Please help. Have I messed up?

Winnibags

I have a 'fine' from November. I overstayed in a retail park and they sent photo evidence of car arriving and leaving. The car is in my husbands name and for some reason he is awful at opening post and so this went unnoticed until about February!

Now I had read lots online already about just ignoring letters and fines from private companies so I told my husband to leave it and ignore. I even shredded the letters. I think the charge was £75. I think I was there about 1hr 20 mins (only allowed a 45min stay).

Today I have a letter from a debt recovery agency. It states that the fine has been passed onto them and is now £135.

I am bricking it. What do I do? Should I have contacted the original company and refused to pay? Or appealed? I am so worried I have not done the right thing and now the charge is higher. It makes it worse that it is in my husbands name. He will go mad!
thank you for reading and I would really appreciate some advice. Sorry if this has been done to death. I am so scared I wanted to give all the details etc.

Help:sad:

Winnibags

Ok. I can see I should have read the sticky at the top of the page. I'm sorry.

But now I am still confused. It seems I should have contacted them straight away. Like I said, my husband didn't open the post. I think there have been 2 letters demanding the money.

Have I really screwed up? Do I need to just pay? Tbh, I am really panicking and just want it over-I'm normally so strong but I hate the not knowing.

Is it too late to contact the original company? And if so, what do I do now it's gone to recovery plus ltd?

ColliesCarer

Who is the parking company?

If this was in England or Wales
then - if this was originally a postal notice and there was no initial windscreen ticket your husband can name you as the driver and discharge his liability. You will then be sent a Notice to Driver in your own name, once that arrives you can appeal the charge - see the thread below

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822

bod1467

the NEWBIES sticky covers debt collectors too. Just take a breath, calm down and read it again.

If there was no windscreen ticket and you were the driver, your husband could ...

1. Respond to the debt collectors to say the debt is denied, the driver is being identified to the original company, and to refer all matters back to their client (original company)
2. Send a letter to the parking company to identify the driver (you).

You should then get your own PCN which you can appeal. (Info is in the NEWBIES thread). If the PPC or debt collectors say it's too late to identify the driver they are lying.

And of course you can still always complain to the retailer/store(s) visited and get them to cancel the original charge.

Winnibags

Thank you so much!

So, he needs to contact the debt recovery plus ltd and say he wasn't the driver. He must identify me? And then the original car park company contact me. Does this mean it will be the original charge too?
And then I start from the beginning as stated in the sticky?

Argh.

Thanks again. I was so confident when I told him to ignore it. I didn't even think to check if it had changed.

Winnibags

Do I need to go back to the shop and ask for the address of owner of car park?
I have shredded all letters :sad:

ColliesCarer

Get your OH to send something like this to the Parking Company - not the debt collectors

Yes it will re-set the clock and will be the original charge but you will be able to appeal it and win see the template 1st appeal letter
in the thread I linked - Once you have received a notice addressed to you - send the 1st appeal to the parking company - change the line I am the registered keeper though - because you will be responding as the driver



Dear Sir

Vehicle Registration Number [insert reg number]


I am the registered keeper of the above mentioned vehicle.

I am writing with regards to Parking Charge Number xxxxxxxx and wish to inform you that I was not the driver of the vehicle on the date of the alleged 'parking event'. Therefore you must pursue the driver, whose details are:

[INSERT NAME]

[INSERT ADDRESS]

Please note: this discharges my obligation as Registered Keeper under PoFA 2012 and any court proceedings will be defended on that basis.

Yours faithfully

PRINT NAME

Winnibags

I can't thank you enough. I feel such a plank.

ColliesCarer

It is often useful to complain to the shop - they can sometimes get the charge cancelled and yes if you can find out who the landowner is - then a complaint to them can often work to get the charge cancelled too.

But first get the letter I posted above sent off.
Do you know who the parking company are?

Winnibags

Not really. On the letter I have in front of me from the debt recovery plus ltd, it says their creditors are G24 ltd

Winnibags

The car park is a strange set up though for a retail park. This particular part where I parked is not in front of a shop as such, but behind the shops next to the loading bays. The reason people park there is it is between 2 retail areas and a large sainsburys.
You are allowed to park there as a member of the public, but only for 45 mins.

I was about to go back there today for other reasons before I received this letter. Would information of who to contact be on the signage?