Help required - Smart Parking

littleminxgb81

I received a parking charge notice on 20th May 2015 for going over free time at Talbot Green Shopping Park, Llantrisant. The camera shows my car entering the site at 10.26am & leaving at 14.45. I had no idea there was a time limit at the site!
I appealed to Smart Parking as per their terms stating I was a genuine customer of the site and received an email from them on 4th June asking for evidence that I was shopping at the site. I replied with a photo of my receipt on 10th June.
On 11th July I received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus demanding £140.00!!!! I am furious. I have not heard from Smart Parking to hear if my appeal has been rejected, and havw had no correspondence from them since the email on 4th June.
Where do I go from here? I am really worried that this notice from the debt collector will register on my credit history. Can someone help please?

Quentin

You have no need to worry about your credit history being affected because you get a letter from the debt collector. It won't

Redx

littleminxgb81 wrote: »

I received a parking charge notice on 20th May 2015 for going over free time at Talbot Green Shopping Park, Llantrisant. The camera shows my car entering the site at 10.26am & leaving at 14.45. I had no idea there was a time limit at the site!
I appealed to Smart Parking as per their terms stating I was a genuine customer of the site and received an email from them on 4th June asking for evidence that I was shopping at the site. I replied with a photo of my receipt on 10th June.
On 11th July I received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus demanding £140.00!!!! I am furious. I have not heard from Smart Parking to hear if my appeal has been rejected, and havw had no correspondence from them since the email on 4th June.
Where do I go from here? I am really worried that this notice from the debt collector will register on my credit history. Can someone help please?

complain to the BPA with copies of ALL paperwork, a timeline and any proof of making an appeal to smart with no further reply , no rejection and no popla code

also read post #4 of the newbies thread too, plus the BPA details further down the same thread

Half_way

what happened when you complained to the shopping centre owners?

HO87

As already said, there is absolutely no reason to be upset - either by worrying about it or allowing their letter to infuriate you - as a result of contact from a debt collector.

These companies are the bottom-feeders of the corporate set-up only capable of making their profit by collecting money due to others who are either to lazy or disinclined to go after it - often for a very good reason. Debt collectors are powerless apart from being able to make a lot of noise to disguise the fact that they have no power. Actually that is untrue because they do have the same power as you and I to pursue a debt but no more than that and they work hard to hide that fact. They certainly don't want you to know it.

So, don't let them rile you. They are just like yappy little dogs and deserve to be treated in the same fashion i.e. ignored.

PS - their letters shred well and make excellent hamster bedding

littleminxgb81

That's great, thank you. I have looked at the BPA code of practise and they are in breach of these as they have not notified me of the outcome of the appeal and should have given me a chance to pay the original fine if the appeal was rejected. They should have also given me notification that they were going to refer this to a debt collector. A very strongly worded email is in progress telling them they can shove their fine where the sun doesn't shine!

littleminxgb81

The retail park is made up of numerous businesses and I am yet to find out who the land owner is.

thingamaBob

See a post on the Centre's Facebook page HERE
Another one HERE.

As per their response to that complaint, send a full complaint by email to talbotgreen@equinox.wales

I note that the Talbot Green website pages are all copyright of Savills, so Savills are probably the managing agents for the owners and I note that Equinox show Savills among their clients, so they probably run the Facebook page as part of their PR for Savills.

atilla

littleminxgb81 wrote: »

I received a parking charge notice on 20th May 2015 for going over free time at Talbot Green Shopping Park, Llantrisant. The camera shows my car entering the site at 10.26am & leaving at 14.45. I had no idea there was a time limit at the site!
I appealed to Smart Parking as per their terms stating I was a genuine customer of the site and received an email from them on 4th June asking for evidence that I was shopping at the site. I replied with a photo of my receipt on 10th June.
On 11th July I received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus demanding £140.00!!!! I am furious. I have not heard from Smart Parking to hear if my appeal has been rejected, and havw had no correspondence from them since the email on 4th June.
Where do I go from here? I am really worried that this notice from the debt collector will register on my credit history. Can someone help please?

All standard fare for this shower.
Don't let it worry you. they are now going nowhere with this.
Just keep an eye on the mail on the remotest of chances they act against their norm.

Redx

littleminxgb81 wrote: »

That's great, thank you. I have looked at the BPA code of practise and they are in breach of these as they have not notified me of the outcome of the appeal and should have given me a chance to pay the original fine if the appeal was rejected. They should have also given me notification that they were going to refer this to a debt collector. A very strongly worded email is in progress telling them they can shove their fine where the sun doesn't shine!

so put a complaint in to the BPA asap, try and get the big guns blazing due to a breach of their CoP

trading words with not so smart isnt as good as reporting them , its about winning the argument, not arguing , lol

and dont call it a fine, call it a SPECULATIVE INVOICE , call a spade a spade, so it looks professional

littleminxgb81

Thank you all for your help. The Facebook page was a very interesting read. I shall be onto that & the BPA first thing!