Fine from EPC for having no vignette in Hungary

[istrianadventurer]

Hi everyone

I've received a letter from EPC with a £45.81 fine for no vignette plus admin costs of £44.98 while driving in Hungary. 

I simply didn't stop and get one under the assumption the Hungarian authorities couldn't get hold of me. 

I nearly paid up but a search on various forums shows pretty much everyone saying don't pay them anything as they're a bunch of sharks. 

The letter states they have been given power of attorney by the National Toll Payment Services plc in Hungary and are contracted to collect fines, however I couldn't find anyone on a forum saying they had actually gone to court and a UK court would not be interested in an offence committed on non-UK soil. 

However, the posts I read were a few years old, or older so just wanted to check the general consensus is still the same....?

Cheers

[dx100uk]

ignore totally 

it's a scam

type EPC in our search top right and read up.

 

[istrianadventurer]

Thanks that's what I thought but just wanted to check there hadn't been some change post Brexit.

[Ethel Street]

Are you planning to return to Hungary in the same car? Possibly they have methods of enforcement in Hungary but I have no definite information about that. Otherwise I agree, do not pay.

Please do come back if this develops at all and let us know what happens. It would be good to know what EPC do next. What I've seen on other forums can be frustrating because posters hardly ever come back and say what the outcome was.

Euro Parking Collection plc [EPC], as I expect you've found out, are a UK debt collector with their registered office in London (subsidiary of a large US corporation) specialising  in collecting foreign parking/traffic offence charges from UK residents, and collecting charges from foreign drivers/owners on behalf of UK organisations, mainly public authorities like TfL.

Presumably the DVLA recognise EPC as having "reasonable cause" to ask for registered keeper details or EPC wouldn't have been able to contact you.

Unusually for these sorts of companies they publish on their website pdf copies of the formal Power of Attorney documents authorising them to act as agent for the foreign organisation. The one for Hungarian vignettes is here ---> 148 (epcplc.com)  It authorises EPC to bring court actions in UK courts as agent for National Toll Payment Services plc (Budapest).  However that doesn't mean that the UK small claims court will allow such a claim to be brought and there seem to be many opinions on the internet about whether that is possible.

So I agree you should not pay it. But if you get a formal letter before claim from EPC or any court papers do not ignore them and come back here for advice.

[istrianadventurer]

Ok, thank you, I'll definitely keep an eye on the letters. 

My reason for posting was that I'd seen lots of info about EPC threatening people but no indication of any actual court cases - not that that means they haven't happened!! 

The 'power of attorney' statement got me a little concerned but I also can't see that a UK small claims court would find against me for a non-UK issue. 

I appreciate the support here though and will post any updates.

[dx100uk]

there have been no court cases in the uk for foreign fines as epc cant take you to court, they are not the debt owner.

its all hot air but gets a few mugs around the world coughing up,

rumour has it the foreign authorities see none of the money paid to epc if its not paid in the originating country. in your case if you paid epc here in the uk, hungary will see none of the money nor ever know you'd paid it. its a scam....but mugs are mugs...just like 99% of people believe a DCA is a bailiff.

dx