Hi

I've got two PCNs from two different London boroughs and a congestion charge from TFL.

The two PCNs have been sent to the traffic enforcement people for a warrant to be issued. The TFL one is probably going down that road now I reckon as it went from £80 to £160 and now at £240 to be paid by last week.

I called the traffic enforcement people and they told me to approach the councils to ask for time to pay. Ditto TFL.

I tried for several months with the councils but they won't give me time to pay which is why the tickets have gone from like £60 to £128 and £173. Actually the £128 ticket didn't respond to my emails at all.

TFL are horrible anyway so not sure it's worth even calling them. I wasn't even aware I had entered the congestion charge zone until I got the ticket about a week later but I didn't have the money to pay for it.

Does anybody have any advice for me - or is anyone familiar with what might happen next. None of these tickets were intentional on my part, but it's either heat the home, buy food or pay these - well actually cannot pay these as they cost more than the food and heating combined for a month or so. I don't know whether to offer each of them £5 a month or what.

If anyone can advise I would be very grateful.

thanks

I spoke with TFL and they don't care and will send it to enforcement who can seize my goods etc.

Unfortunately, you are at their mercy. These charges never go away - they need to be addressed as soon as possible.

A polite request for a payment plan and a suggested amount may get you an arrangement, but you cannot force them to agree. It sounds like it's been going on for months as it is. Maybe if you explain your position to them they will agree.

In my experience councils don't tend to believe claims of financial hardship. They reason that a PCN may cost you £60 when first issued. If you then say you cannot pay £60 because you don't have it, they will tend to not believe it. They will reason that as a motorist, you must have some cash - £60 is about what it would cost to replace a punctured tyre - so they will ask themselves, if you got a puncture tomorrow, would you scrap or sell the car, since you are unable to muster the £60 to fix it.

Thanks Jamberson, I can see your logic, but with three tickets and three separate bodies I am looking at a further £700 approx in EA visits. And I'm sure they will visit just to earn that fee income.

I will write to them all and see what happens. Can they force their way into your house? Are they the sort of bailiffs you see on the tv?

I don't personally know anything about TFL.

If the warrants haven't been issued yet, then it's still in their hands, and the relevant Councils for the others. You mentioned emailing one of them and not getting a reply. That may give you grounds to contest that one, but to have a chance, you will need to act before the warrant is issued. Please could you post further info, eg dates of when you contacted them, etc. in relation to when they issued things to you.

Visits are not inevitable, even after the warrants, provided you are in dialogue and either the Councils or bailiffs (depending what stage they are at) agree a payment plan. Therefore, a chance to avoid further charges.

No, they can't force their way in, but their usual tactic is to clamp the vehicle, and if you don't pay, they can tow it and sell it. So, you don't want it to get that far.

Not sure about bailiffs on TV.