VIC Roads - Refund for Overdue Rego Fines!

LDollarsandsense on 12/11/2015 - 10:20
Last edited 19/11/2015 - 19:52 by 1 other user

Edit 19/11/15: I just received a letter from Vic Roads saying that my fine has been "withdrawn to be re-assessed" and is not payable. This is without them receiving my letter so maybe part of their review on all fines.

…..

This year I got pulled over and fined over $700 as my rego was 9 days overdue. I was taken back by the size of the fine, and then frustrated that I received a "final reminder" notice to pay the rego 3 days later - perhaps should be renamed "overdue notice".
Many people have been fined without receiving any notice. There is mounting pressure on VIC Roads to refund these fines. Check out the following link:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-06/vic-roads-admits-regis…

VIC Roads has already announced refunds for people that had bought new cars or second hand cars and didn't receive a letter at all.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-12/victorian-motorists-fi…

A win for the small guys here. Approximately 1,000 rego fines were being issued every week so it has been a big cash cow for VIC Roads. My heart goes out to those struggling to get by who have been hit with crazily high/ unreasonable fines which have put unnecessary pressure on their personal and family lives. Some people have bought a car and waited for the rego renewal to arrive. Not received it then been fined.

The issue in a nut shell:
1.) Vicroads switched from sticker system to user beware.
2.) Lots of people not receiving notices To pay.
3.) At the same time technology has made it incredibly easy for police to scan plates for late payment.
4.) IMO if Vicroads wants to operate without reminder notices then it also needs to do a better job of promoting it's website for people to check their rego and take responsibility themselves. People are still used to the old way and haven't been educated properly on the new way.

Please note the following:
1.) I fully endorse paying your rego in advance or at least on time.
2.) Check your expiry date here: https://vre.vicroads.vic.gov.au/MobileVRE/Home.mvc
3.) Police are scanning plates for overdue regos and the fines are $700+.
4.) If you didnt pay on time, have been fined and didn't receive a reminder notice you could be eligible for a refund.

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Comments

        • mrham on 15/11/2015 - 22:31

          Read the article.. A simple SMS reminder system is one. If CC, phone companies, electricity and gas, even airlines can do it, why not VicRoads? They can implement the system with money saved from not issuing stickers.

        • Dollarsandsense on 16/11/2015 - 12:11

          @endotherm: thanks for the detailed input. Part of the problem is that fines are budgeted for. How can they be committed to reducing the amount of fines if they need the fines to make budget.

          if they want to load up a rego fines to act as a deterrent then they at least need to tell people about it to make it work as a deterrent. Otherwise it only serves to increase revenue.

          What if tomorrow they decided to fine people $1,000 for Jay walking and put casual clothed cops all over Melbourne to catch them.

          Some people would accept that as the cost of breaking the law, I would look at it and say that they are taking advantage.

          They might as well increase the fine from $756 to $776 and spend that $20 on some sort of marketing.

          I am not suggesting that they market every law in the book. Vic Roads clearly has an issue regarding putting onus onto the driver to pay their rego whether they receive a bill or not. How can they solve this without educating the public?

        • p1 ama on 16/11/2015 - 13:48
          +2

          @Dollarsandsense:

          They are reversing fines for people that they didn't send a letter to. My marketing idea would help them to hand over responsibility so that they don't have to reverse future fines.

          What do you mean by 'hand over responsibility', it's always been the case that it's your responsibility to pay your rego. Can you walk out of a supermarket, not pay and say that nobody reminded you to? It's a ridiculous assertion that adults have to be reminded what to do by government agencies.

          People work hard and pay a lot of taxes. I want my taxes to be spent on roads, hospitals, schools, safety, emergency services, healthcare, support for the sick and elderly…etc., not to be spent on marketing campaigns for forgetful people to, hopefully, remind them to pay their rego.

          I suggest that they put some of the 500-700k per week that they collect in rego fines on the marketing, not tax payer dollars.

