PLEASE HELP! UKPC ltd

Jennifer1968

Please excuse but I know NOTHING about this but I don't want to pay these cowboys but I am worried about not paying them and the consequences.

I received a ticket for leaving the car park, which is part of a larger retail park while shopping. I have asked the manager of the store I shopped at there to cancel to be told he can't.

What do I do now? What is the process for this? I am scared by this but I don;t want to be bullied by them for this, I can ill afford it.

PLEASE HELP!!!!

Umkomaas

Here's 'the process'. Have a read through it. It's one I use for newbies who have little knowledge of how it all works, so it's generic (saves having to type it out every time), but most will apply to you. Come back if there's something you don't understand or need further advice on.

A WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS

Firstly, you don't have to pay the charge, it is not a fine, it is not a penalty, it is a speculative invoice from a Private Parking Company that has no statutory authority. However, you will need to go through a few hoops to get rid of it.

The first thing you MUST do is to start to understand what all this stuff is about. The only way to do this is to spend a day or so reading this forum - the most recent threads, say from the past month. If you see the advice 'IGNORE' you MUST ignore it. Ignoring a Parking Charge Notice will bring you months of fun and games that I can assure you, you don't want to be dealing with.

In a nutshell this is the process you will need to follow.

1. Read recent threads.

2. If the parking incident was at a retail park/shop go back to the store the Parking Charge Notice relates to and see THE manager, complain about a genuine customer being harassed and ask that they cancel the ticket. Show him/her any receipts for the day in question. If they are unable to do this ask for the name and address of the MD/CEO, as you will now write to them (and DO it!).

3. If it was a general car parking facility you need to find out who the landowner is (Google search) and send off a letter of complaint to them.

4. If you have receipts for the day (or bank/credit card statements) proving purchases, send (redacted) copies of them to PPC with covering letter stating you were a customer on the day, and shopping at their principal's establishment was the only cause of any overstay.

5. If 2, 3 or 4 above don't work, then you're into the more formal stuff.

6. If it was a windscreen ticket, do not contact the PPC at this point, you must wait for the 'Notice to Keeper' (NtK) to arrive. This should be no sooner than 28 days after the incident and no later than 56 days after it. Theses dates are very important, and you must retain all tickets and letters you receive.

7. If it was an ANPR camera incident and the first correspondence you've received is the NtK, this needs to be received within 14 days of the incident; as above, dates very important, retain all paperwork.

8. Once you receive the NtK the process below will need to be followed.

9. Soft appeal to the PPC (you'll understand this when you start reading the threads).

10. Likely rejection, so in your soft appeal you ask that a POPLA code be given to you if your soft appeal is rejected.

11. Lots more reading about POPLA Appeals (read the 'sticky' at the top of the forum index 'POPLA Decision', especially the last couple of months' reports of victories - it will give you a good idea of which points win at POPLA).

12. Draft POPLA Appeal and let us see it for further advice before submission.

13. Send to POPLA.

14. Await POPLA (positive) result with PCN cancelled - we're running at 100% success rate on the forum. A POPLA decision is binding on the PPC, but (in the event of an unlikely loss), not binding on you.

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Please confirm a couple of things (if they are not already contained in your opening post)

a. Was the incident, and do you live, in England or Wales?
b. Is the car a lease/hire or company vehicle (important as the process will be slightly different and you will need to act quickly)?
c. Are you under 18?

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Now - final, but IMPORTANT points.

* Never say who might or might not have been the driver on the day - there is no obligation on you to do so (some PPCs will ask you to name the driver/motorist before they can deal with your appeal - DO NOT comply with their wishes). In any correspondence with the PPC, always refer to the driver in the third person, never say 'I didn't see the signs' or 'my wife didn't see the signs', you say 'the driver didn't see the signs'.

* Always be aware of any deadlines, PPCs impose them (but most of these are challengeable), but if they are reasonable do keep to them. The important one is the POPLA deadline - strictly 28 days from the date the rejection letter containing the POPLA verification code is sent to you by the PPC. Miss it and you miss the one golden opportunity you have to totally kill this charge. I cannot stress that enough.

Sorry this is a bit long, but it does more or less cover most bases.

Jennifer1968

Thank you so much! I am such a newbie but I don't want to pay these people.

I will post again when I get the notice to keeper, are there sample letters I can use to help me?

Umkomaas

Jennifer1968 wrote: »

Thank you so much! I am such a newbie but I don't want to pay these people.

I will post again when I get the notice to keeper, are there sample letters I can use to help me?

You won't need much of an appeal letter as it will be rejected; the real deal is POPLA, your letter of appeal to the PPC is to get a POPLA verification code.

Do spend some time reading around the forum (recent threads in the first few pages) and you will see how it's done. It really is better to get a good handle on this as you are going to have to do a bit if legwork to see this off.

One document you might want to read is about how one parking company took a motorist to court (similar situation to yours - leaving the car park) and got absolutely slapped by the Judge, including the threat of sending the lawyer representing them to prison.

This is very winnable for you, just work with us.

Have a good read of this (it's a little slow to download, but it gets there in the end):

http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2793.0;attach=2873

Guys_Dad

Yes lots, but wait till you get the NtK.

We will need to know date of contravention and date on NtK when you get it.

Your appeal to the PPC (parking Company) will probably be turned down. No problem as it is at POPLA that we win.