Help with ticket from ASDA/Smart Parking Ltd

idontwanttopay

So I got a parking ticket in February 2014, from Smart Parking Ltd.

I was in an ASDA carpark. My local ASDA's parking is free and I assumed it was same at this ASDA, but I was wrong. At this ASDA you are supposed to purchase a pay & display ticket and then you can get it refunded if you purchase over £5 of goods. I didnt know.

So when I first got the ticket I did a QUICK check on this website to see what to do. I got he impression I could ignore it. So i threw their letters away for next couple of months.

about a week ago (over 3 months since receiving ticket) I went back to that ASDA store and asked them what's up. They said they will try to cancel the ticket for me, but might not be able to since it has gone to DebtRecoveryPlus. So I left my details. Couple hours later, guy from ASDA rang and said they had cancelled the ticket. So next day I rang DebtRecoveryPlus to check with them. They said that I still have to pay.
Rang ASDA back, they said they cancelled it from their side, but won't give me anything in writing to say that. Also, Asda lady said that Smart Parking is not a private company and that the car park is owned by the council.

Also, my sister, the owner of the car has not been in the country the whole time this has been happening. So they have been sending letters in owners name to our house, but the owner no longer lives in the UK. If that makes a difference.

So this time I am trying to do this right. Please can someone advise me about how to go about cancelling this ticket. They want £120.

Thank you.
:j:mad::p;):D:o:eek::cool::rotfl::T:A:):(


too long; didn't read:
1) got ticket from smart parking ltd
2) ignored for 3 months, and threw away parking ticket and letters
3) Debt recovery plus want £120
4) help me get this thing cancelled?

Dee140157

Start by reading the Newbies thread , focusing on post 4 when you get there regarding debt collectors letters and the fact that by and large you can ignore them unless you get a LBCC.

Since Asda have cancelled your ticket, you can robustly respond to them saying debt is denied as Asda have cancelled the ticket and that they must cease and desist sending letters, or this will constitute harassment. Or you can just ignore. DO NOT RING THEM AGAIN.

Search for smart parking & Asda and Click on the link in the Newbies thread re DRP.
There are loads of threads about them.

idontwanttopay

Thank you. I already skimmed through the Newbie thread.
Will read through again and may post a couple of questions I still have after that,

thanks.

atilla

First thing is to stop worrying. Based on previous and current form, nothing will happen apart from you receiving ever more threatening letters from drp.
All empty threats.
Just write the one letter, as per guidelines mentioned earlier, informing them no debt is owed bla bla bla.
Their sole aim is to extract maximum amount of money from the recipients of their letters. Don't fall for it.

Hot_Bring

idontwanttopay wrote: »

Also, Asda lady said that Smart Parking is not a private company and that the car park is owned by the council.

Follow the advise others have given but in addition you might want to challenge this statement. Firstly how could Smart Parking not be a private company ? The Asda lady is clearly a little simple.

Asda are well known for lying about the ownership of their car parks. Phone the council and ask them if they own it - I'd bet my mortgage they don't and that the real owners are ........ Asda !!!!

Umkomaas

And don't go phoning debt collectors again. In your case they don't give a stuff whether your PCN has been cancelled by Smart, they've got your details and if there's any chance they can part you from your cash, they will do so - that is what their business is all about.

You should now WRITE to DR+ and tell them that any debt is denied and they should refer this case back to their client; any further contact with you by them will be regarded as harassment and you will, without hesitation, take legal action against them.

This should put the ball back in Smart's court, and, if Asda have actually cancelled with them, that should be the end of it.

Keep us informed.

atilla

Hot_Bring wrote: »

Follow the advise others have given but in addition you might want to challenge this statement. Firstly how could Smart Parking not be a private company ? The Asda lady is clearly a little simple.

Asda are well known for lying about the ownership of their car parks. Phone the council and ask them if they own it - I'd bet my mortgage they don't and that the real owners are ........ Asda !!!!

Just to clarify. Whilst the vast majority of car parks at Asda Stores are owned by Asda, there are the odd ones still owned by the Council.
Crewe and Elsmere Port are two i can readily confirm.
The give away though is the presence of Not so
Smart. So that confirms the woman in the store is lying on both counts in this particular case.

Coupon-mad

As ever, this is covered in the sticky thread at the top of this parking forum - which is why I wrote it in such depth for all situations.

Smart almost always just cancel when they get sent (online in their silly 'appeals box' page) the appeal template from the NEWBIES thread even if it is sent late. And if not then the sticky tells you about debt collector stage of ignoring the drivel letters.