M50 toll solicitor's letter

Iseedeadpixels

Just ring them up and come to a agreement, I once had 120 in fines racked up from the guy in the shop not putting my reg in correctly, I didn't keep the receipt so couldn't prove it but they said sign up to a account and we'll wipe everything off, snapped their hands off on that one and anytime I have to call them they are really helpful.

Here is a thread from my old account I posted about it.

Another time I sold a car and stupidly gave the guys the log book, long story short they never signed it and used the toll loads and abandoned it on a beach, EFLOW told me exactly what to do, froze the bill until it was sorted.

bladespin

Sleeper12 wrote:

No links. Have you tried looking for older threads here on boards.ie I'd be surprised if it hasn't been covered. Or the legal forum. They give real advice there

I have but can find none that show any outcomes that you speak of.
It's just a curiosity of mine, one of those random thoughts.

prinzeugen

Jawgap wrote: »

It's difficult for a debt accumulated in the UK to be enforced here but if the debt is going the other way it's a different proposition.

It's much easier for an agency to buy the debt and register a County Court Judgment in respect of it.....and tie it to the address at which the car is registered which the DVLA provide for a fee on submission of a query.

I don't think they can do that. As far as I am aware, only criminal matters can be seized cross border. And that is from the news, not personal experience!

DanWall

amcalester wrote: »

You drove through the tolls, past the big signs telling you that there was a toll and you don't think you agreed?

I live in Cork and drove through the toll without knowing when I got lost. It's crazy how a small toll can turn into a large fine, who approved that?

Cabaal

Listen op, don't pay it as you clearly don't want to.

But you must keep us all updated in the outcome when it goes pear shaped

DanWall

RayCun wrote: »

This was all addressed in an article linked at the start of the thread.

The gardai are not going to come and seize your car. But the debt is being pursued by a debt collection agency. They can, if it becomes necessary, get a judgement against you in a NI court. That would end up with a sheriff seizing your car.

Your irish credit rating would not be effected, but of course you don't care about an Irish credit rating. If you have a British debt collection agency pursuing you through British courts then your British credit rating will suffer.

I've zero sympathy. You thought you could ignore the charge but you should have paid it.

Taking your car is way over the top in value, has this actually happened? I think they would take goods to the value of the debt owing

davo10

DanWall wrote: »

I live in Cork and drove through the toll without knowing when I got lost. It's crazy how a small toll can turn into a large fine, who approved that?

But there are huge signs about the toll in both directions of the M50. There isn't a physical toll where you drop your coins in the basket because it slowed traffic too much and was removed a few years ago. If you are lost, you drive slower and look at every sign to see if one of them directs you to where you want to go, it is unbelievable that you would not have seen "toll" on one of them.

benjamin d

The OP is astoundingly arrogant. I hope he's pursued aggressively, I hope his car is seized, and I hope he's prosecuted.

...and I hope he keeps us posted all the while!

Jawgap

prinzeugen wrote: »

I don't think they can do that. As far as I am aware, only criminal matters can be seized cross border. And that is from the news, not personal experience!

They can certainly pursue consumer debt on a cross border basis so I don't see what they couldn't in this instance.

Process is quite straightforward. A UK agency buys the debt at cents on the Euro then has a CCJ issued in respect of it (some county courts facilitate the issuing of such orders in bulk)......CCJ gets registered.

Now, enforcing the CCJ is another matter but the fact that it has been registered can cause more aggro than just the fact that you might be liable for the money. The registration impacts your credit score which impacts your potential to borrow in future.

The fact that the debt is linked to a car which can be linked to an address just makes the CCJ easier to register.

My advice to the OP would be to contact the tolling company and come to some arrangement or start reading up on Section 40 of the UK's Administration of Justice Act 1970 which deals with the harassment of debtors should his debt be sold.

Speedsie

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

This!

For someone (like me) who only occasionally and irregularly uses the toll bridge it's a gift.

I've a video account as well, and it's great. I also have my mother's car on my account. She got a new car last October, and I forgot to add the new reg.
Went through the toll twice in January in the new car. Didn't realise it wasn't registered until the toll non payment notification came in the post.

Quick phone call, new reg added, and only paid the regular toll.

Video account is a godsend for occasional M50 users.

AndyBoBandy

DanWall wrote: »

It's crazy how a small toll can turn into a large fine, who approved that?

Everyone who uses the M50 daily and no longer has to queue up for anything from 45-90 minutes just to cross a bridge on a particular section of the motorway approved it.

But I'm sure they'd all happily go back to the toll booth system so as to ensure a forgetful few don't have to pay increased tolls every now and again.

AndyBoBandy

Speedsie wrote: »

Video account is a godsend for occasional M50 users.

Tag account is even better in my opinion,

€1 per month fee for the tag, reduced rate of toll at the M50 (so use it twice in a month and it's paid for itself), plus it works at every other toll in the country.

Jawgap

DanWall wrote: »

Taking your car is way over the top in value, has this actually happened? I think they would take goods to the value of the debt owing

if you pay the tolls you've nothing to worry about - they could say they are going to take a kidney, but unless you're going to arsey about it you've nothing to worry about.

By the time it gets to the stage where you owe the kind of money that puts your car at risk you've had ample letters etc.

Mantis Toboggan

DanWall wrote: »

I live in Cork and drove through the toll without knowing when I got lost. It's crazy how a small toll can turn into a large fine, who approved that?

Exactly, there should be one lane reserved for people to put in their 3 euros and be done with it.

