'UKPC' / 'Debt Recovery Plus Ltd' / 'Parking Collection Services Limited'

UKCitizen_2

The letters I received:
(1) UKPC 'Charge Certificate' 'Charge': £80 If paid with 14 days: £40
Photo / date / time / etc.

15 days later...
(2) UKPC 'Final Reminder' 'Increased amount': £80
Attempt to intimidate via Blue Badge info / intent to litigate / etc.

18 days later...
(3) Debt Recovery Plus 'Outstanding amount': £137.50
'referred case to client' (= given up, back to them?)

35 days later...
(4) Debt Recovery Plus 'Outstanding amount': £137.50
plus, 'if reaches County Court and Judgement obtained' etc.
(which would require them to actually start proceedings - huh!)
'Solicitors fees' £50
'Court fee' £30
'Solicitors cost' £25
'TOTAL' £242.50
(interesting / amusing hypothetical bill :-) )

31 days later...
(5) Parking Collection Services Ltd
'purchased debt / prepared to accept discounted figure' £89.99


And then the letters just dried up, round about a year ago. :-(

I was disappointed because,
(1) I'd have *loved* to meet these cowboys in court (I had a trick up my sleeve) but I was pretty certain from web research that the chances of them taking anything through proper legal channels (and having to cough up for solicitors themselves, not to mention the potential bad publicity, investigations, etc.) were close to zero.
(2) The last letter started a downward trend in 'charges' and if it continued long enough they might have decided they owed me. :-) At which point, if they made it worth my while, I might actually have responded to their communication. :-)


My interpretation (personal opinion):
- utter cowboy outfits (UKPC and anyone else who write letters for them)
- seem to make money by intimidation
- the last thing to do is to reply to anything that is not an official court letter - it would flag you as a responder, hence potentially worth harassing further

Other experiences / responses with UKPC:
(1)
- Received a letter, apparently from Tesco, several years ago. I had 'stayed too long' in their car park.
Turned out after much persistence on my part that it was actually from UKPC under contract to Tesco. (The person on the 'phone really didn't want to admit that they weren't actually part of Tesco until I started insisting on manager / head office contact information).
- My response: official complaint to Tesco (... just who is doing whom a favour when I stay in your shop for a long while?!?). Tesco person said that the company were always issuing letters to Tesco's *own* employees(!) for staying in the car park for too long! I never had the promised follow-up from Tesco head office. Mentioned it again a few months later - another promise, again no follow-up.
- The result, as far as Tesco is concerned: I used to be a very regular customer - several visits every week - now I *never* shop at Tesco unless I absolutely have to. If they can't vet the companies they employ to threaten their customers (UKPC, apparently, splits profits with such companies) then they sure haven't made a friend of *this* customer. I reckon loss of my business alone has cost Tesco quite a few thousands of pounds since the original letter, not to mention sharing the experience with interested friends.

(2) UKPC employed by a private residents association issued 'fine' (huh!) for parking 'outside' area designated for use by other organisation on same site (Landmark Arts center, Teddington). Not so. Took photograph to prove it. Followed up via Arts centre. They contacted residents association who arranged for UKPC to cancel the 'fine'. Apparently a regular occurrence.

(3) Third story, from local post office, about counter person's friend who did give in to the letters and pay a lot of money because they became worried. This sort of intimidation as a way to make a living is appalling.


Advice (my own opinion):
- *never* waste your time responding to this company
- if they want to waste their money / time writing letters, that's fine by me


And the trick up my sleeve that I would have ***loved*** them to have given me a chance to reveal in court?

The photograph of the car, 'illegally' parked in a private car park (Barbican Leisure Park, Plymouth). (Another organisation that ought to vet its suppliers better!)

Why? Well, the first thing that caught my attention on the original letter was that I hadn't been to Plymouth for many years, The second thing was that the car in the photograph was one that I used to own but had sold eight months before the picture was taken.
If I'd ever had a chance for a few minutes of fame in court I might even have framed the DVLA transfer of ownership document to produce with a flourish :-)
It seems that, the business model of these intimidators doesn't even stretch to paying for up-to-date-records.

Why do organisations with a decent reputation actually employ these cowboys without performing due diligence on their track records?

Why does the *DVLA* make it so easy for these cowboys to operate by selling UK citizens' personal information? Someone in government should sort this out. It's what they're elected and paid to do - look after citizens, not profit from them!