Smart Parking/ Gladstones

The_DarkKnight

Hello all,

Today my partner received a letter from Gladstones solicitors for outstanding parking charges from Smart Parking. This letter comes over a year and a half after the initial incident. We entered the car park and came back out to only go back in after about 10 minutes. So they had the first time photo wrong. The second part to the incident, smart parking fined us for not paying enough when we did. My partner sent a picture of the ticket we purchased on appeal for them to reply that we hadn't paid correctly. Doesn't take a genius to work out how much you need to pay!
After the 5 initial letters sent my partner ignored them all as it was the advice that she received. These letters came within the few months after the fine was sent to us in the post.

Now we have received a letter from Gladstones solicitors after being passed on from DRP after a year and a half and I suspect it is just a template. She has received further advice as to ignore this letter but from what I've read we should be replying to the letter and to not ignore it.

Any advice would be helpful,

Cheers.

Redx

same advice as in this new thread here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5603689

looks like SMART might be trying it on due to losing the ASDA contract last year

complain to ASDA head office and try to get a letter from them supporting cancellation , especially if thyey are the landowner, in case it does go to court

18 months is nothing in this game , the PPC has 72 months (6 years) to pursue it through the small claims court, which has been the case since 1973

The_DarkKnight

Thanks, best to wait for another letter if there is one?

Redx

you can ignore the DRP letters (but check if its a DRP letter by looking at it and decoding it)

come back if you get a REAL ONE

The_DarkKnight

I'll take a look, is there any way to tell the difference?
it was at Water World and a lot of their reviews consist of other people being stupidly fined by Smart parking

Redx

yes there is , check it against other threads , check it against the examples at the BMPA helpdesk website , and actually read the small print and the details to see if its actually from GLADSTONES or if its yet another DRP in disguise letter

who does it tell you to contact ?

whose is the phone number on the letter ?

is the address correct ?

chances are its a DRP begging letter

ie:- bog paper

there is one in the thread I told you to read

plus this thread tells you all about it too (which I bumped earlier)

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

The_DarkKnight

I'd been researching a while before actually posting as I was still unsure but thanks to your help it is a DRP begging letter.

Redx

yes, and there are several similar threads on the forum at the moment

Coupon-mad

The_DarkKnight wrote: »

I'll take a look, is there any way to tell the difference?
it was at Water World and a lot of their reviews consist of other people being stupidly fined by Smart parking

Complain to Waterworld's Management and tell them you are about to leave a terrible review unless they cancel the unfair PCN.

Apart from that, it's only Smart Parking; same advice on all other Smart Parking threads where people have left it too late to 'appeal'. Sit tight.

No-one here pays Smart Parking or DRPlus, but it would be easier to keep up here, if newbies would read what is already here each week, the forum is too busy for the same threads again and again:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5603599

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5603689 (already posted here by Redx I see)

That's just two of several from today. Here's one from last month that any newbie could have found by searching the forum:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5578274

Sit tight. Smart Parking have never sued anyone and can't hold a registered keeper liable, so NEVER say who was driving.