Think i'm in big PCN trouble!

ceetp

Hello everyone,
I am new to posting threads so apologies if I make any mistakes.
I really need help with my PCN issues so any advice will be deeply appreciated. Sorry if it goes on a bit, but please read!

Let me start with case 1:

I received a MET parking PCN on my windscreen on 13/06/13. I live on a private renting estate and was parked in MY allocated bay. The PCN was issued to me because I had forgotten to pick up a new permit from the on site concierge, and so was displaying a permit that had expired the previous day. About 6 or 7 of my neighbours had obviously made the same mistake as they too had PCN's on their cars. As soon as I saw the PCN, I immediately went and collected my new permit.
The charge was £60 if paid within 14 days and £100 thereafter. This is of course ridiculously unreasonable for parking outside my own flat in my own parking bay, and there was no way I could afford it.
I had heard about private parking fines and decided to have a look online before paying. UH OH! potentially big mistake. I read through many websites and forums and the general consensus was IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE. So, I did.
My car is registered at my mothers house and sure enough she called me to tell me i'd received a letter telling me the charge was now £100 due to non-early payment. I told her about the websites and to ignore the letter.
On the 26/07/13 they sent a notification of liability letter. Then on the 3/10/13 my mum phoned me worried because Roxburghe (who i assume are debt collectors) had sent a letter.

Okay bare with me please!
Now,

case 2:

My mum phoned to tell me i'd received another PCN from 31/08/13, this time from G24. The estate I live in shares its entry road with the entrance to a Homebase store. The PCN "entry photo" shows my car driving towards the store car park at night time (hardly, its pitch black)... and then on the "exit" photo in the day time drivin away from the store (apparently the next day). I have never parked in homebase before, especially not overnight. Besides, as I mentioned in case 1, I have my own parking bay a matter of yards away as the homebase is next to my flats. Why would I park in homebase? It was only after reading some more threads I realised the photos had captured me going up the road to turn around that night (as i was waiting for a friend), and then doing the same thing the following day but this time captured me going down the road. Or at least i think this is the case because as i said, I have never parked in their car park.
So following the advice I read before, and as I hadnt heard anything further from MET (case 1), I decided to again ignore correspondence.

So I have two outstanding charges. My mum phoned me today again, this time very worried and begging me to pay up (as she thinks debt collectors have the power of bailiffs despite me telling her they don't). She said I had received a letter from CCS Collect regarding the G24 charge (case 2).
I told her not to worry and to still ignore, but her despair caused me to revisit these threads today where i've found out IGNORE IGNORE is no longer good advice! AHHH!
So now i've left both charges too late to appeal, both amounts have risen and both are at debt collector stages. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO? I am now really worried just like my mum, as I really can't afford these charges!! I'm so silly!

Please, HELP!

Guys_Dad

Yes. At the top of this forum are sticky threads. There is one by coupon-mad headed NEWBIES.

Read it and then come back.

But in general from where you are now continue to ignore unless you get Northampton court papers or a Letter before Claim/Action. There are sticky threads for them as well.

Stroma

Why do you think you are in big trouble? These companies don't on the most part do court, g24 have never taken anyone there in the last 12 months, and MET has gone there twice in that time, the proof of that is below

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/small_claims_from_bpa_aos_member_2

They are both utterly useless scammers

kirkbyinfurnesslad_2

Another Person who has wasted their time writing war and peace without actually reading the newbies thread

Coupon-mad

I suspect the G24 ticket may have arrived more than 15 days from the parking event? Check the dates and if so you have grounds for complaining to the BPA and DVLA about non-compliance (write as the registered keeper ONLY and add that 'the driver' lives there and was not even parked on site so the allegation is frivolous and without merit, which is why 'the driver' never appealed. And as keeper you are now annoyed about the harassment and want the BPA to investigate).

Details in the newbies thread about complaining to the BPA and DVLA.

In both cases you are simply at 'debt collector letter' stage - this is no biggie! Ignoring isn't the recommended option but it is still an option for you, especially since neither of these PPCs is litigious. Why not read the ''NEWBIES'' thread in full as I even show you some of these letters there and tell you what your options are.

