Vehicle Control Services Sheffield 2nd stage

todd89

They have given me the option to appeal to the IAS within 21 days (which is almost like a trading body) HOWEVER if I do this I will lose my 'discount' and have to pay the full £100. But conveniently for them, if I do not take it further I can pay the 'discounted' rate of £60 which I still feel sick to my stomach doing. I am currently researching whether they were legally allowed to take away this 'discount' should I choose to re-appeal.


Reading the newbie thread, it is advises me to ignore. Not sure what to do. More advice welcome please.

enfield_freddy

stand back and think for a second , how can there losses be £100 , when they will accept £60 now?


you have omitted to tell us the rest of the case , was it an airport by any chance?

todd89

Sorry, was in a rush.


I parked at night in what I thought was the parking to a restaurant. My friend also made the same mistake and said there was bad lighting and I don't think he has even had to appeal.

Marktheshark

They can do what they want, its an invoice from a private company.
They can only make you pay it by trying to sue you in county court.

The_Deep

Appeal to IAS and if you win the appeal all is well and good.

If you lose the appeal everything is also well and good for you, as the appeal will be written by an anonymous adjudicator, is certainly not "Independent" (I believe they have a quota, heavily weighed in favour of the PPC0, and is most likely to be flawed in law, and as such is unlikely to see the light of day in court.

AFAIAA, the merit or otherwise of I.A.S. decisions has never been tested in court, which must tell you something..

ColliesCarer

todd89 wrote: »

They have given me the option to appeal to the IAS within 21 days (which is almost like a trading body) HOWEVER if I do this I will lose my 'discount' and have to pay the full £100. But conveniently for them, if I do not take it further I can pay the 'discounted' rate of £60 which I still feel sick to my stomach doing. I am currently researching whether they were legally allowed to take away this 'discount' should I choose to re-appeal.


Reading the newbie thread, it is advises me to ignore. Not sure what to do. More advice welcome please.

The IAS is the supposedly independent 2nd stage appeal service offered by the IPC Ltd which is the trade body VCS are a member of (since 29/9/14)

Forget about researching whether they are legally allowed to take away the "discount" - you have received an INVOICE from VCS for £100 - they have offered to discount the amount they say you owe them to £60 if you pay within a certain time - and yes it is a tactic but there's nothing illegal about it.

Your time would be better spent researching the legal arguments you would need to include in an IAS appeal and the pros and cons of doing so, so you can make a decision about whether to actually bother.

Suggest using the Search the Forum function for VCS and the location to find other posts about this company and place - read only recent posts though and certainly nothing prior to Oct 2104 as VCS were members of the BPA before that so the info in those posts would not now be relevant

nigelbb

ColliesCarer wrote: »

TForget about researching whether they are legally allowed to take away the "discount" - you have received an INVOICE from VCS for £100 - they have offered to discount the amount they say you owe them to £60 if you pay within a certain time - and yes it is a tactic but there's nothing illegal about it.

Not quite. As highlighted in the excellent analysis by barrister John de Waal QC for the RAC Foundation the price is actually £60 but there is an unlawful price escalation clause that means if you don't pay within the 'discount' period the price goes up to £100. http://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/private-parking-public-concern-press-release

ColliesCarer

Thanks nigel,

Yes have read that doc where JdW argues that under European Consumer legislation the so-called ‘early payment discounts’, are in fact unlawful because they constitute a ‘price escalation clause’
but has this been tested in court and has a binding precedent been set?

todd89

So the newbie thread says ignore and the advice from you guys says appeal. Are there any threads that show an appeal like the standard 1st stage appeal letter?

I have no clue with this.

Coupon-mad

I re-wrote the Newbies thread YESTERDAY!

Not everyone will agree with me but I thought I made it clear not to use the IAS - and in post #3 there I showed my reasoning in a link. Why would you hand them a win on a plate that will make you feel you have to pay? It will also fire them up to pursue it - far better to stop now and write to say why (that is explained in that link in post #3 of the Newbies thread). Then ignore the debt collector letter chain - this is all covered in the sticky.

I stand by my advice, and it says please don't start a new thread and ask 'shall I appeal to the IAS' because you WILL LOSE. Can't make it much clearer.

Redx

todd89 wrote: »

So the newbie thread says ignore and the advice from you guys says appeal. Are there any threads that show an appeal like the standard 1st stage appeal letter?

I have no clue with this.

some people will tell you to appeal to the IAS , others will tell you to ignore, there is no real clarity on this, due to the IAS being a kangaroo court, the choice is yours

I tend to agree with coupon-mad and say appeal to the PPC, but ignore the IAS appeal, ignore the debt collectors for 6 years, have your day in court if VCS (or any other PPC wish to take it that far in the next 6 years)

some on here will tell you to appeal to the IAS as you have a 1 in 5 chance of winning, plus you dont have to abide by the IAS decision if you lose (you dont have to pay) - then its ignore the debt collectors but have your day in court if it gets that far, that has some merit but myself and others dont see it that way

now if popla had been the appeal option (like it was 12 months ago, we would tell you to appeal to popla , but popla is no longer an option for VCS

THIS IS A MURKY WORLD, YET YOU ARE ASKING FOR CLARITY !!

ASK 10 PEOPLE AND YOU WILL GET 10 DIFFERENT ANSWERS, OR 5 THAT SAY APPEAL , 5 SAY IGNORE

the choice, is yours