Fine Appeals
12.1 Fine Appeals
All fines, excluding those assumed for unreturned, damaged, lost or stolen equipment, after finalized and notified via a Fine Invoice email notification, may be appealed only within a 15-day period upon initial notification. Appeal requests initiated and submitted after the 15-day review period will not be accepted.
12.2 Conditions for Appeal
In order to submit a valid Fine Appeal Request for a Digital Media Services fine, all of the following conditions must be met:
- All equipment has been returned. All equipment items from the checkout, including accessories and cases, must be returned in full to the respective Equipment Loan service locations;
- An official Fine Invoice notification email has been received. A Digital Media Services full-time staff member has reviewed all information related to the specific checkout allocation and Fine Invoice notification has been received to a client’s Loyola University Chicago inbox with finalized fine values;
- The appeal is submitted using the Fine Appeal Request Form; and
- The balance is unpaid and within 15-day appeal window. The fine that is being appealed is currently unpaid and within 15 days of the initial Fine Invoice email notification.
If any of these conditions have not been met, the fine appeal submission will be rejected immediately identifying these required conditions for appeal.
12.3 Fine Appeal Form
Fine appeals must be submitted online and are not accepted via email, telephone or in-person. An appeal request does not guarantee that a client’s appeal will be granted or denied. All requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please be as detailed and thorough with your appeal – more information provides us more insight into understanding the specific events related to the appeal request.
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12.4 Review Committee Assessment of Appeal Request
The Review Committee, comprised of Media Production Specialist, will evaluate the appeal in consideration of the overall Equipment Loan Policies and information provided by the client submitting the appeal in order to determine the validity and accuracy of the assessed fine. Review the Commonly Declined Appeal Requests below for common reasons why appeals requests are not accepted.
Appeal Status Notifications
Clients will be notified of the status of their appeal via email within 72-hours, Monday through Friday.
- 12.4.1 Appeal Status Pending: Request for Supporting Documentation. During the review process, the Review Committee may request supporting documentation. This can include, for example, Dean of Student’s note, in order to validate dates impacting scheduled return times. If no follow-up occurs by the indicated deadline, the appeal may be granted in "Three Strikes" sequence, if available.
- 12.4.2 Appeal Accepted: Fine Value Waived. In the event an appeal request is accepted and the fine is removed in full, confirmation will be provided via email and, unless additional fine invoices are present and active or otherwise indicated, access to the loan program will resume for that client immediately.
- 12.4.3 Appeal Accepted: Fine Value Reduced. In the event an appeal request is accepted and the fine is reduced but a balance is still present, confirmation will be provided via email indicating the remaining balance and payment options. Payment will still need to be submitted within the same 15 day period from the initial notification of the Fine Invoice. Additional appeal requests related to the same Fine Invoice after an appeal decision has been made will not be accepted.
- 12.4.4 Appeal Declined. In the event an appeal request is declined, reason for the declination will be provided as well as the unmodified fine balance and payment options. Payment will still need to be submitted within the same 15 day period from the initial notification of the Fine Invoice. Additional appeal requests related to the same Fine Invoice after an appeal decision has been made will not be accepted.
12.5 Commonly Declined Appeal Requests
Fine appeals submitted based on the following criteria may be declined as clients agree to the terms and conditions of the Loan Program Policies by reserving and/or borrowing equipment:
- 12.5.1 The Fine Value Is Too High – All fine values are identified in the Loan Program Policies, and clients agree to the terms and conditions of these policies by reserving and/or borrowing equipment from the loan program. There is no maximum fine for overdue checkouts.
- 12.5.2 Unable to Return Equipment to Original Loan Location – Equipment that is returned after the scheduled due date and time will result in late fines pro-rated to the number of minutes each barcoded resource is overdue.
