Over the past few months VACC Licensed Motor Car Trader (LMCT) members have experienced instances where the Victorian Sheriff’s Office has attended their dealership with an order to collect fees or start seizing property for unpaid infringements, usually connected with traffic, parking and toll infringements.
About the fines
Some of the unpaid fine totals have been for exorbitant amounts, such as $61,000, $28,000 and $12,000.
Many of those infringements have been generated unbeknown to the dealer.
Many of these infringements could have been the result of cloned or stolen number plates. Many may be legitimate fines that for some reason have spiralled out of control at the dealership. Irrespective, in each case the dealers were not aware of the outstanding total of infringements that had been allocated to their dealerships until the Sherriff turned up.
What you should do as a matter of urgency.
VACC urges all LMCTs to review their internal traffic infringement system. You should ensure that all administrative staff who handle your infringement allocations are able to process these infringements expeditiously and that there is not a backlog of infringements accruing late fees and falling out the period where a driver can be nominated.
How can Fines Victoria assist you?
Fines Victoria have a Partner Engagement Officer who specifically looks after partner matters.
The email address for escalated issues/requests for assistance/complaints regarding fines/warrants is:
FESCustomerAndPartnerCare@justice.vic.gov.au
What should you be asking Fines Victoria as a matter of urgency?
You should be referring to the Fines Victoria link Your Fines Login to verify any outstanding fines your dealership may have. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is to check a current infringement using an outstanding Infringements Obligation Number.
Ask for details of your fines.
Further, it would be prudent if you requested a Debtor Summary Report from Fines Victoria that will allow for you to reconcile your infringements and prevent instances of where the Sherriff arrives to seize goods or commence expensive court action against your dealership.
What has VACC been doing to alleviate the situation for dealers?
The VACC CEO and a delegation of dealers from the Victorian Automotive Dealers Association (VADA) has met in a formal capacity with senior bureaucrats from Fines Victoria and Victoria Police.
The VADA members were able to highlight to Fines Victoria and Victoria Police of the expense and red tape expended by dealers to nominate a third-party driver. The VADA members also explained in detail how the issue of cloned plates leads to much expense and frustration for LMCTs.
It was highlighted that many dealers have fleets of over 400 vehicles and that in this regards LMCTs should have access to longer lead in times for nomination and advance warning of fines via email.
Fines Victoria and Victoria Police have agreed to work with VADA in development of better systems that may help LMCTs in their nomination of drivers for infringements.
In the meantime, VACC urges dealer principals to be well informed as to where their dealerships currently stand with regards to Fines Victoria infringements.
Don’t leave it until it is too late.