This particular PCN was a
windscreen ticket, issued directly on my car.
All previous PCNs Tesla paid were postal notices, which I never received before Tesla paid them. Tesla has a pattern of paying PCNs without giving me the opportunity to view the evidence or appeal.
Earlier this year, I raised a complaint and Tesla upheld that, cancelling all previous PCNs and promising that future ones would be passed to me before payment.
However, as this is the windscreen one, Tesla did not uphold my complaint. They paid a new windscreen PCN without notifying me and I have still not received a copy of that PCN from either Tesla or the issuing authority.
While the complaint was being investigated, I received debt collection letters (four so far) and arrears emails from Tesla, even though the matter was supposed to be on hold.
Shall I reach out to Ombudsman as next step or just agree to pay PCN.
Email
From: [REDACTED EMAIL ADDRESS]
To: FinanceResolutionUK@tesla.com
Date: 14 October 2025 at 14:17
Subject: RE: Formal Escalation – Repeated Unauthorised PCN Payments (Vehicle: [REDACTED], VIN: [REDACTED]) [refid:CI016EAD54]
Dear [REDACTED],
Final response to your complaint
The purpose of this email is to confirm the outcome of our investigation into your complaint. Thank you for your patience while we investigated it.
To summarise, we do not accept your complaint. We will explain in this email the reasons for this. We appreciate that this will not be the answer you wanted and want to assure you that we have carried out a full investigation into your complaint. The next steps open to you are outlined below.
The facts that led to your complaint were as follows:
You raised concerns regarding two vehicle citations that were raised against your account. Tesla Financial Services ('TFS') responded confirming that they were satisfied with waiving the costs of the £40 vehicle citation and £10 administration fee. However, TFS declined your request to reimburse the cost of the £110 as this was received as a Notice to Owner.
Having considered all the facts, we are rejecting your complaint for the following reasons.
As previously discussed, TFS is happy to waive the £40 fine and £10 administration fee for one of the penalties. However, upon clarification from the issuing authority, we've confirmed that the other fine was properly served by a civil enforcement officer, providing you with timely notice. Since payment was not received, the issuing authority has instructed us as the legal owner of the vehicle to settle it, and we've accordingly charged your account. Therefore, we believe the cost here is required.
Next steps
We recognise that you will be disappointed we are not upholding your complaint.
If you remain dissatisfied with the resolution of your complaint you may now, and for six months from the date of this final response, refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Their details are available on our website and from their website at
www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk. The Financial Ombudsman Service’s standard leaflet, detailing their approach to complaints, is available here.
Please note that if you wish to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, you must do so within six months of the date of this email. If you do not refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman will not have our permission to consider your complaint and so will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances. For example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of exceptional circumstances.
We are sorry that we are unable to help you any further.
Yours sincerely,
Sunny
For and on behalf of
Tesla Financial Services Limited
From: FinanceResolutionUK@tesla.com
To: [REDACTED EMAIL ADDRESS]
Date: 11 September 2025, 13:17
Subject: RE: Formal Escalation – Repeated Unauthorised PCN Payments (Vehicle: [REDACTED], VIN: [REDACTED]) [refid:CI016EAD54]
Dear [REDACTED],
Complaint acknowledgment
The purpose of this email is to acknowledge your complaint and let you know that we are looking into it.
We received your complaint on 19/08/25 and will do our best to send you a final response within eight weeks of that date. If we need more time, we will let you know.
We may need to ask for further information from you. If we do, we will contact you on the details you gave us when you sent us your complaint. Please let us know if there is a better way to get in touch.
For background, you should be aware that the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, our regulator, give us a process for dealing with complaints. Our complaints handling process is detailed on our website at
https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/finance-agreement-issues.
If you have any queries in the interim please do not hesitate to contact us on the details in this email.
Yours sincerely,
Sunny
Tesla Financial Services Limited
185 Ashton New Road, Manchester, M11 3DX, United Kingdom
From: [REDACTED EMAIL ADDRESS]
To: FinanceResolutionUK@tesla.com
Date: 3 September 2025, 00:58
Subject: RE: Formal Escalation – Repeated Unauthorised PCN Payments (Vehicle: [REDACTED], VIN: [REDACTED]) [refid:CI016EAD54]
Dear Sunny,
Thank you for your response.
