Avoiding/dealing with fine that could lead to CCJ

reigunn

Hi all,
Not sure if this is the right forum to post, or even if there is a relevant forum on this site, but you have always been a helpful lot so you are worth a shot.
I have been issued with a final notice for a parking fine amounting to £150 and threatening CCJ charges and bailiff stuff. I and my family were having a meal in a pizza hut on one of those commercial complexes that have a number of large stores, and after the meal we wandered around the stores, never leaving the site. We were there for just under 3 hrs. I have sent the company in charge of issuing the fines, Civil Enforcement Ltd, photocopies of the meal reciept and have had the manager of the restaurant also contact them to get the fine dropped, but they are now issuing these threats. I feel like I have the moral high ground: we did not leave the space that the parking is dedicated to, and we spent money in the adjoing restaurant, so have not used the car park to 'nip into town' or for reasons other than it's intended purposes, but I don't want bailifs and a CCJ for something so trivial as a parking fine, when we surf so close to the red line as we do anyway.
so what i'm asking is: what rights do I have in this case, what can I do and how can I fight a CCJ if i am in a position to do so? Is it better to pay the £150 (making it the most expensive meal I have ever eaten) or fight tooth an nail?
Help!:mad:

Mupette

repost this in parking fines, they will help you better there.

If it was a private company that issued the fine, you'll probably find it's not worth the paper it was printed on.

But check with parking fines section, they will be able to help you better.

dori2o

My parents had this happen to them. They went for a meal (again at Pizza Hut) and then had a walk around the shops (spending 2 hrs alone in DFS????????) they were there for 4 hours.

They got the same parking ticket, and sent in a receipt from Comet, which was the last store they visited, and the receipt from Pizza Hut.

The company replied stating that there is a time limit on how long you can stay on the car park, no exceptions.

So my parents wrote to every store on the retail park and told them it would be the last time they ever shopped there as the over zealous parking company wished to fine them for shopping in their stores.

2 weeks later an apology from the parking company arrived through the door.

Hintza

As above but just ignore.

See the sub board in the motoring section.

lucylucky

Just to be clear - you have not been "FINED"

You have been given an unenforceable invoice which you can and should ignore.

lucylucky

dori2o wrote: »

My parents had this happen to them. They went for a meal (again at Pizza Hut) and then had a walk around the shops (spending 2 hrs alone in DFS????????) they were there for 4 hours.

They got the same parking ticket, and sent in a receipt from Comet, which was the last store they visited, and the receipt from Pizza Hut.

The company replied stating that there is a time limit on how long you can stay on the car park, no exceptions.

So my parents wrote to every store on the retail park and told them it would be the last time they ever shopped there as the over zealous parking company wished to fine them for shopping in their stores.

2 weeks later an apology from the parking company arrived through the door.

Which is of course a lie.:D

Proc

As many have already said, just completely ignore it. It's not a fine, it's an invoice. They rely on scare tactics to make people pay.

They won't take you to court, you won't get a CCJ. At best they will send you some more letters informing you that you've been a very naughty person and they will sacrifice your first-born child if you don't give them 11 trillion pounds.