other unpaid toll charges relating to that vehicle from previous hirers before you could pay your own). The system was/is flawed for hire cars.

Is this even enforceable so many years later, or just ignore it?

[river_rat]

The Leaper said:

1. How did you know at the time that the only way to pay was at a Post Office?
2. Why is this "not possible when driving back to the airport"?

R.

1. Because I was familiar with the rules for a tourist to pay the toll (unless they had been provided a transponder)

2. There is no Post Office at the airport, so unless I made a special journey to a Post Ofifce to pay my tolls (and most likely a whole load of other unpaid tolls from previous users of the same vehicle) it wasn't possible. Plus the tolls I had triggered on my actual journey to the airport couldn't be paid that soon, so these would have still remained unpaid, ie there was no way to actually pay them by the method provided.

[river_rat]

RammyMP said:

Historically though to pay the tolls you had to go to pay between 2 days and 5 after you’ve used the motorway so you can’t drive to the airport and then pay as there is a 2 day delay.

I always used Zit Auto hire cars which don’t have transponders so always had to pay at the local newsagent or post office. They now check the use online when you give the car back and you have to pay them in cash.

My hire was always through Zit Auto - no transponder and they didn't ask the question when returning the car (4 years ago). I would have happily paid for the tolls, but due to the Post Office and time delay it wasn't possible.

Thanks for the feedback all, think I will ignore the penalty and see what happens.

[river_rat]

Have ignored it so far.

I had a chase up letter (recognised the return address on the back) so sent it back 'unknown' without opening it.