Horizon PNC letter (Scotland)

Batmanssidekick

As advised I've created a new thread for my query, which I'd posted on another thread, see below:

"My friend is in a similar boat, just received a anpr PNC from Horizon for seemingly over staying 14mins 2 days before Christmas... Clearly spent too long shopping spending money in the retailers.

I've read through the newbie FAQs and kudos because those are thorough, but still no idea whether my friend should:

A. Ignore the letter and await letters from debt collector, which should be ignored or
B. Appeal the PNC at this stage.

Can someone clear this up for me so my less tech savvy friend can obtain the right advice?"

I realise now I didn't mention we're in Scotland. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks.

Fruitcake

The advice in the NEWBIES where the keeper lives in Scotland and the driver's identity is not known is quite clear.

Ignore anything and everything except real court papers. If your friend gets them, and I stress, gets Court Papers, they should come back here.

The only other advice is to always complain to the landowner/retail manager, and your MP about this unregulated scam.

beamerguy

Fruitcake wrote: »

The advice in the NEWBIES where the keeper lives in Scotland and the driver's identity is not known is quite clear.

Ignore anything and everything except real court papers. If your friend gets them, and I stress, gets Court Papers, they should come back here.

The only other advice is to always complain to the landowner/retail manager, and your MP about this unregulated scam.

As fruitcake says ....... nobody knows who the driver is.

And as you will get letters from moron debt collectors, read up about them, especially if they act illegally
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/74439905#Comment_74439905

DoaM

PS - it's a PCN (parking Charge Notice), not a PNC (Police National Computer).

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.

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.

Batmanssidekick

Great thanks folks much appreciated. So basically as they don't know who was driving, only who the registered keeper is, ignore the letters unless served with court papers and in the meantime complain to the retailer store manager and my MP.

Cool.

One Question regarding complaining to the store manager, what will they be able to do? Do they pass the complaint to their head office or will they contact the operator directly? Just incase they say "what do you expect me to do about it".

KeithP

Batmanssidekick wrote: »

One Question regarding complaining to the store manager, what will they be able to do? Do they pass the complaint to their head office or will they contact the operator directly? Just incase they say "what do you expect me to do about it".

You want them to cancel the ticket.

How they go about it is up to them.

Fruitcake

Batmanssidekick wrote: »

Great thanks folks much appreciated. So basically as they don't know who was driving, only who the registered keeper is, ignore the letters unless served with court papers and in the meantime complain to the retailer store manager and my MP.

Cool.

One Question regarding complaining to the store manager, what will they be able to do? Do they pass the complaint to their head office or will they contact the operator directly? Just incase they say "what do you expect me to do about it".

Convince me that is worth me coming back to spend money in your shop. Point out that other stores are available that don't have scammers who penalise genuine customers infesting their site.

Coupon-mad

Someone (retailer) took on the PPC and that company can cancel it.

So for example, if you search the forum for Horizon Sainsburys you will find loads of threads of successful complaints that have cancelled their pointless PCNs.