euro car parks - parking charge notice

trisontana

peckaboo wrote: »

Hi mrdeedee, I'm following this thread with interest as I'm in exactly your situation but a few weeks behind you. I also overstayed the 2 hour limit (in Morrisons' free car park in High Wycombe) about a week ago and my husband (the car's registered keeper) was sent a letter yesterday from Euro Car Parks informing him that he needed to pay a £90 fine, which would be reduced to £70 if he paid within 2 weeks. This is despite the notices in the car park saying that the fine would be "up to" £70. I'm tempted to ignore it after reading all the advice on here, but have been scared by the fact that they named their solicitor when writing to you... that makes it seem to me like it's real..?

They didn't include any photos in our letter, but told us the time at which I'd been photographed entering and leaving the car park. It seems from what I've read on here that my husband is not obliged to tell them that I was driving, but I'm worried they'll turn up at the house and see that I match the person in their photo, and they'll know it was me!

Am I just being really paranoid...?

One other question (am I supposed to start a new thread if I'm asking my own questions on the back of someone else's? I'm new here...) - how do I know whether the land I parked on is private? Are there any cases where a supermarket car park is council-owned and therefore users would be legally obliged to pay up?

This is not a "FINE" it's an unenforceable invoice. And what do you mean by them "turning up at your house".? You are taking these clowns too seriously. They are not the police or the council but a private company with no more power than you or I to demand money off people. Nobody will come to your house.

Kite2010

peckaboo wrote: »

Hi mrdeedee, I'm following this thread with interest as I'm in exactly your situation but a few weeks behind you. I also overstayed the 2 hour limit (in Morrisons' free car park in High Wycombe) about a week ago and my husband (the car's registered keeper) was sent a letter yesterday from Euro Car Parks informing him that he needed to pay a £90 fine, which would be reduced to £70 if he paid within 2 weeks. This is despite the notices in the car park saying that the fine would be "up to" £70. I'm tempted to ignore it after reading all the advice on here, but have been scared by the fact that they named their solicitor when writing to you... that makes it seem to me like it's real..?

They didn't include any photos in our letter, but told us the time at which I'd been photographed entering and leaving the car park. It seems from what I've read on here that my husband is not obliged to tell them that I was driving, but I'm worried they'll turn up at the house and see that I match the person in their photo, and they'll know it was me!

Am I just being really paranoid...?

One other question (am I supposed to start a new thread if I'm asking my own questions on the back of someone else's? I'm new here...) - how do I know whether the land I parked on is private? Are there any cases where a supermarket car park is council-owned and therefore users would be legally obliged to pay up?

Complain to Morrisons, that they are trying to charge more than what the signs are saying, and also that you shall no longer be shopping at Morrisons because they employ thugs who result in threatening harassing tactics to get money from people

Inflatable_Armadillo

peckaboo wrote: »

I'm tempted to ignore it after reading all the advice on here, but have been scared by the fact that they named their solicitor when writing to you... that makes it seem to me like it's real..?

They didn't include any photos in our letter, but told us the time at which I'd been photographed entering and leaving the car park. It seems from what I've read on here that my husband is not obliged to tell them that I was driving, but I'm worried they'll turn up at the house and see that I match the person in their photo, and they'll know it was me!

Am I just being really paranoid...?

One other question (am I supposed to start a new thread if I'm asking my own questions on the back of someone else's? I'm new here...) - how do I know whether the land I parked on is private? Are there any cases where a supermarket car park is council-owned and therefore users would be legally obliged to pay up?

Can you let me have your e-mail address please? I am about to send you an invoice for £100 for reading my posts on this FREE forum. My Solicitors are Calvert & Greenfield and if you don't pay up I will be instructing them to commence legal proceedings against you forthwith.

What do you mean you are not going to pay me?

Well, in that case I am going to appoint my debt collection agency, Chadwick Debt Collectors, to recover my outstanding debt as well as commencing legal proceedings!

Do you see how this scam works yet... threats are easy and when you dress them up to look like real penalty notices issued by local authorities and the Police you can see why people fall for it.

This is a speculative invoice issued by a company who just want to extort money from you without any legal or moral reason for doing so... other than they want your cash!

In answer to your final question, the only people that can issue you with a legally enforceable penalty charge is a local authority (council) or the police/traffic warden. You don't have one of those, so that is how you know!

mrdeedee

Well, I received the letter from Graham White Solicitors today. The letter is slightly different from some that have been uploaded here, well the wording at least.

So it starts with in big bold writing: NOTICE OF INTENDED LEGAL ACTION

*old*our client has instructed us to proceed to legal action to recover the amount due / *new*our client has instructed us to recover the amount due

*old*Instead of saying notice of intended litigation, it says / *new*notice of intended legal action before issuing a Small Claim Summons in the Sheriffs Court.

Apart from having a table with all the costs, it pretty much just mentions them in a sentence, but it also states some additional costs such as 8%annual interest rate along with any expenses awarded by the court

The next bit is different from the other letters, but this might just be regional differences?

In the event of a Decree being obtained and registered by the Registers of Scotland your chances of obtaining credit, blah blah blah for the next 5 years....

They will seek to enforce the Decree through the appointed Sheriff Officer if the matter remains unpaid and carry out further enforcement instructions thereafter.

Nothing about Bailiffs which have been on others, just to say to avoind this drastic action, pay up.

I assume the wording is just that? And nothing substantial that I have to worry about?

esmerobbo

Do you live in Scotland?

mrdeedee

Wont let me reply a simple yes...lol but yes, I do.

esmerobbo

Not like Roxburghe doing their homework, but as Euro car parks have never done court I would not worry too much about their threats. Even if the have got the jurisdiction right for once!

mrdeedee

Okay thanks, I shall continue to ignore for now, cheers.

mrdeedee

I was reading costings for small claims and apparently for them to take me to small claims court would only cost something like £15(although they quoted over £30 in the letter). They are trying to say I owe over £115 now, and with all the extra court expenses added in it could be over £170, that doesn't seem right but given it would only cost them £15 to take me to small claims, should I still hang on?

I'm unsure of all the in's and outs of a sheriff court proceedings, unsure if there would be extra charges for them, if they did go through with court and lost, if not, it would be no skin off their nose.

Coupon-mad

ECP will not do Court. ECP have never done Court. ECP's owner stated in a national newspaper that they do not do Court as they are unsure of their legal position. So it will not happen, relax.

I have ignored an ECP fake PCN and so have thousands of others. Just collect the letter-chain of threats and park there again if you need to - do not even give this protection racket the time of day.