Parking Fine - no response received

Minster1808 · 9 February 2018 at 1:58PM

I was wondering whether anyone could possibly help me.

I have read various threads on parking tickets on this website and whilst they have been very informative they haven't really helped me.

I was issued a parking ticket (by UKPC) whilst parking in my flats car park, the permit had slipped slightly down the front of my dashboard. I tried to appeal the ticket online but the form would not submit so I sent my appeal by post (recorded delivery). This was submitted on or around the 14th November after being issued the fine on the 11th.

I never received any response to my appeal, and in all honesty, completely forgot about it. The next letter I received is from the debt recovery agency advising my appeal period had expired and that I was to pay £160.00 by a set date otherwise they would take me to Court. I contacted the debt recovery agency who were useless and advised they could not offer any assistance as to why my appeal was rejected. I then tried to contact UKPC, their phone lines are only open 4 hours a day and only during working hours, I was on hold for so long I hung up. I then emailed them, repeatedly, and finally received a response on the 21st January advising that my appeal was rejected and they sent an email on the 21st November 2017 advising of this. I never received this email. Within the email they stated they sent it offered me to pay £15.00 rather than the original £100.00. I wrote back to advise I had not received this email and was willing to pay the £15.00 and asked if they had a read receipt or confirmation of the time/date/email address it was sent too. They did not respond.

I have emailed them numerous times since and they are unwilling to provide any more information. I have also requested that they provide me with their contract between themselves and the landowner and any variations to this contract to demonstrate that they are able to issue fines. They will not release this.

I was never issued with a notice to keeper letter nor a POPLA appeal number, nor a reminder letter. I am also unsure why I would receive letters from the Debt Recovery agency but that my appeal was rejected via email?

I have till the 14th February 2018 now to pay this fine otherwise they will issue proceedings. I guess I just want to know whether they have a leg to stand on as I never received the rejection of their appeal and I have tried to settle it amicably by confirming that I am willing to pay the £15.00 reduced fine but not willing to pay £160.00.

Any advice would be incredibly helpful!

pogofish · 9 February 2018 at 2:13PM

The Newbies Sticky covers this and post four specifically explains about debt collectors.

About all you can do now is sit it out to see if the original PPC starts a court action - In the meantime, use the sticky to prepare a proper, robust response if they do.

You could also create a stir with your managing agents who let the PPC operate in the car park. Ask them to get it cancelled and explain why the PPC ignored you

The_Deep · 9 February 2018 at 2:17PM

It is not a fine and UKPC are scammers, read this

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11858473/Parking-firm-UKPC-admits-faking-tickets-to-fine-drivers.html

Last week Sir Greg Knight introduced a Bill in the H of C to prevent these companies from pestering people parking in their own residential spaces, watch this

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41

and write to your MP complaining in the stoingest terms that they are interfering in your leasehold right to "peaceful enjoyment" of your porprty.

More reading on this scam here.

http://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/residential-parking/

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/residential-parking.html

Are you a tenant of an owner? What does your lease say about parking?

Fruitcake · 9 February 2018 at 2:42PM

The_Deep wrote: »

It is not a fine and UKPC are scammers, read this

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11858473/Parking-firm-UKPC-admits-faking-tickets-to-fine-drivers.html

Last week sir Greg knight introduced a bill in the H of C to prevent these companies from restering people parking in their own residential spaced, watch this

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41 and write to your MP complaining in the stringest terms that they are interfering in your leasehold right to "peaceful enjpyment" of your porprty.

More reading on this scam here.

http://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/residential-parking/

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/residential-parking.html

Are you a tenant of an owner? What does your lease say about parking?

This is the most important bit. If there is nothing in your lease/AQST about parking, or parking permits, or paying a third party (parking scammer) then it begs the question, why are you bothering to show a permit that you do not need to?

So, please answer the question asked by The Deep, don't 'phone anyone about this scam, don't offer to pay anyone anything as they will just keep coming back for more, and they are not entitled to your money in the first place.

Complain to the landowner and the MA and your MP, pointing out that MPs from all parties unanimously agreed that the unregulated parking industry is a scam operated by rogues and bloodsuckers. Other damning comments from the MPs are also available.

sad_woman · 10 February 2018 at 3:32PM

Hello MSE Parking and FineForum

I too have read loads of posts but cannot quite find anything that relates apart from Minster1808 above. Im also not sure where I find or what a Newbie Stickie is?

