Parking Charge Notice from service station, but selling car/emigrating in 2 weeks - ignore?!?

peanutismint

EDIT - charge cancelled! Went back into the service station, explained situation to manager, told them I would be happy to pay the original parking charge if given chance; he forwarded my details to Welcome Break customer services, they contacted me, said "pay the original £15 fee for staying longer than 2hrs and we'll have ParkingEye cancel the £100 charge". Thought it better to just do that than have it hanging over my head while I'm living abroad...So appealing to them in person does still seem to work, to some degree, even in 2019 ��

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I'm just trying to weigh up my options.

I received a 'ParkingEye/BPA' Parking Charge Notice from a Welcome Break (Membury M4) service station. My car was parked there for just over the 2 hour max stay a few weeks ago and now they say the driver owes the standard £100 (or £60 discounted) charge.

I've had one of these PCNs before (wrongfully issued that time) and ignored it til it went away, though that time it was with a different company and it was probably back in around 2014. I've been looking at advice on this forum and others and it seems that more recently the advice has been moving away from 'just ignore it', but I don't really know whether appealing (without admitting liability or naming the driver) will work in my favour or not.

The other cog in this machine is that I'll be emigrating to the USA in early February, 3 days before my 'charge' is due, and will be hopefully selling my car on to a new owner around that time. If I go down the 'ignore' route, will that mean the innocent new owner will be receiving these charge notices? What ramifications could that have for me/them? I wouldn't want them to have to deal with it, even if I just told them to 'ignore' the same as me.... But then if they will likely just stop looking for me (especially if I'm in a different country) then will it ever come back to bite me or could emigrating work in my favour here?!

Again, sorry if this seems like I'm trying to wriggle out of a charge or otherwise break the rules, I'm just trying to see what the likely outcomes would be. If it's going to cause problems, either for the new owner or me further down the line, then I guess I'll just have to eat my lumps and pay the £60. I can prove that I was a paying customer at the service station and that the signs weren't very well lit/displayed, if that would help anything, as I'll be travelling back through the same service station tomorrow.....

Guys_Dad

The next owner would have no liability.

You could get a CCJ by default which would stay on file and could scupper any credit you might want if you ever returned from the USA.

Or you can say that it was you who was driving and give your USA address for communication. Best delay that letter till nearer your departure date though!

waamo

Give them your new address abroad and tell them to use that in future. You will be bulletproof then.

peanutismint

Guys_Dad wrote: »

The next owner would have no liability.

You could get a CCJ by default which would stay on file and could scupper any credit you might want if you ever returned from the USA.

Or you can say that it was you who was driving and give your USA address for communication. Best delay that letter till nearer your departure date though!

Good to know I wouldn't be leaving the next person liable. Assumedly they'd keep getting the notices instead of me, though? I'm not sure I'd want that either as I may well sell the car to a family member.... So I guess the 'ignore til it goes way' tactic is not my best way out of this?

Oh and also, as I see from the various posts that you're kind of an authority on this , if I go through the whole appeals process and finally get everything denied and have to pay the fine, will it still be £60 rather than £100? I can live with delaying the payments/appealing if that's likely to be the 'worst case scenario' outcome....

waamo wrote: »

Give them your new address abroad and tell them to use that in future. You will be bulletproof then.

What makes you think they wouldn't pursue me overseas? I mean, I'm fine with that if it's an option but I feel like once they'd had correspondance back from me they'll latch on and not let go??

Guys_Dad

The lower price is a "discount" for early payment so they will chase the higher one. But give your overseas address for any court papers. They will give up.

peanutismint

Ok cool, so just appeal in the ways suggested on this site and then just hope they don't send further correspondance overseas?

Coupon-mad

Who actually cares if they do?!

Have you tried contacting the service station Finance Manage at that WB and seeing if they will cancel it. Many do, within minutes.

WB services all have their own webpages, with contact details.

peanutismint

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Who actually cares if they do?!

Have you tried contacting the WB and seeing if they will cancel it. Many do, within minutes.

I haven't; I read others had done that but I've also seen plenty of recent reports where they just didn't want to know so didn't know if it was still worth it...? Is it?

I'll actually be passing through the same service station tomorrow if an in-person complaint to the general manager might do anything? I'm just expecting them to say "nowt to do with us guv, it's in the hands of the ParkingEye people now..."

Coupon-mad

Some of the Services cancel, like I said. What have you got to lose? Make sure you speak to a Manager and take only a photocopy of the offending scamogram to hand to them.

Umkomaas

Good to know I wouldn't be leaving the next person liable. Assumedly they'd keep getting the notices instead of me, though?

No they won't be getting any letters linked to your parking issue. The parking company gets just one stab at acquiring the registered keeper's details from the DVLA - and they've had that, and they've got your details. They cannot go after anyone else, so forget about that as being a possibility.

What makes you think they wouldn't pursue me overseas? I mean, I'm fine with that if it's an option but I feel like once they'd had correspondance back from me they'll latch on and not let go??

Do you really think so? This isn't the Russian KGB attempting to take out an ex-spy with Novichok, it's a £100 parking charge!

Even if they write to you, that's all they're going to do. Seriously, what more do you actually think they can do - apply for extradition?

peanutismint

Umkomaas wrote: »

Do you really think so? This isn't the Russian KGB attempting to take out an ex-spy with Novichok, it's a £100 parking charge!

Even if they write to you, that's all they're going to do. Seriously, what more do you actually think they can do - apply for extradition?

Lol I guess you're right. So what, I should just ignore it or take it to the appeal stage and then tell them my US address?