Town and Country Parking cameras and tickets

taffy056

Debt recovery plus never went to the small claims in 2011 at all for a parking issue, we can prove it as there is a FOI request that proved this. In 2012 there is binding on lower courts , upper tax tier judgement where it was deemed that parking companies had no legal right to offer parking or take them to the small claims. Your step dad who should know better probably should read hrmc v vcs , just google it.

Driver8

bunnypie wrote: »

Lots of advice on a similar matter would be great.

I too received a PCN in august dated for 10/7/12 for parking in my local asda round twenty minutes over the allowed 3 hours. I didn't remember if I did visit the store that day, as I often visit asda for a shop/a coffee and a cake... it was the day after my birthday however and i genuinely dont remember if i was there or not... however i must have been as they have images of my car entering and leaving the premises at the 'times' specified. I ignored the letter after reading forums like this one and speaking to a friend who is studying law at university.

However today I have come home to a letter from a Debt collection agency saying I owe Town and City parking £110 from 10/07/12!!

I know everybody is saying to ignore it, however I have had my doubts as my step-father is a policeman and he said I should pay up. I cannot afford for my credit rating to be affected as I am moving into a new rented property in a month, I also cannot afford to pay £110!

:-(

Tell me, do you have a signed credit agreement with them?

Have they got a consumer credit licence?

No you don't and no they haven't.

My daughter who's 20 year old ignored one when she got a ppc ticket when she was 18. They didn't faze her.


Remember people who are looking in, you, yes YOU can do exactly what a PPC company is doing to YOU ie trying to extort money with menaces. All their quasi legal crap and total nonsense on their letters designed to scare into paying the uninformed. Unfortunately it still works for them, not much longer.

All you have to do is set up a Private Parking Company, tout for business and send out the same total crap they do. yes You can do that, now are you still scared?

Now, does it make yours or any other PPC threatening letters any more legit? No it doesn't.

They are private companies who leech off honest people and still sleep at night who have no more powers than you or i have, tell them to get stuffed but just best to totally ignore and be safe in the knowledge you are costing them money.

Educate your father in law.

bunnypie

Thank you everybody! I have read some forums and don't want I waste your time however I am new to this so I do apologise :-) my 'contravention' was dated 10.7.12 so I shall ignore still!

surfboy1

And if you dont believe all of us on this forum just watch the legal expert on this mornings watchdog daily.
That should put your mind at rest.

Coupon-mad

surfboy1 wrote: »

And if you dont believe all of us on this forum just watch the legal expert on this mornings watchdog daily.
That should put your mind at rest.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4289141

...post #14 by Crabman.

AltheHibby

Bunnypie,

How scary are TCP? Scary enough that I am hoping to have them attempt to scam me so that I can have their new letters posted here. My crime? going back to a car park within 3 hours to buy something I saw first time around. I could have waited, but why should I?

dmliverpool

I was in the same boat as some of the others, having done my research and looked into the research of others it's evident that these companies are trying to exploit a loop hole that they think is present in the law. The Hmrc vs vcs case is the nail in the coffin if the case is upheld.

It would mean your only required defence is a large print out of the words Hmrc vs vcs. The judge will then ask for land owner proof etc and throw the case out.

Unless the land owner sues you (which isn't in their business interests) and they have proof of you driving and parking in a random car space with the keys in your hand, with a copy of your driving licence tapped to you forehead with the keys in your hands in a legible manner you have nothing to worry about.

Even then I would sue them for a breach of privacy as I didn't give them permission to take my picture and to publish it to the courts. I would levy a fee 20 times that of any settlement against me.

This is in addition to publicising my story in the daily mail and starting a name an shame website. :cool: that links the lease hold companies such as Tesco wilkinsons etc to this practice.

Quick questions to those experts out there, would there be grounds for slander then if they take you to court under false pretence when a case is thrown out? Would it be a good idea to write a letter from a consumer group to Hmrc naming all registered parking companies citing tax evasion to speed up all the investigations that must be due? Surely that would clear out a few of the suckers.

Lastly could we actually publish a article in a popular rage instructing people not to pay etc?

Coupon-mad

dmliverpool wrote: »

Quick questions to those experts out there, would there be grounds for slander then if they take you to court under false pretence when a case is thrown out?

I am no expert as I have never sued anyone but I wonder if 'slander' can even be heard in the small claims track (damages for harassment can if reasonable, but not sure if a lower court judge could consider 'slander'...).

dmliverpool wrote: »

Would it be a good idea to write a letter from a consumer group to Hmrc naming all registered parking companies citing tax evasion to speed up all the investigations that must be due? Surely that would clear out a few of the suckers.

Yep but no Consumer Group is going to do that without proof, as it could be unfounded for some PPCs. Such action could possibly libellous/vexatious unless you picked on PPCs where you knew for a fact that they are not paying VAT and hiding behind the pretend 'fines' they reckon they issue.

dmliverpool wrote: »

Lastly could we actually publish a article in a popular rag instructing people not to pay etc?

An article or a big advert is huugely expensive and/or impossible to get some rags interested in.

But believe me, behind the scenes much is being done, you could join in with things like emails to the DVLA, complaints to Supermarkets, letters to your MP or OFT or Trading Standards, and if you get a fake PCN, fighting back by dragging them to POPLA knowing you are never going to pay the fake PCN anyway.

There are people like Nev Metson and Martin Cutts, among others, getting their reasoned arguments heard in the right places. I am sure that's how they got invited onto the new DVLA Consumer forum about PPC issues.

And people's individual emails with facts and links and no hysteria, would have been how programmes like Watchdog and publications like Private Eye got to hear about the latest supensions by the DVLA of the 'AOS six'!

dmliverpool

Here here. I was only joshing really but something has to be there to threaten such companies wih legal action for wasting people's time. There was recently a gent who invoiced a company for his time that they had wasted by calling him.

Coupon-mad

dmliverpool wrote: »

Here here. I was only joshing really but something has to be there to threaten such companies wih legal action for wasting people's time. There was recently a gent who invoiced a company for his time that they had wasted by calling him.

Yep now that was very good and could be fun! :T