UK Parking Control Limited fine letter received - help!

Goldust

Hi,

Unfortunately last week my girlfriend was out working and was heading to get something to eat when her car was hit by a bus and whilst she is OK she was very shaken up and upset as she's only just passed her test and bought the car and the bus just drove off.

I left work to find her and took her on to a restaurant as we wanted to get some food and also had to report the incident to the police.

There was an hour limit but we ended up there for an hour and 28 minutes due to talking to the police for a long time. I kept an eye on the car but nobody came so we decided to leave as she was still very upset.

Today she received a letter from the car park operators requesting payment of £75 or £50 if she pays straight away. She has already called the number but they were closed so she left a message saying she would ring back tomorrow though she did quote her reference number which I know she shouldn't really have done.

Where do we stand? She's already got a lot to deal with chasing the bus company and she's even more upset now. I don't really want to have a debt collector come round or anything like that as this will just make her worse but it seems very unfair given the circumstances and also the fine seems excessive for 28 minutes!

Should she respond to the letter appealing or is this a waste? I don't really know what to advise her.

Thanks in advance for your help.

sarahg1969

Read the stickies. You have NOT been fined. It's nothing more than a scam. File the papers and await the 2/3 reminders - every more scary - that you will get. Do not give in to them. They will try and bully you into paying, with all kinds of lies.

Remind your girlfriend to dig out her old contract law books and have a think about penalties in contract law.

Goldust

Thanks!

I read through a lot of posts before posting - I think she just wants peace of mind really after the week she's had.

The last thing we need is her to get a CCJ or have to go to court so just wanted to be sure none of this will happen.

Meepster

Just get her a nice (cheap) bottle of wine (I can recommend the rioja in asda for around 3 quid) watch some tv and use the letters you get from them to stop the coffee table from wobbling. Most of all, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT, just trust what sarahg1969 says. (She's my hero)

bargepole

mattarmy wrote: »

The last thing we need is her to get a CCJ or have to go to court so just wanted to be sure none of this will happen.

She can only get a CCJ if:
a) the PPC take her to court (about 1 in 10,000 chance)
b) the judge awards the claim to the PPC (only happened twice in 2008)
c) she doesn't pay the judgement within 28 days

The best advice is to ignore all the rubbish letters they send; there are no known cases of a PPC taking court action when their letters have been ignored.

Goldust

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I think she has already send the "not driving the vehicle" template letter that Martin recommends to the company because she wasn't actually driving the car at the time as per the original post but she was a passenger.

Is it bad that she has sent this letter out? I can try to stop her but I think it's already gone! I told her to look on the site as she's been in work all week and I think she's followed his instructions rather than look at this post.

Also, should I remove some of the details from the original post in case the company who issued the fine read it and figured out who it was (I know it's unlikely but you never know!)

Thanks again everyone!

sarahg1969

Martin recommends contacting them??!!

Anyway, if it's already, there's nothing you can do. But be prepared for the bullying letters, now they've got you hooked.

And stop calling it a fine.

Goldust

Well perhaps recommends was the wrong word but it says in the section of the site where it asks if you have received an invoice to send the letter.

She had already called them anyway and left a message so they know she's "hooked" more than likely!

Little_RAY

I have just had my parking charge from UKPC cancelled. My situation, in brief, went like this:

1. UKPC sent me a Parking Charge Notice for 'unauthorised parking' (lucky me, they let me pay a reduced price!).
2. I sent them a letter explaining why I wasn't going to pay, with the backing of evidence. I also used Martin Lewis's letter template - it does seem that he suggests this action.
3. They sent a standard reply letter saying I still had to pay - they don't bother considering the evidence or anything else you might have to say. It seems they ALWAYS continue to pursue the charge, regardless of circumstances.
4. A bit later I received a reminder 'Parking Charge Notice' for the full amount.
5. I then received a letter from a debt recovery company (complete with bright red lettering, bold type and a warning that I may be taken to court and my credit profile could be seriously effected = scare tactics).
6. I sent a letter back to the debt recovery agency, using factual information and quoting a bit of legislation to prove I knew my rights. Also sent a letter to a representive of the Land Owner (a very important Director type person) saying I was disgusted with the behaviour of this company.
7. Today I received a letter from UKPC saying that the charge had been cancelled.

Trust me, follow the advice you see on this forum. There are some fantastic people offering legitimate advice. I personally don't see anything wrong with writing to other authorities who may be able to help you, but any letters to UKPC will be a waste of time and stamps!

(Although, just to be on the absolute safe side, never write anything in a letter that would embarress you in court. It won't come to that, but it is a good rule of thumb to remember when and if you write to anyone - stops you from writing anything too sarcastic or unreasonable.)

Be strong!