Already paid DRP - can I still do anything?

kalandra

The first I knew of a parking fine from Euro Car Parks Ltd was a letter from Debt Recovery Plus demanding payment of £140 for parking at Wish Street Rye in August 2018. I contacted them and it turned out letters had been sent by Euro Car Parks first of all requesting payment of £40 if paid within 14 days and then £80 if paid within 28 days. Unfortunately, due to a complicated house move I had overlooked, and was late, in informing DVLC of my change of address (although I had by the time I received the DRP letter). In the end I decided to pay the £140 straight away because it had been my fault not to keep DVLC informed of my change of address on time. However, the reason I would like to try and claim some of the money back is because I was unfamiliar with Rye. I had stopped off on my way home after visiting Brighton. After chatting to a very friendly lady, she suggested going up the High Street which I hadn't noticed and realised there was much more to Rye than I had thought and realised it would be a lovely place to return to. I ended up having a very enjoyable drink in a cafe which turned out to be the most expensive! I suddenly realised about the car park and made my way back to my car. I can't rush or run, having broken my hip a couple of years ago and ended up what I work out to be 16 minutes over the time (I can't recall if this information came from DRP). So I have paid £140 for going over 16 minutes when I genuinely only meant to be in Rye for a very short time. Is it worth trying to get any of this money back or shall I just forget about it? I paid it back in October/beginning November 2018. I will certainly come back to this forum should something like this happen again now that I have found it. I would appreciate any views on this. ( I did try to find similar in the posts below but couldn't find any from anyone who had actually paid.) Thank you.

beamerguy

Well you were mugged, nobody should pay DRP

If you paid in full, the horse has bolted but if you are paying by installments you could stop further payments.

Never pay riff raff again

fisherjim

kalandra wrote: »

I did try to find similar in the posts below but couldn't find any from anyone who had actually paid.Thank you.

Thankfully those are few and far between.


As BG says you have been scammed, twice, once by the PPC and again by the DRP who are lowlife, scummy liars who added on an extra £60 for the absolute pleasure of just sending you some silly threats in the post.


Forget it and move on you won't get anything back from scum, and you would be wasting more time, energy and money trying.


In the event this happens again, please try adding a few paragraphs to your post it makes it easier to decipher.;)

Castle

Further reading:-
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721872/misleading-aggressive-commercial-practices-guidance.pdf

The_Deep

complain to your MP.

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 pub

Fruitcake

What a shame you paid powerless debt crawlers.

Next time read the sticky thread for NEWBIES about this scam before throwing your money down the drain, which would actually have been a better result as it means the scammers would not have got any of it perpetuate their rip off business on others.

The only things you can do now is learn by your mistake, and complain to your MP as advised above about this unregulated scam.

Le_Kirk

Fruitcake wrote: »

Next time .......

There won't be a next time, surely the OP will have learnt/will learn from this experience, not to let it happen again.

Jetslick

£140 for staying over by 16 minutes is disgusting. You're unlikely to get that money back now but you have every reason to be angry as you got scammed by debt-collecting bullies. They have no right to charge what they did. As others have said, you need to voice your complaints to your MP. Your MP will be on your side. Everyone hates these scammers.

kalandra

Thank you to everyone who replied - I will be better informed if there is a next time. I will, as has been suggested, write to my local MP with the above information and move on!

kalandra

Thank you very much for this information and the links.

Coupon-mad

Already paid DRP

Aaarrrrghhh! Nooooo!

Next time, smell a rat and Google it first.

So sad you were mugged. ECP and DRP could have been ignored as ECP never sue anyone. I've ignored them myself, before POPLA existed as an appeal option.

So easy to have handled and we'd have answered you in minutes and stopped you paying. So frustrating.