UKPC, POPLA, Wright Hassall and DRP help needed.

missmonster

Hi,
I have been trawling these threads for some valuable information. I followed the sticky instruction (that were relevant at the time) and am still baffled by the process and outcomes.
I shall briefly timeline it for you:

23/12/14 - alleged contravention in UKPC rented carpark. "Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space". PCN left on vehicle.
22/01/15 - UKPC notice to keeper letter received.
27/01/15 - letter sent by me to UKPC parking appeals (following sticky thread guidelines). Not naming the driver, arguing that the contravention did not actually happen, arguing that there was insufficient signage, arguing the charge as not GPEOL, that notice to keeper is incorrect (issued 35 days after).
26/02/15 - reply from UKPC stating all bays are clearly marked, signage is sufficient, charges are GPEOL, protection of freedoms act says they have to wait 28 days, then have further 28 days to send notice. Pay up or appeal to POPLA, debt recovery will increase by £60, credit rating, county court, blah blah.
(DATE unknown) - Appealed to POPLA online.
05/10/15 - letter from POPLA stating appeal adjournment due to pending Bevis case.
23/09/16 - email from POPLA with Wright Hassel outcome letter attached. rejecting appeal. reasons that GPEOL is accurate, signage is adequate enough for me to have agreed a contract, contravention upheld as not acting in accordance to terms and conditions of marked bay. Pay up.
18/01/17 - Debt recovery plus letter received. Notice of intended court action. Pay up £160.

Please advise. What do i do now?
A legitimate ticket was bought, the signage was NOT adequate and the car park is an irregular shape. The photo of the signage they used to suport the contravention was small, at floor level and would have been obscured by parked vehicles at the time.
Parking was £1 per hour or £3 all day - Suggesting GPEOL is way too much.
After such a long time would one not be able to provide any further information for the appeal?
With a little digging it appears that Wright Hassall are not exactly impartial enough to be judging this. How can that be?
What are my options now?
I wish to avoid court if i have to as i have no idea how to present the defense if i do.
Thank you.:)

Umkomaas

18/01/17 - Debt recovery plus letter received. Notice of intended court action. Pay up £160.

This is the point you're at - bog standard debt collector letters. They cannot take you to court, only the PPC or their solicitors. There is nothing you can do now to shake this off apart from a payment.

You ignore debt collector letters - see post #4 of the NEWBIES FAQ sticky - but do not ignore court papers, come back if you get those, there is help here in formulating a defence (please note correct spelling). Come back if you get court papers, no need to tell us about every debt collector letter you get. There's no certainty that court papers will follow, but there has been a spike in court cases since Beavis, so 'expect' to get them at some stage, then you're not startled if they arrive. Do plenty of reading here on the forum (and PePiPoo) so you are super-prepared if the day comes. They have the balance of 6 years from the parking event to instigate court proceedings.

The WH POPLA episode was a debacle. Do a search on the forum to read some of the weird and whacky (negative for the motorist) decisions they came up with. Use the search term WHOPLA (the name used to distinguish between WH POPLA and real POPLA).

The_Deep

Ask WH where that extra £60 come from. If they say collection charges, ask them where it says on the signs £60 collection charges will be added. Ask for a breakdown of the £60. Ask the about v.a.t. Ask for a vat invoice.

Copy in the SRA.

http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page

Keep the ball in play, it costs them money.

missmonster

Hi, should i do that now? or just wait and follow Unkomaas' advice.
Thanks

Coupon-mad

Parking was £1 per hour or £3 all day - Suggesting GPEOL is way too much.

Read the up to date advice on the forum. 'No GPEOL' hasn't featured since 2015 and has no legs, pretty much, unless argued very cleverly re a tariff car park. Not a good argument to rely on and you are not at a stage that needs any next step anyway.

Not sure why we keep seeing so many new threads about DRPlus despite the NEWBIES PLEASE READ THIS FIRST sticky thread begging for no more threads about this daft and toothless old letter chain - and this thread too:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5035663

NOTHING you try at this stage will change whether UKPC try a small claim or not. Ignore debt collector letters.