Help Please, failed appeal to TPS

swinster31

Hi

I need some advice on a TPS parking ticket. I stupidly wrote them a letter, including my address on a stamp addressed envelope asking them if they would mitigate this penalty because I did not understand there was a no return within 2 hours policy. I can post this letter if its necessary but its a bit embarassing because I've gone for the sympathy route, claiming financial difficulty and tough personal circumstances (which I have). They wrote back basically saying I have to pay the fine. I can post both my letter to them and their reply if necessary.

If I've already accepted liability for this fine (I'm writing this on a pc which does not have my letter so I can't remember if I did accept responsibility) then is there any point in ignoring the letters that they are probably going to send to me.

What do you propose I do next. They now want £60 off me instead of the £40 if I'd paid within 14 days of receiving the ticket ( it looks like they wont take me appeal into consideration and reset the time limit from their reply).

I've read a few other posts on here and I get the jist is to ignore them. Lets say my letter does accept responsibility for this fine, should I still do this?

Note to self: adopt this site for all of lifes financial problems. I've just found this forum and read a couple of the stickys and I think I've broken quite a few of the what not to dos. Have I screwed myself out of £60?, (neither do I want the debt being sold on to hundreds of pounds and endless harassment).

Please help

Thanks

trisontana

Yes, it was a mistake to appeal to their(non-existent) good nature. From now on don't write to them again and ignore all the phoney looking legal paperwork you will receive from them. Just hold firm, don't worry and everything will be OK. By the way, this is not a "fine" , it's an unenforceable invoice.

bromsgrovebarry

Just ignore them and relax. The debt is legally unenforceable. But please never respond to PPCs in future. You may get a few extra begging letters and possibly phone calls from debt collectors that should be ignored as well. Eventually they go away with their tails between their legs to find some other potential victim.

esmerobbo

If you admitted being the driver they may think they have more of a chance of intimidating you. However if it was a free car park their losses were nil. if it was a fee paying car park and you paid then returned and paid then their losses are nil. They can not charge penalties they can only recover losses. Do not have any further contact with them, as I said they may push a little more then usual, but it is not really beneficial for them to push beyond the intimidation.

It is a pity you did not come here first and simply ignored from the outset. However we can not go back so that's done. Just sit it out.

swinster31

Thanks for your support. I'll do what you say, although I am anxious about it not going the way you say it will, but this is my paranoia more than anything else.

I know there are no sure fire answers, I suppose I'm looking for some assurance debt collectors wont be calling round for double or even triple the original fine. Have there been cases on here where people have had to eventually pay the fine? Will 100% ignoring their correspondence prevail. I'm voicing my concerns more than anything else, as I'm sure others have done here countless times already(plus because I'm a relative young new driver with lots of student debt and what can be called "good" debt and a unrelenting responsible dad shouting PAY IT!) I don't want to to do something which may damage my credit rating or cause me further money probems in the future.

I think I'll gamble and ignore, ..any more thoughts?

trisontana

For your credit rating to be damaged the case would have to go to court (very unlikely) you lose (very, very, unlikely) and then you don't pay whatever the judge orders within 28 days. This is such a remote possibility it's not worth worrying about.

Please don't confuse debt collectors, who are private citizens with no special powers, and with bailiffs who are "officers of the court" and only come on the scene if you owe money to a court.

And once again it's not a "fine". To give it that name gives it a legitimacy it doesn't deserve.

swinster31

thank you all very much, I never expected all your replies so quickly.

swinstersdad

swinster31's dad isn't that unrelenting, just not well informed on this enough. Learnt something new, hope it works

swinster31

yeah I'll concede that. I didn't know you could learn new things. I learnt something new today too

mrcow

swinster31 wrote: »

I learnt something new today too

Is it........

Don't share message boards with your parents?

swinster31

...and call them unrelenting