Free Traffic Legal Advice

I visited Glasgow a few weeks back and rented a car for the day. While driving through the town centre, I had to make a quick decision on a junction. I decided to return to check if I had made a mistake worried I'd be sent a PCN months later at an inflated price. A long time ago that is what happened to me with the rental company dragging their heels, paying and then passing on the bill to me. A day later I called Glasgow council to check if any tickets had been issued to the rental. Of course I only had the reg as a reference. The lady affirmed that there was a ticket, and I went ahead and paid worried that it would escalate with the rental company. Anyway, a called back shortly after to just confirm that everything was paid up and the balance cleared, the agent mentioned that it had but the date quoted was well before the date I had rented the car. I have since requested a refund but they do not seem keen and at the point of writing, have ignored my last email which was sent to them 3 weeks ago.

Please see email correspondence linked below:

28 Oct 2025

Dear Glasgow Parking Services,

I telephoned your office today on 0141 287 4040 to check whether any penalty charges had been issued against vehicle registration WR25 ZKX for the period 12:00 on 26/10/25 to 20:00 on 27/10/25.

During the call, I was advised that there was one penalty charge for driving in a bus lane (£50). I asked if I could pay it immediately to prevent escalation, and I was transferred to the automated payment line where I made payment with the following details:

Authorisation code: 666052

Reference: xxxxx

After payment, I requested to be transferred back in order to confirm whether there were any additional penalties. I was then informed that there was "just the one dated 20th October." However, I could not confirm whether this meant:

The payment I made was for the penalty dated 20th October, or

There remains an additional outstanding penalty from that date.

Due to the poor line quality, I was unable to obtain clarity and therefore decided to follow up by email.

For the avoidance of doubt, I was only responsible for this vehicle between 12:00 on 26/10/25 and 20:00 on 27/10/25. I am only seeking to clear penalties arising during that timeframe. If the payment I have made relates to a penalty issued outside of this period, I kindly request that it be refunded.

I would be grateful if you could please confirm:

Whether any penalties remain outstanding for the period stated above.

That the payment I made has been correctly applied to the relevant charge.

Thank you for your assistance, and I look forward to your reply.

Kind regards,

------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email which has been received by Glasgow City Council.  In order to address your correspondence; please ensure you have provided your full name, postal address and relevant reference number/vehicle registration mark where necessary. As your response may be returned by email, please ensure that you check your spam folder regularly for legitimate emails. Please allow 20 working days for a response, there is no need to contact us during this period as your appeal will be placed on hold.

If you wish to appeal a Penalty Charge Notice or Bus Lane Charge Notice, please visit www.glasgow.gov.uk

Payments can be made online at www.glasgow.gov.uk or by calling 0141 287 3800.

Yours sincerely
Glasgow City Council

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Wed, Oct 29, 11:56 AM

Dear Mr X

Thank you for your email received by Glasgow City Council. Upon checking our system vehicle registration is invalid. To allow us to proceed further please ensure you have given us the correct details.

Your Sincerely

CBS Parking Support
Glasgow City Council

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Thu, Oct 30, 2:25 PM

Please see attached photo of the registration plate. It is for this vehicle that I called in to query.

What exactly is showing as incorrect on your end please?

--------------------------------------------------------------------


Mon, Nov 3, 7:50 PM

Can someone please provide an update re my above correspondence.

Kind regards

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Wed, Nov 5, 4:01 PM

Dear Sir/Madam

We kindly ask you open the attachment sent to you in this email as it contains information about your parking or bus lane contravention.

The attachment can only be viewed using Adobe Reader. This software is available free of charge from the Adobe Website http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/

Please do not reply to this email as it is sent from an automated mailbox that cannot accept replies.

Regards
Glasgow City Council

ATTACHED LETTER:

Our Ref WR25ZKX/MCR 05/11/2025

Dear Mr X,
Vehicle Registration: WR25ZKX

I refer to your correspondence in connection with the above Charge Notice.

Whilst I note your comments, due to the constraints of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), I can only discuss this vehicle with the registered keeper of the vehicle at the time the contravention occurred.

I am unable to discuss any details or Notices that may or
may not have been issued to this vehicle with anyone other than the registered keeper.

