Excel Parking - Letter from debt collectors!

Poncho2013

Hi there, Hope someone can offer some advice on this issue.

I parked in the Peel Centre, Stockport in June. I received a Parking Charge Notice from Excel Parking 10 days later for "breaching the car park terms and conditions."

However I had paid but had just forgotten to enter in my car reg - I still have the ticket. After reading up on the internet and watching the feature on Watchdog, I decided to ignore the letters.

I received a reminder and then a letter from Rossendales Collect (professional debt collectors) stating that debt has been passed on to them. The letter was obviously a standard letter and wasn't proofread before sending as the space for the admin fee and new outstanding balance had been left empty.

I have received another letter from the debt collectors in the past week saying that as I failed to respond to their previous letter, this will "result in a recommendation to our client for legal action or a visit from a doorstep collector to obtain payment." It states if legal action is taken, my debt would increase in respect of court fees and legal costs.

I'm considering taking a picture of the ticket and emailing them as the letters don't appear to be stopping. Can anyone recommend what I should do please?

Thank you!

Coupon-mad

Why not just search the forum for keywords like 'Peel' and 'Rossendales' and read all the dozens of other threads about this place and this debt collector letter?

You are technically too late to appeal to Excel, you should have appealed when you got their first letter. But if you read 'Newbies read this first!' top of the forum I cover all of this already in a whole section about debt collector letters. Of course the letters won't just stop. Excel won't stop and they might even try a small claim, which is why you should have appealed and beaten them at POPLA. You missed that chance and will not get a POPLA code out of Excel now - but that's not a reason not to show them a copy of the driver's ticket and state you are not liable.

Don't say who was driving. NOPE.

Read the sticky threads as you should have done in the Summer. You would have beaten this at POPLA by now if you had followed forum advice at the time. So follow it now and at least set out your position as keeper, that there has been no loss caused, the driver paid and displayed and the signage was not clear (you understand the flawed signs were changed in July...which they were...which you'll read about on other 'Peel' threads when you search!).

Keep that P&D ticket for YEARS, along with all these letters, in case Excel try a small claim later on (they have six years of course).

Poncho2013

Right, thanks

Redx

the old advice and watchdog advice is all old hat and no longer applicable since OCTOBER 2012 , so over 9 months or so before your incident and now 15 months ago !

even last summer this forum advised going to popla, I know as I came here and read it and then helped a relative beat these PPC`s at popla

keep the receipt and scan it too , just in case you need it for court if those idiots decide to take it that far

in the meantime , familiarise yourself with similar cases including wins at popla, and that sticky thread (4th one down)

Poncho2013

Thanks for your replies. Drafting a letter now to both Excel and Rossendales.

As I did not appeal in the first stages, am I too late to request a POPLA code?

Redx

you are NEVER too late to ask for a popla code, tells you this in the sticky thread

will they give you one ? I doubt it as they dont have to and know you left it too late

Coupon-mad

Not too late to request, yes too late for Excel to cough one up. They will not. However, request one at the end of your appeal anyway and write it in a really reasonable way making it clear that the charge was not a 'pre-estimate of loss'. Write ONLY as the registered keeper saying 'the driver' paid and displayed, you've obtained the ticket as proof and expect them to now cancel because their spokesman said to the BBC that they would in such circumstances:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zkz1k/features/private-parking

''However, we do recognise that motorists may input an incorrect digit(s) of their VR number when purchasing a P&D ticket and as such our processing allows for a manual review/quality check of PCN’s before they are issued.

The issue was discovered at the point we reviewed Mr Couzens appeal and we duly placed the PCN on hold pending formal cancellation. The actual cancellation paperwork was drawn up on the 23rd of May for the cancellation of Mr Couzens PCN. On the same day incorrect correspondence was sent to Mr Couzens advising him that the PCN was being investigated. This correspondence should have stated that the PCN was being cancelled.''

By the way, do pm and compare notes with this poster also on page one right now:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4853947

Having said that, there are literally dozens of other threads, pretty much the same. Easy to find by searching this forum for 'Peel' or 'Rossendales'.

Poncho2013

Great, thanks. Sent letter off to Excel, currently drafting one to Rossendales!

Poncho2013

Just thought I'd update, I got another letter from Rossendales saying that as they hadn't heard from me this was their final demand for payment. I had emailed both Rossendales and Excel (Dec24th). I've ignored it. I am just praying now that bailiffs don't show up especially while my mum is home alone or something.

Redx

completely fictional

that cannot happen until after you have been to court, lost , been issued with a CCJ and failed to pay it within 28 days

Coupon-mad

Poncho2013 wrote: »

Just thought I'd update, I got another letter from Rossendales saying that as they hadn't heard from me this was their final demand for payment. I had emailed both Rossendales and Excel (Dec24th). I've ignored it. I am just praying now that bailiffs don't show up especially while my mum is home alone or something.

Bailiffs?! This is not Rossendales acting as bailiffs, don't be daft! Relax, for the love of God!

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=24362

Read the above and realise these are just debt collectors with junk mail. To be honest, the search facility would serve you quicker then updating about various letters each time. If you simply used the 'search this forum' heading on page one next to 'forum tools', and searched for for the word 'Rossendales' it would have been quicker than typing a reply about them - and you'd have had numerous recent responses to read immediately about these letters. Have a read of other stuff about Rossendales but ONLY on this parking forum, not a general search as they have a separate bailiff arm of the same sort of name which is completely irrelevant.