          Serious lack of understanding of economics here. Rego fines are budgeted as revenue, so it is taxpayer dollars. If less rego fines were collected, you'd have bigger deficits or increased taxes to compensate for that.

          Part of the problem is that fines are budgeted for. How can they be committed to reducing the amount of fines if they need the fines to make budget.

          The amount of fines is irrelevant. The number of fines can be reduced if people did the right thing.

          What if tomorrow they decided to fine people $1,000 for Jay walking and put casual clothed cops all over Melbourne to catch them.

          This is not what is happening, they didn't decide one day to just go out and fine people. It's always on the news, you know that they are out to get those driving unregistered and the fines are all clearly listed, as are speeding fines and other traffic infringements.

          Some people would accept that as the cost of breaking the law, I would look at it and say that they are taking advantage.

          Taking advantage of whom?

          They might as well increase the fine from $756 to $776 and spend that $20 on some sort of marketing.

          That's a ridiculous idea. I don't understand why you feel like you need to be reminded to pay your rego.

          I am not suggesting that they market every law in the book. Vic Roads clearly has an issue regarding putting onus onto the driver to pay their rego whether they receive a bill or not. How can they solve this without educating the public?

          Well I bet that you'll never forget to pay your rego again, so they've done a pretty decent job of educating you, don't you think?

        • endotherm on 16/11/2015 - 14:20

          @Dollarsandsense: Wow, you just don't get it do you. You read, but you don't seem to comprehend, or your thinking is so ingrained that you just don't want to accept the facts are quite different than you imagine.

          The police are committed to reducing the road toll. That doesn't mean hundreds of people have to die to make that strategy work. That's what would happen if they "budgeted" for it. VicRoads can commit to reducing fines that Parliament set and the police enforce, by ensuring their system works so people don't miss their payments. See, it's simple. It is in VicRoads interest to have you pay the rego in the first place. They DON'T SEE A CENT OF ANY FINE. Go find VicRoads financials and budget online and show me where fines are part of their bottom line.

          How much do you propose the fine should be? To be a deterrent a fine has to be more than the cost of the transgression or it won't work. It's a lot, so the government obviously views this as a serious offence. If you have a problem with increasing the government's revenue? Then don't pay. I'm sure there will be a warrant forthcoming so you can serve a term of imprisonment instead, so you can pay the penalty and your debt to society without it being a cash grab. It will cost them thousands of dollars to house you, but that is budgeted for by the government and probably indirectly paid for by these fines others pay.

          If the government decides jaywalking is so serious it warrants a $100 fine, then that is the law of the land. Deal with it. Don't jaywalk, it's serious. If you don't like the law you are entitled to lobby to have it changed. If there is enough public backlash they will do something about it.

          They could fine you another $20 for your marketing scheme but I don't know what good it would do. They always stuff my renewal envelope with printed material notifying me to do this or that, I'm already paying for that. I'm sure somewhere in the renewal you received they tell you to pay it on time and that you will be unregistered if you don't. You want a warning? Here it is: DON'T BREAK ANY LAWS, YOU WILL BE FINED OR IMPRISONED OR PENALISED. There, that should take care of every law in the book for you.

          I disagree VicRoads has an issue putting the onus on the public. The law written by the government does that, VicRoads has nothing to do with it. Go out on the street and survey 100 drivers. I'll be gobsmacked if every one of them doesn't know they have to pay their rego on time. They already have the education. You did too. Making you pay by the due date, well that's a different matter. Did your $756 fine educate you to not miss a payment again? I'm sure it did, objective completed, and it didn't cost the government/public/other responsible car owners a cent and it didn't increase any fines either.

          This was a computer bug. It happened this year only and it has been fixed. It only affected 8000 of the millions of vehicles on the road. Even so, I'm sure lots of those 8000 paid their renewal without being reminded. Everyone else including you got a renewal and the majority paid. Some still didn't, even if they got a reminder letter a couple of weeks later. Yes, you forgot to pay yours and that's unfortunate. You would have been reminded two weeks later (which you were) and I'm sure you would have taken care of it then. Unfortunately for you you were detected a week and a half after your rego ran out and you are bitter about that. Receiving a renewal reminder after the fine seems like they are rubbing salt into your wounds, but they aren't.