Please note that your reply does not resolve my complaint. Once again, Tesla has charged my finance account without providing me with the actual PCN, thereby denying me the right to appeal. Referring me to the issuing authority at this stage is not sufficient, as by the time I was notified the appeal window had already expired.
To reiterate:
I have never received a copy of the £110 PCN from Tesla or the issuing authority. Please provide me with a full copy of the original notice, photographs, and correspondence immediately.
Tesla previously upheld my complaint in April 2025, refunded the charges, and confirmed corrective measures would be implemented. This has not happened, making this a repeat process failure.
The lease agreement does not authorise Tesla to pay charges without my consent, nor to deny me the opportunity to challenge them.
Any administration fees arising from this process failure remain invalid.
My position remains as follows:
Cancel the £110 charge and any associated administration fees, as I was denied the legal right to appeal.
Confirm, in writing, that no further PCNs will be paid without prior notification and opportunity to appeal.
Provide details of what corrective actions Tesla has now implemented to ensure compliance.
Acknowledge this as a repeat breach following Tesla’s upheld complaint in April 2025.
Provide compensation for the inconvenience and financial stress caused.
Unless I receive a satisfactory resolution within 14 days, I will escalate this complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, as Tesla’s handling of PCNs continues to be unfair and non-compliant with FCA complaint-handling standards.
I expect your full written response within the required timeframe.
Yours sincerely,
[REDACTED]
From: FinanceResolutionUK@tesla.com
To: [REDACTED EMAIL ADDRESS]
Date: 2 September 2025, 14:13
Subject: RE: Formal Escalation – Repeated Unauthorised PCN Payments (Vehicle: [REDACTED], VIN: [REDACTED]) [refid:CI016EAD54]
Dear [REDACTED],
Thank you for your email.
Please note two citations have been applied against your account which can be seen below:
[REDACTED] AO05926222
08/07/2025 17:59 NTO
London Borough of Ealing £110.00
[REDACTED] HF14723967
29/06/2025 13:27 Parking Charge Notice
APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd £40.00
We understand there was a delay in providing you with the fines in question. Therefore, we are willing to waive the cost of the £40 fine and £10 admin fee for one of the fines above. However, we believe a civil enforcement officer had provided sufficient notice for you to pay the fine that totals £110. Therefore, we recommend liaising with the relevant issuing authority with the details above regarding this fine, if you think it should be appealed.
Kind regards,
Sunny
Tesla Financial Services
From: [REDACTED EMAIL ADDRESS]
To: FinanceResolutionUK@tesla.com
Date: 19 August 2025, 19:42
Subject: Formal Escalation – Repeated Unauthorised PCN Payments (Vehicle: [REDACTED], VIN: [REDACTED])
Dear Tesla Customer Support,
I am writing to formally escalate my complaint, as the exact issue I previously raised has occurred again despite Tesla’s prior acknowledgment and assurances that corrective measures would be taken.
Back in March 2025, I submitted a formal complaint regarding Tesla’s unauthorised payment of a parking charge on my behalf without prior notification or consent. Tesla upheld my complaint in April 2025, refunded the charge, and confirmed that I had not been given the opportunity to appeal. Tesla also assured me that corrective actions would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.
I am extremely disappointed to now find myself in the same position, with Tesla once again paying a PCN without providing me with any prior notification, copy of the notice or opportunity to appeal. Despite contacting Tesla on 17 July 2025 to request details of the charge, I have received no response and have since received yet another citation fee.
Grounds for ComplaintBreach of Lease Agreement: Clause 3.8 makes me financially responsible for such charges, but it does not authorise Tesla to pay them without my consent.
Failure to Notify or Provide Opportunity to Appeal: As before, I was not informed, not provided with the notice, and denied the chance to appeal.
Failure to Transfer Liability: Tesla has again failed to follow industry practice of nominating the hirer, thereby preventing me from exercising my legal rights.
Repeat Process Failure Despite Prior Admission of Fault: Tesla’s final response dated 9 April 2025 upheld my original complaint and promised corrective action. This has not been honoured.