People could be going to the airport, people might not have access to online, or credit cards.

"Pay before 8pm tomorrow night" is a load of nonsense imo.

wally1990

Pm sent OP

davo10

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Exactly, there should be one lane reserved for people to put in their 3 euros and be done with it.

People could be going to the airport, people might not have access to online, or credit cards.

"Pay before 8pm tomorrow night" is a load of nonsense imo.

So, there used to be an hour delay when all toll lanes had pay stations, and you want one? That would remove one lane from the M50 at the toll, the ques would stretch for miles, if you were catching a flight the que would add an hour to your journey. At a time when virtually everyone has a smart phone, it is easy to pay on it while you are waiting to board in the airport.

Jawgap

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Exactly, there should be one lane reserved for people to put in their 3 euros and be done with it.

People could be going to the airport, people might not have access to online, or credit cards.

"Pay before 8pm tomorrow night" is a load of nonsense imo.

You can pay at the Spar, Topaz and Wrights in the airport and you can also pre-pay your toll online or with an app.

OP, if you need a new car, get a D Reg.

Mantis Toboggan

davo10 wrote: »

So, there used to be an hour delay when all toll lanes had pay stations, and you want one?

No, just one lane to allow people to pay there and then if they want.

AndyBoBandy

Tyson Fury wrote: »

No, just one lane to allow people to pay there and then if they want.

So yes. You do want one.

Would be interesting merging from the N4 to the M50 northbound, and having to merge through the toll booth queue!!

"Lets queue up for an hour to pay a €3 toll that can easily be paid online or at a petrol station/shop at our destination"

ironclaw

Tyson Fury wrote: »

No, just one lane to allow people to pay there and then if they want.

Can you imagine the carnage? People reversing back to pay, pulling in at the last minute. The M50 is by far and away the most dangerous road in the country for that type of carry on. You have 4 lanes crossing that bridge and its tight enough already. If someone is not confident enough to use the road nor take a few mins out of their day to sign up for an account or drop into a shop to pay the toll, they shouldn't be using the road.

@OP, my brother was issued similar letters when living up North (Forgot the toll one morning and was out of state for a long period afterwards) UK solicitor basically told them to get stuffed and he happily paid the original toll amounts. I vaguely remember something about the fine was multiples above the toll amount and basically they argued you can't charge someone 150EUR for a 3EUR toll as its no a fair recourse to the party in question e.g. The Toll operator is entitled to their toll plus some summary costs, they aren't entitled to 50 times the original sum. Open to correction on that.

benjamin d

Tyson Fury wrote: »

No, just one lane to allow people to pay there and then if they want.

Yes, luckily a queue in one lane of the m50 doesn't affect the others.

Oh wait...

lawred2

Tyson Fury wrote: »

No, just one lane to allow people to pay there and then if they want.

thank god you don't do road design

lawred2

Pay the original tolls, sign up for an account and tell them to stuff their fines where the sun doesn't shine

Mantis Toboggan

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

So yes. You do want one.

"Lets queue up for an hour to pay a €3 toll that can easily be paid online or at a petrol station/shop at our destination"

As I said one lane so for the people who want to pay online or at the petrol station they can use all the other barrier free toll lanes!

Mantis Toboggan

OP I've had multiple €150 euro per trip charges before none of which I've paid. They've clamped down on this in recent years though, last time I agreed to sign up to the video account but the €600 euro fine was quashed.

Ring up, plead your case and offer to sign up for an account. If it doesn't work ring up again talk to someone different, eventually someone may help you. Might work, might not but worth a try.

andekwarhola

BetsyEllen wrote: »

It's an absolutely awful system once it goes to the solicitors - I'm currently paying off a 'debt' of 4 journeys that escalated to over €800.
I'm paying €50 per month.
You have my full sympathy, it's a load of crap. The stress I had to go through to even get them to agree to €50 per month was unreal.

As opposed to the stress of bothering to pay around 12 quid in total when you made the journeys?

Cabaal

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Exactly, there should be one lane reserved for people to put in their 3 euros and be done with it.

People could be going to the airport, people might not have access to online, or credit cards.

"Pay before 8pm tomorrow night" is a load of nonsense imo.

All banks in Ireland issue debit cards when they issue atm cards. So not having a credit card is no excuse. Also you can pay in cash at countless shops including at the airport!

Anyone with a phone these days has Internet access and even if you don't you can call eflow to pay.

Allowing until 8pm the next day is plenty of time to pay, take some personal responsibility and stop making excuses.

andekwarhola

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

This!

For someone (like me) who only occasionally and irregularly uses the toll bridge it's a gift.

Same.

Forget I even set up the account until I go through the toll (generally under 6-7 times a year) and then forget again.

DanWall wrote: »

I live in Cork and drove through the toll without knowing when I got lost. It's crazy how a small toll can turn into a large fine, who approved that?

I hope you notice other road signs a little quicker when you're driving or is it just the ones that involve payments?

AndyBoBandy

Tyson Fury wrote: »

As I said one lane so for the people who want to pay online or at the petrol station they can use all the other barrier free toll lanes!

Grand so,
I think then it would also be a good idea to have a Garda traffic car permanently stationed there for the hundreds of incidents a day that would occur, also an ambulance for the serious ones.

Think of it, someone in the queue/lane to pay cash, and after about 40 minutes of stop/start, they decide feck it, and to pull out into the next lane with vehicles driving past at up to 100 km/h!! I cant see how that will end well for anyone!