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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To pay a fine issued to me by mistake for an easier life

107 replies

Scuttlingherbert · 04/03/2023 11:57

I received a letter saying I had to pay a fine for using a toll road without paying. There's a photo of what looks like my car on the letter.

Initially I completely assumed it was right but did think it was strange, as I didn't think I'd ever used the road in question. Showed it to my husband because he also drives my car.

We did a bit of detective work. Looked up where this road is on a map and we've definitely never been there! (Although it's in our city so it's feasible.)
Went back through various phone apps and my diary to figure out what we were doing at that time. It was a Sunday morning and I was in bed as I'd been up all night with the baby. My husband was out with her on a long walk. My called me 1 minute before the photo was taken, saying he was about to go into Sainsbury's. He never uses the phone whilst driving.

When I looked at the photo more closely, it's hard to tell as it's black and white but the car in the photo looks red whereas my car is silver. The car in the photo is also really clean! Mine is approaching it's annual wash.
Then I remembered my car has one wing mirror that is the wrong colour (the casing) because the previous owner broke it and replaced it with a black one. In the photo it looks like both wing mirrors are the same colour.
Looking at the number plate, it looks like mine but the last letter looks a bit weird. It's not this but say it's meant to be an R, this looks like a P with a mark on.

I put my number plate into the MOT checker but with a P instead of an R and the car that came up was the same make and model as mine but red, like in the photo.

The fine is £75 but if I pay it really soon I only have to pay £2.50, which was the original toll.

My husband thinks we should dispute it and he knows quite a bit about ANPR from his job. I'm tempted to pay the £2.50 for an easy life because I'm not sure how much hassle it will be to dispute it?
I'm crap at life admin and it feels like it's endless at the moment as we've just moved and are planning to move again. I have a full time job which is very full on emotionally, in healthcare and just got a promotion, plus I've started doing some extra hours of teaching on a healthcare course, plus we have a 1 year old. My husband has just had a promotion as well.
In the teaching job, there's about to be loads of extra life admin as the employer has just changed so I have to do all the ID check, occ health, DBS bollocks again.

I expect someone's number plate just looks like mine because of a bit of dirt or something and it's not deliberate. But it could be deliberate so that makes me think I should pursue it. The wing mirror thing makes it quite easy to prove I think.

What would you do?

YABU = don't pay it
YANBU = pay it

OP posts:
DrFoxtrot · 04/03/2023 11:59

YABU - don't pay it. I would appeal with the evidence you have, particularly the ring mirror and colour evidence.

DrFoxtrot · 04/03/2023 11:59

Wing mirror obvs Grin

Lund · 04/03/2023 12:00

£2.50? Pay it, then you can forget all about it!

SummerSazz · 04/03/2023 12:00

I'd pay the £2.50 I think!

AlisonDonut · 04/03/2023 12:01

I would take a screenshot of your husband's google maps for that day, and of yours. And not pay it but send copies of those, and a screenshot of the car details with the numberplate that it actually is. And a photo of the mirror that is not the same colour.

PaulaTrilloe · 04/03/2023 12:01

Could you pay under duress and then get hubby to dispute it after?

Aftjbtibg · 04/03/2023 12:01

I’d pay £2.50 then contact whoever the fine comes from. Doubtful you’d then get your £2.50 back but I wouldn’t want it to happen again. I’d be worried about arguing it then them insisting they’re right and getting into a protracted appeal

WheelsUpIn20 · 04/03/2023 12:02

I’d pay the £2.50 but also appeal the fine at the same time.

JarByTheDoor · 04/03/2023 12:02

My sense of justice and righteousness says don't pay, take your evidence and challenge it. But my much stronger sense of pragmatic laziness says that it'll cost you far more than £2.50's worth of work to get all this sorted, and there's a risk you won't succeed in convincing them.

I'd pay the £2.50 (and then maybe challenge it anyway, but without the pressure of a £75 fine hanging over me).

FeinCuroxiVooz · 04/03/2023 12:03

if you appeal/query it's supposed to "stop the clock" on any kind of pay-by-X-for-lower-fee deal. so if you submit the evidence you have and it's rejected you would still be allowed to pay the lower amount

Parroteets · 04/03/2023 12:04

In terms of what previous posters have said, just be aware that you probably can't pay and then appeal, it's normally one or the other.

WillYouDoTheFandango · 04/03/2023 12:06

I just couldn’t be arsed with the faff of appealing for £2.50. Your time is worth more than that. I’d just pay and free up the headspace.

strawberry2017 · 04/03/2023 12:06

I wouldn't pay it, what if you get another one and then keep getting them. You need to point out the mistakes and let them rectify it.

stardust40 · 04/03/2023 12:11

Had the same in Aldi car park once .... wrong number plate by one letter. I emailed them and disputed the fine. I never heard from them again!

BaroldFromEastenders · 04/03/2023 12:13

I’m pretty sure when I first forgot to pay for a toll crossing I was offered to pay the missed fee of £2.50 but that was a one time only deal. If you go through the toll and forget to pay straight away you won’t get that “first time offence” offer because they’ll think you’ve already had it. Also if the other car owners do it again and you get the fine it won’t be £2.50 next time - will having paid this one make it less likely you can appeal next time?

obviously no idea where you are or which toll it is, but I would appeal it and also set up an account and automatic payments for your car.

MintJulia · 04/03/2023 12:14

Dispute it, and report the fact that there is a clone car to the police.

If it's involved in a hit and run next weekend, you want them to already know there is an issue.

HelpINeedSomeAdvicePlease · 04/03/2023 12:14

Pay the £2.50 and complain afterwards if you want to!

Dartmoorcheffy · 04/03/2023 12:15

I'd be pissed off but I would just pay the 2.50 for an easy life.

purpledalmation · 04/03/2023 12:16

Pay it. Also write an email if you can pointing out you're doing it for a quiet life and to get their system sorted.

purpledalmation · 04/03/2023 12:16

It's a cup of coffee.

luckystarg · 04/03/2023 12:18

Why pay it when this will happen again!!! Sounds like something dodgy with the cars and if it happened once it’ll happen again but next time it’ll be a speeding fine or something. You need to grow up and learn to deal properly with admin.

Xol · 04/03/2023 12:19

Are you sure it's £2.50? I've never come across a fine system as cheap as that, it must cost them more than £2.50 to send out the letter. You need to double check.

FightingFatAt49 · 04/03/2023 12:19

I'd probably pay 2.50, but not if it was the 75.
But I'd worry it would be a regular occurrence so might be worth disputing.

tanstaafl · 04/03/2023 12:21

strawberry2017 · 04/03/2023 12:06

I wouldn't pay it, what if you get another one and then keep getting them. You need to point out the mistakes and let them rectify it.

This.

Mabelface · 04/03/2023 12:21

I wouldn't pay it as you're then admitting liability. You have clear evidence that it wasn't your car. Send that to them.

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