- 12.5.3 Unaware of Due Date, Time and Location – Clients are responsible to be aware of scheduled due date, time and return location information. By borrowing equipment, clients are indicating they are aware and responsible for the return of the equipment on or prior to the scheduled due date and time. Late fine values will accrue for the total number of minutes the equipment is past due.
- 12.5.4 Equipment Returned Late On-Behalf-Of Borrowing Client - Returns made on-behalf-of borrowing clients to the equipment is permissible, however it excludes the original client from all eligibility for fine appeal submissions associated to the specific checkout. Returns on-behalf-of clients may be beneficial to better ensure equipment is returned before it may be considered overdue and begin accruing late fines, however this similarly transfers potential risks of damage, missing components or late returns. Fines are not eligible for transfer between clients or users – payment however may be submitted on the behalf of another individual.
- 12.5.5 Equipment Was Not Reserved While My Loan Was Overdue – Regardless of whether reservations were made for the specific equipment overdue, the lack of availability of the equipment has an impact on other clients attempting to reserve or make a walk-in request for the equipment. Fines will not be waived due to the lack of, or presence of, reservations for the specific equipment.
- 12.5.6 Assumed Equipment Renewed by Creating a New Reservation – A reservation will not renew equipment actively on loan. Clients must visit the Reservation System to locate their active loan to renew for up to the maximum renewal limit permitted for an active loan, unless the equipment is reserved and scheduled for another individual after the client's return date and time. Creating future reservations does not 'renew' equipment, and still requires clients to return equipment no later than the scheduled or renewed due dates and times.
- 12.5.7 Appeal Submitted After Fine Invoice Paid – Client accept responsibility for the associated fine invoice by remitting payment. All payments are final and non-refundable. Fine appeal requests submitted after payment has been completed will be denied as the appeal is ineligible.
- 12.5.8 Appeal Submitted After the 15 Day Notification Period – All fines, excluding those assumed for unreturned, damaged, lost or stolen equipment, after finalized and notified via a Fine Invoice email notification, may be appealed only within a 15 day period upon initial notification. Appeal requests initiated and submitted after the 15 day review period will not be accepted.
12.6 "Three Strikes" Appeal Considerations
The Review Committee may accept appeals that meet all criteria in a "3 Strikes" order. For the first two instances, these circumstances may be granted in the event the client has never had a previous fine invoice and/or fine appeal with supporting details associated to the late return of equipment. Upon the "Third Strike", this will require completion of Fine Remediation Training described in more detail below. Note that such appeal outcomes are not guaranteed as the appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may result in a fine reduction or one-time removal of the associated fine based upon individual circumstances. Appeals for fines that are incurred due to damages, loss, or otherwise unreturned equipment or components are ineligible for such exceptions.
12.7 Fine Remediation Training
Clients that submit a fine appeal request and have previously been granted/waived that submit new subsequent appeals may be required to complete an Fine Remediation Training in-lieu of submitting a fine payment as a "Third Strike" in granting the appeal request. Fine Remediation Training affords clients greater insights into the reasons why fines exist, the impact of late returns, and suggestions to best avoid incurring late fines in the future.
- Clients will have 7-days to accept the offer to complete Fine Remediation Training. If no response is made within that period of time, the opportunity will be forfeited and the appeal will be denied. If accepted, clients will be granted access to and have 7-days from notification to complete the Fine Remediation Training.
- An estimated time commitment of 30 minutes with full attention to details will be required. Clients must successfully pass the training assessment with a score of 100% to consider training complete.
- Scores will be reviewed once-a-day, Monday through Friday (excluding University holidays), by the Review Committee. Upon verification that training has been completed with a 100% score, a confirmation email will be sent, concluding the appeal request with the fine waived and resuming access to the loan program. Note that student workers do not have access to review scores or completion of training.
Failure to complete the training by the indicated deadline will result in removal of access to the training, declination of the appeal request and require submission of the original fine payment in order to resume access to the loan program. Such an opportunity to complete the Fine Remediation Training will only be offered once, and subsequent appeal requests will be declined.
