Roxburghe debt collectors A S Security - Parking fine

StaceyL89

Hi, I just wanted to let you all know I have now received 2 letters from Roxburghe debt collects and also a letter from Graham White Solicitors.

Apparently they are working on behalf of A S SECURI-T.... This was not the company that gave me the parking charge notice, that was VP Parking solutions.

Seems they are all working together and my case has got muddled up.

Thank you all for telling me to ignore, I am really glad I have ignored them now.

HO87

StaceyL89 wrote: »

Hi, I just wanted to let you all know I have now received 2 letters from Roxburghe debt collects and also a letter from Graham White Solicitors.

Apparently they are working on behalf of A S SECURI-T.... This was not the company that gave me the parking charge notice, that was VP Parking solutions.

Seems they are all working together and my case has got muddled up.

Thank you all for telling me to ignore, I am really glad I have ignored them now.

I doubt that there is actually any confusion. VP Parking Solutions Ltd trade as AS Securi-T and are members of the Approved Operator Scheme under that t/a title. The fact that the directors of AS Securi-T Ltd (with the Limited title) which went bust a year or so ago just happen to be the same as those of VP Parking Solutions Ltd is entirely coincidental.

Roxburghe (UK) Ltd are debt collectors who represent a number of private parking companies chasing their unpaid parking tickets. Graham White, Solicitors are in effect just an offshoot of Roxburghe's that the debt collectors use in an attempt to ratchet-up the pressure on people who don't pay up. The letter from GW's will have originated from the same desk at Roxburghe's as the others.

HTH

tahinie

Hi everyone firstly I would like to thank all for your comments from my post (I posted some time ago) regarding a so called parking fine from AS Securi-T /VP Parking Solutions. I have received 5 letters up to now, the latest one being from Roxbughe debt collectors.

The amount of money they are demanding has now increased to £148.00 and they will pass the matter to their Solicitors, Graham White who will review my case for potential legal action.

At the foot of the letter is this small paragragh:

We are aware of anecdotal information being presented via the internet and on various websites and you may feel this guidance is worth following. We Strongly urge you to seek independent legal advice rather than rely on these opinions, and we would respectively suggest that you refer to the Civil Procedure Rules part 31*, and more specifically parts 31. 16 and 31.17.

Whilst I have taken on board all advice on this site, I am apprehensive about being taken to Court considering that I have tried to seek indepenent legal advice but I have not been able to find a Solicitor who deals with this type of issue. Furthermore the one and only Solicitor I sought advice from informed me that this is a litigation and the chances of winning are zero and the cost for me would be in excess of £500 plus.

I live alone, I am approaching retirment, I work extremely hard and I am NOT going to let these vultures - Greedy AS Securi-T people take my hard earned cash without a fight.

I do feel harrassed and threatened, even more so now that the telephone calls have started from Roxburghe. I understand that Roxburghe cannot approach ny door demanding money nor can a Baliffe unless my case has been to Court.

Nevertheless, I am extremely worried that a Baliffie will come to my address and should this be the case and the Baliffe is unable to gain access, can my car be taken. This is parked outside my house and I need my car for work as I am an essential car user. Please advise. Thank you

Half_way

First of all whos car park was it such as a supermarket or retail park wth multiple units/shops?

Secondly and most importantly read up on Mr Graham white, and his erstwhile companion Micheal Sobell.

anyways in order for them to et balifs round first of all you need to be taken to court ( extremly unnlikely) next you need to loose the court case - even more unlikely then you have to refuse to pay, then and only after a long winded process can they appoint baliffs.
All that is worst case scenario, and is highly unlikely to happen - yu may win the lottery a few times before that.

However one thing that is on your side is that ( understandably) you feel threatened and upset by these letters, somone on here my be able to help you draft a letter before action telling them, ( that is the parking ticket company - and who ever owns the car park ) to stop sending you these letters, otherwise you will take legal action against them, the shoe so to sepak is and should be well and truly on the other foot.
Why go for the car park owner where possible? they are responsable for the actions of their agents, in this case the car parking company without the owners permission the car parking ticket company can not opperate.

Coupon-mad

See that paragraph you carefully typed out about 'anecdotal information? Try copying and pasting a nice chunk of it into Google. See how often people have ignored that standard letter and nothing has happened. The letter is used all the time, it's not unusual and is just more junk.

You do not need legal advice, you can just ignore this. You wouldn't want legal advice as to whether you could ignore some junk mail order catalogue leaflets, or PPI 'reclaim' phone calls or phishing emails would you?

Tick off the threatening letters Here.

Watchdog clip with expert Solicitor's opinion here.

Barrister's advice here.

She clearly says: ''This is a private land fine. They are unenforceable. This is not a parking fine however it may look. These companies are private firms that have no more right to punish you for the manner of your parking than your neighbour does. Only the police or the local Council can do that.''

