All my fault - £160 fine

MovedCheese

Hi all, firstly I'm sorry and 100% apologies to the 'read the newbie thread' group. I have read the newbie thread, but have to say that despite this I have honestly tried to ingest the volume of abbreviations and processes involved that I really am of the percentage involved that would rather pay the outrageous fine than try to understand the process.

To anyone still willing to help me:

1. I'm a single, working mother with recent help to become so from Women's Aid.
2. I was not aware I needed to send amended V5 to DVLA on fleeing abuser (thought driving license was sufficient). Obviously ignorance is no excuse. I have changed address, notice of parking charge was sent to previous address.
3. Parking invoice was therefore sent to previous address. My fault. Parking 'charge' refers to 17th Dec at Waitrose. First letter from 'Debt Recovery Plus' (passed on by neighbour) dated 8th Feb 18.
4. I overstayed 40 mins and am charged £160. I don't know if this may have been less if I had paid the charge on time. I did not receive any previous charge. My lovely neighbours have not passed on any parking fine before now.

My question is - I'm clearly in the wrong, didn't update v5 doc (although did driving license) and do not contest that I overstayed by around 40 mins - I can't prove shopping there by now (- cash, nearly 2 months ago). A £40 fine I can cope with, but £160 means I can't buy my daughter the new bed she needs and seems totally wrong.

Any constructive help welcome :-)

Coupon-mad

Waitrose? Ask the Store Manager to cancel it.

If they won't, then get your MP involved to write on your behalf to rant at the parking firm. You need to watch the Parliamentary debate from last week, to understand why MP involvement is vital, especially if you point your MP to the debate and Bill against these rogue firms right now.

Which PPC, Britannia?

Utter scam rogue industry, the lot of them. DO NOT pay it, and change your thread title, this is not ''all your fault''. You will not be paying a penny.

MovedCheese

Thank you so much Coupon-mad, you have given me hope that I can fight this. The 'debt recovery' letter is issued by 'Debt Recovery Plus', their client is 'Smart Parking Limited'.

Coupon-mad

Smart Parking can't hold registered keepers liable, so as long as in your complaints you NEVER say who was actually driving, and certainly not to Smart Parking, you can't lose, can't be held liable in law.

Try the Store manager, the landowner and your MP, and watch this for more confidence:

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/parking-bill-moves-to-next-stage-will.html

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-02-02/debates/CC84AF5E-AC6E-4E14-81B1-066E6A892807/Parking(CodeOfPractice)Bill

Smart Parking were among those named and shamed, stick with it and watch it.

YOU have the moral high ground here, be confident and angry about being caught in the web of a rogue cowboy company (MPs' words in Parliament, must be true then!). Tell your MP about your troubles and about the debate, so he/she watches it and realises what this is about, and your own position regarding ''paying this scam ticket'' versus ''getting your DD a new bed''.

Get her the new bed.

MovedCheese

Sincerely thank you Coupon-mad. Without your advice I would probably have paid the fine. xx

Coupon-mad

Good.

My dream is that no BPA member makes any money at all and they all have to close down.

Same with IPC members of course, and the entire industry. It needs to die out. Attracts nasty aggressive and sometimes criminal people who are involved for their own ends, for the money.

waamo

£160 are they having a laugh? Does being late really justify such a ridiculous amount of money? That more than a weeks wages for some people.

And people wonder why we despise them.