Collection Letter but No PCN - Help?

Bingbo

Hi All,

I received a letter this morning from Newlyn Debt Collectors, collecting a charge for Vehicle Control Services Ltd. I have not heard from VCS at all nor received a PCN from them.

I called Newlyn immediately and told the man (who was obnoxious and aggressive) that I would like to challenge the charge but he told me I had lost the right to appeal.

I explained nothing was received from VCS at all and that I'd recently changed address (thinking this maybe why I didn't receive a PCN) He told me I had broken the law for not updating my address with the DVLA as soon as I moved but as the charge was apparently from June and I didn't move until November, surely this is irrelevant and I should have received the PCN months ago at my old address.

He told me that as I wasn't prepared to pay in full that it would be passed on to their legal department. What should I do now? I am worried as I have worked hard to clean up my credit and don't fancy going to court or paying court fees etc.

Any advice please?

Stroma

You haven't received a letter from a bailiff, newlyn's in this are acting as debt collectors that have no power at all. Cease all contact with them as they cannot do anything! Read Coupon Mad's sticky thread for newbies, it explains there what can be done now

Coupon-mad

Advice would be to read the 'NEWBIES! Private Parking Ticket, old or new? Please read this first!' sticky thread which is at the top of this forum and I assume you haven't read it yet - you would NEVER have believed this was a bailiff and would never have phoned them if you had read our advice first! On the sticky FAQs thread there's a whole post about ignoring annoying debt collectors like Newlyn (mere junk mail, no need to actually RING them!).

Please read the advice already in the sticky thread about what your options are. Everyone has ignored this drivel for YEARS - the only difference nowadays is that there's an appeals system that we win at. Seems odd you never got any VCS letters but hey ho, you are too late to appeal anyway so ignore Newlyn and only take seriously a real Letter before Claim or court papers of course (rare and defendable).

Redx

send in an appeal to VCS ONLY , as registered keeper , complaining that you as registered keeper know nothing about this alleged debt and that they should have notified you and not had debt collectors chasing you

inform them that they have broken the BPA CoP by not sending you a PCN and you require them to either cancel the charge or issue a popla code with details of the incident in question so that you can appeal to the proper mediation service. I would also inform them that you are looking to also complain to the DVLA and to the BPA about this matter due to their incompetence

do not name the driver, or imply who the driver may be , not even if they insist you name them (doesnt matter if you know who it is or not as you are contacting them as an aggrieved registered keeper who has had a nasty encounter with a debt collector)

do not contact any DC again, no Newlyns , not any other DC, just VCS

come back with their reply for the next steps in this

whatever happens , do not ignore any court papers if any did arrive , or an LBA from VCS

if you get a popla code, you will receive help from here to win at popla and that will be the end of it

here is the NEWBIES link for all your info https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822

you wont get any bailiffs chasing you unless you had a CCJ against you and had not paid it

Redx

this is the correct thread on this https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4872054

I have already asked the forum staff to delete this second thread as its confusing and is the same topic

they have also tidied up the popla decisions thread for me too , thank you

Coupon-mad

He has two threads running:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4872059

I suggest we let this one die seeing as it has a misleading title about bailiffs.

Bingbo

I am sorry about the two threads, I originally posted on someone else's thread, I was told to start my own so I did. I lost it before I had confirmation of post so I started again then they all appeared. What a mess I made of it. I realised after typing this one that it wasn't bailiffs, just debt collection so I was glad I had abother thread stating debt collection. Just shows you what a muddle these things can get you into. It's got me very panicked. But yes, I will let this one die and concentrate on the one using the title Debt collection letter but no PCN. Sorry again and thanks for your replies.

esmerobbo

Shows what tosspots these companies are, what law have you broken by not telling DVLA about your change of address? Also !!!!!! has it got to do with them?

As regards the keeper details any address will do as long as you are contactable through that address.

You say you never received anything from VCS, and that was from June. Then Newlyns wrote to you at your new address, did you ask them how they got your new address?

Big_Bad_Dad

Hi Bingbo.

Telephone conversations are wholly futile in this outfit and highly discouraged. They may hold recorded proof were you to admit something incriminating but in this case where your interlocutor acted improperly, you have no evidence.

Just let him put all that in writing, i.e you having "lost your right of appeal". Then let them try court having informed you that you could not appeal in reply to your first official communication.

VCS are known scammers and are going nowhere.

Big_Bad_Dad

As far as the courts are concerned, there never comes a time when discussions need to discontinue. A keeper and the parking company can cancel a court hearing at ten minutes' notice. There is nothing the courts prefer more.

This suggestion that a keeper becomes liable after 28 days is ONLY applicable where the company's letters are being ignored.

Bingbo

Esmerobbo, they got my new address through the DVLA, as I have recently changed my address with them. Coupon Mad, I had never been on this forum before today and I had already called the debt collectors this morning before I came here and registered, on the advice of a friend, it was her who told me that the letter was a bailiff. So you're right, I didn't spend a week trying to navigate and reading years worth of posts first. I was feeling quite anxious and wanted an answer to my specific problem. This is a huge forum and I am finding it very confusing. I do apologise if I have frustrated you. I will ask my daughter to read the forum topics you have suggested for me as I am getting in a real muddle with it all. Thank you all for your time. I promise not to start any more threads again.