          In the future ALL owners will be sent their reminder once the bug is fixed. There is no need to spend more money on a problem that no longer exists.

  • Cheeper on 13/11/2015 - 23:40
    +2

    I lived in a situation with very low income for many years. When this was happening the only way I could manage was to just attend to the "essentials", that is something people don't like to do these days but when you are poor there is no choice. I calculated all my expenses for a year including rates, house insurance, electricity, phone/internet, water, food, ""REGO"" and car insurance. Then I divided that by 26 and made sure that amount was set aside.

    It is odd that the op here claims he is too poor to pay his rego but… (a) he knew 12 months ago that it would need to be paid and made no effort to save for it. (b) can't pay his rego but has internet and a computer. (c) obviously would find having at least TPP insurance an unnecessary item also?

    Knew a guy once that regularly complained about the reconnection fee for his elec or gas after it had been cut off for non payment. Just could never get through to him about preparing for bills and paying them on time.

    Sorry for the op here in some way, the fine may be steep but it comes with many lessons attached… if you cant afford to reg and insure a car then don't have one, if you cant be bothered managing your money then there is only one person to blame when it goes pear shaped. Blaming the cops for the fine is secondary, the real problem is elsewhere.

    To show how desperate my situation was, when things eventually got sorted and finances improved, the first luxury item I purchased was a box of coco pops!! That's what you call doing it tough :-)

    • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 00:28
      +1

      Respect for your quality budgeting. I am not poor and not paying on time was purely a mistake. And yes mistakes can be seen as a sign of laziness. I was in the wrong and got fined. I think that the fine amount is too high. Although I do have a greater understanding now of the 3rd party insurance that comes with the rego and the risk involved.

      The point is I was fined, "final reminder notice" arrived afterwards (maybe should be renamed "late notice").

      Now Vic Roads is stating that people will be refunded if notice wasn't received. My post is just a notice to people that they may be able to get their fine refunded if they got one.

      • Cheeper on 14/11/2015 - 00:42

        The whole situation is made worse these days with no rego sticker to remind you too.
        They do say not to rely on postal notification of rego renewal and even licence renewal as well. I nearly got caught once when no renewal notice was sent out :-(… it does happen.
        With the cost of rego & insurance these days it is becoming more common for people to take the risk… if they get away with it for just one year they are in front when compared to the fine.
        *** This is why the fine is so high. ***
        If it was lower it would only encourage more to avoid it. The amount of unregistered cars on the road these days is becoming epidemic and will only get worse. That means bad news for anyone seriously injured in an accident, especially if it is for a life long disability.

        Feel ya pain man… money is hard to come by which makes fines like this sting even more.

        • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 00:54
          +1

          Fair call regarding unregistered drivers. However if they wanted to wipe them out wouldn't they just put rego scanners next to all of the speed cameras?

        • Cheeper on 14/11/2015 - 01:09

          @Dollarsandsense:
          Good idea but may be costly?? Some cop cars have them. So many unreg around these days though. Even back in the days when we had rego stickers I used to see many expired in the shopping centre car park. Only have to get away with it for one year to be in front.

  • [Deactivated] on 14/11/2015 - 07:21
    +1

    OP broke the law simple. As stated unregistered car = no CTP, that's a big no no. You even admit you received the notice and forgot about it…

    I honestly have no sympathy for you.

    • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 08:35
      -1

      Good as I am not looking for sympathy. As a kiwi I didn't realised the CTP thing and now understand the gravity of the situation if an accident happened.

      The point of the post is really that Vic Roads is fining people that it didn't send reminders to. Vic Roads has gone on record saying that these people will be refunded.

      Also a fine is just a deterrent and over $700 is unnecessary. Rego still needs to paid on top of this anyway.

      This post will also hopefully encourage people to pay on time.

