Driver charged extra fees despite making regular payments

Summary

Yolanda could not afford to pay her $389 fine upfront, so she arranged a payment plan with Fines Victoria. Despite making her monthly payments on time, Fines Victoria told her she had missed a payment. We contacted them and they said there had been issues processing one of her payments. They agreed to withdraw the extra fees charged to Yolanda.

What was the case?

In March 2017, Yolanda received a $389 fine for a traffic offence. She could not afford to pay upfront, so entered into a payment plan. She paid $50 per month at her local post office as part of the plan. She was careful to pay each instalment on time and kept all the receipts.

In September 2018, Yolanda received a notice from Fines Victoria demanding payment. When she contacted them, they told her she had missed a payment. Yolanda told them she had proof of all her payments. They said they would investigate and call her back. But Yolanda never received a follow-up phone call.

Three months later, Yolanda received a Penalty Reminder Notice and Notice of Final Demand. Penalty fees had been added to her original fine as a result of the ‘missed’ payment.

Our enquiries

Yolanda contacted us and we contacted Fines Victoria. They told us a payment made in January 2018 had not gone through due to an error at Australia Post. The error had been corrected. But processing delays at Fines Victoria resulted in a default being recorded. And Yolanda was then sent the Penalty Reminder Notice and Notice of Final Demand.

Outcome

Fines Victoria withdrew the extra fees charged to Yolanda.

Please note: Outcomes may vary depending on individual circumstances