G24 Ltd using debt recovery agency

funkycoldribena

jimfer wrote: »

Also wrote to DVLA and hopefully they will G24 a bit of bother.

Not a hope seeing as the DVLA get £2.50 a pop for your reg info.

Driver8

PRIVATE PARKING TICKETS - DON'T PAY!
IT IS NOT A FINE! YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL!

This is an information page for the thousands of people who receive "tickets" from private companies in the UK ever day at supermarkets, retail parks, and in any other privately-owned carpark.

We are NOT encouraging anybody to openly flout parking restrictions on private land, or to refuse to pay reasonable charges for parking. Landowners have a right to make reasonable charges for the use of their land.

For advice specific to your case, you should visit the forums at http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences.

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

1. What you should know about these companies

It is important to remember that private parking companies (or PPCs as they are often called) have NO OFFICIAL POWERS - that's right, none at all! They give out their "tickets" on the basis that you have seen the signs in their car park and that you have therefore agreed to a contract obliging you to pay a certain sum of money.


2. What happens to people who don't pay?

In 99.9% of cases, absolutely NOTHING! The company pays the DVLA £2.50 to get your address, and then sends lots of threatening letters. In the main, these letters can be safely IGNORED. The only way the company can actually force you to pay is by taking you to the small claims court, which costs them even more money. And they are by no means guaranteed to win! And they practically never do.

The two main reasons for this (among others) are the following:

- Only the person DRIVING the car could ever have agreed to any such parking contract. The company can only get the Registered Keeper's address from the DVLA: you don't have to tell them who was driving.

-Many of these charges are so extortionately high that they constitute a penalty, which is unenforceable in a consumer contract.


3. Can they affect my credit rating?

NO! The only way your credit rating could be affected by ignoring private parking companies is if you were taken to court, lost, and then still refused to pay. But they will not take you to court.


IN SHORT

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE tickets from private parking companies, they are not official fines.

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE the threatening letters, including those from debt collection agencies.

You DO NOT have to pay a penny of your hard-earned money to these companies. Remember that the chances of being taken to court are very slim indeed.

DO NOT IGNORE COURT PAPERS!
If you receive real court papers from a private parking company (very rare) then you should go to http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences for help defending the claim. Do not be afraid to sign up and ask questions regarding any paperwork you are not sure about.



Don’t believe the above? Watch a solicitor on Watchdog advising you what to do with the scam invoices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIcdi9niHA

THEY ARE NOT FINES

Only the Police, Courts or Council’s can fine you. NOT a private company, please remember that.

kathrynaxton

wow what a day, I have just recieved my pcn from g24!!! for parking an extra 50 minutes. A charge of £95 was thinking of all the ways under the sun of how to get out of it, how i was going to tell the husband? arrrrghhhh.....after reading many posts and advice from parents i have thought about leaving it but i am quite scared it will come back on me and i will have to pay double for this ?? please please put me at ease guys like most people i really cant afford this

trisontana

kathrynaxton wrote: »

wow what a day, I have just recieved my pcn from g24!!! for parking an extra 50 minutes. A charge of £95 was thinking of all the ways under the sun of how to get out of it, how i was going to tell the husband? arrrrghhhh.....after reading many posts and advice from parents i have thought about leaving it but i am quite scared it will come back on me and i will have to pay double for this ?? please please put me at ease guys like most people i really cant afford this

Please read the post immediately above yours for all the answers and reassurance you need.

kathrynaxton

thank you i have just spent time reading over them its just how do i tell my husband ha ha eeek

Coupon-mad

GET OFF THIS ANCIENT THREAD AND ONE CLICK GETS YOU TO PAGE ONE AND ADVICE ON HOW TO WIN AT POPLA APPEAL.

THE ADVICE IS NO LONGER TO IGNORE A FAKE PCN, CHANGED IN 2013.

PLEASE SEE MY SIGNATURE FOR WHERE TO FIND THE BREADCRUMB TRAIL TO CLICK ONE CLICK TO PAGE ONE AND THE STICKY ADVICE THREAD AT THE TOP.

Thankyou!

gravy17

I got my PCN from G24 today. You get 3 hours to park in Cineworld in Wakefield, which also shares the car park with Pizza Hut, Frankie & Bennies, and Nandos. If you watch a film and have something to eat the chances are you'll be over the 3 hours. Thanks to this forum I'll be ignoring the PCN and all subsequent letters.

notts_phil

Good to hear:)

Gotrek

I managed to get myself an "invoice" from G24 beginning of June for overstaying my welcome on a Focus carpark. Had a serious "!!!!!!" moment and must admit an hour or so of worry before I found this thread and others like it on my favourite money saving site MSE. Certainly put my mind at rest.

Got the second letter, exactly as described, a couple of weeks later. Both are filed away safely awaiting the full set.

I'd have loved to go and give the Focus manager a hard time but since they were already holding their closing down sale that would have been pointless. The store is now closed and the cameras are gone but they still left the carpark signs up of course. Not worth taking those down

Thanks to those who save the rest of us much worry and unnecessary payments. :beer:

moodymonday

I'm going for the full set too!......received my CCS COLLECT request for £60 today.

As GOTREK above mentioned...the Focus store has just closed down.....hmmmm wonder if it's the same one ?! lol
What gave me the most confidence was watching the You tube link from Driver8...so thanks for that !