Railway station car park - fine

AliceBanned

Hovite wrote: »

Good grief. Just make sure you put in a postal redirect - you should do this as standard anyway when moving.

Much as we'd like to be able to guarantee the post it's very harsh to blame anyone here for letters not being delivered by calling responses "pathetic".

The PPC "may" do court but in all likelihood they'll just send you some nasty letters. Get on with life and stop worrying unless you get a Letter Before Action or court papers. Then come back for help on how to deal with them.

Clearly I meant that the AOS response was pathetic. And it's quite easy for people to say get on with my life and stop worrying; how many times do I have to say it - when you've had a CCJ once you dont' want one again. Call it trauma or whatever. But I do regret not just paying £50 as personally I am bothered by debt collectors' letters, they are an embarrassment and they are stressful. So I will make my own decision. I posted on here for advice only, I am very grateful for that advice, but I am being honest in saying it would have been far easier to pay £50, and may be easier to pay the debt, than suffer (in my experience, as somone who has has to wait six years for a half decent credit record due to a similar error in th past) the stress of threatening letters.

Hovite_2

Your call - if the junk mail they send you worries and stresses you that much then you might want to just consider paying what they are asking for.

AliceBanned

I understand you are saying that it is unlikely I will get a CCJ, or impossible, but it has been know for people to get them because they didn't receive court letters. It is not outside the realm of possibility, and it is a very serious consequence. That's all I'm saying. You all seem very keen to persuade people to take a stand against the parking companies and I agree with that, but at the end of the day it is an individual's decision, what is right for them.

Of course I am getting my mail forwarded. i am talking about an anxiety, a possibility, a threat and personally I have had so much stress in my life that that is something I am working on avoiding.

AliceBanned

Coupon-mad wrote: »

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! :eek:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=24362&hl=

You don't half jump to conclusions...second time on this thread you have wrongly assumed you have to pay.

OK thanks. It is just that the last time I got a CCJ (over ten years ago) i was clueless and it seemed to happen - over a tiny payment of £100 or so to a catalogue company. . It would destroy me to get another, after the years it took me to recover my credit rating. I am not saying I am just paying.

In fact as I ampacking things at home at present I seem to have lost the letter demanding payment. This couldn't come at a worse time. But I understand the principle of standing up to these people.

Stroma

Look you won't get a ccj over this, don't you think we haven't seen this before ? If you are so worried about ccjs take a look on the debt free wannabe forum, fermi on there is very good, ask her about having a default ccj overturned.

But to be honest with you it looks like that no matter what people tell you on here you are looking for reasons to pay rather than looking for ones not to, I suggest that you just pay this and save yourself and us the headache of trying to advise you, because it looks like you are rejecting all advice out of hand, and it's only so much we can do.

It's your money of course so make a decision and go with it

Coupon-mad

AliceBanned wrote: »

Hi

Not sure whether anyone can advise. I never usually park at station car parks but I did this morning as I've been having some problems at work and just felt I needed to take off some of the burden of my journey for a change, so I decided to park at the station. It is important to note that I don't usually do this - as the machines are a bit unfamiliar. I didn't have change so I went to the "cash and card" one (First Capital Connect station car park). I put my credit card in but without me knowing it it hadn't taken a payment - I know from previously that it doesn't ask for a PIN, as far as I can remember anyway.

So I get back this evening and have a ticket! £75 to be paid within 28 days. It was a genuine mistake, as a ticket was in the machine and it had today's date on, so I assumed the machine had just issued this, failing to notice "expiry time" 08.19 at today's date. I don't know why that ticket would be sitting in there but partly in a hurry and partly being unfamiliar with the machines, I mistakenly thought this was my ticket and put it on the dashboard. So upsetting! I've phoned my credit card company and they said there is no sign of it being used this morning, so the payment definitely wasn't taken. the machine just issued my card back but didn't tell me anything - they are bloody confusing machines and you can hardly see the damn monitors. Does anyone know how reasonable they might be about this? The notice is from APCOA parking.

I haven't had a parking ticket in over ten years - I used to get them in London but now live in Herts and am always very careful to try to avoid them..just a case of me being in a depressed state of mind, really struggling with keeping going, getting to work etc and then the machine not being very clear either. Just the last thing I need..

