Please Help (PCN) this has gone on far too long

plot64

Hi,

Some time last year, February perhaps we parked in a car park in the city centre. Not a multi story and not connected to any shops or shopping precincts at all, just a random car park not far from the city's football ground on the outskirts of city centre.

We had my grandmother with us at the time (who has difficulty walking and a Disabled Badge/pass), so we obviously left this on display and went about our business.

When we came back to the car there was a PCN on the windscreen - because we had not paid and displayed a ticket. Thinking it was free for disabled users I checked one of the two signs up at the path machine, and indeed at the very very bottom of the sign, in very very small text, the last line of the thing, stated that the car park was not free for disabled badge holders.

Initially our reaction was to ignore this having had a quick google seeing that often a lot of these tickets do not come to anything, and then the notice and other letters started to arrive claiming they had video evidence from the car park cctv etc, etc. We had a number of letters from a number of companies (all one and the same according to my research), and most recently letters from Rossendales Collect - professional debt collectors.

We've just received another claiming "our file -may- be based to a debt collector who -may- visit our home within the next few days to obtain payment or discuss repayment structure."


Now it seems obvious this is not going to go away we want to open communications but are not sure how to go about this. We appear to have lost the initial parking ticket, notice, and some earlier letters - so how should we best go about writing back?

I would like to request a copy of the 'lost' documents, plus fight the ticket on the grounds of my grandmother being with us, and the small print on the sign which I will claim not to have seen.

Just wanted your advice and thoughts on the situation really if we may?

Thank you

Coupon-mad

Please don't open comms just because you are getting the last Rossendales Collect letters! They don't come knocking & are not 'professional'! Look and laugh at them:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4857120

Why don't you simply read the debt collector post in the 'NEWBIES FAQS -read this first' sticky thread? I do cover debt collector issues with advice & links already. It IS going to go away.

spacey2012

Is the person who was driving getting the letters ?

plot64

@spacey - No, they did a reg plate DVLA check so they're addressed to the vehicle owner (my partner) but I was driving. And are also being delivered to my partners mother's address as we recently moved in together.

So the letters are being sent to my partner (the vehicle owner) but delivered to my partners mother's address.

PS: Since moving out my partner has updated her driving license address now too, so i would guess if they performed a second check they would get the new address, but at the moment nor the car (which has also been changed but is on the same personal / private reg) or her license is registered to the address of these letters and my mother-in-law.

plot64

@coupon-mad - I have read through the guide and faq's already but as mentioned, we have lost the initial ticket and early letter which I believe contained the Notice to Keeper.

So I'm really stuck with what to do next other than open comms and request copies of all correspondence sent to date (prior to sending a letter dispute back in reply)

Redx

so, did you READ the parts about ignoring debt collector letters like the ones you have received recently ? (bearing in mind they cannot come round and do anything at all without a CCJ which has defaulted)

did you also READ the part about resetting the clock ? (this may not be possble if you had a windscreen ticket but you never know, it may generate a new PCN)

plot64

@RedX - yes i READ the parts about ignoring the letters, that doesn't seem to help settle any nerves though. Especially as the address they have is not ours, it wouldn't be our door they'd be knocking on (it's my partners mothers) hence the discomfort.

And as the 'resetting the clock' section mentions many times, the method not intended/recommended for windscreen ticket cases but it has been read. The ticket in question was a windscreen ticket as mentioned in my first post. Did you READ that?

Redx

of course I did, my point was that if you are so concerned as to want to open a dialogue, then give the name and address of the driver and then they may be stupid enough to send a new PCN to the driver, at which time the driver can appeal and go to popla

how do you know they wont do this ? no , you dont know at all, nobody does

it would also be the current correct address for all the future paperwork, taking the pressure off that other previous address !!

the details in the newbies thread are recommendations, but there will always be an exception to any rule , and as it happened so long ago , you never know , hence my post

let me be blunt here, for clarity

They do not care what you want - they dont care about you either
They wont be interested in opening a dialogue with you
They just want their money - period

your choices are actually the following

PAY

IGNORE

GO TO COURT

if you ignore this could go on for another 5 YEARS as they can take you to court at any time up until 6 years have elapsed , so you may think "its gone on long enough" but if they have SIX years to pursue you then its only "gone on" for one-sixth of that time !

its too late now to wish you had appealed 12 months ago and gone to popla , we can all be clever with hindsight , myself included

so if you dont like my suggestion, fair enough, do as you did with this PCN up to now - IGNORE IT

but your actual options are still , PAY , IGNORE , or sort it out in court if you get court papers, so do not ignore an LBA, or an LBCCC , or court papers

plot64

@Redx- I do appreciate your comments. Blunt is best.

So you think its just too late to appeal or open dialogue with them because its been (most probably) over 12 months? - unless resetting the clock works.

What are the chances of them reissuing a PCN to another person who was the driver (i.e. me), even though it is the same car?

I wouldn't have thought they would be able to ignore communications once a letter of dispute is filed. Explaining about my grandmother and the disabled badge/small print on the sign basically refusing payment on the grounds of my grandmother. After all most car parks provide disabled parking free (we actually weren't away any car parks charged until we got this ticket)

Redx

you can try anything you like here, I cannot tell you what the chances of anything are, not even court

we dont know is the simple answer

my point (and why I replied) was the fact that these letters were going to your partners mothers address and you dont want her getting problems

so the simple answer to that is to write and give your correct address , is it not ?

so whilst doing that, I would sneakily name the drivers name and address for all future correspondence , then see what comes through the letterbox (hoping it was a new pcn to the driver)

at worst it just means that the driver at the new address gets all the future correspondence, taking pressure of that poor mother and her address

clearly if you paid all this would go away

the choice is yours , we cannot tell you the answer to all these what-ifs ?

think of it this way

you would be a pathfinder, trying it out , seeing what transpired

if you dont want to pay, sort it out in the LBA , or the LBCCC stages , trying to hook a popla hearing (yes its been done recently) , or sort it all out in front of a judge

only you can decide all this, I told you what I would do, assuming I wanted to get the paperwork redirected and open a dialogue , I would be trying for a popla code , windscreen ticket or not

After all most car parks provide disabled parking free (we actually weren't away any car parks charged until we got this ticket)

ps:- incorrect info there on the BB

most car parks CHARGE for parking, even BB holders (I have one myself)

check the BB booklet, its not valid on private land, and most private car parks (and many council ones) charge

Coupon-mad

What are the chances of them reissuing a PCN to another person who was the driver (i.e. me), even though it is the same car?

None with a windscreen ticket - don't hand them details of the driver, there is no clock to reset in this case because the driver already ignored their chance to appeal.

plot64 wrote: »

I wouldn't have thought they would be able to ignore communications once a letter of dispute is filed. Explaining about my grandmother and the disabled badge/small print on the sign basically refusing payment on the grounds of my grandmother. After all most car parks provide disabled parking free (we actually weren't away any car parks charged until we got this ticket)

Wrong. They'll do what they like - a debt collector will plough on regardless and you can't appeal to them anyway - and you are almost at the end of the letter chain. Why open comms now?! Makes your partner (the keeper) a hooked fish! You do not have to 'fight' and they will not send you 'lost documents' and even if they did, it wouldn't get the registered keeper anywhere!

Which PPC was this? Many NEVER do court.