Letter from Debt Recovery Plus

BaconandEggs

Hi All,

My wife had a letter from Debt Recovery Plus (see image link below) following two previous letters from Smart Parking.

Should she continue to ignore these or consider paying at this stage. Not wanting a CCJ to count against us.

Any advice really appreciated.

http://imgur.com/c8MQwrf

Herzlos

Continue ignoring it. They still have no jurisdiction (they are probably still part of Smart Parking too), and won't have any claim to take you to court.

If somehow they take you to court (unlikely), and you lose (unlikely), you would only get a CCJ if you fail to pay within 28 days of the court hearing.

But with a reasonable defence (aided by the people here picking apart the entire basis of the 'fine') you will be fine.

It's just a speculative invoice, and has the same legal standing as this post

Coupon-mad

Yep, as you missed the deadline you can't appeal to Smart Parking and beat them at POPLA this time (do that next time!).

What you should do is COMPLAIN to Asda (or whoever's car park it was) very assertively as all these people have done (some in the case of Smart Parking as you'll see):

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/62837690#Comment_62837690

Get the Store Manager or overall Retail Park Manager if a multi-store car park) to get this harassment cancelled. Say assertively that, to be frank, you've reached the end of your tether with this and it beggars belief that a customer car park should let these sharks in to prey on paying customers like a protection racket on site.

Here are two threads to help you relax about the DRP and their 'Zenith' letters:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3829727

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=78495


HTH, tell us when the organ grinder calls off this monkey!

BaconandEggs

Thank you. It is a multi-store park. How would we find out who the owner of the car park is?

fil_cad

I have one of these, it was well handy when i ran out of toilet paper the other week.

tospig

Do these look familiar:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89511704@N03/8145428304


And that's only half of them.
Nothing to worry about, as the others have said.

Coupon-mad

BaconandEggs wrote: »

Thank you. It is a multi-store park. How would we find out who the owner of the car park is?

In a multi-store Retail Park you simply need to complain to the Managing agent who runs the Retail Park (easily found by Googling the name of the Retail Park, any retail bumf or local newspaper article results should give you an email addy or phone number).

The Management took on Town & City (now changed name to Smart Parking) and can call them off when they get a complaint, whereas the Stores onsite probably can't.

BaconandEggs

It was Cross Street Retail Park, Long Eaton.
I've had a search around and not having much luck finding the management company. Should I contact one of the retailers based at the site?

Coupon-mad

I had a look and could only find a firm called 'Innes England' connected to a sale of a retail unit and could not tell if they were just a selling agent. Could be a managing agent too, not sure. I think there was a phone number on one link,or an email addy, but I am at work now so can't look again (was on Google as an early result). You could try ringing them and asking if they are 'responsible for the retail park' and tell them your gripe. Nowt to lose with one phone call and you never know.

Either way, you could try the Store managers, yes, particularly where you have a receipt for that day. Farm Foods have proved to be helpful for some posters in other retail parks...

BaconandEggs

Hi - thank you.

I gave the agents a call (Innes) but closed today. Both Farmfoods manager was not in and the person I spoke to didn't know the name of the company they let the unit from. Just4Pets asked me to call the head office, which are closed till Monday.

I will try KFC and Blockbuster later. If no joy - will follow the other leads up in the week.

If I can't track the owners down to complain to, will the best course of action still be to ignore the letters?

Umkomaas

Are they pursuing your wife as the Registered Keeper under PoFA 2012? If so, and she was not the driver on the day, she can pass the name and address of the driver to Smart Parking and have removed herself from any further pursuit by doing so. Smart will need to reset the clock and start their pursuit of the driver, opening up all the appeal channels to get this resolved.

No need for you to name the driver here - the above is perhaps food for thought for you, but, please note, this is not a suggestion that the truth is distorted to produce this - doing so will inevitably blow up in your face.

Other than this course of action, and the complaints strategy suggested by Coupon-mad, there is nothing else to do but to ride out the storm and ignore the series of threatograms being visited on you.

However, should court papers be served, DO NOT IGNORE these. Come back if that stage is reached.