We tried to pay on site! Ignored PE letters and received a court letter.

carrionthunder0

Hello all. I ignored Parking Eye letters after reading posts here a few months ago saying to do so. All went quiet until today.

My husband and I had to rush to the A&E earlier this year when NHS Direct advised us to go asap. It was the middle of the night so the last thing we thought about was grabbing correct change. After he was discharged we realized we didn't have enough cash so paid to use the ATM in the hospital. Obviously this only gave £20's. We went everywhere in the hospital looking for somewhere to break the 20 since the machine only took coins but everything was closed. I wandered around outside but it is all residential. No shops. We would have had to drive somewhere to get the money.

We went to the A&E front desk and explained, but no one had change. One nurse said to just leave it because it had nothing to do with the hospital.

So we did. Then ignored the letters.

I am more than willing to pay the cost we tried to pay that night if they want to claim they lost that money (in a nearly empty car patk). It's from that Northampton court so not sure if that means it's official or not?

We have been hit with one thing after another this year and with me losing my job this month as our breadwinner, £150 will destroy us. I am freaking out!

From what I understand I can ask them for the POPLA code, and I should point out that the 28 days is only their own self imposed time line if they come back saying it's too late to get the code. If I get the code, what would be my tactic? Since our mitigating circumstances wouldn't apply.

Can mitigating circumstances apply in court?

This is all just so infuriating. We aren't people who ignored the signs or overstayed in these cowboy carparks. We tried to pay after having a scary emergency.

Coupon-mad

From what I understand I can ask them for the POPLA code, and I
should point out that the 28 days is only their own self imposed time line if
they come back saying it's too late to get the code. If I get the code, what
would be my tactic? Since our mitigating circumstances wouldn't apply.

Can mitigating circumstances apply in court?

Nope, you are focussing on the wrong points - forget mitigation for starters.

POPLA is almost irrelevant as well, as you missed the bus with that by ignoring this. Yes you may well have read in other threads that in your defence you can 'suggest' POPLA as the most suitable ADR - but in reality that's not likely to actually happen and does NOT involve you just 'asking the PPC'.

This thread on pepipoo is one of dozens trying to focus a poster's mind on simply acknowledging then putting in a solid defence of bullet points:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=83345

as well as complaining to whoever contracted PE.

In your case it's a Hospital so complain as explained in the top sticky thread here on this MSE sub-forum, about successful complaints. Post #3 on that thread tells you who to complain to re a Hospital fake PCN, including PALS (all explained on the sticky thread). Your complaint should assertively shout out that the Hospital staff said to ignore it and now you have a court claim so you hold the Hospital liable for any loss you suffer over this farce, especially as you believe that PE are their agents. Demand that the Hospital call the dogs off at NO costs to you at all.

carrionthunder0

Wow ok. That's pretty discouraging given everything else I've read. But I guess reading these is why the whole thing has gone so far.

I've started the letter to PALS already and was going to call the main switchboard tomorrow to get contact information for the facilities manager. I'm hoping that will work.

In the meantime, what should I write for my brief skeleton defense when I acknowledge the claim?

Thank you... this is all just so outrageous. I wanted to pay the stupid £3.50!

Coupon-mad

This is the link I normally supply which can help you to see 'what is what' re the defence points:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=82744&st=0&gopid=862298

Also, before court did PE send you a 'Letter before County Court Claim' or a 'Letter before Action'? Which one did they send and on which date?

Also you may be pleased to note I have just posted here on MSE about TWO court cases lost by PPCs in the last day or two (Excel and CEL).