Private PCN - Only received demand for payment letter and can’t appeal! HELP!

Sboo

Hi everyone,

I’ve just received a ‘demand for payment’ letter from claiming I now owe £160 in fines (inc added fines) but haven’t received any previous letters. All the threads I’ve read have all said that appealing straight away is so important, but it doesn’t give the option to appeal - apparently it’s too late to appeal! The car was in the car park too long, no ticket was left on the car. Because I haven’t received any previous letters I feel there hasn’t been a fair chance to pay without added fine, or even a fair right to appeal for not receiving any prior letters. I feel in a difficult position because by the sounds I things I have no rights as the keeper if I ignore and don’t try and appeal, but it won’t let me.

After failing to appeal, I tried contacting the company via their website to receive nothing back. The only other option is their call centre, which I’m sorry to say I called (I was scared things would be worse if I ignored everything all together. I said I owned the car, and not that I was the driver but I not sure that will make a difference once I’ve been in verbal contact?). They said they send their letters by first class post and that after it leaves them it is out of their hands if the letter didn’t arrive. I said there wasn’t a fair chance of payment or appeal without even knowing that there was a fine for the car, and that they hadn’t sent it by recorded delivery so if I didn’t receive it I wouldn’t know of a fine. I said I wanted to take it further and talk to someone else. The guy said they only way to have it taken any further or to contest the added fines was for me to prove that I didn’t have any previous letters....to which I said well the proof is obviously that I don’t physically have the letters!?!?

I’ve read through the NEWBIES sticky thread, and tried other threads with missed letters but can’t seem to find anything that matches so sorry if I’m reposting about something already here. I’ve been doing lots of research online and looks like it is a legit company.

Redx

there was no "fine" , just an invoice

if you want to appeal it , send the blue text appeal by post, as keeper, and get a free certificate of posting from the PO Counter , staple this to a copy of your appeal letter and keep safe for 6 years

and email a SAR to the DPO at VCS and get all their data held on you, including any NTK letters

after that its IGNORE mode, unless you get an LoC and/or an MCOL in the post within 6 years

and edit your post because you should not be telling the story on a public forum like this one , VCS can screenshot your posts and use them in court

use THE DRIVER for what happened on the day

use THE KEEPER for everything since that day

the following words should be avoided "MY , ME , MYSELF & I"

waamo

. I’ve been doing lots of research online and looks like VCS is a legit company

That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time. They are as legit as an African prince wanting to send you money. Or a guy selling you insurance so your shop doesn't mysteriously burn down.

ShakeItOff

Definitely appeal - you have nothing at all to lose by doing so.

They will almost certainly dismiss your appeal. Make sure you keep the correspondence, including the inevitable debt collection letters (all covered off in post #4 in the NEWBIES thread).

They have 6 years to bring a county court claim, so it is also important to make sure that if you move, you send their DPO a data rectification notice (literally just an update of your address).

Sboo

Thanks for the replies. I’ll send an appeal by post.