ANPR parking fine advice

Roddersdc

Hi I am struggling to make sense of all the posts on here so thought but easier to ask my specific question.

The long and short of it is that I received a parking fine (£100) from ANPR PC Ltd for being over the 3 hours by 3 minutes, and as the pictures are of me entering and leaving the car park we were not even actually parked for that 3 minutes. In fact the first letter sent actually was dated 6th march but he postage stamp was the 18th meaning that when I received the letter the date to pay had already passed. The letters they sent made me suspicious due to the poor quality which raised my concerns so I went to the police, after a period of time I was told they were an official company so any time to pay before the date they set had passed.

I have now received a letter from a debt collection agency saying that I must pay, now £120, by the 14th May or risk being taken to court.
Am I best to just pay or with me only being 3 minutes over and the very poor letters would it really be something that would go to court and if so would it be a realistic case they would win? I don't want to risk it affecting my credit rating but equally think a charge of this amount for 3 minutes is obscured.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Redx

some advice for you

stop calling it a fine , its not , its an invoice

now read the NEWBIES sticky thread properly, especially post #4 about debt collectors and their total lack of powers

read this current thread too https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4905414

Coupon-mad

I went to the police, after a period of time I was told they were an official company so any time to pay before the date they set had passed

Could have just Googled them ('official company', LOL!! ...yes they are 'a company' but so are lots of firms!). Why involve the Police when you have access to t'internet and could have sussed this in minutes?! By not finding this forum (or others like it) at the time you got the letter you've missed the chance of POPLA.

But the answer to the worry about missing the appeal chance is a big 'so what, this is only ANPR PC and some stupid debt collector letters' as discussed here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/65491367#Comment_65491367

Same advice applies to you. Keep all letters & keep that envelope showing the date that Notice to Keeper was posted - seeing as they cannot legally hold you liable as keeper if the letter didn't reach you by day 15. As long as you don't give away who was driving of course.

would it really be something that would go to court and if so would it be a realistic case they would win? I don't want to risk it affecting my credit rating but equally think a charge of this amount for 3 minutes is absurd

Any dispute could in theory be taken to a small claim but it's rare for PPCs to do so (except ParkingEye). How exactly do you think this would affect your credit rating even if you lost in court (highly unlikely!):

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

It would not affect your credit rating. And with a decent defence (we help with defences) you'd more likely win. Just file all the letters safely (NOT in the bin).