      • serpserpserp on 14/11/2015 - 09:37

        Huh? Kiwi's have insurance included in their vehicle license fees they pay annually and I think a little bit comes out of your tax on fuel. So basically it is the same thing. You don't pay your vehicle license fees in NZ I doubt you'll be covered for an accident.

        • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 10:00

          It's different over there. There is the ACC levy As part of the rego. This just goes towards the accident compensation fund which everyone in NZ is covered by in not at fault incidence.

          Third party insurance is purchased by the individual separately. Rego in NZ is also half Aus probably to do with this

      • p1 ama on 14/11/2015 - 12:28
        +2

        Also a fine is just a deterrent and over $700 is unnecessary. Rego still needs to paid on top of this anyway.

        How much would you propose then? If it was $100, I bet a heap of people wouldn't pay their rego because unless you're pretty lucky and get checked more than a few times a year, you'll be better off not paying.

        • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 12:38
          -3

          I think that up to $200 is adequate deterrent on top of having to pay rego backdated anyway. Overdue rego should be forced to pay along with fine. The policeman let me drive away with my fine, obviously still with no rego. Doesn't this contradict the importance of it? I should have been forced to hand over credit card and pay on spot.

        • p1 ama on 14/11/2015 - 12:42
          +1

          @Dollarsandsense: They don't have a means of processing payments on the spot, which is why you can't pay fines on the spot either.

          I don't think $200 is an adequate deterrent at all, that's less than your average speeding fine.

        • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 20:28

          @paulsterio: well if they were serious about making sure people are registered they could easily work this out. Why give people a fine and then let them drive off again unregistered? I pulled over round the corner and paid in 2 minutes using my mobile. The lady at the vic roads call centre also said that some policeman just witness payment over drivers phone and let them off without a fine.

        • xsacha on 14/11/2015 - 20:53

          @Dollarsandsense: some people can't afford $700 all at once as it is an unexpected bill. Usually the same people who don't pay rego.

        • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 21:07

          @xsacha:that may be true, it's just odd that after giving a fine they let you drive off unregistered. The people that could only just afford a rego then use all of that money to pay the big fine. then they have to save up for their rego again, therefore continue to drive unregistered. It seems they are more interested in collecting fines that rego payments.

        • xsacha on 14/11/2015 - 22:14

          @Dollarsandsense: obviously they can't drive when they get home.

        • hayne on 15/11/2015 - 00:07

          @Dollarsandsense: If you were a couple of hours late, then yes, some policemen would be lenient and let you get away with breaking the law and having an unregistered vehicle.

          If you're 9 days late, no chance.

        • hayne on 15/11/2015 - 00:09

          @Dollarsandsense: It's really not that odd. They're not part of Vic Roads and they don't drive around with EFTPOS terminals so it's not their obligation to make sure you pay. They can't enforce that - what if you didn't have a smartphone or couldn't afford $700 on the spot?

        • Dollarsandsense on 15/11/2015 - 08:42

          @hayne: You are right, but some posters here are saying that the crime of driving unregistered is as bad as stealing. In this context it is odd that they fine you and then watch as you continue to break the law. But yes I am getting a bit carried away!

        • endotherm on 15/11/2015 - 17:08

          @Dollarsandsense: Understand that this is not a bill that lets you do something, it is a penalty to make you stop doing that behaviour. Yes, you still have to pay your rego bill after the fine if you want to continue driving.

          So here you go again, it is their fault for letting you drive off. Did they tell you you can continue driving, or were they too busy getting their next job on the radio and filling in the mountain of paperwork before continuing? Fine, up until now, you didn't know or realise you were unregistered (and not allowed to drive that car on the road). The second you got fined you knew you weren't allowed to drive it but you chose to drive off anyway. Technically you have committed another offence. Maybe those same police you loathe believed you were going to pay it that day and gave you a break. They do have the discretion to do that.

          edit

          Once he drove off I got on my phone and paid the rego in 2 mins.

          So, they didn't "let you drive off" at all. They just left.

