Parking enforcement notice from Luton Airport APCOA

NosyJosie wrote: »

I drove my husband's car to Luton Airport a month ago to drop my brother off. I stopped at a red traffic light on roundabout and my bro decided to jump out as he was in a hurry to check in. I then drove on. I received a penalty notice accusing me of dropping off in an unauthorised area and had the usual pay £40 now or £80 in a few weeks or we'll use a debt collection agency to recover monies. I wrote to them saying that I had no control over my passenger's action and that I had not stopped to drop him off. I stopped at a red light as I was obliged to do. Should I ignore this? My husband is nervous as it is his car reg they have. His instinct is to pay it and forget it. I don't want to pay them. It's a rip off. Should I write to them and tell them I have no intention of paying or should I just let it lie?

My husband was also nervous when I ignored a fake PCN 3 years ago. But I already knew about this scam from reading MSE so just laughed at the bogus PCN and the debt collector letters that followed. Nothing happened, of course, because it is NOT a fine.

My OH still thinks we avoided the 'fine' by exploiting some 'loophole' and doesn't even get why clamping is to be banned. He's very intelligent with an important job that is useful in Society (unlike a PPC) but he is also the sort of person who was brought up to believe - almost unquestioningly - in 'authority'. He told me that he thought that 'a sign being on display' is enough for clamping to be allowed, and that a debt collector letter must mean that a PCN is a real one...I have given up explaining the scam to him but he does at least know never to pay a PPC!

Please make sure you read the top thread 'PPC letters, what to expect' and 'welcome, please read before posting' with the Watchdog youtube link. Show the letter-chain preview and the Watchdog programme to your OH:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=163

The 'stickies' are at the top, just read the two I mentioned. Then choose any thread on that first page that's about a private parking co (PPC). You will soon see a pattern of advice. See how common your situation is, the whole first page is updated with new queries every single day and we answer all of them within minutes/hours because we detest PPC scams.








P.S. Just for fun, I just love this spoof letter by mwilletts which appeared on the 'Disabled Bay Insult' thread a couple of years ago which summarises the letter you got (which is NOT a fine). Show it to your husband once he gets that it's all a scam:

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They are all just begging letters, which are basically saying:

"Hi there Mr or Mrs X, we know we have no authority to fine you, as only a court can issue fines, so we are sending you an invoice, which we really hope you will be daft enough to pay.

We'll keep sending letters for a few weeks, possibly even a few months, at our expense, probably totalling a couple of pounds. They'll even get more threatening, we'll say we are sending debt collectors round and we are going to take you to court, but that would cost us even more money than we have already lost by writing to you, so we wont.

PLEASE pay us, as if you don't, more and more people wont pay us, and then we'll be sending letters out for no reason at all and you wouldn't want us to go out of business would you?

Sincerely

A Scammer"

Or words to that effect anyhows...

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