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Picture of a car using the m50 toll.

  • 27-12-2010 09:46PM
    #1
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,209 ✭✭✭


    Has anyone ever had needed to get a picture from e-flow of their car using(or allegedly using) the M50 toll?

    The story so far is the wife received a letter from e-flow asking for €12 for using the toll on a certain day. Now they had her reg on the letter but on the day in question she and the car were at home all day due to the weather, and home is over 100 kms away from the M50 toll and whats more, the car is only 2 months old and has NEVER been across the M50 toll!
    When she rang she was told it was her car without question and if we wanted to claim it wasn't or it was a car with a false reg we'd have to go to the garda! I went down to the local station and the garda on duty had never heard anything like it from the toll but he said that I should request the picture of the car from them. I did this on the 16th of December and they have still not sent a picture, they did however send another letter acknowledging receipt of the picture request but saying that they have looked into it and it was our car without question and we have to pay. My wife rang them again and was told that it was her car without question, despite the fact that it was snowbound on the day. She demanded that they send a picture of the car as we will be taking it further but as yet, we haven't received anything from them and its really starting to seem like we aren't going to get anywhere with them.

    Has anyone ever had a similar issue or had to get a picture from e-flow? If it is a car on false plates how much detail is in the pictures? just reg/whole car/driver etc?

    I know people get charged wrongly all the time by e-flow(including both myself and the wife in the past) and it is normally easily sorted but has anyone any idea why they are being so pigheaded and unhelpful about this? new management/policy?

    Thanks in advance..


«1

Comments

  • #2
    alias no.9
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,536 ✭✭✭alias no.9


    I got a late charge for the toll once and it came with a picture, I didn't request it.


  • #3
    Absurdum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,444 ✭✭✭Absurdum


    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    I know people get charged wrongly all the time by e-flow(including both myself and the wife in the past) and it is normally easily sorted but has anyone any idea why they are being so pigheaded and unhelpful about this? new management/policy?

    "without question" me hole. It sounds like they are trying to bully her into paying, suggesting that she should go to the Gardai is ridiculous imo.

    It's possible that someone's number plate was obscured by snow or ice and they are just being lazy.


  • #4
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,209 ✭✭✭Nissan doctor


    The letter we got didn't have any picture, just the reg printed....:rolleyes:


  • #5
    KamiKazi
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,194 ✭✭✭KamiKazi


    They have to provide proof, all the cameras are front facing (they don't catch bikes as bikes don't have plates on the front). Tell them to provide you with pictures or you'll be considering the matter as an error on their part and as such, closed.


  • #6
    guil
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,717 ✭✭✭✭guil


    the only time i got one it had 2 pics, 1 of the reg and 1 of the car


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  • #7
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Ring them and tell them that if they don't produce the picture within five working days then you'll be consulting your solicitor.


  • #8
    RobertM
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 506 ✭✭✭RobertM


    guil wrote: »
    the only time i got one it had 2 pics, 1 of the reg and 1 of the car
    Same here.

    The first penalty they send you, you'll only get the reg number, the time the car has passed the toll. If you don't pay this they'll send you another one

    The second one you get is with the added fine of 39.50 (IIRC) + pictures of the car. 2 to be precise.


  • #9
    guil
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,717 ✭✭✭✭guil


    adrieanne__x wrote: »
    Ring them and tell them that if they don't produce the picture within five working days then you'll be consulting your solicitor.
    i wouldnt even bother with any of that, if the op is sure the car was at home i'd just ignore them


  • #10
    YourName
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 728 ✭✭✭YourName


    Was in a similar situation myself and basically needed the pic. They did everything in their power not to send me the picture. Got the same response as yourself about it being 100 percent my car.

    I told the idiot on the phone at one stage that somebody must have stolen my car to get over to the southside and nicely dropped it back to me without me noticing, so I wanted the picture to drop it up to the guards, she nicely told me some bull that basically the picture is only taken of the reg but somehow the "Investigations team" can "work on the image" to get a picture of the driver, sounds miraculous to me tbh, as I wasn't sure that was possible if the picture was only taken of the reg :rolleyes:.

