HELP need advice quickly ignored all correspondence now have solicitors letter

mrprobz

Thanks to anyone who can help.

I received three windscreen PCNs within two weeks back in April 2014 in a private car park in an apartment block. The PPC is UKCPS.

I am not the registered keeper of the vehicle I was driving, therefore my mother who is, has been receiving many of the usual letters being described on this forum. My mother and I decided to ignore the letters for two reasons:

- Firstly, (perhaps naively) we believed that the general consensus was that the best course of action with PPCs was to ignore all correspondence.

- Secondly, my girlfriend is a resident in the apartment block in question and therefore has three permits for the car park (in which 90% of the time there are usually no more that about 4 spaces in use out of an available 80!). I am the user of one of the three. On these occasions where the PCNs were issued, I had accidentally left the permit in another vehicle which was being used by another family member and had forgotten the permit was not being displayed as it usually is. We therefore always assumed that if we were to challenge the PCNs we could explain that the land owner has not lost out in any way from me parking there as permits for the spaces had already been issued anyway.

Anyway, now having received several notification letters, notice to owner, as well as a 'multiple ticket resolution team' letter and ignored all, we have now received a letter from 'the Miah Solicitors' insisting that a cheque for the following amount is main payable to them (the solicitors):

£100 ('specified charge on the PCN') + £25 client (UKCPS) administration fee + £150 (Legal Costs) = £275 TOTAL.

The letter states that if this is not made within 14 days they 'may issue legal proceedings without further notification'.

I have read through the Newbies section which is a fantastic resource but I can't quite deduce what is the recommended course of action at this stage.

I now know that we have been naive in our dealing of this but cannot even slightly afford to pay one of the £275 payments, not to mention a potential further two! I, as the driver would rather I was receiving the letters and not my mother - is there any way at this stage that this could be changed - is this even recommended? Please help as this is now getting seriously worrying for my mother. I would happily stand up in a court and put forward the view that I don't believe that the amount they are requesting is proportionate to the costs incurred by the land owner of me parking where I did, especially as I have permanent access to a permit, but the prospect of this for my mother is highly distressing. I would also consider paying the initial cost of £60 each (although I believe this is immoral) just to get them off my back but it appears as though it is too late to do so?

Please help as I don't have a clue what to do and only have a matter of days to respond to this solicitor's letter. (A small thing to add - the solicitors letter had spelled my mother's name incorrectly, don;t know if this is relevant?)

Thanks to anyone who can advise

pogofish

You need to start by carefully reading the Newbies and LBCC Stickies which have a lot of the info you need to sort this out.

mrprobz

Thank you very much for your reply.

I have looked through the NEWBIES section and I'm inclined to go for the 'reset the clock' method however it says not recommended for windscreen PCNs? I also am considering requesting POPLA code but still can't quite deduce whether this is too late now and that beginning correspondence with them may make my situation worse?

Marktheshark

Your Mum writes naming you as driver with a serviceable address and keeps the certificate of postage very safe indeed, do not get the certificate of postage bit wrong and keep a copy of the letter !

Then you await your NTK, make a soft appeal for a POPLA code, then make a working POPLA appeal and have them cancelled out.

Nodding_Donkey

If it was a windscreen ticket you can't reset the clock. The drivers chance to appeal was when they got the ticket.

It should stop Mum getting letters though.

mrprobz

Thank you all for your replies. I will follow your advice then marktheshark. But does this still mean that I still won't be able to apply for POPLA code as it was issued on windscreen?

bod1467

You can ask ... the PPC can equally refuse, as they are not compelled to furnish one now.

Question - are UKCPS still BPA (so POPLA) or did they jump ship to IPC?

mrprobz

According to all of the letters we have been sent, they are BPA approved

ampersand

Mark - ensure all 3 PCN no.s are clearly listed within Mum's letter. Attach that CoP to a copy. Add to file:-)

Coupon-mad

You didn't need advice quickly. You needed to search the forum and read other threads.

Why not just search the forum for the obvious keyword, the name of those 'solicitors' 'Miah'? Could have read loads of threads which pop up in a second, could have seen a much stronger letter to send in Blissikins thread and others. Could have read all about this bunch of Solicitors and Ian Brill, as linked in other threads.

mrprobz wrote: »

According to all of the letters we have been sent, they are BPA approved

Of course they are - we know that, this is UKCPS, who are an AOS member, yes (so what?) and who are discussed every single day. Have you not read any other threads about them yet? Looks to me like you've stayed in splendid isolation on this thread as if you are the only one discussing this template letter. Not searching is not good on a forum and doesn't help you at all. So please, use 'search this forum' back on the line above the sticky threads next to 'forum tools' and put in Miah.