help! advice needed - private company chasing me for ticket they DIDN'T put on car..

flothemidwife

Hello, I'm new here and wondered if anyone can help...

In July a private firm (CP Plus) put an empty yellow ticket on my car, there was no ticket in it and no ticket anywhere around my car. the envelope was open and stuck to my windscreen.

In September I received a letter from parking collections asking for £80. I contacted them immediately explaining what had happened and even including a picture of the empty envelope with tape still attached where it hadn't been sealed shut. they immediately (apparently within minutes) turned down my appeal and said the matter was final, and that even if the envelope was empty there was ample signage on site telling me who to contact to get details of the ticket.

I actually went back and checked, and there was NOTHING saying how to contact the company to pay a ticket, (and anyway, I wouldn't have had a reference number, would I?). I contacted them again to say that, received no reply and today got a letter threatening litigation if I don't pay up in 7 days and saying a county court judgement might be lodged against me. This seems bonkers and totally unfair. What should I do? I'm a totally law-abiding citizen but certainly can't afford to pay £80. this can't be right, can it??

vax2002

You have not been given a parking ticket or a fine:
From a legal prospective what you have been given is an "invitation to pay a private invoice".
You are legally within your rights to reject the invitation and keep your money:
What will happen is they will buy your private data from DVLA and send a series of menacing letters threatening to take you to court and then more letters from fake debt collectors and fake solicitors again all threatening to take you to court.
They will not take you to court as legally they have no power to fine you or charge you a penalty.
In short it is a scam of impersonation of officialdom and empty threats.
HOW TO DEAL:
IGNORE everything, ignore all letters, ignore all fake solicitors letters and ignore all fake debt collectors.
They will get fed up and move on to another victim.
IGNORE Means exactly that IGNORE, you do not appeal, there is no appeal it is part of the scam, you do not bite back, do not write or do anything to correspond and they will go away, if they call your telephone, do not confirm any information place the handset down and leave it of the hook for ten minutes .
BE WARNED evidence on these and other forums clearly describes how people who do pay these hoping they go away receive further demands for more money, often several hundreds of pounds.

Coupon-mad

flothemidwife wrote: »

Hello, I'm new here and wondered if anyone can help...

In July a private firm (CP Plus) put an empty yellow ticket on my car, there was no ticket in it and no ticket anywhere around my car. the envelope was open and stuck to my windscreen.

In September I received a letter from parking collections asking for £80. I contacted them immediately explaining what had happened and even including a picture of the empty envelope with tape still attached where it hadn't been sealed shut. they immediately (apparently within minutes) turned down my appeal and said the matter was final, and that even if the envelope was empty there was ample signage on site telling me who to contact to get details of the ticket.

I actually went back and checked, and there was NOTHING saying how to contact the company to pay a ticket, (and anyway, I wouldn't have had a reference number, would I?). I contacted them again to say that, received no reply and today got a letter threatening litigation if I don't pay up in 7 days and saying a county court judgement might be lodged against me. This seems bonkers and totally unfair. What should I do? I'm a totally law-abiding citizen but certainly can't afford to pay £80. this can't be right, can it??

You have taken this far too seriously. It's not a ticket it's a scam, ticket in the envelope or not, you need never have replied!

Read the threads at the top of the forum, the letter-chains are on the sticky threads at the top and so is a youtube link to Watchdog on the subject of this con.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=163

Then just laugh as the letters arrive and you just file them away, ignored.

flothemidwife

brilliant, thanks so much. It's bloody awful, because had I not had the idea to have a peek on here, I never would have known and probably would have paid it, somehow. money is super tight for us and £80 is more than I spend feeding my whole family for a week, so not to be sniffed at. what a bunch of !!!!!!!s. i can't believe it's legal. thanks again.

vax2002

Unfortunately it IS legal to invoice anyone for anything you want to, it is also legal to sue someone for not paying that invoice.
I could send you a gate left open charge GLO Charge notification !
I can sue you for not paying it as well.
Now the problem arises when you call me OUT on my threats, if I take you to court the judge will say I have no legal right to charge you a penalty for leaving your gate open as I have suffered no loss by you doing so.
This is also what happens to most private parking companys when every now and again they become delusion, start believing there own twaddle and foolishly expect a judge to do so.
Some of them have even sued themselves ! to make it look good, how stupid is that..
So relax, whilst your £80 is in your purse, you are WINNING.
Now keep it there and if they want £80, or whatever they put it up to, let them get of their harses and work and sweat for it like everyone else does.
Ignore the crooks, keep your money.
get ready for one silly letter after another ramping up the threats and fake bill and then the offer to let you off the hook if you pay them the first amount.

robredz

The empty envelope with the operative noting the index number of the car for later DVLA request and invoice issue could also be a tactic in the scam, It is time these parasites were spanked severely, but the MP's seem so up their own backsides with snouts in the trough that they don't care.