Britannia / BW Legal

mrrm1st

Guys

I have read various posts and there is some great info, but I am still stuck in this one.

In Feb 2016 I received a letter out of the blue from Debt Recovery Plus Ltd saying I owed £160 (including legal fees) for not settling a PCN from Britannia Parking for parking without paying in Poole on 1 December 2015. I knew I hadn’t been in Poole that day and thought it a fraud at first, but emailed them to ask what was going on.

They sent me back photographic evidence, but the offence was on 6 November not 1 December so Debt Recovety Plus’s letter was wrong. I had parked in Poole on 6 November but had paid. However when I dug the receipt out, I realised I paid (using pay by phone) under the registration number of our second car. I emailed Debt Recovery Plus back to say I’m terribly sorry I booked the parking under the wrong registration number (attaching the receipt) I hope Britannia will waive this and in the absence of anything further though that was the end.

Three years later I get a letter out of the blue from BW Legal saying I owe £140 for this and if I don’t pay in 16 days they will seek instructions from their client (presumably Britannia) to obtain a county court judgement against me.

I replied to say I was somewhat suprised to get this after 3 years. I don’t dispute that I failed to buy a valid ticket (although it was an honest mistake and I paid a full fee to park). It would annoy me greatly but I could face paying a sensible penalty of say £30 for my error. But for £140 when I didn’t (and still haven’t) received a PCN is a bit much. So I offered to pay the original fine to BW but told them they could stick the balance where the sun doesn’t shine.

The car that I parked was a leased car through zenith. Would the PCN have gone to them possibly?

Any advice from here on in would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Rich

KeithP

You have received a debt collectors letter.

Post #4 of [URL="https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822NEWBIES FAQ sticky thread[/URL] tells you how to deal with those.

But to summarise - ignore it.

Post again on this thread if ever you receive a Letter of Claim or official court correspondence and you need further help.

fisherjim

mrrm1st wrote: »

In Feb 2016 I received a letter out of the blue from Debt Recovery Plus Ltd saying I owed £160 (including legal fees) for not settling a PCN from Britannia Parking for parking without paying in Poole on


Three years later I get a letter out of the blue from BW Legal saying I owe £140 for this and if I don’t pay in 16 days they will seek instructions from their client (presumably Britannia) to obtain a county court judgement against me.

These aren't legal fees, did they actually say that, £160 is the fake PCN plus £60 for DRP they are also in on the scam.


BWL can't just obtain a county court judgement against you they would have to take you to court, win and then you would have to ignore payment demands before that could happen.


You are dealing with a scammer, but come back as KeithP says if you get real county court papers from Northampton.

The_Deep

It is the will of Parliament that these scammers be put out of business. Hopefully that will take place in the near future. The Bill has passed through the HOC without hitch, and goes to the Lords soon. 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.