Collection agency chasing PCN Options

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Hi. I received a letter today from collection agency for a bus lane infringement in Reading from September 2017. Basically when I moved house in October 2016 I changed my address with the DVLA and had my drivers license updated. I guess it's a very silly mistake to have to learn from but I didn't realise I also need to change the car registration address. The collection agency only recently tracked me to my new address and the fine has now grown to over £400! Does anyone know if there is anything I can do at all? I completely accept my error it was a silly mistake, I fully expect to have to pay a fine but the increase just seems like an exorbitant amount. Do I have any grounds to negotiate?

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[Incandescent]

Unfortunately your "silly mistake" will be very difficult to overturn. It is a legal duty to keep the V5C up-to-date and you didn't, (you're not the first, BTW, and likely not the last). For some reason, people seem to think updating a driver licence updates the V5C; it doesn't ! Now of course, my opinion, based on the number of such cases we are seeing, is that DVLA need to get off their arse and improve their systems, so that update of an address for either licence or V5C outputs at least a warning message or better stil, allows a user to update all the recorded addresses in one go. But we're not there yet, and likely wont be for a long time, if ever.

So what can you do ? Well, you can submit an Out-of-Time Statutory Declaration that you didn't receive the original PCN. However, you need to put in some narrative to support this, and what have you got ? "I didn't realise I had to update the V5C" (or similar). You then run up against the problem that all OOTs can be opposed by the enforcing councils, so yours will be opposed and if so, the OOt is invariably declined by TEC. At this point, it starts to cost money. At a cost of £100, you can have the papers reviewed by a County Court judge to assess whether to support the rejection or overturn it. Frankly, I don't think you'll succeed but see what the others say. Might be best to cough-up and put this down as a very hard lesson. You may be able to agree a payment arrangement, so not have to find the full amount straightaway

[cp8759]

I have to agree with Incandescent, you seem to have no valid reason for not updating your V5C (ignorance of the law is no excuse), so arranging a payment plan might be the best option.