University Parking Charge - £160 Debt Collection

Tgwright

Hi,

My Uni have always operated a 2 strike policy before sending out parking fines. They sneakily changed this last September with a tiny small print in the T&Cs. As such, I was slapped with a £60 parking fine in December. Due to being unaware in the removal of the 2 strike rule I assumed it was bogus, especially as my friend got a strike a week later.

I received a letter through the door in January (to my home address rather than my Uni address). Anyway today I noticed a major flaw, the signs around the University state failure to purchase a ticket will result in a £40 fine (or £20 within 14 days), the fine I received was a straight £60 with no discount, therefore surely there was no way I could have even entered into an unwritten contract?

Anyway last week I got one of those silly threatening Debt Recovery Plus emails through my door. I'm not massively worried about it but my dad assumes I'll get a criminal record over it, (obviously he's wrong 😜). To keep him happy however, I said I'd email them to appeal it, however the very confusingly set out F1rst Parking website won't let me view the parking charge as it's gone to debt collection and the Debt Recovery website just sends you round in a loop with no email address to appeal. The only possible appeal route appears to be over the phone however I'm not sure if this is a good idea?

Fruitcake

It is not a fine. I assume you now realise you should not have ignored the parking invoice. Ignoring has not been advised here since the law changed in 2012.

I think you are now in ignore mode, unless you want to send a late appeal to PoPLA. No doubt they will reject it for being out of time but you could add the following.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/542/schedule/3/made

Grounds to refuse to deal with a dispute
13.The body may only refuse to deal with a domestic dispute or a cross-border dispute which it is competent to deal with on one of the following grounds—
(a)
prior to submitting the complaint to the body, the consumer has not attempted to contact the trader concerned in order to discuss the consumer’s complaint and sought, as a first step, to resolve the matter directly with the trader;
(b)
the dispute is frivolous or vexatious;
(c)
the dispute is being, or has been previously, considered by another ADR entity or by a court;
(d)
the value of the claim falls below or above the monetary thresholds set by the body;
(e)
the consumer has not submitted the complaint to the body within the time period specified by the body, provided that such time period is not less than 12 months from the date upon which the trader has given notice to the consumer that the trader is unable to resolve the complaint with the consumer;
(f)
dealing with such a type of dispute would seriously impair the effective operation of the body.


Since none of the above applies, you expect PoPLA to abide by the will of parliament that allows appeals for up to a year.

You ignore debt collectors and never, ever 'phone them or the parking scammers.

System

my dad assumes I'll get a criminal record over it

He's wright?

Half_way

University's often like to think they are a law unto themselves, do the signs or any of the documents mention fines? Who is demanding this money? What parking company is it?

Coupon-mad

F1rst Parking are tame. Have a look at similar threads:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/72139248#Comment_72139248

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/71258252#Comment_71258252

I said I'd email them to appeal it, however the very confusingly set out F1rst Parking website won't let me view the parking charge as it's gone to debt collection and the Debt Recovery website just sends you round in a loop with no email address to appeal.

There is no point appealing it. If you try to email DRPlus (and NEVER EVER phone them!) they will reply with a template 'rejection' My Findings' letter which is so boring and unneeded you really would be wasting your time. No-one here pays or worries about F1rst Parking. Sit tight.

If Dad's that worried, email DRP just to say your address is xxx xxxxxx xxxxx (your Uni address of another family member who isn't so hyterical) and state that you will report DRPlus to the Information Commissioner if they do not update their records and cease writing to an old address.

Then Dad won't see any more letters coming to home. The only thing you'd have to do when you move again would be to email again with your latest address in cases (within the 6 years any firm can) they try a small claim much later, which some sneaky parking firms do.

info@drpl.co.uk

You must put the DRPlus 'reference' in the subject line, not the PCN number.

And please no update about the silly 'My Findings' reply you will get pretending you appealed! But at least they'd have to update your address. AND NEVER SAY WHO WAS DRIVING.