Prove it letter ignored

TryingToGetSorted_2

Hi all,

I walked into the house a few days ago to find 14 letters all from the same company.
Each letter had a different reference number for parking offences.
The parking offences allegedly took place in 2007 and 2008.
I have previously had no correspondence to any parking offences.

The company writing to me now are a group who say they are "High Court Enforcement Officers and certified baliffs"

I immediately wrote back to them using the prove it letter template on M.S.E.

Within a couple of days they have replied with the following (the reference being all 14 reference numbers)

Thank you for your recent letter

You will appreciate we are instructed to pursue the outstanding amounts immediately and in full. Any circumstances relating to the offences or contraventions are beyond our jurisdiction and we are unable to comment on the points you have raised.

We regret therefore, we are unable to put this matter on hold or refrain from pursuing the amount due unless otherwise instructed by the Local Authority

Yours sincerely

So, they have ignored the prove it letter and are saying they are going to continue to pursue me for the money, which I still have no knowledge or evidence of.

The original letters stated...

We are instructed by Liverpool City Council TMA in respect of an outstanding Penalty Charge Notice

What should I do now? I guess write to the people they are acting for but I have been given no contact details, of course I know who Liverpool City Council are but I don't know what the TMA is, any ideas, I tried googling it but didn't find anything of relevance.

Can anyone help please? Not sure what to do. I thought once I sent a prove it letter they could no longer pursue me until they could prove what they were pursuing me for?

Thanks

give_them_FA

The "Prove it" letter doesn't apply to this situation. It's a pity you didn't come here before you sent it, as with the correspondence that old, they would have long since given up and written it off; and parking offences don't produce CCJs.

Now you have simply woken them up again. And the smell of money is in their nostrils.

Sounds like one helluva mess. Do you know anything about these fines? I take it you have been abroad or something? Did you have a car you lent to someone while you were away or anything?

Or sorry have I misunderstood, are the offences in 2007-8 but the letters only just issued?

TryingToGetSorted_2

Thanks for your reply.
Sorry, I don't think I made it quite clear. I didn't reply to letters from 2007 and 2008.

The 14 letters all came on the same day last week. All were dated 30/03/12. Each different letter related to a different 'offence' date. The earliest being August 07 and the latest is June 08.

They all relate to the same car park. A car park that I did used to use when I worked in the area, but I duly paid each day and have never received any notices etc until these 14 Debt Collector letters dropped on my doormat last week.

give_them_FA

OK, as you will see just realised that! Where were you on the "offence dates"? And was it your car? Did you by any chance have a car which you sold in 2007, and it's possible the buyer never registered it in his name but left it in yours?

TryingToGetSorted_2

Yes it was my car, and it is possible on each of the dates I did park there, it's hard to know going back that long, but it would make sense I was there. But no parking tickets were on my car, no notices received etc. Of course after all this time I am not going to have proof I paid the parking on each day.

The amounts they are asking for range from £125.08 to £343.33 for each offence. In total it is £2395.18 !!

give_them_FA

I find it quite extraordinary that if the offences occurred in 2007-8 that you would only just have got the notification. If it was your car and if you MAY have parked it, then you should have heard about it when it happened. You say you have NEVER received any paperwork for ANY of these offences? Yet they must have been sent as they were happening? Have you changed your address in the intervening period?

Or did you change your address before the offences took place but forgot to notify DVLA? But that doesn't alter the fact that a PCN should have been left on the car every time....

TryingToGetSorted_2

No nothing received at all until now, still not got the official notification, just letters from the Bailiffs saying I need to pay these in 7 days.
Surely they have to prove to me that these offences were committed? I have received nothing in 5 years then all of a sudden 14 letters!

I sold the car some time ago. My address has changed a few times since 2007 but obviously didn't need to let the DVLA know as no longer had that car

give_them_FA

Frankly I am puzzled. The normal procedures result in a PCN getting to enforcement maybe 3 months after issue, though it can take longer. But 5 years? And no previous paperwork? No PCNs attached to vehicle? But the car WAS yours when this happened? I was thinking cloning but you would still have got paperwork at the time...

I would like to hear the opinions of a poster called Esmerobbo who is local to Liverpool. Why don't you PM him so he will notice this thread when he comes on?

TryingToGetSorted_2

Have done. Many thanks.

give_them_FA

OK. There is obviously a mystery to be unravelled. Lets hear what our friend says about it and then try and get to the bottom of it.

HO87

Before the OP goes any further with this they should post of Pepipoo - in the Council Parking Tickets & Clamping and Decriminalised Notices section where they can receive specific and more specialist advice.

The OP is going to have to try to mentally reconstruct their ownership history of the vehicle involved including trying to recall at what points they moved home and whether they notified DVLA of those changes of address in respect of that vehicle.