Application of Administration Fees: These are invalid, as they arise directly from Tesla’s own breaches.
Unjustified Arrears Communications: I am now receiving arrears letters relating to charges I never authorised.
Breach of Consumer Rights Act 2015: Tesla’s repeated failures constitute a breach of Section 50, requiring services to be delivered as described in the contract.
Resolution SoughtTo resolve this matter, I require Tesla to:
Immediately cancel the unauthorised PCN payment and associated administration fees.
Cease all arrears and debt collection communications relating to this matter.
Provide written confirmation that no future PCNs will be paid on my behalf without prior notification and an opportunity to appeal.
Confirm what corrective steps have now been implemented to prevent recurrence.
Acknowledge this as a repeat failure after Tesla previously upheld my complaint.
Provide appropriate compensation for the inconvenience, stress, and financial impact caused by Tesla’s repeated breaches.
Next StepsI request your full written response within 14 days.
If this issue is not resolved to my satisfaction, I will escalate it to the Financial Ombudsman Service and consider further regulatory and legal avenues.
Yours faithfully,
[REDACTED NAME]
[REDACTED EMAIL]
Vehicle Registration: [REDACTED]
VIN: [REDACTED]
The lease T&Cs are below:1.1 We are hiring and you are taking on hire, for the hire period which commences on the date you take delivery of the Vehicle (including each item of equipment and all renewals and replacements of the Vehicle, and additions to it) on these Terms and on the terms on the front page of this Agreement
1.2 We will own the Vehicle and will retain ownership of it even though you are in possession of it.
1.3 At the end of the hire period, you will return the Vehicle to us on the following conditions, and you must:
1.3.1 have paid all sums due under this Agreement, including any Excess Mileage Charges.
1.3.2 either return the Vehicle to the address specified by us, or arrange for it to be collected from you, on or before the end of the hire period; and
1.3.3 return the Vehicle in good and serviceable repair, as set out in clause 3.2.
1.4 Upon the return of the Vehicle, we will:
1.4.1 assess the condition of the Vehicle and, if it is not in good and serviceable repair, inform you of our reasonable estimate of the costs necessary to return it to that condition and we may then invoice you for those costs.
1.4.2 compare the recorded mileage of the Vehicle with the contract mileage and advise you of any payable Excess Mileage Charges shown overleaf.
1.4.3 if we have collected the Vehicle from you, we will advise you of the costs incurred in collecting it and you may be liable for these costs.
1.5 Your obligations under the Agreement will remain outstanding until all sums owed to us have been paid.
2. Rentals2.1 You will pay the Rentals, including any VAT or other similar tax which is payable at the times shown on the front page of this Agreement.
2.2 You will pay the Advance Payment shown on the front page of this Agreement on or before the date that the Initial Rental is due.
2.3 Payment of all amounts payable under this Agreement on the due dates (specified on the front page of this Agreement) is an essential term of this Agreement. All Rentals must be made by Direct Debit from a bank or building society account and you must complete a Direct Debit instruction authorising your bank or building society to accept debits from us for varying amounts to enable the Rentals to be paid.
2.4 If you have a pending invoice and you make a Repayment that is more than the Monthly Payment amount stated in the Agreement and the amount of the pending invoice, any excess amount paid will be automatically applied to your next Repayment.
2.5 We shall not refund you any overpaid sums back unless exceptional circumstances apply.
2.6 we reserve the right to refuse to act upon an instruction to refund overpayments and may defer acting thereon or seek further information with respect to your payment instruction.
2.7 You shall notify us of the wish to receive a refund of any payments made in excess of a Repayment before the date of your next billing period, failing which we shall not return the funds unless exceptional circumstances apply.
2.8 Any refunds shall be returned back to the original bank account or card from which the payment was originally made.
2.9 Punctual payment is essential, and you shall be deemed to have repudiated this Agreement if you fail to pay any sum specified in a notice of default served on you in compliance with the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
2.10 Any interest payable on amounts of unpaid Rentals under this Agreement will be payable before and after any judgment made against you at the rate of 4.9%. We will not charge interest on top of the interest which is applied to any amount of unpaid Rentals.
