Wrong car park post code?

Baltas_tigas

The situation is easy as that: almost a year ago my hubby received a parking fine letter from VSC, no photos, only address 'Albert street, B5 5JH'. We have checked that street on googlemaps, and it only had 3 parking lots for disabled. My husband claimed he never parked in there. We checked official VCS page for photos, and there were none for his case. The indicated payable sum was £100, so we decided it might be a scam and forgot it.

A few weeks ago (8 moths after) he received LETTER before CLAIM, and this is were the things started to be interesting. I made some more researches, and found out that Albert Street comes under different postcode, than the indicated in the letter. I've looked for more information about the nearby carparks and what location comes under the indicated postcode. Still couldn't find any information.

So I wrote the letter asking to clarify the details, and printed the evidence that all the car parks come under the different post codes:

To whom it might concern,
I dispute the debt and deny that I!!!8217;ve parked on Albert Street on 26th of April 2017 because of the following:

1. Despite our best endeavours to recover the payments it has proved unsuccessful':
*I have received the only one letter from VCS approximately in the middle of May, and no other letters were delivered from this sender to the address XXXX in a period of more than 9 months until the Letter Before Claim reached me on 6th of February 2018.
*The first and the only one letter from VSC notifying about the parking charge didnt include any photos with the car itself, or its number plate. To my knowledge there are two types of parking charges, where the first one comes in a form of yellow envelope on a windscreen, and the second comes in a form of letter with a clear photo of the car and its number plate. Unfortunately the only one letter I've received contained only text information.

2. I've tried to look for an evidence photos regarding my case on an official website of VSC, but unfortunately couldn't find any.

3. I've checked Albert Street on internet using google maps, trying to remember maybe I've parked my car for a short period of time and forgot about it, but realized that it only has 3 parking lots for disabled, and comes under different post code B4. I confirm that I've never parked my vehicle on Albert Street.

4. After checking Albert Street using virtual google map function, I've checked the provided post code, which is B5 5JH and takes place on Park Rd. To prove the right location of the post code I've made the screenshot of the Park Tattoo salon address which includes the mentioned above post code. The nearest car park on the opposite road side belongs to Premier Parking Logistics, not VSC, and I can confirm that I!!!8217;ve not parked in there for more than a year.

5. Then I've checked other car parks nearby but they came under different postcodes:
Shaws Passage B5 5JG
Fazeley Street car park is located on Seymour Street B5 5JP
Park Street Gardens car park comes under post code B5 5RB
NCP Albert Street comes under address Dale End, B4 7LN
Excel Albert Street car park is located on Seymour Street B5 5HT

After making this investigation, I've assumed that the letter was a scam, sent by someone who tried to gain access to my debit card data or earn some extra money.

To confirm my explanation I'm adding printed screenshots with carparks and locations mentioned above. Unfortunately I didn't saved the letter as a proof.

In case if a mistake took a place from VSC side regarding unsent letters, wrong street address or post code, I would like to receive a parking charge proving photo, taken on 26th of April 2017 with clear number plate of my vehicle before 8th of March, and a full explanation which car park it took place, so we could resolve this case without court and lawyers.
Best Regards,
XXX

Baltas_tigas

And he just received their reply last Friday. Briefly it says, that there were 3 letters sent, and they don't know why we didn't received all of them, they made an investigation, and the photos of his car are visible on their site (honestly we couldn't 8 months ago). But still no explanation in which car park it took the place?
I think it's a bit to much to ask £160 for a 28min, without explanation in which car park it happened, but what is the possibility that the case will reach the court, as then it will be £200 and in worse case he'll need to pay it in 30 days, without possibility to split the sum over months?

The_Deep

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of contracts for alleged parking offences. [/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Parking Eye, Smart and a smaller company have already been named and shamed, as has Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (who take hundreds of these cases to court, and nearly always lose), who have also been reported to the regulatory authority. [/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]The problem has become so rampant that MPs have agreed to enact a Bill to regulate these scammers. Watch the video of the Second Reading in the HofC recently.[/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41[/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]and complain in the most robust terms to your MP. With a fair wind most of these companies may well be put out of business by Christmas.[/FONT]

Umkomaas

Please edit your posts to put in some paragraphs, they are difficult to read as they stand, and many regulars skip walls of text and don't respond.

For the sake of better formatted posts, you might not be getting the comprehensive advice you might otherwise have received.

KeithP

Baltas_tigas wrote: »

...so we decided it might be a scam...

And you were right to think that.

As will be clear when you watch that video in The Deep's post.

Baltas_tigas

Yes, but we usually don't mind if, if we know we've tried to cheat and failed But we've tried to research where he parked or staid for these 28 minutes, and couldn't. In fact he still cant recognize the street or a car park from the photos they have sent to us.
Could you please help me a bit, as I don't know what should be my next move? Request to explain which car park it was? Or wait until the invitation to the court will come?

Baltas_tigas

The_Deep wrote: »

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]and complain in the most robust terms to your MP. With a fair wind most of these companies may well be put out of business by Christmas.[/FONT]

Complain to the MP of place where I live or Birmingham?

Thanks

KeithP

Baltas_tigas wrote: »

Complain to the MP of place where I live or Birmingham?

Thanks

It says complain to your MP, but while you're at it, complain to the other one too.

Coupon-mad

but what is the possibility that the case will reach the court, as then it will be £200 and in worse case he'll need to pay it in 30 days, without possibility to split the sum over months?

But we only see 1% of people lose at small claims v PPCs like VCS (of those who stay here to get help from defence through to WS/evidence and then a hearing). We only saw two fully-coached posters lose in 2017 and I can't recall seeing an Albert Street one lost here on the forum, ever.

I expect you must have read the Parking Prankster blogs about this site, already, when you Googled 'Albert Street Birmingham parking VCS' (or similar) as you would when checking out this 'outrageous scam' (Hansard, 2.2.18)

I'm sure you found other threads when you searched this sub-board for 'Albert Street VCS'. We were advising on one only last week and it's a common site for fake PCNs, easy enough to defend with huge prospects of success here, as long as you don't disappear.

Read the NEWBIES thread post #2.

Don't contact them, make NO offer, and certainly don't pay them money!

You realise why we encourage complaints to MPs, after you watched the video in post #3?

Baltas_tigas

Well I was looking for Albert street =/ It was clearly written in the letter that the fine received because he didn't pay for a parking on 'Albert Street', not 'Albert street car park'. And the post code given next to it was quite far away from Albert street itself and Albert Street car park, which in Parkopedia stands for post code( Seymour Street) B5 5HT.
I just wonder why is so difficult to put longitude/latitude so it would be easier to find the actual place of crime?

Coupon-mad

You are wasting time wondering about the wrong things.

Start reading what I suggested, this is all over the forum and several Parking Prankster blogs.