LBCCC UK Car Park Management / Debt Recovery Plus / Gladstones Solicitors

Curley89

LBCCC UK Car Park Management / Debt Recovery Plus / Gladstones Solicitors

My partner uses my car and I received a Parking charge notice through the post for not displaying a permit at her work office car park from UK Car Park Management Ltd.
She does have a permit which fell off that day during the hot weather we had in July. There is a well known issue around her office with the supplied permits falling off windows during hot weather and have been complaints because of this.

As soon as I received the notice, she tried contacting her Employees Facilities team. They eventually replied whilst we were on holiday explaining we must go through the process with the parking company.
When I arrived home from a two week holiday I had two more letters from the UK Car Park Management Ltd.

There were no contact options except to call and pay the charge so I wrote to them explaining that I was not the driver and provided my partners details so she could start the appeals process. Stupidly, I did not send this recorded delivery. I now know I dropped the ball here.

No further correspondence arrived for months until a letter from Debt Recovery Plus Ltd arrived addressed to me. I immediately called them and explained the progress so far to which weren’t bothered and wanted payment. I explained I would not be paying as I sent the driver details and advised they should pass it back to the parking company.

I called the parking company (I know recorded delivery is required but I just wanted quick answers) and explained where I have got to. They tell me they did not receive the ‘change of driver’ details but seemed very understanding and gave me a new website they have launched to update the driver information which would allow them to start the process again. I have proof of the call and email correspondence to prove the driver details were updated.

Since updating the driver details early November, my partner had not received any further correspondence but I have just received a letter from Gladstones Solicitors.
They state they have been instructed by UK Car Park Management to recover the debt. They want me to contact Debt Recovery Plus Ltd within 14 working days to make payment before commencing proceeding in Civil Court.

My partner has the information from her Facilities Department which shows the permit was supplied to her for this car a long time before the parking charge was supplied. Some of her colleagues who have had issues with the permits have also agreed to provide statements. She has also been given names of people who have not only had their permit fall off but also had to appeal a parking charge because of this.

I have read a few previous threads on Gladstones so expect going to court. I have now read the Newbies sticky post and will prepare a Subject Access Request but can I please get some advice on what to specifically request as this is my partners employee car park with parking permits?

I think that has covered it but please let me know if you require any more information.

Coupon-mad

Ask UKCPM (by email to their DP Officer) to see all letters and emails exchanged, and all photos taken because the driver had a permit and you contend appeals were made & letters were sent to/from UKCPM over the period since the parking event, and you wish to see all of them, including those you sent, and all replies, and the PCN and NTK.

Be vague about which letters you want to see. I am hoping they will cough up your original one they pretended never arrived...

The_Deep

If your wife has a permit she clearly has permission to park there. the fact that she did not notice that the permit had become unstuck surely did not smount to a breach of contract so heinous that the scammer, (for this is nothing but a scam), required £100 to put the matter right.

IMO, if they took this to court they would struggle to convince a judge that this was anything but a trifle, and we all know that the Law does not concern itself with trifles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_minimis

It is the will of Parliament that these scammers be put out of business. Hopefully that will take place in the near future. In the meantime involve your MP, the poor dears are buckling under the weight of complaints about these scammers. Read this one which I wrote earlier

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of alleged contracts for alleged parking offences, aided and abetted by a handful of low-rent solicitors. Is has been suggested by an MP that some of these companies may have connections to organised crime.

Parking Eye, CPM, Smart, (especially Smart}, and others have already been named and shamed in the House of Commons 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.

Sir Greg Knight's Private Members Bill to curb the excesses, and perhaps close down, some of these companies passed its Third Reading in late November, and, with a fair wind, will become Law next year.

All three readings are available to watch on the internet, (some 6-7 hours), and published in Hansard. MPs have an extremely low opinion of the industry. Many are complaining that they are becoming overwhelmed by complaints from members of the public. Add to their burden, complain in the most robust terms about the scammers.

Curley89

Thanks both but there has been a change in circumstances this evening... A letter has arrived for my partner from UKCPM acknowledging the transfer of liability.

Which steps do I take now? Have my partner appeal the ticket or proceed as if the Gladstones letter is genuine?

Stuart1925

I wouldn't be too worried as you obviously have evidence of a permit. Unlike me, who is in the throws of having to retreive a permit some 2 and a half years after UKPM's original car park fine. They have batted me from the initial IAS letters ( which they ignored, and I too didn't keep copies), to debt recovery, to Gladstone Solicitors, "CCJ" to finally bailliffs.


I have recently asked UK CPM for a breakdown of their bill for VAT, as you stated by recorded mail and as suggested on a recent forum. They instructed me to contact Gladstones, how predictable. A bailliffs letter , the second one , has stated that it will advise their client towards possible court action.


All this is not normal procedure to take "action" whether it be the siezing of goods or by taking you to court. However it is that 1% doubt which I believe they prey on hoping that you will give up.


A great line on one of the forums said you "have to play the game". Oh how right they are.


My only worry is that I looked on the register of CCJ's and sure enough the serial number does appear but only as a "possible match"


It could be a long haul but maybe I should have dealt with it as quick as you did.

Curley89

I’ve read the wording in the letters from Gladstones matters. You mention yours stated they will advise their client to take possible court action. Mine stated they had been instructed. I’d say this shows they don’t plan to proceed with that route yet.

I’m not sure who instructed them though, was it UKCPM or Debt Recovery Plus.

I’m just going to have my girlfriend appeal the charge. Am I correct in thinking we just need to explain we have a permit and it fell off due to the know issue with the stickiness in hot weather or do I approach this different as that would essentially be admitting it was not displayed as required?

Can this also be done via email or will it need to be done via recorded delivery post?