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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

Fitbachick · 04/03/2023 15:16

I would not pay it, i would dispute it. Suppose someone has used your number plate number and you start getting more and more fines in. As assuming you have been sent the bill as they are saying its your car registration number and thats how they have tracked you down. I would imagine it will be harder in future to dispute any more fines. Does the letter not state what the car registration number is?

NeverDropYourMooncup · 04/03/2023 15:20

If you let it be accepted this time, it'll be hard to argue it for a batch of charges for illegal parking, congestion zone fines, speeding and other offences.

LadyGaGasPokerFace · 04/03/2023 15:25

Sounds like your number plate has been cloned. It’s worth looking into that too. I’d pay the £2.50, but I’d also try to contact the police about the number plate if it’s the same as yours, the cars a different colour and the wing mirror is not right.

Toohardtofindaproperusername · 04/03/2023 15:46

the fine usually asks you to confirm it was you. if it wasn't you, just say it wasn't you. IF you were'nt sure, or weren't so clear that it wasn't you, i'd say just pay, but you are clear, you have a lot of evidence. Don't let them be lazy - make them work out who it actually is. Just tell them the truth, with all the evidence you have put her, and leave them to it. I'd just make sure i took a photo of the letter and got it signed on delivery but id 100% appeal a false accusation.

RandomMess · 04/03/2023 15:48

I would be concerned that my number plate is cloned so would be perusing it further.

Laughingravy · 04/03/2023 17:47

Tempting though it is - because it's only £2.50 - it might cause you issues in the future. We had our car registration cloned and got a London congestion charge penalty. Luckily we could both prove we were no where near London on the day and there was enough detail in the picture to say it wasn't the same car - though it was identical otherwise. We also rang our insurance to put a note on our policy in case of any spurious claims and informed the DVLA, so if the police needed to get owner details they'd know it might not be us they're after.
As for the congestion charge never heard from them again - we'd only just bought the car and cloners get the registrations off Autotrader adverts it seems.

drpet49 · 04/03/2023 17:50

Lund · 04/03/2023 12:00

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

Me too

whynotwhatknot · 04/03/2023 18:40

i wouldnt just pay it what if it happens again with the mixed up registrations and you say thats not mine they'll say why have you previously admitted that was you

CinnamonsWake · 04/03/2023 18:52

As others have pointed out if you pay now you may have issues down the line if you get another one. If the person gets away with it this time they’ll be more likely to do it again!

I’m also incredibly stubborn so couldn’t just let it go!

Georgeandzippyzoo · 04/03/2023 18:57

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.

Yep! I'd dispute just in case there is a bigger issue which could cause further trouble for you. Get it highlighted.

grannycab · 04/03/2023 18:58

This happened to me. It was close to my reg number but a different type of car in the photo. I didn't pay and phoned to explain. I actually got about 6 letters over 2 months but eventually they stopped after one last phone call. I never paid.

torquewench · 04/03/2023 19:04

If report it, its quite easy (and common) to disguise/change letters with electrical tape, for example.

Someone once cloned my number plate and used the vehicle in an armed robbery. I got a visit from the police for a chat about it.

BoringLittleMe · 04/03/2023 19:15

Don't pay - you're accepting the fine and essentially saying you're guilty! What happens the next time you get a fine through for this same red car? You'll have to fight it at some point and if you claim that this occasion was you, you'll have a much bigger headache trying to prove it wasn't you next time.

I'm all for an easy life, but be your future friend!

Whatifthegrassisblue · 04/03/2023 19:19

Oh I just started a thread yesterday about never having any time, for reasons like this!! I can't let stuff go so I'd dispute it, but you really should just pay the 2.50. If you think about your 'hourly rate', disputing it will probably take a couple of hours of your time so it's not really worth your time or the hassle.

JonahAndTheSnail · 04/03/2023 19:33

I wouldn't pay it. Would your DH not be willing to take on the admin of challenging the fine since it's an area he's knowledgeable in? It may only be £2.50 this time, but if a company wants to be in the business of imposing fines, it needs to make sure they're investing in the technology to make sure their accusations are valid.

JonahAndTheSnail · 04/03/2023 19:36

Also, you could pretty much just copy and paste the evidence you've typed out in your OP to them and it's likely you won't hear from them again, which is surely worth a go?!

RoseGoldEagle · 04/03/2023 19:41

Would it be that hard to dispute? Presumably there is an email address given for disputes- just ping an email saying ‘we’ve checked diaries and were not on that road that day, and the image is not of our car (ours is silver, not red, ours has different coloured wing mirrors and this one has the same, I believe the last digit of the reg plate on the image is an R, ours is a P. I can send photos of our car if needed. I believe the car in the image is… ‘give reg number’. Job done? Like others, I’d worry something similar (but worse) would happen in future, and it would be harder to dispute if you’ve paid this time.

Crutcher · 04/03/2023 19:41

It took you longer to write this post than to dispute online.

AllotmentTime · 04/03/2023 19:46

Crikey, def don’t pay, what if they’ve committed other offences on this journey? If some other more malicious accident crops up it’ll be a hard job saying it wasn’t you if you’ve already admitted to not paying a road charge.

Dutchesss · 04/03/2023 19:55

Appeal it, if it could be a completely one off event then £2.50 would be worth paying to make it go away.
However, the same car could do this multiple times or commit different offences so I would want a confirmation that it wasn't my car.

hiredandsqueak · 04/03/2023 19:57

I wouldn't pay because that might be the first of many as the number plate may have been doctored deliberately to avoid fines. It might be more difficult to dispute further charges if you have accepted the first.

LittlePinkPill · 04/03/2023 21:34

@Scuttlingherbert This couple got fined when a camera picked up lettering on a pedestrian’s T shirt and mistook it for their car reg

vm.tiktok.com/ZMYf4nH7P/

LittleBowSheep · 04/03/2023 21:51

Definitely do NOT pay it.

Dispute it with whoever issued it, showing evidence of your wing mirrors etc. Ask them for a colour photo to prove it isn't your car.

AND report it to the police. It seems to me that someone may have altered the registration plate on their car to make it look like your registration number. If they've done that they may well be involved in other illegal activities so the police should be interested in hearing about it.

soboredoflooking · 05/03/2023 09:47

Oh jeez for £2.50 just pay it and forget about it! U cld always still contact them after. I'd be worried someone with false plates and it might be first of many!

Autumnalblooms · 05/03/2023 10:20

Absolutely don't pay .I had this happen to me last year, it was a toll road up North about a 4hr drive from me .It was'nt even my car on the picture i have an suv this was'nt .Plus i have my work rota on my phone so it logs me in and out so no disputing i was at work in my car that day .First person i spoke to said i would need to appeal it ,er no it's not my car so i rang again spoke to a lovely woman who said no leave it with me and she got up photo and the camera had got one letter wrong on the plate so it pulled up my plate .Fair play to her she sorted it in less than half an hour but in the meantime i also notified the DVLA incase it was a cloned plate because that i was concerned about because a cloned plate can be used for anything .

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