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Parking ticket fell off dashboard..

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Comments

  • Coblcris
    Coblcris Posts: 1,862 Forumite
    boliston wrote: »
    Makes you wonder if anyone has tried a "reverse-scam" by scanning a ticket and printing out multiple copies and claim back £1s that they have not even spent. :D

    I would not recommend doing this.
    I would advise most strongly not to do this.
  • taxiphil
    taxiphil Posts: 1,980 Forumite
    boliston wrote: »
    Presumably you are just talking about "baiting" them where a penalty is applied for minor violations like spending slightly too much time in a supermarket car park and suchlike, rather than using a "pay and display" type carpark and refusing to buy a ticket?

    Although the penalties are obviously unfair, the operator of the carpark is still entitled to make normal income from regular pay and display tickets.

    Yep, I always go for the ones where it's free for X amount of time, then I overstay by 10 minutes or so.

    I only do this when there are other empty spaces available, just to make sure (both morally and legally) that I'm not causing the retailer any loss of business, and always evidence this by taking a photo of the empty spaces just in case of the 0.001% chance that it comes to the crunch in a courtroom.
  • Coblcris wrote: »
    I would not recommend doing this.
    I would advise most strongly not to do this.
    I think the word for this is theft.
    I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.
  • PaulJM
    PaulJM Posts: 552 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    I've had a good look through all the links, thanks to all the above money savers, and I'm going to ignore the letters!
    I'll take the personal stuff out and post the letters I get on here, if anyone is interested, might help the people who haven't done this before - like me!

    I really hope it doesn't get too mob handed though - I have two kids at home, - I don't want them phoning or calling round! I'm not concerned about it being agressive or anything, I just don't want general hassle to the family!
  • trisontana
    trisontana Posts: 9,472 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 21 February 2010 at 4:56PM
    PaulJM wrote: »
    I've had a good look through all the links, thanks to all the above money savers, and I'm going to ignore the letters!
    I'll take the personal stuff out and post the letters I get on here, if anyone is interested, might help the people who haven't done this before - like me!

    I really hope it doesn't get too mob handed though - I have two kids at home, - I don't want them phoning or calling round! I'm not concerned about it being agressive or anything, I just don't want general hassle to the family!

    If they do call at your house tell them to vacate your property immediately or you will call the police. Don't forget they are just private citizens with no special powers.

    If they telephone you then tell them you will report them for harassment. Alternatively you can play them along a bit by telling them they will have to answer a number of security questions before you will talk to them. You can ask them them full name, their date of birth, the name of their first pet and their inside leg measurement! If they are daft enough to answer these questions then tell them they have got the answers wrong and put the phone down.
    What part of "A whop bop-a-lu a whop bam boo" don't you understand?
  • Coupon-mad
    Coupon-mad Posts: 155,731 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    PaulJM wrote: »
    I've had a good look through all the links, thanks to all the above money savers, and I'm going to ignore the letters!
    I'll take the personal stuff out and post the letters I get on here, if anyone is interested, might help the people who haven't done this before - like me!

    I really hope it doesn't get too mob handed though - I have two kids at home, - I don't want them phoning or calling round! I'm not concerned about it being agressive or anything, I just don't want general hassle to the family!



    I am a Mum with 4 young children, and no, nothing worrying happens. They cannot appoint bailiffs so no heavies will appear at your door. A debt collector isn't a Bailiff, as you've probably read on the links, they have no powers at all.

    In my case it was just letters. Rarely you may get phone calls but if so just have some fun winding them up, playing musak, blowing whistles, asking them some 'security questions' or silly rambling questions - or just leaving them dangling!

    If you could come back in the end and post up examples of your letters on the 'PPC letters, what to expect' thread (if they are not already shown there) then that would be great. It's a very helpful resource to show newbies dithering about what we are saying - we can show them which letters will arrive and when the scam ends, which has a huge impact on encouraging people to ignore the letters.

    :)
    PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
    CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
    Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD
  • PaulJM
    PaulJM Posts: 552 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Just reading everything I can on this.

    Do you think it's possible that the Parking co's can say, in court, that there is a cost to maintain these facilities? So, whilst extortionate in giving these £60 plus 'fees', it's possible that a court could rule that you owe a certain amount (not me as I have the ticket, but hypothetically) towards this upkeep, therefore, they could suggest a smaller fee, and you'd then have to pay theirs and your costs - solicitors, courts, debt collection etc.

    I'm not saying it's likely, but is it not possible, at some point, that someone could end up with a few hundred quid bill?
  • taxiphil
    taxiphil Posts: 1,980 Forumite
    edited 22 February 2010 at 1:31AM
    Contract law is only concerned with the narrow issue of damages flowing from this particular breach between these two particular parties.

    I.e. has this defendant directly caused this claimant to suffer this loss.

    Wider issues such as the claimant's expenditure prior to the contract, based on the perceived wrongdoings of third parties or 'the world at large', don't come into it.

    They could, technically, do the honest thing and sue for a smaller amount based on actual loss of business, or the cost of the 'pay and display' ticket that the defendant failed to pay for. But then of course they'd only be breaking even by suing, and they're not interested in that - because they want big profits! And they can't exactly admit to the court they're only doing it for profit, as that would be an admission that the amount claimed is an extortionate penalty. So that's why they don't sue.
  • anewman
    anewman Posts: 9,200 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Coupon-mad wrote: »
    I am a Mum with 4 young children, and no, nothing worrying happens. They cannot appoint bailiffs so no heavies will appear at your door. A debt collector isn't a Bailiff, as you've probably read on the links, they have no powers at all.
    Although some of the more rogue companies like PCN-UK Ltd have been known to send fist dragging debt collectors around claiming to be bailiffs with a court order. This is illegal - but it may scare the average person into paying up which is what it is intended to do. It is "demanding money with menaces" and is a criminal offence. Can't believe PCN-UK are still going, albeit with a specially hidden website with illegal content now only viewable by those who receive tickets.
  • PaulJM
    PaulJM Posts: 552 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Update, I'll put these on this thread for anyone who's following it through - soon as I can I'll scan the letter in.

    Just got my first letter - it doesn't seem as strong as I thought now I know the facts :D
    They've played the 'Bailiff' card now - but I notice they say court proceedings may result in Bailiffs being involved. After reading about this, I now realise that it's only the court that can action bailiffs, not the company. I can only imagine how scary these letters could be if you don't realise that!
    Also note that they want £100 off me now - but...they have a lovely little convenient calculation on it - £50 solicitors costs (that's their incurred costs - nothing to do with me) and £30 court costs (I'd been told a small claims court is a max of £70, so quite cheap)
    So, if the worst came to the worst, no matter how unlikely, I'd pay £30 court costs, and possibly the cost of the ticket - 50p. Which is a heck of a lot less than the £100 they now want.
    Rip off merchants.
    As has been predicted, the scare letters come through, but when you realise that only the court can invoke the CCJ/Bailiff route, it doesn't seem as scary. After all, if the court ordered you to pay, you would, but from the letters, it's easy to see why people think these shysters can put these measures in place.
    Actually though, I think it's fair for these car parks to charge a ticket cost - 50p, £1, whatever - but the 'charges' and threats after are not fair.
    Quite enjoying this now :D
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