    In the end, I never got the pic, but the case miraculously closed, following a letter to the solicitor, nice . . . . . .


  • #11
    Nissan doctor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,209 ✭✭✭Nissan doctor


    guil wrote: »
    i wouldnt even bother with any of that, if the op is sure the car was at home i'd just ignore them

    That would be what I'd like to do but by their responces up to now it seems obvious they are going to keep going with this..

    The reason I want pictures is to confirm the car type/colour etc and then go back to the garda I was speaking with as if it is our reg/car type(car would be fairly rare on the road) etc then a toll charge might not be the worst thing to land on our doorstep!


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  • #12
    -Corkie-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,021 ✭✭✭✭-Corkie-


    They done it to me aswell for a car that was crashed in the yard. The fee went over 200 euro. Luckily my bro in law is a barrister so a letter from him sorted it out including an apology from them.;)


  • #13
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,485 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    YourName wrote: »
    In the end, I never got the pic, but the case miraculously closed, following a letter to the solicitor, nice . . . . . .
    But a solicitors letter costs €120 last time I checked :confused:


  • #14
    guil
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,717 ✭✭✭✭guil


    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    That would be what I'd like to do but by their responces up to now it seems obvious they are going to keep going with this..

    The reason I want pictures is to confirm the car type/colour etc and then go back to the garda I was speaking with as if it is our reg/car type(car would be fairly rare on the road) etc then a toll charge might not be the worst thing to land on our doorstep!
    if ya ignore them they will send the pic


  • #15
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 45,526 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    adrieanne__x wrote: »
    Ring them and tell them that if they don't produce the picture within five working days then you'll be consulting your solicitor.
    Ringing isn't worth the paper its not written on!
    Keep all correspondance to written communication and not verbal.
    Nissan doctor wrote: »
    That would be what I'd like to do but by their responces up to now it seems obvious they are going to keep going with this..

    The reason I want pictures is to confirm the car type/colour etc and then go back to the garda I was speaking with as if it is our reg/car type(car would be fairly rare on the road) etc then a toll charge might not be the worst thing to land on our doorstep!
    As KamiKazi mentioned, tell them to provide proof given that your wife was nowhere near the M50, etc. and that the matter is a simple error.
    Without any form of proof then you will consider the issue to be erroneous on their behalf and the matter will be closed.

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  • #16
    kildarelad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 236 ✭✭kildarelad


    I had the same problem with them.Had a micra sitting in my garage as it was off the road and got a letter saying it had gone through the toll rang them and after an hour of arguing it turned out the numberplate was on a van that had the last bit of the number plate broke off which meant the number was the same as my car


  • #17
    opinion guy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,000 ✭✭✭✭opinion guy


    YourName wrote: »
    she nicely told me some bull that basically the picture is only taken of the reg but somehow the "Investigations team" can "work on the image" to get a picture of the driver, sounds miraculous to me tbh, as I wasn't sure that was possible if the picture was only taken of the reg :rolleyes:.

    Haven't you seen CSI ??? By chance a fly may have been flying through the shot at the time of the photo - if so they can ultrazoom into his eyeball and pick up a reflection of who was driving the car. Then using facial modelling software they can reproduce a 3d image of the person driving and cross reference it with the FBI database Pulse system and do a 9 point comparison and identify the suspect.....obviously. With the latest software updates they can even tell you what the driver (and the fly) had for breakfast!!!


  • #18
    ardmacha
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,476 ✭✭✭ardmacha


    Ring them and tell them that if they don't produce the picture within five working days then you'll be consulting your solicitor.

    In the first instance formally request (i.e. in writing) a copy of the picture under the Data Protection act.

    Don't waste money on more phone calls or especially on a solicitor at this stage.


  • #19
    greenermetals
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 151 ✭✭greenermetals


    there seems to be a few problems with this e toll system, i had experience with a similar incident, thinking it mustve been cloned plates. whenever the relevant docs were sent to authorities they went strangely quiet, we ahevnt heard anything about it since.

