ok one pays the fine and then on the say so of two french drivers you go to the cop shop and they give you your money back with out even going to court,what a way to police a country,sorry hard to take.
He isn’t going to the police station on the say so of two French drivers. They, along with their company, got a solicitor involved who took up the matter with the police. They have decided the fine was wrongly imposed and have said he can have the money refunded.
I for one can’t see a problem anymore. An injustice was done, a complaint was made, the police admitted they were at fault and the driver has the fine waived and the money refunded. Seems fair enough to me.
That sustem is pretty standard practice in many European countries were you pay a fine at the time which is in effect a deposit and it is quite possible to get it back if you go through the right channels.
Many years ago I was nicked in Germany and paid a fine at the time. A few weeks later I received a letter from the police saying the matter had been looked into and I had been fined too much and they refunded the difference. I presented the letter to an office at the Aachen Sud border and was refunded in cash. 
Did my first proper continental trip in 1979 (been on day trips with truck to france, off ferry tip reload back to dover) went to Spain on TIR, got to the between Bordaux and Irun, parked up Thursday night, got up in morning drove 10 mins, got pulled (they had seen me parked & waited) fined 600f, driving on a holiday (Friday) was totaly oblivious of this stupid law, but they took me to a village nearby and they were the most friendy police I have ever encounterd. had a great weekend, boss was a bit annoyed off though.
The only friendly ones Ive met in 20 odd years on the continent.
So it seems the french gendarmes are up to their old tricks again…just like the diesel bribes we had to pay after coming off the ferry…my old boss disputed this once…only to find the truth when he came with me for a trip…wouldnt pay and got fined for having too much diesel in the tank…those were the days when it was cheaper in the u.k…
reminds me of breaking down in yugoslavia…just before the peage…got parked nice and tidy on the hard shoulder…gear selector fork broke…after 2 hours waiting for spare part…police came over…asked me to move…truck was scania 141 left ■■■■■■…so i told him i couldnt move…he insisted…and pulled a gun on me…i started the old girl up…put it in gear…lifted foot off of the clutch fully…and showed him the truck aint going no where…so he gave me a parking ticket instead…what brains our european partners…used to make me laugh that we westerners built them a new motorway across the country…and then they charged us foreigners to use it…plus taxes…
have a nice day
Isn’t the term “martinet” French??
Coffeeholic:
Many years ago I was nicked in Germany and paid a fine at the time. A few weeks later I received a letter from the police saying the matter had been looked into and I had been fined too much and they refunded the difference. I presented the letter to an office at the Aachen Sud border and was refunded in cash.
Ere Coffee, the German copper didn’t keep the letter did he? You could have copied it and sucked them dry 
I can’t remember what happened to the letter Alli, it was about 10 years, or more ago. I know I couldn’t have used it more than once, even if I had wanted to, as it had case reference numbers etc on it. They are pretty efficient when it comes to the old paperwork thing are the Germans.
truckyboy:
So it seems the french gendarmes are up to their old tricks again…just like the diesel bribes we had to pay after coming off the ferry
I can’t remember how many litres. Was it something stupid like 60 
If you filled up in France on your way out and your boss rang with a ‘turnaround’ you went back and had to pay for it again.
You only did that once! 
its not only the french, the italians used to try and do you for not having speed limit roundels in the mid 90’s, i was parked up one afternoon at susa because i would’nt pay, i just took a nine off and went through frejus in the early hours.
i think they just did it as a wind up cos they never took my paperwork away
we used to use bellytanks,i remember two of us got off the ship in calais,we headed for lille to go reims,we got a pull by the douane,they knew our trailers,we were fined 6000francs each for 1000lts in each tank,it was 6oc in the evening,we used to get our float in italy and had "nt much money between us let alone 12k francs,they brought us into dunquerk port and parked us up till the morning,the mistake they made was,they just measured the tanks,never dipped them to see what was in them,by coincidence at about midnight that night a guy arrived in whom i knew,he was tramping,usually waited for the supermarket to open in the morning to fuel up.he had two 600ltr and a150 ltr catwalk tank,at 1am we emptied my belly tank out into his truck,and away he went heading back to italy.next morning was a pantomime,the douane arrived,i explained to them,that i had spoke to my boss who told me there was no fuel in my tank,i asked them to check,they dipped it and found 50 ltrs,reduced my fine to 300francs,not before they lifted the drainage lids in the yard and checed around the waterside,my mate had to pay,he was a sensible type.went to bed early,me i would stay up to watch sun up,i paid in the ling run staying up that night,i dont be in france much nowadays except an odd trip in the car,but when i see the douanes,i cant help but to have a little titter about that night,its not often any of get a chance to con the french,i am holding my hand up.
Last week I did a job here in France the unit had tanks that could hold 1200Lt and they do international as well.Froggy
That’s not a problem froggy, international or domestic, mine hold 1180 litres and the authorities in any country don’t even bat an eye at that.
Vince:
It always helped me that I speak fluent French.Although the phrase “Voulez-vous un cafe?” is one that every British driver would do well to learn
Vince
been fined by the french at st omer 1991 1000 francs for not filling my permit in,usually you would, but use a pencil then after your trip rub it out and use it again.when i asked the condom if he wanted cafe he laughed ,then took my papers made me drop the trl ,bob tail into st omer find the customs inspect the drug smugglers impounded cars then cough up the full amount i dont remember knowing any one who got away with it.any one remember having to go into france with 200 litres in the tank i cant remember if it was 200 or 250 but the customs would take your 20 francs .crush ex dicky matthews on the wire most of 1990/91 