PPS Crawley Ticket, help/advice please :)

dw85

Heya,
Hoping someone might be able to offer me some advice. Been looking at some threads but not enough info to help me.
Parked car in Sussex House car park (loosest term!) and overstayed by about 20mins (late night shopping and rain!). Anyways, got back to car and there was a lovely red package on windscreen from PPS.
They want £100 for my 'contravention', or £75 in the next 7 days. Not the kind of money i have floating but, like i said, i was wrong.
My issue here is the amount, when in reality another 30mins would equate to 30p (at a push, another hour 50p..very happy to send payment). Im pretty sure even local authority tickets are only £30 +/- within 14 days (if it was that, id pay it and leave it at that).
I just think its an unreasonable amount to ask for.
What can/should i do?
Thanks in advance!

- thinking about it, im tempted to send the bottom part of ticket with 50p stuck to it to them. Think it would work?:rotfl:

Stephen_Leak

It is unreasonable. Therefore, it's also legally unenforeable. Therefore ignore.

They will send you a series of threatening letters, mentioning debt collectors, bailiffs, county court, CCJs, poor credit rating, etc. They will also soon realise that they're throwing good money after bad.

In the extremely unlikely event that you do get a letter from HMCS (not the one from PPS, mentioning county court and CCJs) then that would be the time to offer the charge (not a penny more) in "full and final settlement". Judges like to see this and it gives you the moral high ground.

It's a moot legal point whether, demanding the unlawfully high amount, they've waived their right to the legal, but paltry, sum. Judges do like to award it, even if they find in your favour, almost as a kind of legal insult.

vax2002

these tickets are a scam that impersonates authority, they mimic real authority in an attempt to scare you and they are very very good at it .
They try to confuse you that this is some bigshot process that will leave you sewing mail bags if you dont do exactly as they say.
The truth is, they have no more power to fine you than the local garden centre has for not using their own brand fertiliser.

The impersonation will change characters, debt collectors, fake solicitors, phone calls from spotty kids, all part of the same scam.
Best advice is to IGNORE them, this is harder than it sounds, but if you do pay this company are on my list as one of those that come back for more money in late payment charges, even if you pay on time, so sooner or later you have to ignore them anyway or they empty your bank and take the shoes from your feet.
Best to do the ignoring bit before they take anything.

dw85

by you offering it and them refusing it, you actually make it difficult for the judge to award it to them, even if he finds in your favour.

Lovely, but how would i go about it if it gets to that stage?
Or would that be something to state in court?

Sorry, its only happened today and my mind is already overthinking (silly girl!). The 'ticket' has a tear off section which has car reg, date charge issued, date payment and total...i really am tempted to sellotape a 50p to it and enclose a copy of my original ticket with the expiry time. But im guessing they will still take my details from DVLA.
Another question, will it affect my credit rating at all? (im sorry if this has been asked a thousand times!)

vax2002

No it can not effect your credit rating.
By sending 50p you just confirm you are a soft touch target.
Ignore them and they will send the silly letters and just move on.
Time is money for these people and around 60% pay up, so in wasting time chasing non payers in court, which they would loose, they could be sticking another 30 fake tickets on.
You may think you owe them 50p, but do they refund you every time you leave before the expiry time ?

dw85

Thanks just to break this to the other half
Ill be waiting to match off the letters to the ones on the sticky thread. At least i know what to expect now.
:beer: Cheers guys!

vax2002

You do know that you can come back here at any time, or post as often as you like, even for a group hug of reassurance as the letters arrived and we have some rather excellent legal advice available.
Not that you will need it.

dw85

i think ill be back for the reassurance. Reading the threads, at least im not alone.
Thank god for Martin Lewis and MSE (and all the wonderful people here on the forums!)
Now i dont have to sacrifice the Lindt Bunny i got for easter. lol:EasterBun

give_them_FA

If you were so minded, the best time to offer the 50p is now, before they have the chance to claim that they have incurred any expense chasing it up.

If you do that you also keep open the option of suing them for harassment if they continue to threaten you in an effort to get more.

The chances of you actually being taking to court are about equal to those of you winning the Lotto jackpot. Promises will be made to take you there, but they are never kept.

If you prefer not to have to go through their whole boring and pathetic series of letters, send them a note without your name or address, but bearing your ticket number, saying "cut the crap, I'm ready to see you in Court" and post it to them without a stamp. From that they may realise it's pointless trying to bully you.

Stephen_Leak

dw85 wrote: »

<snip> Another question, will it affect my credit rating at all? (im sorry if this has been asked a thousand times!)

1001 now.

If my mention of credit rating in my post alarmed you, I apologise. But it just shows how these letters can work. Mentioning something doesn't mean it's inevitable.

If I was into football, I could mention a team, who aren't doing very well, winning the championship.

give_them_FA

Technically, there could be an entry on your credit file if:

1. They took you to court (about 100,000-1 against)
2. They win (about 500,000 - 1 against)
3. You fail to pay within 28 days (odds not quoted).

So as you can see- it ain't very likely.