Looking for Advice

Bev_P

I received a parking invoice from Parking Lots saying I hadn't purchased a parking ticket.
I had purchased one unfortunately it fell off my window and was on my car seat.
This was in April 2017. I sent a letter explaining what had happened and a copy of my ticket.
I received one letter back saying because I hadn't displayed my ticket correctly I had to pay the £30.00 but I could appeal. I did a written letter of appeal with my evidence again and have never received a reply from the parking company. After a period of 12 months I made the mistake of destroying my copies of everything because of the period of time.

Move on 20 months to October 2018, 2 days ago I received a Text to my personal mobile at 2:50 am (early of hours of the morning) from a debt management company threatening me with court action if I did not pay them £160.00.
I rang the company and they told me it was due to an unpaid parking fine

I have many questions
Is my appeal still ongoing?
Should I have been informed that I was being sold on to a debt company?
How did they get hold of my mobile, I never disclosed this?
Can the debt company take me to court or is it the parking company?
I am worried sick, if anyone has any advice, it would be most welcome
Thank You

Fruitcake

It is not a fine.
Debt collectors have no powers and can be ignored. They cannot take you to court, but the parking scammers could.

Have you read the sticky thread for NEWBIES yet that tells you everything you need to know about this unregulated scam?

What is the name of the parking company please?
They may have used a tracing company to find you/your 'phone number. There should be some way of blocking this on your 'phone so you don't get disturbed again.

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 in the house as have Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (these two law firms take hundreds of these cases to court each week, hospital car parks and residential complex tickets have been especially mentioned. They lose most of them, and have been reported to the regulatory authority by an M.P.
for unprofessional conduct

The problem has become so widespread 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

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

Umkomaas

Know who you're dealing with - some background information for you:

https://padi.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002397229-Parking-Lots-Ltd

http://www.parkingappeals.info/companydata/Parking_Lots.html

Coupon-mad

Move on 20 months to October 2018, 2 days ago I received a Text to my personal mobile at 2:50 am (early of hours of the morning) from a debt management company threatening me with court action if I did not pay them £160.00.
I rang the company and they told me it was due to an unpaid parking fine

Block that number.