Help! County Court Claim has arrived :/

nman32

Hi,

I parked in a private car park (managed by UKCPM) for around 20 minutes one day to run an errand, and was sent a PCN consequently by the post. Although I don't have the original letter, it did have a picture of my car in the car park. Upon the advice of my friends, I was told to ignore all the letters, even the ones from solicitors who will threaten to take legal action (apparently they won't ever do it).

So to my surprise, after a year of ignoring letters from UK Debt Recovery, and then gladstones, I recieved a County Court Claims letter today, and am now bricking it. I'm a university student, who really can't afford the £250 charge. Is there any way for salvation? I wouldn't even mind paying the original amount of £160 if necesssary, but £250 is too steep

Help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Coupon-mad

Easy - see the second post of the NEWBIES thread.

Do the acknowledgement then show us your defence draft, like you will see everyone else does. We do win! Settle down and read all the defences here and you will gain confidence.

NO-ONE will tell you to fold and pay.

Defending a claim has NO RISK, no CCJ, no huge costs, nowt bad. Even if you lost (only 1% here report a loss!) you would pay LESS than the sum they've made up.

bargepole

nman32 wrote: »

.. Upon the advice of my friends, I was told to ignore all the letters, even the ones from solicitors who will threaten to take legal action (apparently they won't ever do it).

With friends like these, who needs enemies.

Do your friends also advise you to drive home from the pub after a few pints because the police never stop anybody, or use non energy-saving light bulbs, or record TV programmes on to VHS tape?

nman32

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Easy - see the second post of the NEWBIES thread.

Do the acknowledgement then show us your defence draft, like you will see everyone else does. We do win! Settle down and read all the defences here and you will gain confidence.

NO-ONE will tell you to fold and pay.

Defending a claim has NO RISK, no CCJ, no huge costs, nowt bad. Even if you lost (only 1% here report a loss!) you would pay LESS than the sum they've made up.

Thanks, had a look through the Noobie (understatement in my case) thread, but I'm still rather confused. Should I acknowledge service first?

What happens next? I don't know what kind of defence I can put up. Appreciate the help so far

nman32

bargepole wrote: »

With friends like these, who needs enemies.

Do your friends also advise you to drive home from the pub after a few pints because the police never stop anybody, or use non energy-saving light bulbs, or record TV programmes on to VHS tape?

Massive oversight on my part *sigh*

Coupon-mad

Please do not ask ''what happens next'' when the NEWBIES thread post #2 has a section called 'KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN''.

Calm down & read the second post of the NEWBIES FAQS slowly, and read all links there.

bargepole

That's now Groundhog Day twice in the same day.

The_Deep

As you say, £250 is OTT, and more than the law allows. The down market solicitors know this but are trying to con you by double charging. Report them to their regulatory body

http://www.sra.org.uk/home/home.page

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 House of Commons recently

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

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

KeithP

nman32 wrote: »

...I received a County Court Claims letter today...

What is the Date of Issue printed on your Claim Form?