The Double Whammy. Car Parking Fines and Debt Recovery

dunham

I am new to forums and am seeking some advice. please....

I have received a letter from what looks like a debt recovery company acting on behalf of a car park contractor ( as seen in these forums ), they claim to be instructed by the car park owner to recover a now overdue fine due to parking in a coach restricted area ( in April ) in a motorway service area. The new sum of course is now a pricley £130. Payment required in 14 days, increased costs for challenge etc etc.....

I never received any notification by post - nor as they claim in the letter - a ticket applied to the car. I happened to be sat in the car during the time stated not feeling very well. I did not have a ticket applied / nor did I see any attendent that they say observed the car. This is a motorway service area...

What is the nest course of action AND - the Double Whammy is I just counter claimed another fine from the same car park owner but from a later month ( May ). On this occasion I had broken down and exceeded parking time limits - caught on camera ! When I challenged this they did not raise the above April issue to me at any stage - depsite me being pro active and following this up to resolve ?

I am asking is it common not to actually recieve a ticket, Can I seek proof of this or is this sometimes just based on CCTV and a ruse to get you into responding. Is it common not to recieve any communication by post until after due dates of a fine / or to late to make any kind of come back to them - as in this case now passed to Debt recovery / baillifs before having a chance to resolve with them??


In both the above cases - I did not receive letter until past any timescale for response in a timely manner..

How should I deal with this Debt recovery company acting on behalf of the car park owner ? Given the car park owner originally conceded on the later parking issue ?

Stephen_Leak

Letters get lost in the post. PPCs lie.

Keep it simple. They're two separate cases. The fact that they both involve the same PPC is coincidental.

Which PPC? Which DRC? The DRC usually still the PPC, but using different headed paper.

The DRCs' more unpleasant threats usually include mentioning that a county court judgement (CCJ) might be issued, that bailiffs might be appointed, and that bad things might happen to your credit rating. For things to actually get to this stage, the car park owner (CPO) would have to take you to court and win the case. Then you’d have to refuse to pay and, after 28 days, a CCJ would be issued. Then you'd still have to refuse to pay and bailiffs would be appointed.

So, what should you do?

Option 1: If it was a free car park, you don't owe the CPO anything. Ignore.

Option 2: We don’t condone not paying or overstaying in a pay car park. If you owe the CPO the original charge, then you ought to write to the CPO, offering this in “full and final settlement”.

In any event, you should write to the CPO, advising them that they are "jointly and severally liable" for the actions of their agents, the PPC/DRC, and that any further actions by either of them would be regarded as harassment under the terms of The Protection from Harassment Act 1997. This should make the CPO call off the PPC/DRC and, hopefully, make the CPO realise the potential cost of doing business with a PPC.

Don’t appeal to the PPC/DRC. They always reject them. What’s in it for them to let anyone off?

Coupon-mad

dunham wrote: »

I am new to forums and am seeking some advice. please....

I have received a letter from what looks like a debt recovery company acting on behalf of a car park contractor ( as seen in these forums ), they claim to be instructed by the car park owner to recover a now overdue fine due to parking in a coach restricted area ( in April ) in a motorway service area. The new sum of course is now a pricley £130. Payment required in 14 days, increased costs for challenge etc etc.....

I never received any notification by post - nor as they claim in the letter - a ticket applied to the car. I happened to be sat in the car during the time stated not feeling very well. I did not have a ticket applied / nor did I see any attendent that they say observed the car. This is a motorway service area...

What is the nest course of action AND - the Double Whammy is I just counter claimed another fine from the same car park owner but from a later month ( May ). On this occasion I had broken down and exceeded parking time limits - caught on camera ! When I challenged this they did not raise the above April issue to me at any stage - depsite me being pro active and following this up to resolve ?

I am asking is it common not to actually recieve a ticket, Can I seek proof of this or is this sometimes just based on CCTV and a ruse to get you into responding. Is it common not to recieve any communication by post until after due dates of a fine / or to late to make any kind of come back to them - as in this case now passed to Debt recovery / baillifs before having a chance to resolve with them??


In both the above cases - I did not receive letter until past any timescale for response in a timely manner..

How should I deal with this Debt recovery company acting on behalf of the car park owner ? Given the car park owner originally conceded on the later parking issue ?

:eek:

Why have you gone to all this trouble?

It's a private company and they can't fine anyone! IGNORE THEM from now on for goodness' sake, you have wasted enough time and postage already over a scam. It's soooo well-known on here that we have preview pics of the debt collector letters, so newbies can play PPC snap!

The registered keeper (you I hope, as that's easier) will get some more letters, that's all, so make sure your household knows there is NOTHING in it in spite of the debt collector and 'solicitor' letter headings and threats of court.

It's all hot air and an impersonation of authority, much like a phishing email scam it relies on victims who are too uninformed or stupid to realise what it is. A debt collector is a pen pusher. They send letters; sometimes they phone up if they can get a number (easily stopped). They are NOT bailiffs and have no powers to enforce a debt, will not go to Court, will not come knocking, will not 'apply for a CCJ' because that's not how things work! They lie!

Tick off the threatening letters Here.

Watchdog clip with expert Solicitor's opinion here.

Barrister's opinion here.

Show your family and friends. Spread the word like we do. Only take seriously a real ticket from the Police, TFL, Council or (rarely) a real penalty from a Train Operator.

Anything else is destined for 'shredding for hamster-bedding'.

HTH

Oopsadaisy

PPC = Private = Ignore, ignore, ignore some more.

If you've got any questions about this, please do NOT ask them; read the stickies where they will all be answered.

Your case is not special and does not have any unique aspects to it so as with 99.99999999999999999999999999999% of PPC the answer is still....Ignore, ignore, ignore some more.

pogofish

You are giving them far too much creedence - Just ignore the fake demands and while you are at it, check the forum sticky where you may well find the entire ticket/letterchain already illustrated.

And if not, how about getting this lot scanned-up, depersonalised and added? That way you help so many other people deal with the scam.