Civil Enforcement Ltd - parking in hotel car park

Shimzoo

Thanks All. You've been marvelous. I will let you know how I get on!!

Half_way

Make sure you let CEL know what the manager had said to you, and demand that they cease proceedings immediately, as their principal doess not support this action and there fore it is unreasonable[\b] and that CEL cease processing and holding your personal data in respect to this parking charge notice.
Keep evidence that this has been done, and you might be able to set up a counter claim/dpa breach.
Also point the hotel manager at this thread as he/she may be able to use it to help other customers affected by a previous managers stupidity/naivety.

Loadsofchildren123

there was a thread a while back by an owner of a retail place which had taken on CEL (I think it was CEL) and they were ticketing genuine customers. The poor bloke had to kick them off and then help hundreds of people to defend. I've tried searching for it but can't find it. The site was in Abingdon. Ring any bells anyone? I was trying to find it so that you could show the hotel that it isn't the only one.....

1505grandad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5640623

Loadsofchildren123

Thank you! Not CEL but still a cautionary tale for landowners and businesses.

Shimzoo

Thanks again guys. I had already given the hotel manager a link to this thread. He has re-iterated his willingness to attend court for us if needed. He said he has reviewed the contract a number of times and cannot get out of it.

He has sent me a letter on his letterhead as below. Please advise what I should do with the letter. Do I send it to the court? To CEL....to both? Do I need to submit any more forms with it? Should I counter claim for the £1 as suggested...if so how?

This is the letter:

Further to our conversation I am happy to confirm that I am very unhappy for our hotel to be associated with Civil Enforcement Ltd. We receive a large volume of complaints from our customers every month about this organisation and the 'fines' they are receiving. Many of our customers state that they were unaware of the signage displayed by Civil Enforcement Ltd. It is of no surprise to me therefore that you entered and left the car park without noticing it.

You have advised me of the following details regarding the claim being brought against you by CEL:

Vehicle Registration: xxxxxx
PCN Reference: xxxxxxxx
Date of incident: 09/10/2015
Car Park Details: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Claim Number: xxxxxxx

As the General Manager of xxxxxxxxx I wish to advise that we in no way support the action being brought against you. I am satisfied that you were a genuine patron of the hotel at the time of the incident and should not have been issued with a fine. I am happy for you to provide this letter to the court to advise them that we would like CEL to withdraw the court action being taken against you. If you need me to write directly to CEL on this matter I will be happy to do so.

beamerguy

Shimzoo ... you are doing a great job

Does the manager know all about the disgusting way
CEL operate, they are vindictive and they lie

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=cel

The manager needs to find a way to get rid of these financial upstart
terrorists before it really damages his business. Customers will not
return where a scam car park is in operation, they will think it's the hotel

Coupon-mad

I would attach it to a robust email or letter to CEL, which is recommended at this stage anyway, even for those who have done the AOS (which lost of people have).

Did you keep the envelope the POC arrived in - was that posted on 26th October? Lots were, and that's late. Even though you've done the AOS, the current advice is still to write to CEL and the court:

Cel - asking them to explain the obvious backdating , asking for the certificate of service , and whether they will ask the court for relief from sanction for the POC being served late. And in your case add the letter/email from the Hotel Manager and tell them it completely distinguishes this case from ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis, and destroys any excuse that CEL might try to use to paint a picture of any 'legitimate interest' in pursuing more than any loss/damages. Clearly this is a penalty and it is unconscionable, given the facts and evidence.

Court - telling them when the actual service date was (enclosing a photocopy of the envelope/franking) and asking them to strike out the claim for late service. The CCBC might not, but they can't then say they are not aware of the date of service of the POC. Also, if they are DELUGED with these complaints, maybe someone at the CCBC might take notice.

Meanwhile prepare a defence that ALSO mentions this late service of POC and make sure it is filed within 14 days of the POC actually arriving, as long as you've told the Court they arrived late, to cover yourself over this period.

The_Deep

Should I counter claim for the £1 as suggested...if so how?

What do you want? Do you want this to be over asap? If so try to do a deal with them, drop hands, they pay you, you pay the, or do you want to kick their @rses from here to kingdom come?

If the latter you will have a lot of work to do, ,but you would get a lot of help from this board, and financially it could be well worth your while, an OP on here was recently awarded £1500 for a PPC's unreasonable behaviour.

Also, think of the satisfaction it would give you (and us) from giving these parasites a kicking.

Shimzoo

Thanks beamerguy, Coupon-mad and The Deep.

I've learned a lot during this process. I disposed of the envelope before I knew it was important. Another frustrating mistake on my part.

I will send a letter to CEL and the court as advised above by Coupon-mad...although I cannot include the copy of the envelope. I will state that it was late anyway.

Shall I also send the defense in to the court as I presented at the start of this thread? Do I need to amend it in light of the cooperation from the hotel?