12.1 Fine Appeals
All fines, excluding those assumed for unreturned, damaged, lost or stolen equipment, after finalized and notified via a Fine Invoice email notification, may be appealed only within a 15-day period upon initial notification. Appeal requests initiated and submitted after the 15-day review period will not be accepted.
12.2 Conditions for Appeal
In order to submit a valid Fine Appeal Request for a Digital Media Services fine, all of the following conditions must be met:
- All equipment has been returned. All equipment items from the checkout, including accessories and cases, must be returned in full to the respective Equipment Loan service locations;
- An official Fine Invoice notification email has been received. A Digital Media Services full-time staff member has reviewed all information related to the specific checkout allocation and Fine Invoice notification has been received to a client’s Loyola University Chicago inbox with finalized fine values;
- The appeal is submitted using the Fine Appeal Request Form; and
- The balance is unpaid and within 15-day appeal window. The fine that is being appealed is currently unpaid and within 15 days of the initial Fine Invoice email notification.
If any of these conditions have not been met, the fine appeal submission will be rejected immediately identifying these required conditions for appeal.
12.3 Fine Appeal Form
Fine appeals must be submitted online and are not accepted via email, telephone or in-person. An appeal request does not guarantee that a client’s appeal will be granted or denied. All requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please be as detailed and thorough with your appeal – more information provides us more insight into understanding the specific events related to the appeal request.
12.4 Review Committee Assessment of Appeal Request
The Review Committee, comprised of Media Production Specialist, will evaluate the appeal in consideration of the overall Equipment Loan Policies and information provided by the client submitting the appeal in order to determine the validity and accuracy of the assessed fine. Review the Commonly Declined Appeal Requests below for common reasons why appeals requests are not accepted.
Appeal Status Notifications
Clients will be notified of the status of their appeal via email within 72-hours, Monday through Friday.
- 12.4.1 Appeal Status Pending: Request for Supporting Documentation. During the review process, the Review Committee may request supporting documentation. This can include, for example, Dean of Student’s note, in order to validate dates impacting scheduled return times. If no follow-up occurs by the indicated deadline, the appeal may be granted in "Three Strikes" sequence, if available.
- 12.4.2 Appeal Accepted: Fine Value Waived. In the event an appeal request is accepted and the fine is removed in full, confirmation will be provided via email and, unless additional fine invoices are present and active or otherwise indicated, access to the loan program will resume for that client immediately.
- 12.4.3 Appeal Accepted: Fine Value Reduced. In the event an appeal request is accepted and the fine is reduced but a balance is still present, confirmation will be provided via email indicating the remaining balance and payment options. Payment will still need to be submitted within the same 15 day period from the initial notification of the Fine Invoice. Additional appeal requests related to the same Fine Invoice after an appeal decision has been made will not be accepted.
- 12.4.4 Appeal Declined. In the event an appeal request is declined, reason for the declination will be provided as well as the unmodified fine balance and payment options. Payment will still need to be submitted within the same 15 day period from the initial notification of the Fine Invoice. Additional appeal requests related to the same Fine Invoice after an appeal decision has been made will not be accepted.
12.5 Commonly Declined Appeal Requests
Fine appeals submitted based on the following criteria may be declined as clients agree to the terms and conditions of the Loan Program Policies by reserving and/or borrowing equipment:
- 12.5.1 The Fine Value Is Too High – All fine values are identified in the Loan Program Policies, and clients agree to the terms and conditions of these policies by reserving and/or borrowing equipment from the loan program. There is no maximum fine for overdue checkouts.
- 12.5.2 Unable to Return Equipment to Original Loan Location – Equipment that is returned after the scheduled due date and time will result in late fines pro-rated to the number of minutes each barcoded resource is overdue.
- 12.5.3 Unaware of Due Date, Time and Location – Clients are responsible to be aware of scheduled due date, time and return location information. By borrowing equipment, clients are indicating they are aware and responsible for the return of the equipment on or prior to the scheduled due date and time. Late fine values will accrue for the total number of minutes the equipment is past due.