          Once again you fail to want to understand the difference and function of police and VicRoads. The police aren't interested in collecting fines, they are interested in enforcing the law. The fact a penalty notice is issued is just to streamline the justice system, i.e. the courts. In fact it makes your life easier. If you agree with the offence, then just pay the fine. If you don't, then go to court. It's your choice. The police couldn't care either way, years ago every trivial thing had to be taken before the courts. I'm sure the penalty is generally higher if you are convicted in court, so in fact you are getting a discount. If you want to pay your rego or not it is your call — you might want to scrap the car or sell it after getting booked. Just don't drive it.

          It's up to you to pay your rego, not someone else's responsibility to collect it if they happen to pull you up. In the articles you referenced 8000 cars weren't registered. Less than 10% were detected and booked. If there was a system like you propose, I wouldn't be paying rego either — on the odds I'd only be pulled over once every 10 years and even then I'd get to pay only that year's rego on the spot.

          I'd imagine you'd be among the first to complain and cry corruption if the police forcibly took money from you. What right have they to do that? We as a society have not given them that power. The Parliament wrote the laws and prescribe the penalties. The Courts ensure the fair application of those laws and penalties. The police and like agencies are merely the mechanism in between to get from the law as written to the law applied in the courts.

          In this whole thread you are claiming "the government" is quick to take your money but slow to act if they are wrong. The whole point of this is that VicRoads admit they are wrong, and there is a fault that needs to be rectified. They are doing that off their own back — no one is making them do it. They also promise to streamline the system to make it easier for everyone else in the future. That should make you happy but it appears it doesn't. You also need to read those articles a bit closer. Due to a computer bug it seems that 8000 new or second-hand cars that were first registered this year didn't get the letter. Less than 800 got a fine. You have to be in the first group and the second group, then VicRoads will act to withdraw the fine. They know who they all are. Just claiming you didn't get a letter won't exonerate you.

  • gimli on 14/11/2015 - 07:28
    +3

    Ozbargainers get on your high horses!

    • serpserpserp on 14/11/2015 - 09:32

      Lets ride!

      • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 20:22

        It feels more like I am riding a bull than a horse :-)

  • cloudy on 14/11/2015 - 20:03
    +2

    There seems to be some very diligent OB, that has plenty of advice. But most are missing the pertinent point of OP, and that is reminder letters are being sent after the rego has expired.

    Now, it's either a system flaw, which it seems like vicroads has accepted, or a waste of paper and postage. And because it is a legitimate flaw, there is a refund process which OP is pointing out (cudos for doing so too).

    So let's just get off OPs back :)

  • OzzyOzbourne on 14/11/2015 - 20:27

    Yep, the same year they stopped they rego stickers, I didn't get a renewal notice for either of my two cars. Coincidence? I think not. Huge income for them in fines and huge savings for not having stickers any more.

    Fortunately I remembered, that time.

    • Dollarsandsense on 14/11/2015 - 20:33

      Good work. It's the people that were traditionalists and just waited for the bill to arrive like any other before paying that I feel sorry for.

      It's not like Vic roads ran a big campaign to say that "the responsibility is now all yours, check online if unsure about rego date, make payment before due date or face a minimum fine of $700."

      If lowering unregistered vehicle numbers was their main concern you would think they would at least spend some of the takings from fines on this type of campaign.

      What's the purpose of having a hefty fine as a deterrent if 99% of the population don't know it is that big.

  • Skinnerr on 14/11/2015 - 22:59

    Funny how the reminder system is busted, but the fine system is state of the art primo #1.

  • azshade on 14/11/2015 - 23:36
    +2

    This is OzBargain. You should know what kind of response you'd get making the post, to be honest. Where you expecting people to welcome you with open arms and say "yes, you're 100% right. You're inability to pay the rego on time was entirely Vic Roads fault and I do think the fine should be waived."

    Even if there is perhaps grey area… and there may very well be (to be honest, I'm rather apathetic about it) - again I come back to this being OzBargain. It's known to having a hostile approach to these sort of posts, with a common theme being "self responsibility".

    They (the hive mind) generally see it as black and white.

