Britannia Parking passed to debt collection

MrGrumpie

I received a PCN from Brittania Parking 2 months after the event. They took over one month to request registered keeper details from my lease company (private lease), and then took 2 weeks to write to me.

I have ignored their threats and now I'm getting threatening letters from the debt collectors. This in itself doesn't bother me, but there's lots of talk of people lodging appeals, and I'm now wondering if I was right to ignore all correspondence (it appears not from the newbies thread), and if it's now too late to enter into any correspondence?

This was a retailer's car park, the parking charge was 50p and I spent £150 in the retailer!

So, should I continue to ignore or take some action?

Thanks!

Redx

you could complain to the landowner or MA about it and try for a cancellation in writing

IGNORE the debt collectors like that thread tells you , no contact with them whatsoever

BRIT have 6 years to try a court claim, so come back if you receive an LBC or an MCOL in that time

Umkomaas

If you've missed the appeal window through ignoring their paperwork, then there's no access to POPLA, unfortunately.

This was a retailer's car park, the parking charge was 50p and I spent £150 in the retailer!

Presumably you paid the 50p? Or did you risk all this crap to avoid paying?

If you've spent £150, get the retailer to tell Britannia to cancel the charge - presumably it's the retailer that contracted them?

If you can't get that then you need to batten down the hatches for a few months until the debt collectors burn themselves out. Britannia are not litigious currently, but have 6 years to change their behaviour.

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.

MrGrumpie

Umkomaas wrote: »

Presumably you paid the 50p? Or did you risk all this crap to avoid paying?

The car park in question had a free period due to issues with Brittania taking it over...lots of invalid fines so the retailer made them lift any charges for a period of time...that time had finished but I thought it was until the end of the year. Silly mistake.

Thanks for the quick replies - I will write to the retailer in question.

MrGrumpie

Hi all


I've now had a "Letter of Claim" from BWLegal, claiming £160, which they are saying I need to pay in January or they will take me to court.


Not sure if I should ignore, or pay, or contact the retailer (I never did that!).



Any thoughts?

Le_Kirk

Is it a "proper" LBC, giving you 30 days to respond and including forms?

MrGrumpie

Le_Kirk wrote: »

Is it a "proper" LBC, giving you 30 days to respond and including forms?

Hi, I think it's a proper LBC. They are giving me more than 30 days. There is a reply form with it with several sections. e.g. Section 1 is titled "Do you owe the debt?"

Redx

in that case it is a Letter Of Claim and needs to be rebutted, same as all the others on here

you should also get a SAR sent to BRIT to their DPO and get all their data as well

this is because you are preparing for an MCOL to come in several weeks time (a court claim)


DO NOT FILL THEIR FORMS IN