I got EPC Parking and Vignette fines in Hungary. Can I avoid paying?

[TobyQuest]

In January I was in Budapest
1) asked the traffic warden can I park here, he said not on this side of the road but the other side is fine. Came back and had a parking ticket. Turns out there was a meter up the road and I was supposed to get a ticket. He never mentioned that!

2) Driving into Hungary from Austria, I was careful to avoid going on the Hungarian motorway because I didnt want to pay for the vignette, however as soon as i crossed into Hungary it put me on a motorway and i took the 1st exit right away but they had cameras on it and i got a fine for driving on the motorway with no vignette.

So fast-forward to now and a week or so ago I received 2 fines for a around £90 each for both of these incidents.
However I dont want to pay them. And I looked up on the net and some sites are saying if you received the notification about the fine more than 60 days after the incident then its invalid.

Anyone know if this is true, or have experience about this?
Anyone who has not paid Euro Parking Collection and what happens next?

The fact that UK is no longer in EU does this also mean they have no power to do anything?

 

[Brains]

I know this thread is quite old but I found this post interesting.

I am really cross with myself, received a fine from EPC yesterday from our trip to Hungary in September saying no Vignette. I’d bought lots of Vignettes online including Hungary. After very careful checking I’ve realised I made a stupid mistake. The final letter on the number plate is wrong, I put a K instead of an X.

You can appeal but still have to pay the exorbitant £55 admin charge! It all has to happen within 60 days. It says you can do it by post or online. In fact there’s no email address so having read your post maybe that was just as well. We were there 4 days so might wait a few days to maybe send a package with a nice handwritten letter to Steven.

To compound my stupidity one month later I bought another online from my cleverly created account so that has the same damn reg number. So in another month I will no doubt get more as we went to Budapest.

Remember to use broadly the same wording as they do re costs, and charge the same £55 amount to deal with their issue.

Always remember they are not nice decent people, and two can play at hardball.

 

[ivorantony]

Similar to my experience with them, after being fined for driving round the M50 in Dublin, regular letters increasing charges that were promptly posted in the bin, after three years they gave up,

This was just after the Irish government removed the tollbooths and put up gantries with APR cameras,

 

[nicholsong]

It would be very interesting to know what countries have arrangements with what other countries to provide driver/owner/registered keeper information to countries requesting it, I assume most of these arrangements have a cost.

So does Albania pay for an arrangement with Estonia?

I can understand that France may find it beneficial to pay DVLA for information but it may not be beneficial for other countries that do not see much traffic from smaller countries.

Does anyone know if there is a source for such links?

 

[Just smiffy]

Getting a letter for a fine and paying it is a different matter…if I don’t pay it can you get taken to court in the uk for a speeding or parking fine in France……

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[Northernraider]

Getting a letter for a fine and paying it is a different matter…if I don’t pay it can you get taken to court in the uk for a speeding or parking fine in France……

No

They won't take the risk of losing

 

[carolyn]

I assumed I’d get taken to court in England?

 

[Howard H]

I assumed I’d get taken to court in England?

I will be your character witness for you ,don’t worry

 

[Just smiffy]

No

They won't take the risk of losing

I know that but many others are concerned, can a French organisation take you to court in England or if they sell/give the info to a company in the uk and they try and take you to court… the cost of this and the chance of winning is slim as there may have been data protection laws broken along the way… and for what, a fifty euro fine…

 

[Just smiffy]

I’ve ignored parking fines in the uk and have never been taken to court…

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[Phill D]

Getting a letter for a fine and paying it is a different matter…if I don’t pay it can you get taken to court in the uk for a speeding or parking fine in France……

As it’s not a criminal offence I believe they have to take out a civil case.

Is that financially sound decision by them?

 

[Northernraider]

I assumed I’d get taken to court in England?

If you ignore all threats and letters give them no response whatsoever they will never take the chance of taking you to court. Too much to lose they'd have to prove you were driving, that you'd received the letters etc etc .

They pray that you will be intimidated and you will pay up for an easy life.

 

[Northernraider]

As it’s not a criminal offence I believe they have to take out a civil case.

Is that financially sound decision by them?

And they've to pay for the court time.

If you then don't turn up or claim financial poverty etc they could get nowt or have to wait a long time.

In my case I'm unemployed and in receipt of no benefits no wage etc.
If I was taken to court I could offer to pay £1 per week and it would have to be accepted. After a few weeks I'd stop paying and they'd have to take me to court again at more expense.


I don't give in to bullies.

If I have debts I pay them , the few times I had motoring convictions I paid them too .

But a parking ticket or fine for allegedly overstaying a time limit or misunderstanding a sign I ain't paying.
The one I got in Hungary I was in a quiet residential street ,there were no visible signs or meters that I could see ...I was one of 2 vehicles parked in the street and I came back to a 4 page ticket in a language I couldn't understand wanting €60/70 ..

The one I got from Portugal the gnr assured me was not a fine just a warning for parking by the beach . I signed the form I was told to thst was in Portuguese and 3 years later they sent a fine for €360

And the other Portuguese one was when I went on a toll road by mistake through a via verde lane with no barrier , I got to a booth 2 Miles down the road and because I had no ticket they wanted €87 from me , there were many cameras at each tollgate so they could have easily checked to see where I entered . Because I refused to pay the €87 and blocked the exit from motorway they opened barrier after taking my address details etc . They sent a bill/fine for over €200

All 3 got binned , both Portuguese ones from 2018 and 2019 , Hungary one from 2021/2

 

[WESTY66]

I will be your character witness for you ,don’t worry

carolyn God help you