    You got the rego papers.
    It was due
    You failed to renew it in time
    You drove the car without renewal
    You owe the fine.

    Anything else outside of that story is drama that won't change the "facts" of the case.

    Lucky for you, there is grey area in the world outside OzBargain and who knows what your life out there in the offline planet may be like. But here, you're doomed.

  • tristanmarsh on 14/11/2015 - 23:41

    Why is it illegal to drive without registration?

    If the government elected taxation office that is VicRoads no longer have the decency to imbue our tax payments with the novelty of collectable stickers, why can't the government simply tax us for our vehicle usage through the ATO?

    If the time with which I choose to pay my registration makes no difference to the net amount I will have to pay over any given period, why do they enforce such stringent payment dates?

    How is it that a one day late registration renewal payment, attracts the same late payment penalty as a one month late registration renewal payment?

    Is a $758 late payment fee fair and reasonable for a late payment for a 6 month concessional registration of $316.38?

    I would love to see your thoughts on a forum where Telstra charged a 240% late penalty fee.

    • hayne on 15/11/2015 - 00:12

      Handsoff summarised pretty logically why cars need to be registered.

      "You can be speeding through an intersection and run a red light with a safety camera and get caught but they would have no idea where to send the fine.

      You could run someone over and even if the plates are captured they'd have no idea who to go to.

      You could get into a car on car accident (hit and run) and they'd have no idea who to go to.

      You may as well be driving a stolen vehicle.

      Now think about it again, is $700 appropriate? Personally, I think it is.

      In NSW doing a U-Turn at a set of traffic lights (even if you have a green arrow and it is "safe" to turn) is a $250 fine with 2 demerits. Do you think driving an unregistered vehicle (with the above possible scenarios) is less of an offence as doing a U-Turn?"

      Telstra is irrelevant - paying your mobile bill late is not illegal. Driving without registration is. If you can't see why cars need to be registered, then you can't be helped.

      • JOCKz on 15/11/2015 - 12:13

        Registration detail are kept in the database for a long time. Thats why some people are reluctant to sell their vehicles with registration. Have you ever heard stories of people getting fines after they sold their car ? Even years after ? Their was one recently on here.

        • endotherm on 15/11/2015 - 17:49

          That's why you're supposed to fill in a notice of acquisition/disposal, to keep the current owner details up to date. Once that's done — no more fines.

  • doctordv8 on 15/11/2015 - 11:07
    +1

    Stop complaining. A due date is a due date, and any reminder is a courtesy to you. This goes for every state and for just about everything now days. If you are smart enough to hold a licence, you are smart enough to read a rego due date. Sorry, no sympathy. Unregistered vehicles even out the next day carry no insurance, like a drunk driver etc, and the poor sucker involved in an accident with you is the victim, whether they have their registration and insurance up to date. Like all complaints against the Government, Police, Council etc issuing fines …if you can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.
    It is not rocket science, and it not revenue raising, it is the law of modern day society dealing with the 5% that don't play well with every body else. Simples.

  • JOCKz on 15/11/2015 - 12:03

    Well i can tell from personal experience that the way its run is utter crap. I've had this happen to me, somehow the vicroads renewal letter got buried in the pile of bill stuck to the fridge and forgotten. On the day "after" it expired police pulled me over and fined me. Parked the car on the side of the road and paid for it over the phone. Fair enough my fault.

    But when did the government start holding us as hostages if we dont pay ? Id imagine the gas company would be in some trouble if they sent out two bills every time i was late. Somehow everyone has just accepted it as a normal thing.

    • Baysew on 15/11/2015 - 12:17

      Parked the car on the side of the road and paid for it over the phone

      What exactly did you pay ?

      The Registration or the On the Spot Fine, or both.

      Did you seek to get the fine reviewed ?

      • Dollarsandsense on 15/11/2015 - 14:55

        I paid my rego immediately and have sent a letter yo have the fine reviewed. I only sent it this week so will update the post with their answer.

