Scared :(

Legacy_user · 16 December 2013 at 4:21PM

Please be gentle with me!!

In August my 3-month-old baby had suspected meningitis and I rushed her to Northampton General Hospital. For about the 100th time this year the parking machines weren't working, and due to the urgency I didn't have time to go to the other side of the hospital to the traffic office to tell them, so I just left it. Sure enough when I returned to my car I saw I had been fined by County Parking Enforcement Agency. I had seen on threads here from 2011 that because they're a private company that they can't do anything except send threatening letters so I ignored them. They've now passed it to debt collectors and are threatening me with court action.

Yesterday my frend said she thinks they can take me to court and I started to panic. And I've just read on somebody's signature here that the rules changed this year and that you shouldn't ignore them!! Now I feel like an idiot.

What should I do? Contact them? Ignore and hope they won't issue court papers? I doubt they'll just write it off now if I contact them but I really don't want to receive court papers, my OH would go mad!! He knows about the letters but I've stupidly repeatedly told him they can't do anything because I generally thought they couldn't. Help!!

kirkbyinfurnesslad_2 · 16 December 2013 at 4:25PM

Dont be scared.

How many letters have you had?, very unlikely you will receive a real court claim from this bunch

System · 16 December 2013 at 4:34PM

To be honest I don't know, a few, but they are in an unorganised pile on my table upstairs!! I can get them together if it's needed but would take a while I imagine. I'm not usually like this, I'm always so organised & would ever ignore a threatening letter!!