    Other thread was on
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056093418


  • #20
    subway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,113 ✭✭✭subway


    happened me before, called up, got the run around, told to get garda letter.
    went to gardai, they rang the operators,garda got the run around off them also with the same response and unwillingness to listen to reason or provide any evidence.

    in the end he wrote a letter to them saying it wasnt me and they sent out an apology


  • #21
    mickdw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,998 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    If they are not willing to send out the picture, it seems to me that they dont have it - well at least dont have one that matches your car. Put everything in writing and dont give in to them.


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  • #22
    SouperComputer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,946 ✭✭✭SouperComputer


    Unless they can produce a pic with such quality that shows it was your CAR beyond all reasonable doubt, tell them where to go.

    Only a pic of a reg? Sorry not good enough, they cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt that it is the car in question, reg's get cloned and as pointed out, characters fall off ro get damaged. All it shows is that same or similar characters on it passed through the toll.. If you've received written confirmation that they have received your pic request, leave it at that.


  • #23
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,310 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Ask them what type of car it is, what colour it is, and was there a passenger in the car?


  • #24
    Redderneck
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 335 ✭✭Redderneck


    A letter to them, do not ring, stating that as the car was parked up on the day in question, you are requesting they produce a picture within 5 working days, is step one. In this letter state politely but clearly that you will regard failure to receive such a picture within five working days as inability on their part to support their claim and a tacit admission of an error on their side and that you fully understand how such errors can happen to the best of systems, but will regard the matter as closed.

    Request that they contact you in writing should they have any comments/questions.

    Mention also that you are copying your solicitor on this and any future correspondence sent/received.

    I had this out with them about 18 months ago and when I stated that my wife's employer could verify that her car was automatically logged into a staff carpark in Shannon four hours prior to being tolled on the M50 and not logged out until she left the office about 3 hours after it was supposedly tolled; they grudgingly accepted that an error might have been made.

    Clowns.


  • #25
    mcwhirter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,432 ✭✭✭mcwhirter


    Eflow are a joke, shift your tag to a different provider and give them the finger


  • #26
    subway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,113 ✭✭✭subway


    mcwhirter wrote: »
    Eflow are a joke, shift your tag to a different provider and give them the finger

    eflow operate the m50 toll service so you cant avoid them


  • #27
    TheElf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 148 ✭✭TheElf


    I was in a similar position last year, got a letter about paying the toll when I hadn't been anywhere near the M50, I rang them and they said I'd have to pay, so I told them I'd just be ignoring it, and that I did, few weeks later I got another letter with a bigger fine, but also a pic of the car, which was a completely different model to mine, just a number plate with one digit off, So I rang them back and the guy on the phone,-in fairness to him- was polite and check my model against the picture and cleared the fine.


  • #28
    dingding
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,969 ✭✭✭dingding


    Had a problem with my tag. The operator was able to look at my car from a saved photo and tell me where about the tag was on the window.


  • #29
    Keith186
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,266 ✭✭✭Keith186


    LIGHTNING wrote: »
    To be honest you went out of your way to cover up their mistake. If they are too lazy to look at the photo and look at your reg number I wouldnt bother ringing them. Let them send you out lots of letters, in fact let the hire some goons to come to your house :)
    I wish I was in that situation. I'd just ignore it until I was summonsed then bring the picture in with me to show the judge that it wasn't my car. Don't think he'd be impressed with eflow then!


  • #30
    mcwhirter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,432 ✭✭✭mcwhirter


    subway wrote: »
    eflow operate the m50 toll service so you cant avoid them

    I used to use them as my tag provider but had similar problems as described here. Since moving to EASYTRIP I have had no problems, zilch.

    Move away from Eflow, they are a joke of a company, too many complaints on boards about Eflow


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  • #31
    subway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,113 ✭✭✭subway


    mcwhirter wrote: »
    I used to use them as my tag provider but had similar problems as described here. Since moving to EASYTRIP I have had no problems, zilch.

    Move away from Eflow, they are a joke of a company, too many complaints on boards about Eflow

    http://www.eflow.ie/about/
    Who we are
    eFlow is operated on behalf of the National Roads Authority by BetEire Flow

    eflow run the toll on the m50. even if you are with easypass the charge is still processed by eflow


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