3. Your ObligationsYou Shall:
3.1 keep the Vehicle at all times in your possession or control and on demand inform us of the whereabouts of the Vehicle.
3.2 at your own expense keep and maintain the Vehicle in good and serviceable repair and condition. Good and serviceable repair means good condition excluding any fair wear and tear as defined by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association from time to time;
3.3 ensure that, where applicable, the Vehicle has a valid Ministry of Transport (MOT) test certificate;
3.4 use the Vehicle wholly or mainly for private purpose and not in the course of a business;
3.5 be absolutely responsible for any loss, damage, depreciation as a result of such damage, theft or destruction of the Vehicle or any part thereof;
3.6 permit us or our agents at all reasonable times to inspect and test the condition of the Vehicle;
3.7 not sell, pledge, charge, assign, sub-let, hire, allow a lien to be created or otherwise dispose of the Vehicle;
3.8 promptly pay all fees, duties, charges, fines, taxes, and other outgoings payable in respect of the Vehicle and your use of it. For the avoidance of doubt, this includes speeding fines and parking tickets;
3.9 pay to us on demand all expenses and costs incurred by us as a direct result of your failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement. This includes costs and expenses arising where we enforce our rights under this Agreement, including those set out at 7.3 below; and
3.10 you will reimburse us for all loss, costs and expenses incurred by us as a result of your failure to comply with your obligations under clause 3.2 above and which arise out of a third-party claim.
3.11 not leave the country in possession of your Vehicle for a period of more than 30 consecutive days without requesting consent from us and receiving that consent in writing.
4. Insurance4.1 Once you are in possession of the Vehicle you will be responsible for any loss of or damage to the Vehicle which subsequently occurs, except where this is caused by a defect in the Vehicle.
4.2 You shall at your expense effect and maintain a comprehensive insurance policy with a reputable insurer to cover the Vehicle for its full replacement value and such insurance shall cover such risks as are usually covered for the types of use for which the Vehicle is being used and such further risks as we reasonably require. You shall notify the insurers of our interest in the Vehicle and produce to us on demand, evidence of such insurance and the payment of premiums. You shall maintain that insurance policy for as long as this Agreement remains in force.
4.3 If there is any shortfall between the amount we recover from the Insurers and the loss, cost and/or expense we incur then you shall pay the amount of the shortfall to us upon demand.
5. Late Payment and Default Charges5.1 You shall pay to us interest on any overdue Rentals or other sums due to us from their due date until the date of payment at the Interest Rate shown at 2.7 above, such interest to accrue from day to day.
5.2 Any interest payable under this Agreement will be payable after, as well as before, any judgment made against you.
5.3 We will not charge interest on any default sums until the 29th day after we notify you that they are payable. We will not charge interest on the interest which is applied to default sums.
5.4 We may contact you via SMS, email, post, or any other contact details which you have supplied us in case of default.
5.5 We may prevent you from accessing additional services offered by Tesla in respect of the Vehicle, such as Supercharging or warranty related work, until you have cleared your arrears in case of serious default. We may also access the Vehicle’s location in the event that you are in default, and we terminate the Agreement.
5.6 You shall reimburse us for our loss, costs and/or expenses that we incur as a direct consequence of your failure to fulfil your obligations under this Agreement including where we enforce this Agreement against you and/or for an event as described in clause 5.7
Our current default charges are set out below and we may vary or add to the charges by notice to you to reflect changes in our overhead costs or direct costs we are required to pay to others, to take account of inflation or regulatory requirement changes. The specific charges which we may make are:
Late payment charge: £12
Unpaid cheque/direct debit: £12
Administration fee £10
6. Return of the VehicleUpon the expiration or termination of this Agreement pursuant to clause 6 you shall either return the Vehicle (including all keys, remote devices and alarm/immobilisation codes) to a location determined by us, or make it available for collection by us (in which case you will be responsible for our collection costs) and return to us all licence certificates and other documents relating to the Vehicle (including the V5C Registration Document and MOT certificate). The Vehicle including any goods and/or personal belongings in and/or on the Vehicle must be returned in good repair and condition.
