Private Parking Tickets discussion

esmerobbo

trisontana wrote: »

I said alleged shoplifters. If they were guilty, why weren't they prosecuted by the police, and why don't the civil recovery companies take them to court? They are acting as judge and jury without the accused person being able to put their side of the story.

The fact that unlike a criminal court were they have to prove no reasonable doubt before finding someone guilty. The burden of proof in the civil court being much less. It would seem by the lack of cases they don't fancy their chances much.
Seems they have this in common with their PPC brethren!

Danadams

I received a parking ticket but one letter was wrong on the registration number written down. I ignored the ticket as the number plate was wrong and I was not the driver but I have now been sent a Civil Enforcement Notice. It states the correct licence number on the Notice even though the ticket was wrong. It als says on the Notice I am liable even though I was not the driver if I fail to declare who the driver was. What do I do?

Coupon-mad

Danadams wrote: »

I received a parking ticket but one letter was wrong on the registration number written down. I ignored the ticket as the number plate was wrong and I was not the driver but I have now been sent a Civil Enforcement Notice. It states the correct licence number on the Notice even though the ticket was wrong. It als says on the Notice I am liable even though I was not the driver if I fail to declare who the driver was. What do I do?

This is not a 'real' Council PCN ticket I assume? It's a fake one from a private parking company? Read the stickies and first few threads until you realise the private parking industry are a bunch of cowboys:

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

The answer is simple, ignore them. Even if the number plate had been right and you were the driver you would IGNORE THEM. Nothing will happen to you expect receiving some more threatograms, it's no biggie.

Come back with any questions when you've read up on it, seen the debt collector letters and watched the Watchdog youtube link (all in our top few threads).

HO87

Danadams wrote: »

.....It als says on the Notice I am liable even though I was not the driver if I fail to declare who the driver was. What do I do?

Assuming that this is not Council-issued (i.e. Decriminalised enforcement) paperwork and has been issued by a private company then the only cause that anyone may have is that there had been a breach of a purported contract. If that is the case then the only person who could have entered into a contract is the driver at the time. If you were not the driver then you could not have entered into the contract and are not therefore liable. Any claim to the contrary is spurious.

There is no point in contacting them. There is no real appeals mechanism and what you have is not a fine (only the police, councils and courts can levy a fine) but a speculative invoice.

As C-m has said you will receive letters becoming increasingly shrill and dire in their threats that may be backed up by some more from debt collectors and solicitors. File them away and get on with your life.

HO87

Crabman wrote: »

HO87 wrote: »

Certainly. Click Here. Unfortunately the best write-up was in the Birmingham Post but the link I had to that article is now dead.

There is another case running which was due for trial at Worcester Crown Court on 6 December involving another set of clampers all of whom had been charged with blackmail (demanding money with menaces). It seems that the trial has been adjourned but I cannot find any reference to the adjournment. An original write-up can be seen here

Looks like the hearing was adjourned, although the circumstances surrounding that are not clear at the moment and there is no news of a new hearing date yet.

For those interested the case is now listed for plea and directions at Worcester Crown Court on Monday 20 December 2010

greenfeld69

Hi all

I parked in a private carpark this morning. I've slammed the door shut, getting on the move in the snow, and the ticket has flipped over. It was valid when the parking warden issued the ticket.

I contacted the number on the ticket and they are a debt collection agency on behalf of the parking people - there are NO details for the parking people, no dispute information and nothing to suggest they're members of the British Parking Association.

While I admit, I should have checked that it was displayed correctly, I have evidence that I had a valid ticket.

Anybody think I am right to refuse to pay and right to the debt collection agency or should I pay up?

10 days it's £40, then up to £80.

Any advice very welcome.

Thanks.

taffy056

greenfeld69 wrote: »

Any advice very welcome.

Thanks.

Ok IGNORE

That simple really, the invoice is not enforceable, the BPA are complete joke, and the parking company and the whole industry are run by cowboys! The debt collectors are bunch of scamming ****heads and that just sums it up really!

Enjoy keeping your money, and see my signature below

greenfeld69

taffy056 wrote: »

Ok IGNORE

That simple really, the invoice is not enforceable, the BPA are complete joke, and the parking company and the whole industry are run by cowboys! The debt collectors are bunch of scamming ****heads and that just sums it up really!

Enjoy keeping your money, and see my signature below

Really? Is it that simple?

This is the collection agency?

http://www.rossendales.com/collect/

Thanks!

taffy056

greenfeld69 wrote: »

Really? Is it that simple?

This is the collection agency?

http://www.rossendales.com/collect/

Thanks!

Really it makes little difference which collector it is, they have no powers to demand payment from you, they have no idea who the driver is, the registered keeper is very often not the driver, you have no legal obligation to inform them who driving, the alleged contract can only be on the driver. They if it went to court can only claim for losses, if its a free car park there is no loss, if its a pay car park they can claim only for the loss nothing else.

Really the advice is to ignore, watchdog on bbc1 has done 2 sections on this in the past 6 months or so, and the advice was to ignore from their legal expert, they are are correct.

It will go no further than a few letters and that is it, so don't communicate with them, and if they get your number, just tell the alleged debt is expressly denied, and tell them to hand it back to the ppc, if they don't they are breaking the law.

bromsgrovebarry

Follow the advice of the wise and ignore. Once you are convinced nothing is going to happen, spread the word far and wide that private parking tickets are not legally enforeceable and can be safely ignored. You will get revenge on a business that exists by misleading people into paying large sums of money for no reason. I could be far more blunt in my assessment of these companies but new forum rules prevent me from so doing.