- 12.5.4 Equipment Returned Late On-Behalf-Of Borrowing Client - Returns made on-behalf-of borrowing clients to the equipment is permissible, however it excludes the original client from all eligibility for fine appeal submissions associated to the specific checkout. Returns on-behalf-of clients may be beneficial to better ensure equipment is returned before it may be considered overdue and begin accruing late fines, however this similarly transfers potential risks of damage, missing components or late returns. Fines are not eligible for transfer between clients or users – payment however may be submitted on the behalf of another individual.
- 12.5.5 Equipment Was Not Reserved While My Loan Was Overdue – Regardless of whether reservations were made for the specific equipment overdue, the lack of availability of the equipment has an impact on other clients attempting to reserve or make a walk-in request for the equipment. Fines will not be waived due to the lack of, or presence of, reservations for the specific equipment.
- 12.5.6 Assumed Equipment Renewed by Creating a New Reservation – A reservation will not renew equipment actively on loan. Clients must visit the Reservation System to locate their active loan to renew for up to the maximum renewal limit permitted for an active loan, unless the equipment is reserved and scheduled for another individual after the client's return date and time. Creating future reservations does not 'renew' equipment, and still requires clients to return equipment no later than the scheduled or renewed due dates and times.
- 12.5.7 Appeal Submitted After Fine Invoice Paid – Client accept responsibility for the associated fine invoice by remitting payment. All payments are final and non-refundable. Fine appeal requests submitted after payment has been completed will be denied as the appeal is ineligible.
- 12.5.8 Appeal Submitted After the 15 Day Notification Period – All fines, excluding those assumed for unreturned, damaged, lost or stolen equipment, after finalized and notified via a Fine Invoice email notification, may be appealed only within a 15 day period upon initial notification. Appeal requests initiated and submitted after the 15 day review period will not be accepted.
12.6 "Three Strikes" Appeal Considerations
The Review Committee may accept appeals that meet all criteria in a "3 Strikes" order. For the first two instances, these circumstances may be granted in the event the client has never had a previous fine invoice and/or fine appeal with supporting details associated to the late return of equipment. Upon the "Third Strike", this will require completion of Fine Remediation Training described in more detail below. Note that such appeal outcomes are not guaranteed as the appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may result in a fine reduction or one-time removal of the associated fine based upon individual circumstances. Appeals for fines that are incurred due to damages, loss, or otherwise unreturned equipment or components are ineligible for such exceptions.
12.7 Fine Remediation Training
Clients that submit a fine appeal request and have previously been granted/waived that submit new subsequent appeals may be required to complete an Fine Remediation Training in-lieu of submitting a fine payment as a "Third Strike" in granting the appeal request. Fine Remediation Training affords clients greater insights into the reasons why fines exist, the impact of late returns, and suggestions to best avoid incurring late fines in the future.
- Clients will have 7-days to accept the offer to complete Fine Remediation Training. If no response is made within that period of time, the opportunity will be forfeited and the appeal will be denied. If accepted, clients will be granted access to and have 7-days from notification to complete the Fine Remediation Training.
- An estimated time commitment of 30 minutes with full attention to details will be required. Clients must successfully pass the training assessment with a score of 100% to consider training complete.
- Scores will be reviewed once-a-day, Monday through Friday (excluding University holidays), by the Review Committee. Upon verification that training has been completed with a 100% score, a confirmation email will be sent, concluding the appeal request with the fine waived and resuming access to the loan program. Note that student workers do not have access to review scores or completion of training.
Failure to complete the training by the indicated deadline will result in removal of access to the training, declination of the appeal request and require submission of the original fine payment in order to resume access to the loan program. Such an opportunity to complete the Fine Remediation Training will only be offered once, and subsequent appeal requests will be declined.