As this Notice was paid prior to any registered keeper details being supplied by DVLA Swansea, I cannot confirm you are the registered keeper of the vehicle. As you state you are only responsible for the vehicle for a period of hours between 26/10/2025 and 27/10/2025, it is very unlikely you are the
registered keeper of this vehicle.

I regret that I am unable to assist you, nor enter into further correspondence regarding this matter.

I would suggest you contact the registered keeper of this vehicle if you have any other queries regarding this vehicle. We will be able to discuss the matter with the registered keeper if they are able to prove
they are the registered keeper of the vehicle.

I trust this information is of assistance.

Yours sincerely

Glasgow City Council

------------------------------------------------------------------

Wed, Nov 5, 4:12 PM
to noreplycitizenparking

Thank you for your response.

To clarify, I am not the registered keeper of the vehicle referenced. The payment you have taken was made in error from my bank account, and I am able to verify my identity and the account from which the payment was taken. The vehicle details were provided solely to assist you in locating the transaction.

I do not require any information regarding the vehicle or the penalty itself. I am requesting that you refund the payment that was incorrectly taken from my account.

Please confirm when the refund will be processed.

Kind regards,

This is an administrative dispute - you don't have any standing to revisit the PCN. All you can do is escalate it with the council in some way but you should have checked the PCN date/location before paying - did you ask?

I told them that I had rented a vehicle for the day and felt I may have incurred a PCN, I provided the reg and asked if they could check. She said there was and so I asked to pay it.

Why do you want a refund from GCC, you just want a refund?

According to you, you paid a penalty charge in respect of a PCN which had been issued to the registered keeper. Neither we nor you know who this was because often hire companies lease vehicles which means the lessor would be a finance company or similar. But who knows in your case, you need to find out.

But what you do know is that it was paid by you.

I would go back to the hire company and find out what's what. I would keep the matter lighthearted, don't go in all guns blazing. Just find out who to contact and then write and explain, after all they're the ones you've paid for, haven't you.

I guess you could explore a chargeback, but the easiest option might be to just ask Hertz as suggested previously? They might have paid it anyway and then passed it on to the hirer at the time, so they can still pass it onto the hirer, and repay you.

A chargeback would likely cost the council, unsure if they'd get irate at that and come after you for fees...

Surely when you pay someone in error, and the receiver acknowledges it is an error, there is grounds to claim the money back?

You paid an outstanding PCN. Why is this GCC's fault? *

And of course it's Hertz's issue, not necessarily as the owner but perhaps as lessee, but if you want to butt your head against GCC, then do so. My previous advice stands.

I didn't authorise money to be taken by GCC for anything other than a PCN incurred during the time I was responsible for the car.

I'm struggling to understand your logic that it is Hertz issue. Had a PCN on one of their cars been incurred and not paid for, yes it would have been their issue. They would have chased the customer for the cost. In my case That process was bypassed and GCC took a payment from me for someone elses ticket, which is something I didn't authorise them to do. Also, i wonder why their process allows someone to pay for a ticket that the caller can not verify. Had they asked me the date, time, PCn number, location, I'd not have had an answer for them, yet they took a payment. I've not seen a council website payment system that would have allowed it, theirs included.

No other PCN has been mentioned as far as I can see - seems the OP just paid for one that was not on that day.

We don't even know if the bus lane PCN had yet been sent to Hertz but probably was.

With respect, IMO you're losing focus.

'Why is it Hertz's problem?'

Because: 'There remains an additional outstanding penalty from that date.'

And it's likely to have your name on it, so to speak.

So you need to speak to Hertz.

As regards the council, let's think through what you've asked. If you got a refund, there's still the PCN for which you are responsible. So, are you really asking for a refund or that the payment you made be applied to PCN 'your hire', instead of PCN 'not your hire'.

And if this happened, Hertz would still have a PCN demanding payment of the penalty, but you'd have paid it. And if they were to simply pay again and charge you then all sorts of admin. chaos would follow.

And there's the issue of what happened to the PCN which currently you've paid, this is in someone's hands, but whose and what's happening to it?

Hertz/the registered keeper would know.

Hiya,

I did call Hertz a few weeks back to ask if any tickets had been issued to the vehicle while I had it, they said no. They said had one been generated that they would have received it by then, but if one does still come through, the assured me that they wouldn't let it escalate in costs.