Athena - LIDL Charge

lucylucky

mattey13 wrote: »

What should I expect from them?

No mercy!;)

Unfortunately, as they have your contact details, they will pester you for a while with various threats and then the "lawyers" letters and then after a while..... they give up.

Just ignore

mattey13

is it safe to do this? Even though they know that it was me that was driving?

Just need to know where I really stand with this.

trisontana

mattey13 wrote: »

is it safe to do this? Even though they know that it was me that was driving?

Just need to know where I really stand with this.

You are taking these people too seriously. They are just a tin-pot private parking company with no more power than you or I to demand money off somebody. Just relax and stop worrying.

Coupon-mad

mattey13 wrote: »

is it safe to do this? Even though they know that it was me that was driving?

Just need to know where I really stand with this.

You stand on well-trodden ground, most of us have ignored PPC tickets including me.

But it's going to have to be the registered keeper you must convince not to be taken for a mug! The keeper will probably ultimately get the standard threatograms - even though you have written.

To my knowledge Athena have never been known to take anyone to Court, they are very tame. I have read loads of threads about them before and think they use the usual debt collector report in the top sticky thread 'PPC letters, what to expect' here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2214803

Also look at the other stickies to find the link to Watchdog's advice about this generic scam.

It would be great if you could keep all the letters and scan them into that PPC letters thread in due course as we don't have an 'Athena' heading yet. Would be good to add their threatograms to our Hall of Shame there on that top sticky thread. Thanks in advance if you can!

Nothing will happen, no CCJ, no Court, no effect on the credit rating of you or the registered keeper. No liability, no crime, no fine, it's all a bluff with a ticket designed to look legit. It is NOT.

Hope that's clear, now please show all these replies and links to the registered keeper, CONDFIDENTLY informing them that the whole cowboy industry is based on a generic scam.

mattey13

thanks for your replies I appreciaite it.

The letter I got today was addressed to myself and not the car owner so its me personally now who will be dealing with it and next time the laptop is on I will scan the letters in and post them.

Thanks all you have re-assured me.

esmerobbo

All you have done is encouraged them to write a little more, and make more empty threats! Like Coupon-mad says I have never seen a Athena court case! [Google it] Most of them know they are on shaky ground and give in, then move to the next person in the hope they will pay up.

mattey13

Just got my 3rd letter threatening to take me to court or take things from my house or goto my employer to get my money.

I'm assuming this can not be done?

trisontana

mattey13 wrote: »

Just got my 3rd letter threatening to take me to court or take things from my house or goto my employer to get my money.

I'm assuming this can not be done?

It's not an "or" situation. For those last three things to happen it has to go to court first, you lose and then you refuse to pay whatever the judge orders. As usual these debt collectors/solicitors are being very economical with the thrush.

mattey13

Would this ever goto court you reckon?

If it did and I refused to pay even if the judge did order it, what would happen?

Kite2010

mattey13 wrote: »

Would this ever goto court you reckon?

If it did and I refused to pay even if the judge did order it, what would happen?

If in the super-super rare occasion where it goes to court and for some reason the judge is having an off-day and decides to declare that the £300 the parking company is charging is justified and you refuse to pay, then that is where the PPC can apply for a CCJ and send bailiffs around.

But the chances of that happening is the same chance West Ham have got at winning the premiership this season