Help! Parking Charge Notice / Vehicle Control Services

rnc

Hi all,

I hope you would be able to offer some advice

We went to park the car today - its a private car park I think - and due to lack of sleep (baby!) and complete forgetfulness forgot to put the money in the machine Ran back as soon as I realised but of course they had already pounced.

£80 for 15 minutes missed ticket seems outrageously steep. Obviously have started reading through the (many) threads and seen people have tried disputing these.

I don't know how successful that is and of course I don't want court/bailiffs knocking on the door! Any possibility of getting them to reduce the 'charge' as it seems almost like the overdraft charges - too high for the amount of work ?


Thanks in advance!

trisontana

I think you have misread some of the threads. People just don't "dispute" these demands, they ignore them completely. That's the best strategy to make these people go away.

As for "court/bailiffs knocking on the door!" For that to happen the case would have to go to court (very unlikely) you lose (very, very unlikely) and then you refuse to pay whatever the judge orders within 28 days. This is such a remote possibility it's not worth bothering about.

Kite2010

Ignore, you have paid the landowner for providing a service, the landowner has suffered no damages.

Just ignore all the pretty demands which will be coming your-way soon.

Coupon-mad

rnc wrote: »

Hi all,

I hope you would be able to offer some advice

We went to park the car today - its a private car park I think - and due to lack of sleep (baby!) and complete forgetfulness forgot to put the money in the machine Ran back as soon as I realised but of course they had already pounced.

£80 for 15 minutes missed ticket seems outrageously steep. Obviously have started reading through the (many) threads and seen people have tried disputing these.

I don't know how successful that is and of course I don't want court/bailiffs knocking on the door! Any possibility of getting them to reduce the 'charge' as it seems almost like the overdraft charges - too high for the amount of work ?


Thanks in advance!

Show us a thread on here where someone has been told to write to the PPC to 'dispute' a bogus ticket like yours? There is the odd one or two when people have been credulous enough to do so before coming here, then been told they should not have bothered. All appeals are declined.

And show us a thread on here where someone has ignored a fake PCN and had bailiffs knock on the door? It doesn't happen! You have not read up on this enough nor seemed to see the simple message in all the threads = IGNORE.

Do not appeal, do not write, do not ask them to reduce the pretend charge! The computer says no!

See my signature and click the blue link at the top of the page to read the stickies and see the whole board. You will find Watchdog on PPC tickets and you will see pictures of the 'scary' debt collector letters you will be sent.

It's really easy. It's a generic scam carried out by a cowboy industry. Like a phishing email, just there to be deleted/ignored. Oh, and debt collectors are NOT bailiffs, why do you think they can knock on doors? They just write (and occasionally phone but if you read up on the board you will see it's all covered in our advice).

This is nothing at all to worry about. Have fun filing each threatogram and tell your friends & family what you have learned once you have read up on it. Wouldn't you hate to think of them falling for a fake ticket as well!

rnc

Ok, ok I get the point - not a dispute

I probably read too many things on google too quick - did not mean to imply people had been told to dispute them.

Even if I ignore it, I guess my name (i.e. cars registered keeper) remains on their file assuming I don't tell them who the driver was. Which iplies even if they give up for some indeterminate amount of time their 'supposed loss' could be sold on to another debt collecting company for years hence?

If these PPC tickets are so meaningless why does anyone bother paying for car parking? (apart from the moral/social issue) ??

I think was is so annoying the disproportionate nature of the charge. I could swallow a smaller charge given I forgot to get a ticket

Thanks!

Sir_Roger_deLodger

rnc wrote: »

Even if I ignore it, I guess my name (i.e. cars registered keeper) remains on their file assuming I don't tell them who the driver was. Which iplies even if they give up for some indeterminate amount of time their 'supposed loss' could be sold on to another debt collecting company for years hence?

It could, and you could go on ignoring it for years hence. In practice though they give up after a few months.

rnc wrote: »

If these PPC tickets are so meaningless why does anyone bother paying for car parking? (apart from the moral/social issue) ??

No one here will advise you not to pay the landowner for parking. It is the jumped up spurious "charges" imposed by parasites for breaking silly rules that we object to.
Personally, I make sure I never pay for parking by never using P&D car parks, if there is no free parking available I go elsewhere.

As the others have said, ignore.

rnc

Drove by there today and while there did not seem to be any CCTV cameras (to show who was driving), the signs said "will may clamp you if you have outstanding infringements" - so does this mean we can't use this car park again if we start ignoring the notice?

Should I also wait till the invoice appears through the door?

Thanks again!

trisontana

It would be illegal for the parking company to clamp over a previous parking "ticket". As for CCTV how is the parking company going to identify the driver? Unless they have aq data-base containing images and address of everyone in this country they can't. Even the police don't have this capability. This is why they have those photo appeals on such programmes as Crimewatch. If I showed you a photograph of a few people walking down the street how many of those could you name?

Just keep ignoring.

rnc

Well I've just received the first "Notice to Owner: Intent to Issue Court Proceedings Letter"

It looks all very official with red bold letters splashed all over it.

Interesting phrases I note are 'alleged contravention', 'photographic evidence', 'may commence proceedings against driver/owner'. I notice they also give me a little form to state I was not the Driver/Owner as well.

Is this what everyone would expect?

muckybutt

Yes ! carry on ignoring.

Expect at least another 3 - 4 letters all of a begging nature from various wannabe solicitors / debt collectors etc. They'll all say the same bull about ccj's - court - bailiffs etc.

rnc

Just received the second letter!

This is more threatening and implies they will start court proceedings; I quote:

"Failure to pay this notice will result in court proceeding being taken against the driver which can lead to a warrant being issued to the bailiffs to recover payment/seize goods"

Where has the 'may' gone from the court proceedings?!

Thoughts?

Should I scan these in as these letters do not appear in the example list at the top of the forum.

Thanks