      • JOCKz on 15/11/2015 - 20:14

        I paid the rego on the spot, tbh i couldnt be bothered having the fine reviewed. With the day off work and the cost of legal representation. I've lost close if not more that the fines worth.

  • HeartlyMyProblem on 15/11/2015 - 13:47
    +1

    As others have said, view the secondary notice as a courtesy. If you consult the Road Safety Regulations 2009 Act for Victoria s 66. you can see that
    " (2) If the Corporation fails to send a notice of renewal of registration for a vehicle, the failure does not affect—

    (a)     the expiry of the vehicle's registration; or

(b)     the obligation of the registered operator of the vehicle to renew the registration of the vehicle if the operator intends to use the vehicle on a highway after the expiry of its existing registration."

    In this case the corporation is VicRoads. This section of the Act literally means that VicRoads is under no obligation to even send a renewal notice.

    Treat the fine as if you committed an offence. It has nothing to do with paying a late fee. The fine is because you committed a criminal offence. For this you can use the Road Safety Act 1986 s 7. Too long to copy paste the whole section so here's a link to the offence elements http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/rsa198612….

    Basically, you don't really have ground to fight this. You'll be going to a plea of compassion.

    If you want to fight this, the first level of recourse is likely going to result in them giving you the exact same answer I gave above. However if you take this matter to court you may be able to plea leniency on ground of compassion. Saying that $700 is unreasonable, you are now aware of how exceedingly dangerous and negligent your actions were, and you will never let this happen again. Be prepared to produce documentation that shows you rectified (registered the vehicle) immediately following the offence, and have character references from people of worth.

    P.S. take a lot of this with a massive grain of salt, I'm a law student, who is answering this to procrastinate an assignment, and I have no real working knowledge of Victorian legislation, as I mainly deal with another state's legislation. I have also incurred the same fine, only in a different state, and I was able to successfully defend my claim and avoid the fine, however my defense was a little more solid than the information you have provided.

    Best of luck!

    • Dollarsandsense on 15/11/2015 - 14:58

      Great response, Well done in getting your fine reversed. My letter was more poorly written than your statement above, but was written to seek compassion, not to say that I shouldn't have been fined at all.

  • smpantsonfire on 15/11/2015 - 19:10

    Hope no one here needs a reminder to go to the toilet.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2015 - 20:08

    haha my car isn't even worth $700 LOL

  • CryssieJade on 15/11/2015 - 21:31

    Another issue that my Mum had with VicRoads is as follows:

    • Bought an ex Fleet car in August, with rego due to expire end of Oct.

    -Took all paperwork to VicRoads the same day to get the changeover in names/ownership sorted

    -Gets rego renewal form in the mail with a $700 bill. She is a pensioner, and only pays $380, always.

    -Rings up to question the price hike (before payment) and gets the amount adjusted. Just as well, because if she had've paid it without questioning it, she is NOT entitled to a refund or credit.

    Someone is not doing paperwork properly at VicRoads!!

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2015 - 22:43
    +1

    It is the owner's responsibility to renew the registration. VicRoads shouldn't even sent notices. It's like you are complaining to an insurer after you had accident and were not insured because he didn't send you the bill.

  • JungleMarns on 30/09/2019 - 19:55
    -1

    I find myself on this thread for the exact same reason as the OP. I didn't pay my Rego for 9 days, and yes, of course it's my fault, but my fine is $826, over $100 on top of the rego which i was forced to pay on the side of the road before being allowed to drive off, thankfully someone could send me enough money to cover it.

    I was under the impression there was a grace period of within 30 days, you know a reasonable amount of time to give someone for the incredibly minor inconvenience to the Vic Roads account. Obviously there is no grace period, at all, and it doesn't matter if you don't have the money, fines hurt more than ever with them steadily rising faster than wage growth. I will not be the last sucker to be ripped off by the government that views its citizens as cash cows and slaves.

    I'm very angry and not at myself, i will attempt to get out of the fine but i'm definitely going onto the payment plan if i can't, anyone know what the smallest amount i can repay is? Seriously, i'm the poorest i've ever been.

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