Eflow penalty notice - Dispute

If I understand correctly, the journey took place four days before you bought the car, while you were out of the country?

They must have just checked to see who the current owner is and didn’t bother reviewing what was sent in. I’d be appealing.

Contact the garage you sold it to and ask them to pay. You don't post off the VLC when selling to a garage and they must not have updated the online database to register the change of ownership, assuming you didn't fill in RF105.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/motoring_1/buying_or_selling_a_vehicle/change_of_ownership.html

I’d give up on showing evidence that you were out of the country, it’s not relevant at all. eFlow believe that the car passed through the toll and that you were the registered owner at the time. It doesn’t matter if you or someone else drove it, or that you couldn’t have driven it - all that matters is that it was driven through the toll so the owner is liable for the toll.

If there’s a dispute about ownership between you and a garage, eFlow will definitely stay out of that and keep increasing the amount you have to pay. If it was me, I’d pay the toll and be done with it. Otherwise you’ll be going into court trying to argue against a fine of thousands and hoping a judge agrees with you.

Have you contacted the garage? It was their car when it went through the toll so they should pay it.

If they refuse how much more of your time are you willing to waste over a €3 bill?

7 months in at this stage, fine has probably gone to silly levels now.

Ffs, 3 quid and he's spent more time online posting about it than it would have taken to earn the 3 quid!

A simple letter to eflow.

"I did not own the car on the date in question. I purchased the car from xxx motors on 18th July

I attach proof.

I trust I will not hear back from you and you will send the fee to the correct person and not be so incompetent as to send it to someone that did not own the vehicle on the date stated.

I will not be replying to any further correspondence and should you wish to issue legal proceedings, I will relish the courts response to your targeting of someone who did not own the car on the date "

That should get rid of it.

The VLC date is a record of when the car went into OP's name.

The date he agreed to buy the car is interesting because it shows the garage had the car in their stock.

So the important question then is what is the date of purchase on your registration certificate? It seems like the garage might have put the incorrect date of sale on the registration certificate, therefore making you liable for the fine.

Just an FYI, you will receive letters from debt collectors for around €150 or so, but after that it will go no further

The OP said the VRC/VLC is the 22 July. Clearly someone in eFlow hasn’t done their job properly.

Its 1 journey. I’m nearly certain it increases to €150 and gets passed onto debt collectors. Don’t think it goes much further than that. Thats as far as it went with me anyway

OP have you tried ringing them up and explaining the situation? I was in a similar position last year and had racked up a penalty fine but they waived it on the phone. The call centre guy was able to do it without even talking to his manager. Must admit I was surprised with how easily it got sorted. I got the impression the call centre staff are told to just waive fines for genuine mistakes as eflow are playing the long game and they know you'll be spending with them in future.

OP, is this the same dealership you sold your car to?

Strangely enough, I've never seen a person named in press reports of eFlow fines, such as this one;

There seems to be some kind of unwritten rule that they won't be named, even though I'm presuming the people are named in Court, just like any other defendant.

Spend an hour writing up the letter, get photocopies of the relevant documents, €1 to post it. Then take a day off work, travel to the court, eat and drink while waiting for the case to be called, hope its not adjourned.

All to avoid paying a €3 toll. FFS

They're not going to take someone to court for one fine. I had one against me that reached a few hundred (I'd actually paid the original toll) and never heard anything after the solicitors letter, about 10 years ago.

You never mentioned several journeys before. Loads of people have posted about eflow cancelling the penalties for setting up a video account.

A solicitors letter is a letter that proves that you can pay someone to write a letter for you, it has no more authority or power than a letter that you write yourself. Who are you sending the fake letter to?

You still haven't said if you want back to the dealer yet.

Agreed.

OP if you really want advice give us something to work with.