7. Termination by usIf any of the following events occur:
7.1 if you fail to pay any Rental or other sum due under the Agreement on the due date, or otherwise shall be in breach of your obligations under this Agreement; or
7.2 if any of the information given by you when applying for this Agreement is materially false; or
7.3 if you become bankrupt or are unable to pay your debts or if an interim order in bankruptcy is presented or made, or you become apparently insolvent; or
7.4 serious default which shall amount to a termination of the Agreement by us and may result in the collection of the Vehicle; or
7.5 you die; or
7.6 if a proposal for a voluntary arrangement relating to you is presented or made; or
7.7 you are convicted of an offence involving dishonesty or any other offence deemed prejudicial to us; or
7.8 where you breach a term of this Agreement which can be remedied, and you do not remedy the breach within the period specified in a default or similar notice that we serve on you.
7.8.1 then we may, on or after the date specified in any notice served in compliance with the Consumer Credit Act 1974, terminate this Agreement, upon which you shall no longer be in possession of the Vehicle with our consent, and we shall be entitled to retake possession of the Vehicle and take steps to enforce this Agreement against you.
8. Payment by customer on terminationIf this Agreement shall terminate by reason of your repudiation, accepted by us, or if we end this Agreement under Clause 7 above, you shall pay to us promptly on our demand:
8.1 all arrears of Rentals (apportioned as necessary), interest and other sums due to us at the date of termination.
8.2 the cost of all repairs required to put the Vehicle into good serviceable repair and condition.
8.3 all reasonable costs incurred by us in repossessing, storing, insuring, and selling the Vehicle including any litigation costs and charges and delivering it to a buyer, and in collecting outstanding payments from you. Where we are required to instruct a debt collection agent, we may seek to recover the cost of instructing the debt collection agency from you.
8.4 damages for any breach of this Agreement committed by you prior to termination; and
8.5 as compensation and/or liquidated damages for your failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, the total of the outstanding rentals under the Agreement, less (a) the net proceeds of the sale of the Vehicle, that is after deducting the costs and expenses (including VAT) of tracing, repossession, insurance and sale and (b) a discount of 4% per annum on Rentals paid before the date on which they were originally due.
9. Exclusion of our Liability9.1 We exclude liability for any loss you suffer as result of any delay in delivery of the Vehicle. The delivery to you is our best estimate only. We will notify you of delivery within 2 days of the delivery date. You must inspect the Vehicle on delivery and ensure it is of satisfactory quality before accepting it.
9.2 Except to the extent set out in applicable law, we are not liable for any loss you may incur arising out of this Agreement. This exclusion of liability is explained to you under the exclusions and limitations of the Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty or the Tesla Used & Extended Used Vehicle Limited Warranty. Your sole and exclusive remedy under this Agreement will be limited to reimbursement of your Order Fee. This limitation of liability clause shall not apply in cases of wilful misconduct, wilful deception, or gross negligence on our part or in cases of death or personal injury.
10. Cancellation10.1 Once you have signed this Agreement, you have a right to cancel it for any reason before the end of the cancellation period. The cancellation period begins on the day the Agreement is entered into and ends 14 days after the day the Agreement is entered into.
10.2 You may cancel this Agreement within the cancellation period stated in clause 10.1 by giving notice to our Financial Services Team using one of the following methods:
10.2.1 emailing TFSSupport@tesla.com
; or
10.2.2 sending the form provided by post to 185 Ashton New Rd, Manchester, M11 3DX;
10.2.3 calling us and leaving us a voicemail on 01628 244000.
10.3 If you take delivery prior to the expiry of the 14-day cancellation period, by taking delivery of the Vehicle you expressly consent to commence the hire of the Vehicle before the end of the cancellation period.
10.4 If you cancel this Agreement, you must pay us Rental payments pro-rated from the day these first became payable under this Agreement until the day the Vehicle is returned to us. You must pay us without delay and, in any event, no later than 30 days after giving notice of cancellation. You can pay us by direct credit or bank transfer to the account that we confirm with you.
