Parking charge from smart parking

Alb30793

Hi,
I'm starting this thread for some advice on how to deal with this parking charge.
Yesterday we received a letter from DRP a debt collection company stating they are working on behalf of smart parking in regards to a parking charge we haven't paid.
On the letter from DRP it states we received the parking charge on 21.2.18 at waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent for "insufficient paid time".
We bought a ticket on the day £3.50 for all day, only spent about 3 and a half hours in waterworld and when we returned to the car we had no parking ticket on the car and haven't received any letters prior to our visits; this debt collection letter is the first.
Can't help but feel as though we're being conned and really don't want to have to fork out £160 for a fine that I feel is unwarranted.
If anyone has any advice on how to deal with this it'd be greatly appreciated.
T.I.A

fisherjim

You do not have a fine, and debt collectors trash can be ignored, start by reading the newbies thread at the top of the forum.

I assume you made a mistake when you entered your vrn into the parking machine, what happened when you complained to Waterworld?

Alb30793

Thanks your help, I'll have a read of that now.
It has the correct vrn on the letter, on reading thread and tripadvisor this has happened to a LOT of visitors. I am awaiting a response from waterworld and smart parking as we've only received the letter yesterday evening I imagine the earliest we'll receive a response will be Monday now.

The_Deep

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of contracts for alleged parking offences, aided and abetted by a handful of low-rent solicitors.

Parking Eye, CPM, Smart, and another company have already been named and shamed, as has Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (these two law firms take hundreds of these cases to court each year). They lose most of them, and have been reported to the regulatory authority by an M.P. for unprofessional conduct

Hospital car parks and residential complex tickets have been especially mentioned.

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.

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

and complain in the most robust terms to your MP. With a fair wind they will be out of business by Christmas.

Fruitcake

I hope you didn't reveal the driver's identity when you contacted Not so Smart. What did you say to them and what method did you use?

You should complain to the BPA and DVLA that Not so Smart have set debt collectors on the keeper but never received a NTK. This happens far too much in PPC land. Much more often in my opinion than in any other industry.

You should also complain to your MP as already advised by The Deep, and also to Sir Greg Knight MP.

These are some of the comments made by the MPs in Parliament concerning the unregulated parking industry (Feb 2018):

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

''Rip-offs from car park Cowboys must stop''; unfair treatment; signage deliberately confusing to ensure a PCN is issued; ''years of abuse by rogue parking companies''; bloodsuckers; ''the current system of regulation is hopeless, like putting Dracula in charge of the blood-bank''; extortionate fines; rogue operators; ''sense of injustice''; unfair charges and notices; wilfully misleading; signage is a deliberate act to deceive or mislead; ''confusing signs are often deliberate, to trap innocent drivers''; unreasonable; a curse; harassing; operating in a disgusting way; appeals service is no guarantee of a fair hearing; loathed; outrageous scam; dodgy practice; outrageous abuse; unscrupulous practices; ''the British Parking Association is as much use as a multi-storey car park in the Gobi desert''; and finally, by way of unanimous conclusion: ''we need to crack down on these rogue companies. They are an absolute disgrace to this country. Ordinary motorists and ordinary residents should not have to put up with this''.

These are the exact words used, so you should quote them to your MP in a complaint and ask him/her to contact Sir Greg Knight MP if he wants further information about this scam.

Complain to the landowner and leave negative feedback on anti-social media such as fakebook and trapadvisor.

Get your own images of signage at Waterworld if possible.

fisherjim

Alb30793 wrote: »

It has the correct vrn on the letter

Of course it has they got that off their anpr system, and used it to get the keeper's details from the DVLA!

KeithP

They are hoping someone will phone them and say "you've got it wrong. The car I was driving has reg no ABC123".

Bingo!! They now know who the driver is.

Don't fall for that, will you?

Coupon-mad

I am awaiting a response from waterworld and smart parking as we've only received the letter yesterday evening I imagine the earliest we'll receive a response will be Monday now.

OMG.

You appealed before you researched it? WHY?

I am worried you blabbed about who was driving, who parked the car. Please say you didn't, because that was the absolute nailed on 100% winning point that wins at POPLA.

Before you ask, NO, I am not telling you to pay it but we are sooo frustrated when people write, effectively: 'what can I do? I have already rushed pointlessly to appeal (even though there was 28 days to do so) and given them chapter and verse and admitted who was driving, was that a mistake?'

Alb30793

Thanks for everyone's advice is really useful.
I was wondering whether I could contact my mp regarding the matter so that will definitely be my next port of call.
I have emailed just stating my partner (no name stated and we don't share the same surname) has received a letter from a debt collection company stating they are working on behalf of smart parking, told them the date of the parking charge and that someone needed to contact me regarding the letter. I haven't given them my vrn, reference, address, I kept it very brief. The only information they will have is my email address. Hope I haven't messed it up now, I'll admit I sent the email in the heat of the moment because I was just so angry!
I've contacted waterworld via their website again containing brief detail and left a comment on their trip advisor.
Just looking into how to inform BPA AND DVLA now, again thanks to everyone for your informed advice, I've never dealt with anything like this before.

Coupon-mad

I was wondering whether I could contact my mp regarding the matter so that will definitely be my next port of call.

Yes indeed, you MUST, there is a Bill going through Parliament right now re this rogue industry.

I have emailed just stating my partner (no name stated and we don't share the same surname) has received a letter from a debt collection company stating they are working on behalf of smart parking, told them the date of the parking charge and that someone needed to contact me regarding the letter. I haven't given them my vrn, reference, address, I kept it very brief.

That was pointless because they can't even reply to you - will not even know what this is about(!) and you are a third party. That email goes nowhere fast.

Your partner should have replied (giving their address). Not you.

Did your partner never get a PCN in the post from Smart?

At least the good news is your partner has not said who was driving! They can't be held liable as long as they never shoot those toes off!

Quentin

Alb30793 wrote: »

I'm starting this thread for some advice on how to deal with this parking charge.
Yesterday we received a letter from DRP a debt collection company .....

Everyone is politely asked to read up on this in the newbies faq thread near the top of the forum before starting a new thread asking for advice (which is all there in the FAQ)


Also see this thread confirming why you can ignore debt collectors and drp in particular:


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