A DAD has claimed he was fined £589 for making a simple error when trying to pay the hated £12.50 ULEZ charge.
The unfortunate motorist has allegedly been hounded by debt collectors over a “little admin error”.
Steven Bortone says he was slapped with a penalty notice after driving into the ULEZ area while volunteering at a club in South London.
Under the rules, anyone driving within greater London has to cough up £12.50 a day if their car does not meet strict emissions standards.
Mr Bortone, 40, was adamant that he had paid but received an initial £180 fine within a week of his visit.
Baffled, he checked his bank account and saw that he had, in fact, sent a payment of £12.50 to TfL.
I’ve been so ill and stressed
However, he was dismayed to see that he had hit the wrong button while paying and had registered his journey for the wrong day.
And even though he claims that an operator on TfL’s help desk suggested he lodge an appeal as “mistakes happen”, this was repeatedly turned down as the fine grew.
Mr Bortone told The Telegraph: “I called back and forth, and my appeals kept being denied by TfL.
“I need TfL to review my case urgently.
“The payment was taken down wrongly, but I did pay for a day of parking.
“I’ve been so ill and stressed about it.
“I’ve got three kids to pay for.
“I’m just trying to do the best I can.”
Things got even worse as the fine doubled to £360 as the 14-day discount window ran out while his appeal was processed.
The distraught drivers alleged that recovery agents accepted the payment receipt he showed them, but that it was again rejected by TfL and the fine increased once more to £589.
He has since received a letter saying he could potentially have his car repossessed and have a county court judgment against him for “refusing” to pay the fine.
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A spokesperson for TfL said: “Mr Bortone did correctly receive a penalty charge notice as he didn’t pay the ULEZ charge for the correct day or within the required period.
“We asked him to provide proof that he paid for the wrong day but received no response to any of our notices, so the fine increased.
“As Mr Bortone did originally attempt to pay the charge, we are happy to settle the case on receipt of the original penalty charge.”