Please follow and read those links, now, so you know what it's all about and can just play a nice game of snap with the template threatogram letters. Your letter is shown in our thread 'PPC letter chains' third from the top of the sub-forum - did you miss the pictures of those letters? Yours is there, have a look at the links listed for Roxburghe and Graham White. If that specific letter isn't shown under your PPC then look under another PPC which also uses Graham White templates.

You do realise that Graham White is just a name used by Roxburghe, it has NOT been 'passed to a Solicitor' just passed from one desk at the call centre to another! And this is one of the last letters in the chain as you will see when you compare your letters to the thread I mentioned 'PPC letter chains'.

Nothing else will happen, no CCJ, no Court, no bailiff, no-one comes knocking and there is no effect on your credit rating.

It's ONLY SOME JUNK MAIL! it really is just like laughing at and deleting a series of phishing emails.


HTH

Stephen_Leak

I just love their phrase, "We are aware of anecdotal information being presented via the internet and on various websites and ... this guidance is worth following". At least they can get something right.

Roxburghe omit to say that Part 31 of The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 “applies to all claims except a claim on the small claims track.” Parking charge cases are heard in the small claims track of the county courts.

However, there are now landmark court cases, VCS Parking Control vs. Ronald Ibbotson, S!!!!horpe, 2012, HM Revenue & Customs vs. VCS Parking Control, Lower Tax Tribunal, 2012 and VCS Parking Control vs. HM Revenue & Customs (Appeal), Upper Tax Tribunal, 2012. In these cases, the judges ruled that only the car park owner can charge for parking and take alleged offenders to court. The Upper Tax Tribunal is equivalent to the High Court and, therefore, its judgements set legal precedents. No private ticketing company or car park owner has taken any alleged offender to court since.

The final but more unpleasant threats usually include mentioning that, if the case goes to court, a county court judgement (CCJ) may be issued, that bailiffs may be appointed and that your credit rating may be ruined. For things to actually get to this stage, the car park owner would have to take you to court and win the case. Then, you would have to refuse to pay, to get a CCJ issued after 28 days. Then, you would have to still refuse to pay, to get bailiffs appointed.

Roxburghe are debt collectors. This means that they have the same legal powers to collect debts ... as you or I do. Not that this is actually a debt. Did you take out a loan and enter into a credit agreement with the car park owner or private ticketing company involved?

The Roxburghe telephone calls are easily dealt with. When they ring next, simply say, “The alleged so-called debt is denied. You now need to refer this matter back to your client. Any further communication on this matter will be regarded as harassment under terms of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.”

Roxburghe are under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading, who are "minded to revoke their licence". I'm sure that they'd appreciate you reminding them of this as well.

Graham White are actually the same people as Roxburghe. Compare the signatures on their letters. They are solicitors, but only because they pay a retired solicitor, Michael Sobell, to use his name. Graham White are under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for threatening people with legal action that they can't actually take.

You are reaching the end of the blackmail campaign, Stay strong, stay angry, and they will soon run out of empty threats and stop throwing good money after bad.

PS. The solicitor. How can I put this kindly? I hope that his advice was free.

tahinie

Thank you Half - Way, Coupon - Mad, and Stephen for your responces. I cannot believe how these bullies think they can continue to treat in the manner that they do and I will stay strong and angry.

tahinie

Half_way

You should direct your anger at whoever it is that owns the car park, or allows the company to opperate on that land such as a supermarket store manager, as they are responsable for the actions of their agents.

HO87

tahinie wrote: »

Thank you Half - Way, Coupon - Mad, and Stephen for your responces. I cannot believe how these bullies think they can continue to treat in the manner that they do and I will stay strong and angry.

tahinie

Tahinie

If you fancied upping the ante a little, as Halfway suggests, you could send AS Securi-T this letter:

Dear Sirs

Letter Before Action

I refer to your previous correspondence, and that of your agent Roxburghe (UK) Ltd, relating to parking charge notice number <insert number> issued on <insert date>.

I deny that any debt exists and, in the absence of a court judgment, will make no payment nor respond to any demands from you or your agents. I therefore invite you to issue proceedings immediately and if I have heard nothing within the next seven days will consider the matter closed.

Any further correspondence from you or your agent will be considered as harassment and I reserve to myself the right to issue proceedings without recourse to you.

No acknowledgement is required.

Yours faithfully

Tahinie

AS Securi-T aka VP Parking Solutions have never done court and there is no reason to believe that they will now. The chances of court simply aren't worth considering. Of the 1.8 million private tickets issued last year only 49 (yes, just 49) ended up before a judge. And AS Securi-T/VP were not amongst them.

hask1971

I have also had debt collector letter from roxburghe on behalf of new generation parking management. again I am a bit apprehensive about not paying but they want £150 for me not paying up £50 straight away having ignored the letters from seeing the posts here. So am I right to ignore it still it is a parking charge notice, any advice would be great. mine is signed steve dargonne.