We rec'd no letters (notice to registered keeper?) until a Debt Collection letter from UCS (Ultimate Customer Solutions) informed that the PCN outstanding balance and admin fees(!) had been passed to them as no appeal or payment had been received by Sheriff Enforcer Ltd.
Clearly nothing had been done as this was the first we knew about it.

Two PCNs were apparently issued for two days within a week of paid for parking where the ticket had flipped over in the wind and the details were not legible.
"Failure to clearly display a valid ticket..'

The day we rec'd the debt collector letter I found and rang the Carpark help number immediately. Amazingly the owner of Robinhood Parking (aka Sheriff Enforcer) answered and was helpful and advised that he had encountered problems moving from a ticketed to ticketless system but that he paid a third party and I would have to take it up with them.

UCS have yet to respond with anything more than a std email thanking me for my 'noted' correspondence and inferring that the matter will proceed to County Court.

They have told me verbally that they have 'put the account on hold' until Feb 16th but that they are very busy and I will just have to wait for a reply.

Meantime I tried to understand what all the acronyms mean:
Robinhood are apparently part of Independent Internartional) Parking Committee, who seem to be a less than independent sounding regulator.

I have asked for and await advice from a group called BMPA but looking at their fb page folk seem to be inferring that they inflate parking situations to make themselves look triumphant..
I simply do not know what to do for the best.

All MSE advice very welcome and much appreciated.

Coupon-mad · 10 February 2018 at 3:35PM

You haven't read my signature, despite reading threads where I will have posted more than once...look below...I tell every newbie where to click. What more do I need to do, to signpost people?

sad_woman · 10 February 2018 at 4:16PM

However I have had contact already with the debt collection company as you can see in my last post but not sent your suggested 'first letter'.

I have not given the name of the driver but did say it was my daughter

I have no idea if the signage was incomplete/incorrect.
We paid and were covered by a ticket, the standard letter seems incorrect in my case of not displaying the ticket correctly.

The carpark owner said he would rescind the PCN if I appeal but I cannot appeal via the website as it has gone to debt collection having not received anything before the debt collection letter.

Is there value in sending the letter now?
Or is the advice to still do nothing in our case with a debt collector?

Im sorry to be annoyingly slow to understand but I am still not clear I am doing the correct thing but I cannot afford to pay over £300 and would appreciate your further advice.
Thank you

Fruitcake · 10 February 2018 at 5:17PM

sad woman, this is not your thread. Please start your own like it tells you in the NEWBIES thread, after of course reading the NEWBIES.

Please don't post on THIS thread again, only post on your own.

Just to add, THIS thread is about a different parking company to yours, who are members of a different trade association to yours, and a residential car park which is completely different to yours.

Stop 'phoning people, read the NEWBIES, ignore debt collectors, and start your own thread.

jinkssick · 10 February 2018 at 5:21PM

Fruitcake wrote: »

sad woman, this is not your thread. Please start your own like it tells you in the NEWBIES thread, after of course reading the NEWBIES.

Please don't post on THIS thread again, only post on your own.

Wow for a second there I thought how rude. Thank you fruitcake and others for all the help you do for us layman's.

Fruitcake · 10 February 2018 at 5:30PM

jinkssick wrote: »

Wow for a second there I thought how rude. Thank you fruitcake and others for all the help you do for us layman's.

The advice for the original poster is so vastly different to that required by sad woman that it would be financially dangerous, let alone confusing, to try and help both posters on the same thread.

Minster1808 · 16 February 2018 at 1:41PM

Sorry its taken so long for me to respond I have been waiting for a response from the property management company as the estate agents who I rented the flat off did not have a copy of any contract.

I have looked through my lease and there is no mention of needing any parking permit to park within the car park. The management company have advised that there is a contract between themselves and UKPC to provide tickets but would not provide me with a copy of this and also confirmed that no where in the contract does it state how much UKPC can charge.

In my last email to UKPC they advised that they would not provide me with the information I requested which included my POPLA appeal number, a copy of the contract between themselves and the landowner, any variations to this contract or confirmation that they sent a NTK and refuse to answer any more emails. I have tried stating that I would pay the reduced fee to settle this amicably. I guess what I am trying to get at is whether I have a strong case to pay the increased fee. I never received the original email or a NTK, when I did finally get a copy of the email there was no original sending date, time or email it was sent to, they have ignored my request for further information and obstructed my right to appeal to POPLA by not including an appeal number and aren't abiding by ADR by trying to settle this amicably.

I appreciate the advise to draft a defence and will post a copy on here before filing if it comes to that!

Parking Fine - no response received

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