Bailiff letter re unknown fine - help!

Willow23

I apologise if this is covered elsewhere. I have read the FAQs, but really struggled to understand all of the jargon and sheer volume of information as I have visual processing and mental health difficulties.

The problem is that I received a letter yesterday from Direct Collection Bailiffs Limited, supposedly about an unpaid parking fine from New Generation Parking Limited that I know nothing about, and demanding £160.

ETA: It won't let me upload pics of the letter. It says I have 14 days from 8th Oct to pay £160 or it "will result in your case being reviewed for legal recovery and such costs being added to the debt for recovery." It does also say right at the bottom of the letter that "this case is not subject to High Court or Bailiff action", but I have no idea what that means given that DCBL are "certificated bailiffs and high court enforcement"??

I have had no parking fine on my windscreen, or in the post. This letter was forwarded by Royal Mail's redirection service, but nothing else has been, and I've spoken to the people currently in my previous address and they've not had anything for me.

I was going to pay, even though I think it's unfair to be penalised for not knowing anything about the fine, just because the stress of appealing and bailiffs harassing me etc is already getting to me and I don't want to risk my mental health/hospitalisation for the sake of £160.

But a friend said that I shouldn't pay, so I looked online. Some people say to completely ignore it. They don't seem to have my current address yet, but the uncertainty of that changing would be difficult for me. Some have said to appeal, but I don't understand how to do that. Usually I would go to CAB for help with paperwork stuff that I can't manage, but it says in the FAQ not to do that. So I don't really know what to do about this.

I am the Registered Keeper of the vehicle, but I might not have been driving at the time as I don't even know what city the parking fine is from, let alone when to work out who was driving.

I have been on New Generation Parking Management's website, but it won't let me view the PCN online without the PCN number which I don't have. And so I can't submit an online appeal either.

I could try to phone them, or Direct Collection Bailiffs Limited, but I can't hear properly on the phone due to an auditory processing problem, and I'm highly likely to get incredibly flustered/upset and just pay it so it'll all go away. I can afford to pay £160 right now, but not whatever it might escalate to.

I have never been in debt before (other than a student loan) and have vaguely seen Can't Pay, We'll Take It Away on TV, which is who the bailiff company claim to be, and the thought of that happening to me, or having to go to court, or damaging my credit file (it's already ridiculously difficult to get accepted for rental properties being on disability benefits and having a dog, which is discrimination under the DDA, but what can I do?!) is terrifying.

Can someone point me to the right thread that tells me very clearly and simply what to do, or detail it in this thread for me?

Thank you in advance for any help.

Redx

without a court order they are powerless

so if this has not been to court, it is their DEBT COLLECTOR section that sent the letter and NOT their BAILIFF section

those tv programmes they are on ALWAYS show them with court orders, usually where it is for a debt of more than £600 and has been escalated to the HIGH COURT for a writ of control

so its seems to be a debt collector letter and can be ignored (post #4 of the NEWBIES thread)

if you get an LBC or an MCOL in the post , come back for further help

DO NOT PHONE THEM

ps:- send an SAR under the GDPR 2018 to NGPM and get all their docs , pics and evidence for this particular case, so you have everything they have on you

beamerguy

Exactly as RedX says above 100%

The clue is the £160 which £60 is a fake add-on from
pathetic debt collectors who want a share of the
parking scam

Direct Collection Bailiffs Limited are the same as
all the powerless rabble you will see here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/74439905#Comment_74439905

Just ignore them, there is nothing they can do, it's just
a scam try on ..... trying to scare you

Forget the soap opera "can't pay, we'll take it away"

DON'T PAY .... DON'T CONTACT THEM .... IGNORE THEM

If the PPC wants to take it further, they will let you know

As said ..... send the PPC a SAR which they are legally
obliged to reply to you with the info you request

Let us know what they reply with.

And we suggest you take no notice of those telling you
to pay because they are clueless

Umkomaas

Which address is on the vehicle's V5C (logbook)? If it's not your current address - that needs changing.

Write to the PPC if they are using a former address and confirm that the address they are to use 'for service' (use those words) is your current address.

Get a free Certificate of Posting from your PO counter as proof you sent the notification. You risk a default CCJ against you if they issue court proceedings to a now vacated address.

Willow23

Thank you for the replies Redx & beamerguy.

I appreciate the link and information about the collection agency. I am feeling less worried about them now, so thank you. Although I do not understand what LBC or MCOL are? But I will not contact the collection agency about this matter as you both recommend.

I'm still not entirely clear what to do though with the parking company, New Generation parking Management? I'm assuming that's what you mean by PPC? Do I need to contact them given that they've never contacted me? If so, what is a "SAR under the GDPR 2018" - is that a thread on here, or legislation, or a website?? - and is there a template for that what information I should ask for as I don't want to say the wrong thing?

Obviously, I need to know when and where the fine is for, and what the alleged offence was and their evidence for that, but anything else I should get? And can I get all of this info given that I don't have any details about it other than they presumably know my car registration number and my previous address? Their website won't let me view the PCN online as I don't have the PCN number and it won't work with only my car registration number. Also, should I tell them my new address when I deal with them or not?

I think that I read somewhere that private parking companies have to issue you a fine within a certain time frame? I have had nothing on my windscreen or in the post from the parking company. They presumably got my old address details from the DVLA to give to the bailiff company, so the fine must be from before the beginning of Sept, as that is when I updated the DVLA registered keeper and driver's licence address. Is that true/could that be a valid appeal reason?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I do really appreciate the help with this.

Willow23

Umkomaas wrote: »

Which address is on the vehicle's V5C (logbook)? If it's not your current address - that needs changing.

Write to the PPC if they are using a former address and confirm that the address they are to use 'for service' (use those words) is your current address.

Get a free Certificate of Posting from your PO counter as proof you sent the notification. You risk a default CCJ against you if they issue court proceedings to a now vacated address.

Thank you, that's answered my question about whether to tell them my new address.

My address was changed over at the beginning of Sept, and I do have Royal Mail re-direction service, but haven't had anything from the parking company, and they must have requested my details from DVLA before I changed them, so the fine must've been from over a month ago.

Redx

acronyms are in post #5 of the NEWBIES FAQ sticky thread, saves us typing them out

LBC is Letter Before Claim, so where somebody warns you if you dont pay up and why, they will issue a court claim (which is now called an MCOL , google it)

NGPM are your PPC in this matter , so send them an SAR and also tell them to amend their data with your current address, so nothing goes to an old address (DCBL seem to have it anyway)

get the docs and evidence with the SAR so that you know the pcn reference and where it was issued and why, hence sending them the SAR by using the law called GDPR (the old one was the DPA)

DO NOT PHONE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE

the private charges are INVOICES and they have 6 years to enforce them, so until you get the paperwork from NGPM you wont know if they issued it within 14 days , or 6 months , or whatever, hence why you get the paperwork sent to you first

if you only recently updated the V5C details, that is why you got nothing as it went to an old address and is lost or missing or not forwarded to you where you are now , hence why you obtain the old paperwork from NGPM by using the SAR

Umkomaas

but haven't had anything from the parking company, and they must have requested my details from DVLA before I changed them, so the fine must've been from over a month ago.

Forgot to mention - in your notification of your new address for service, put in it that it applies to NGPM and any of their agents.