Please help me avoid getting fleeced!

Seeyouincourt

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and was wondering how to proceed with my parking "fines". In a nutshell...

• Parked in shared car park outside flat and received two £100 PCNs from VCS in Feb/Mar this year. The first for not displaying a valid permit, the second for parking in a "restricted area" this time with a valid visitors pass. I do have photo's of this pass on display if required.

• Same company car ticketed in both occasions

• VCS wrote to my employer after 28 days requesting keeper identity. We were misinformed and chose to ignore without doing any research on the matter.

• Six Months later, Newlyn are involved and the total amount has reached £326 and you guessed it, we've still ignored.

Admittedly I'm becoming a little anxious half expecting a court summons to arrive in the post any day now! Can anyone please give me a little helpful advice on what I should do? Is it too late to do anything apart from letting VCS fleece me? At the very minimum I need to take my employer out of the equation and let Newlyn come after me directly!

Apologies if this has been answered previously however I haven't been able to find much info regarding PCN's and company cars.

Thanks in advance.

Umkomaas

You (or more importantly, your employer) need to read the NEWBIES FAQS sticky post #4 which tells you (your employer) how to deal with debt collectors (Newlyn).

In short - ignore them, they can't issue court proceedings, only the PPC or the landowner. You/employer only need to come back if you receive LBCCC/LBA from VCS or MCOL via Northampton County Court bulk handling centre. Acronyms also in sticky, post #2.

HTH

Coupon-mad

Gawd you really should NOT have ignored your easy chance to win at POPLA appeal. Too late now.

To take the employer out of the equation simply write an appeal in your own words (don't use the template version in the sticky as it won't suit this case).

But write to VCS with your name and postal address on the letter or specifically confirmed name & postal address at the bottom of your email, just stating that you were the driver and attach that photo of the valid visitor's pass and just vaguely say why are you trying to charge me when the pass was displayed (see photo) and in any case a charge of this sum is certainly not representative of any genuine pre-estimate of loss, since the landowner suffered no loss at all.

Normally I would say to ignore a debt collector but as you also want to hook them away from writing to the employer, send Newly n a copy as well.

(The whole point in your case is as you say, to hook them in your direction). You won't get a POPLA code or anything but once they know the driver is a real person at a postal address they can't bother the employer at all.

The_Deep

If these tickets were issued for parking at a block of flats where you have a right to park, you may not need a permit to park at all, and this ticket may be an attempt to obtain monies by misrepresentation.

The same may apply to the ticket for parking in a visitors space.

It depends on what basis you are allowed to park there and the terms of your lease/AST.

If you really do want to see these scammers in court, and make them pay for their scam, have a read of this

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?377246-UKPC-liable-for-trespass-**SUCCESS**

Seeyouincourt

Many thanks for the replies folks, some really useful information. The Deep, unfortunately the lease didn't provide parking so I probably didn't have any right to park there.

I think I'll take your advice Coupon-mad as my first step is to remove the employer from the equation.

Please note, I only had the valid permit for the second "offence". Am I still able to contest the first "offence" on the basis of it being not representative of any genuine pre-estimate of loss, since the landowner suffered no loss at all?

I don't feel that I have a very good case for the first ticket.

Thanks again.

The_Deep

The Deep, unfortunately the lease didn't provide parking so I probably didn't have any right to park there.


Oh dear!

Coupon-mad

I don't feel that I have a very good case for the first ticket

You do have a good case for both. VCS almost never try court and there was no GPEOL and there are other defence points too.