10.5 If you have paid any amounts in excess of the pro-rated Rental payments due, we shall return any surplus to you.
10.6 You are required to return the Vehicle to us in satisfactory and saleable condition.
10.7 We may make a deduction from monies due to be returned to you for loss in value of the Vehicle supplied if the loss is the result of unsatisfactory handling by you.
10.8 We may charge you our reasonable costs incurred for the return and/or collection of the Vehicle.
11. Vehicle Warranty11.1 The only warranties on the Vehicle are the Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty (which is separate from this lease and states any coverage limits) and a warranty that the vehicle conforms to the description in this Agreement. These warranties are provided to us by the Vehicle’s manufacturer, and we assign our rights under these warranties to you during the term of this Agreement. You agree to have received, read, and understood the Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty or the Tesla Used & Extended Used Vehicle Limited Warranty, as applicable, from our website.
12. General12.1 We shall be entitled to assign or transfer all or any of our rights and/or duties under this agreement at any time to another person without your consent and without giving you prior notice. This will not affect or reduce any rights or protections you may have under this Agreement. You shall not be entitled to assign or transfer any of your rights and duties under this Agreement.
12.2 We may communicate with you by phone, email, post, or SMS using the contact details you have provided us with. If you change your email address, then immediately you must give notice of your new email address.
12.3 Any notice, demand, or statement to be given to you shall be validly given if delivered, sent by email, or sent by post to or left at your address as stated in this Agreement or at your present or last-known address. Any notice will be effective 72 hours after posting if sent by prepaid letter post, at the time of delivery if delivered by hand and in the case of email.
12.4 Except as otherwise agreed or as required by applicable law, rule, or regulation, we may share your personal information with certain of our service providers and/or group companies so that they may process and service your account as required. Further, we do not disclose personal information to non-affiliated third parties, except as required by law or as permitted by law.
12.5 Our Privacy Policy; Payment Terms for Services; Supercharger Fair Use Policy; and Return Policy are each incorporated into this Agreement and can be viewed at
www.tesla.com/en_GB/about/legal, and the Return Policy, which can be viewed at
www.tesla.com/en_GB/support?Tesla-return-policy.
12.6 More information about the types of products and services we offer, and any financial assistance available can be viewed on the FAQs on our website.
12.7 You agree to have received and read the Owner’s Manual from the manufacturer’s website for your Vehicle, as applicable. The Owner’s Manual is also accessible via your Vehicle’s touchscreen. The Owner’s Manual explains the operation of your Vehicle including applicable options, features, and hardware. The Owner’s Manual may be updated and revised as new features for your Vehicle are introduced by the manufacturer.
12.8 If any provision or part of this Agreement is found to be legally invalid or unenforceable, this shall not affect the remaining provisions which shall remain in full force and effect.
12.9 No relaxation of the terms of this Agreement or indulgence extended to you shall prejudice or act as a waiver of our strict rights.
12.10 We can make reasonable and appropriate changes to this Agreement whilst it is in force, including to reflect changes in law, regulation, industry guidance, or a decision of the Financial Ombudsman Service. We may also make changes if it becomes impossible or impracticable, in our opinion, to carry out any of the terms of this Agreement as a result of a change in the law or regulation or circumstances beyond our control or if any changes are not to your detriment, including to correct any errors or inaccuracies. Where we do make such changes, we will notify you by email. Minor changes or changes not to your detriment will not require notification.
12.11 This Agreement will be governed by the law of England and Wales unless you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in which case this Agreement will be governed by the laws of Scotland or Northern Ireland respectively; any court case will be heard in the country where you are domiciled in the UK, being England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
12.12 Our complaint handling process is available at:
https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/support/finance-agreement-issues12.13 If you have a complaint about this Agreement which you are unable to resolve with us then you have a right to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service unless you enter into this Agreement in the course of your business (when you may have a right to do so) by writing to them at Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange, London, E14 9SR, or via
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
12.14 We are authorised and supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), 12 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN. Our FCA registration number is 697480 and our company registration number is 09533203.
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. However, Tesla’s unilateral payment prevented me from appealing the charge, and they are going to deduct the amount from my bank account. There is no clear provision in the lease agreement giving them the authority to make such payments automatically without first informing me.