To think it’s unfair I have to pay this?

[Bowlsss]

I have to pay for a solicitor! For something I didn’t even know about.

I live on a new build estate. There is another number 7 who keeps getting my post and me theirs. We swap over. Nice couple, nothing suspicious it’s just annoying it keeps happening.

I have just returned from a weeks hospital stay to find I’ve got a letter for a fine of £249!

The charge was originally £80. It is from TFL. I drove near an area of congestion charge when going to great Ormond street hospital.

I rang TFL. They say I can dispute the £249 and jus pay for £80, but, I can’t just fill out the declaration and send it. I have to get a solicitor to sign it!

So not only is it a charge of £249, but I’ll be paying out ££ solicitor fee

What can I do? 😞

Exactly. They send more than one letter.

I’m a solicitor - if you fill out the stat dec I’ll witness it for free, if you can meet me at my office in the City of London. PM me if you want. But as PPs have pointed out, it should only cost £5-7 ish if you need to pay someone.

If it’s just a solicitor to witness a statutory declaration it’s £5 fee hasn’t gone up for many years.

Solicitor will usually stamp form with firm name & address.

Apart from this why is your mail going to the wrong place. I’d want to be sorting that out. Is your address/number clearly signed?

If you don't deal with it it will get bigger and bigger and bigger. Your initial fine will have court fees,interest and bailiffs fees added. You drove into the congestion zone, which is how they have your details. Your car number plate will have passed a camera. Being ill is not an excuse, neither is being on holiday. You need to deal with it immediately so the amount is the least it is ever going to be. Ignorance isn't a defence.

Do you know anyone who is a solicitor or have a local Facebook?

I had to get some documents signed by a solicitor recently, rang a few & they all said they were to busy. I sent out a request on our village Facebook for any local solicitors & offered to pay the going rate.

within 30 mins, I had a barrister who lives on the next street from me offer to do it for free.

Op it tells you exacty where you were and often even shows a pic. You don’t get charged for being near a congestion zone, you get charged for entering it.

it must have been outstanding for quite some time, for it to get to this level, so the week is not relevant here. Irs been weeks and weeks.

Great Ormond St is in the congestion zone.
I find this completely absurd! Couldn't they have drawn round it? Penalising parents with sick children really isn't neccesary.

How would that work though? It’s not on or near the boundary.

I’d look into adding a house name with Royal Mail to avoid confusion.
I’d ring any of your local solicitors to see if you can pop in to get it signed. It will take 5 mins maximum. £5 is correct fee.

Could you see if PALS will help sort it out op?

I just can't believe people can get fined for driving in a certain place. Best advice is to act on it straight away, be apologetic & polite on the phone & they will be more likely to offer you a payment plan. Calling them with your back up and an attitude they are less likely to be lenient with you. These companies aren't regulated properly so unfortunately they can be extremely rude and belittling.

er, this isn't any old unregulated company! This is TfL!

An apology won't work, but an appeal and letter from GOSH may work.

Um what? 😂😂😂

On the post… have you spoken to local office that deliveries are going out from? A lot of routes don’t have that high a staff turnover, so it can really work to have them aware.

Does your child meet the criteria for reimbursement of congestion charge? It mentions regular assessments. Detailed here: www.gosh.nhs.uk/migrated/claiming-travel-expenses/#:~:text=Claiming%20for%20Congestion%20Charge&text=We%20are%20only%20allowed%20to,disabled%20to%20use%20public%20transport.

If so you may be able to get it all cancelled with evidence from gosh if usual prices if you claim money back from gosh add then they claim back from tfl

They can't sort it out with TFL. My friend works at a completely different hospital where they outsource parking and they can't even get rid of those. The hospital would mostly refuse and refer people back to the company but if it was a bereavement or serious emergency they'd apologise and quietly pay the fine for them.

I don't get what that has to do with you post ?

Also if you have done something you get fined for then pay it .. that's life isn't it !

Why can't people understand that the first fine letter going to the wrong address has caused this increase in the fine, that is why the OP explained the delivery situation in the first part of the post, then the fact that she had been fined at all seemed unfair, and had been in hospital. That is only 3 separate concepts, surely not to much to understand in one post.

1. Because the OP knows her post goes to another address and swaps post with the people there.
2. To get a £249 fine means the letter for the congestion charge has been sitting there for WEEKS.
3. You don't accidentally drive into the congestion charge. There are lots of signs and big red Cs painted on the road as you enter any road within the zone. To drive to Great Ormond St means driving right into the zone with all that signage. And it's right in central London. The OP knows there's a congestion charge zone as she says she drove "near it".
4. There's nothing unfair about the OP being fined. You drive in the zone, you get fined. Nothing to argue about here.

If you can’t pay it ask for a payment plan. They’ve obviously sent numerous letters, this won’t have been the first.
Did all the letters go to the neighbours? How often do you check if they have your post?

You are obviously having a stressful time and I’m sorry about that but you drove into a congestion zone (not near) and need to pay the fine.
Your post problems aren’t really an excuse.

Yes, but the reality is that “I didn’t get the letters because they went to the wrong address / I was very ill and in hospital for weeks” are the number one and two excuses / reasons people give for not having acted on something when they should and TFL will have heard it from at least a quarter of the people they’ve spoken to on any given day. It generally doesn’t win you any favours.

Can you take it to a community law service?

If they drew a charge-free circle around Gt Ormond Street, you would still have to drive through the congestion zone around the rest of London to get to it.

Also, you do realise that GOS isn't the only hospital in central London that has children among its patients? And that all hospitals all over the country charge for parking? And that there are millions of other essential services in London that are also in the congestion zone?