Toll Road Infringement on Recently Purchased Second Hand Car

Lmidlake on 07/05/2022 - 20:03
Last edited 07/05/2022 - 21:08

I purchased a second hand car from a small dealer and picked up and paid for it on March 5 in the afternoon.

I completed the transfer of ownership paperwork and lodged it with Service NSW (within 14 days). This week (May 5) received a westconnect/transurban toll road infringement notice from March 5 at 9.35am.

The infringement is only for the toll ($4.40) plus an admin fee of $10.50. So the total is less than $15. I didn't use the toll road (as I hadn't collected the car at that point) so don't think I should have to pay it, but for the effort and frustration of dealing with transurban I am begrudgingly considering paying it because technically I took ownership of the car on March 5. The only evidence I have that I didn't make the trip is that I only paid for the car in the afternoon around 3pm - which doesn't provide I did or didn't take the trip, just that I paid the dealer in the afternoon.

It just annoys me that the dealer or someone at the dealer drove on the toll and didn't use a tag and now I have to pay the toll plus the ridiculous admin fee.

The infringement very helpfully suggests that if you know the nominated driver you can just provide the invoice to them to pay. It may have been an honest mistake by the dealer and they will be really reasonable to deal with, but I doubt it (based on the purchase experience) and I just don't trust that they will pay the infringement even if they did accept it.

Thanks in advance

EDIT:
Thanks very much to everyone who has commented and provided some great tips for now and in future.

I will try the dealer but as many point out it isn't worth the hassle and as Alexander420 says transferring it to my toll account is a great way to reduce the admin.

Thanks again OZB community!

Poll Options expired

  • 8
    Take the loss and just pay the toll. Transurban are too difficult to deal with
  • 3
    Contest the infringement with transurban and provide the timedated banking transaction as evidence
  • 38
    Contact the dealer and then nominate them with transurban
Automotive

closed Comments

  • SlowCarSlow on 07/05/2022 - 20:10
    +3

    Call up first and check if there's anymore tolls due, then if not just pay for it. If yes contact dealer.

  • freefall101 on 07/05/2022 - 20:15
    +1

    If it was me, I'd just pay it and move on. However if I was the dealer, I'd also just pay it and move on because it's not worth the hassle of dealing with it either. Hardest part would be actually assigning a person for the toll to go to and getting it paid.

    It wouldn't be worth the $15 to me to take the infringement notice to them in order to get them to pay it, honestly. And if they do decide to kick up a stink about it then you'll probably be paying it anyway.

  • Tee Rex Arms on 07/05/2022 - 20:20
    +3

    Your time is obviously worth phvck all to you, with all the chasing around this would require.

    • HairyChickens on 07/05/2022 - 20:24
      +1

      Nah its worth $15

    • boomramada on 07/05/2022 - 20:48

      OP even created a account for this.

  • JimmyF on 07/05/2022 - 20:23

    Honestly how much is your time worth?

    It is only $15, so is it even worth spending an hour on this? Transurban are not going to waive the fine for you, so you'll have get it assigned to someone at the dealer etc. Again how much is your time worth?

    If it was a $200 spending fine then that is different, but in this case it isn't.

  • Mechz on 07/05/2022 - 20:27
    +1

    When I got a car from a dealer last year they put the time of day on the pickup form that I signed so we both had a legal declaration in case of any toll notices or infringements. Do you have anything similar?

    • midlake on 07/05/2022 - 21:04

      Ahh I wish I had this and next time I buy a car will definitely think of this. It's a smaller dealer on parramatta road in the inner west, and they didn't seem like a well organised place, but eh they had the car I wanted and I had agreed to.

  • Alexander420 on 07/05/2022 - 20:28
    +1

    OP, I don't know what is your situations at the moment but judging you bought a car from dealer meant you probably have more money than people trying to buy from private seller when they expected for cheaper price. It is not worth the hassle, stress or even your time to write this to whinge. Yes you could throw a fuss to dealer and ask them to pay for it or the cheapest way to do it is

    PAY the toll ($4.40) and Admin fee $1.10 by paying with your old e-tag or call them and sign up so that way they will bill to your new e-tag and save yourself $8.90!

    • midlake on 07/05/2022 - 21:05

      Thanks so much for this, I didn't even realise that was an option!!

  • randomusername2017 on 07/05/2022 - 20:38

    Where's the infringement?¿

  • Euphemistic on 07/05/2022 - 20:39
    +1

    Note to self: Nominate the day after pickup for transfer of ownership when buying.

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