Parking awareness services/Vanquish debt recovery

Su-perb

Hi, I'm new to the site so please bear with me...

In November 2016 we went to Blackpool and parked in a small car park on Hornby Road for 24 hours, bought and paid for a ticket and off we went.

A few days later we got a parking charge notice from Parking Awareness Services because we were parked over the lines crossing another space, the space referred to had traffic cones in it and a barrier around a post and was therefore not a usable car parking space.

Having looked on line for details of PAS it appears they were a less than reputable firm. Google also brought back a number of discussions from a few years before and all the advice seemed to suggest ignoring them. A Facebook post asking for advice from friends/relatives (in my defence I have some worldly wise and intelligent friends!) suggested the same approach; so that's what we did.

Three months on we have had another couple of letters from PAS which were duly ignored (but kept) and today we've recieved a letter from Vanquish (a sister company of PAS?) titled "payment due for an unpaid parking charge" advising we need to pay the now inflayed figure of £185 by 19th February or we may face legal action and possibe CCJS.

I've looked through the forums and read lots about appeals but can't see anything about having ignored the issue for 3 months... any help would be greatly appreciated.

catfunt

Read the Newbies thread to get a proper handle on things.

You are now past any possible appeal windows, and therefore the only thing you can do now is to continue to ignore, but file any letters sent to you.

The one thing you should not ignore is any "letter before claim" or "letter before county court action", and you MUST NOT ignore real court papers.

If you get either, come back to this thread.

Debt collectors are powerless and cant take you to court - only the PPC or their solicitors (e.g. Gladstones or BW LegaL) can do so.

You will only get a CCJ if you lose in court AND then don't pay when ordered to by a judge.

Fruitcake

The advice to ignore has not been given here since the law changed in 2012. You, your friends, and google are well out of date. Fakebook in my experience is not the best place to obtain advice about parking either. Too many Freemen of the Land idiots in my humble opinion, as well as very uninformed people when it comes to parking.
You should at least tell your friends and family not to ignore if they get caught out by parking scammers.
This assumes the keeper does not live in Scotland or NI where the advice is different.

You can however safely ignore debt collectors, but don't ignore real court papers.

All you can do now is wait to see if the scammers try court in the next six years.

twhitehousescat

you are correct , PAS and vanquis are linked , treat the vanquis as a simple debt collection letter

PAS have a habit of selling those debts to MIL collections HOWEVER they have just been "pulled" by the DVLA , and the DVLA have remarked , "they did not know it was illigal" , they KNOW NOW! , so if you get a sold to MIL letter ,come back immediatly



quote from DVLA" it has been identified that the company concerned has not breached DPA intentionally but believed their processes were in compliance withn the KADOE Contract . As such , DVLA will not be taking any formal action ."


dated 8th feb 2017 , post # 21 http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=111560&st=20

Su-perb

Lesson learned, thank you

Guys_Dad

Have they sent photographs of the alleged contravention? Both the BPA and IPC codes of practice state that they must do so if requested.

The photos should back up your coned off point.

Su-perb

No they didn't but we haven't communicated with them at all, so haven't requested any.

twhitehousescat

that car park is a goldmine for them , several cases (well lots) where they claim the person was parked on/over a line , a case reported by parking prankster , the judge ruled the bays , no bigger than a "mini" , and I think he was referring to the classic mini .

as this is supposed to be an "anpr" type incident , it clearly was NOT , the parking attendant hides in a hut , watching people then taking pictures ,

define parking attendant? = person that assists with parking not a person that sulks in a corner with a camera

Coupon-mad

Su-perb wrote: »

No they didn't but we haven't communicated with them at all, so haven't requested any.

Keep it that way now (as you didn't appeal in time, too late for that now) unless the keeper gets a LBC from a solicitor or the parking firm. This is the available info from the trusted charity the BMPA, about PAS and Vanquish:

https://bmpa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203549852-Parking-Awareness-Services-Ltd

https://bmpa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203836511-Vanquish-Debt-Recovery-Ltd

Sit tight and on no account write implying who was driving. Even if defending a small claim, the keeper defends as 'keeper' but we can cross that bridge as and when. No big deal so sit tight.

twhitehousescat

ahh the Mr Matthew Wild who managed to get his details removed from the BMPA website , and runs from a PO box number and no tangible address to serve papers to

but yet manages v888/3 applications , whilst being registered at companies house under a PO box number?

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/558620/V888X3-Request-for-information-for-those-who-issue-parking-trespass-charge-notice.pdf

checks made by the DVLA? I wonder

Su-perb

Thank you all for your time and help, much appreciated!