And the ''PPC Letter Chains'' sticky thread is a good one - but click on the OLD pre-POFA link to the old archive photos of letters here on MSE. The letters haven't changed much and the MSE archive thread in that sticky is full of photos of these letter chains. People have ignored these for YEARS and the only reason the advice has changed is because some PPCs are litigious (not MET nor G24) and because you could have beaten these at POPLA soooo easily. You missed a trick, that's all.

ceetp

Thankyou everyone.
I did actually read the NEWBIES thread, but had difficulty understanding some of it. (Sorry, I am just not good with these kind of things). I wrote "war and peace" (thanks for your unnecessary sarcasm kirkbyinfurnesslad) in the hopes that a very nice person would take their time to reply about my individual circumstance, and they have, so thankyou lovely people!

I thought that because I missed the popla appeal stage I was past the point of getting out of it and would have to pay. I will read all the threads you all have mentioned again and try to get my head around it.
Guys Dad, you mentioned Northampton court papers? I live in London. (sorry if i'm being utterly stupid).

Coupon-mad

As I said to you, neither of these PPCs are litigious. Northampton is the centre issuing centre for small claims for the whole country but you don't have a PCN from a firm that does court, so it's highly unlikely.

What was difficult to understand about the NEWBIES thread please, as I wrote it? I want it to be understandable but it needs to cover a lot of information.

I do find it amazing (as I work in a school) that so many people these days can't read a detailed summary with links just because it looks like a lot of information. Why do so many people give up when a little bit of reading is needed? Sorry this isn't aimed at you and maybe you just need to take another look as I didn't write that thread in legalese and it is EASY to understand...isn't it?

ceetp

Hi Coupon-mad, sincere apologies for taking so long to reply.

However, in answer to your question (regarding what is difficult to understand in the NEWBIES thread), I had another thorough read and understood it a lot clearer by jotting down on a piece of paper the parts of the thread that applied to me. Perhaps I am just a bit slower than other people, but for me I found that taking out all the bits that were irrelevant to me helped me grasp it much better. So, actually, I don't think you need to change it at all. People like me need to not panic and take in the information properly before crying out for help!

Thankyou for all that you do on this site!

Stroma

That's a good idea what you've suggested, I will use that in advice going forward, there is a lot to digest all at once so taking it in apart and using what is relevant to you is great way of doing it. We are still here though to guide you through this

Coupon-mad

ceetp wrote: »

Hi Coupon-mad, sincere apologies for taking so long to reply.

However, in answer to your question (regarding what is difficult to understand in the NEWBIES thread), I had another thorough read and understood it a lot clearer by jotting down on a piece of paper the parts of the thread that applied to me. Perhaps I am just a bit slower than other people, but for me I found that taking out all the bits that were irrelevant to me helped me grasp it much better. So, actually, I don't think you need to change it at all. People like me need to not panic and take in the information properly before crying out for help!

Thankyou for all that you do on this site!

I am glad that you have found, read & understood the relevant parts of the information, and that you have stood firm against this utter scam!

Happy New Year!

ceetp

(copied and pasted as i was advised to start a new thread by forum member)

Hi guys,
I've read up on my next actions. I am at the Gladstone letter stage (after following incorrect advice to ignore a PPC from MET).

I am going to send them Daisy's letter, but just wondered two things:
firstly, is it ok for me to send an almost identical letter? I have tried to re-write it in my own words but failed miserably. So can I literally use it as a template with necessary adjustments?
secondly, I obviously need to put my address at the top. The letters have been getting sent to my mothers address as this is where my car is registered. Should I use that address in my response letter, or the address of the flat i currently live in (as this is where the parking dispute took place and it will be part of my defence that i received a ticket in my OWN space).

Also, is there a template for a letter i could send to MET at this stage? I promise i am not trying to be lazy, I am really terrible at writing anything to do with legalities and don't want to get it wrong.

Thankyou for any replies!