I just revisited your first post as I want to encourage you to just try a 'polite but miffed' letter to the Train Operating Co (TOC). Look up where to send queries/complaints or just a 'contact us' email given somewhere online for FCC. So many complaints to landowners & others who take on these scammers, DO work!!

I would explain the above and point out that you tried to pay (and were let down by the machine) so you wonder if there has been any issue recently with card payments at that particular machine which APCOA may be unaware of. And then when you tried to appeal in good faith and in good time, you were let down by their parking agent who claim to have a sent a letter - which was never received and has still not been seen - and who are now denying you the opportunity to appeal.

Say you feel rather aggrieved, that as a paying customer of FCC you are now getting threats of debt collectors and the parking firm are not budging and not offering you the independent appeal...that you 'are sure' FCC would surely have done if this operation hadn't been outsourced. Ask if the TOC can please ask their agent, APCOA, to reconsider and send you a fresh POPLA code which is in-date for you to use, or at least send you a copy of their reply they say they sent on 8th August so you can see what they are claiming to have said in response to your appeal. Say that you are more than happy to pay the missing payment of course plus, say, £5 or £10 admin (your choice) to cover them getting the data from the DVLA (a mere £2.50 cost to APCOA) and the cost of the letters. You could enclose a cheque or PO and see whether the TOC act more reasonably than their agent.

Point being, I am wondering if APCOA even sent you a POPLA code in August and if you see the 8th Aug letter and they clearly DIDN'T, then you can report them to the BPA again! And maybe, just maybe, the TOC will step in and cancel it or force APCOA to allow you a POPLA code.

AliceBanned

This is response from the DVLA, who happily shared my data with APCOA, but don't care what happens after that:

Thank you for providing sight of the response from the British Parking Associations (BPA) AOS investigation team.

I must make you aware that the DVLA is unable to regulate how a parking company chooses to run its operations, therefore the DVLA would be unable to become involved in this matter.

I can only advise that if you are not satisfied with the responses you have received from the BPA, you should re-raise this issue with them or approach APCOA with your concerns directly.

I hope this explains the Agency’s position and regret that I cannot assist further with this matter.

AliceBanned

Coupon-mad wrote: »

I just revisited your first post as I want to encourage you to just try a 'polite but miffed' letter to the Train Operating Co (TOC). Look up where to send queries/complaints or just a 'contact us' email given somewhere online for FCC. So many complaints to landowners & others who take on these scammers, DO work!!

I would explain the above and point out that you tried to pay (and were let down by the machine) so you wonder if there has been any issue recently with card payments at that particular machine which APCOA may be unaware of. And then when you tried to appeal in good faith and in good time, you were let down by their parking agent who claim to have a sent a letter - which was never received and has still not been seen - and who are now denying you the opportunity to appeal.

Say you feel rather aggrieved, that as a paying customer of FCC you are now getting threats of debt collectors and the parking firm are not budging and not offering you the independent appeal...that you 'are sure' FCC would surely have done if this operation hadn't been outsourced. Ask if the TOC can please ask their agent, APCOA, to reconsider and send you a fresh POPLA code which is in-date for you to use, or at least send you a copy of their reply they say they sent on 8th August so you can see what they are claiming to have said in response to your appeal. Say that you are more than happy to pay the missing payment of course plus, say, £5 or £10 admin (your choice) to cover them getting the data from the DVLA (a mere £2.50 cost to APCOA) and the cost of the letters. You could enclose a cheque or PO and see whether the TOC act more reasonably than their agent.

Point being, I am wondering if APCOA even sent you a POPLA code in August and if you see the 8th Aug letter and they clearly DIDN'T, then you can report them to the BPA again! And maybe, just maybe, the TOC will step in and cancel it or force APCOA to allow you a POPLA code.

Just responding quickly as in my lunch hour. Thanks for this, I'll have a look later but seems like a good idea.

AliceBanned

Thanks Coupon-Mad, I'm going to write to train co. shortly. Your wording is very helpful.

Thanks everyone else, I am a bit reassured now - just scarey letters and if I keep my eyes and ears open nothing bad can happen.

Incidentally - tried to park there the other day and the machine wouldn't accept my card at all - two cards I tried. Wonder whether I am banned.

Hovite_2

AliceBanned wrote: »

Incidentally - tried to park there the other day and the machine wouldn't accept my card at all - two cards I tried. Wonder whether I am banned.

:rotfl:Being banned from somewhere is good for the soul !

I'm banned from the Aldi Facebook page .....