Parking fine - didn’t ignore first letter

NR79

Another parking fine question!
I received a parking fine notice from Smart Parking. I did not purchase a ticket as the machines were broken. I took photos of the two broken machines. Therefore when I received the notice I appealed sending the pictures of the two broken machines. I received a swift response that there where two other machines I could have used for the 14 minutes I was there. I did not realise they were there and I don’t know if they were working. I then, acting on advice form friends, ignored all the letters since then demanding money. This morning I received a letter from Zenith (previous letters were DRP) telling me to pay to avoid court etc etc. The advice is still to ignore BUT my worry is that because I responded to the first letter I admitted my error or something along those lines.
Have I messed this up by replying to the First letter or should I continue to ignore all the subsequent letters.?

Redx

You should ignore the debt collector letters, and it's an invoice, not a fine

Your friends are fools and you should ignore them in future

The first appeal should have been the blue text appeal template and appealing as keeper only, no admissions about who was driving

No point crying over spilt milk, it's too late for that now

Try for a landowner cancellation

Come back if you receive an LoC or court claim within 6 years

The_Deep

This is not a fine, this is an invoice for the damage they suffered when you allegedly breached a contract they allege you agree to. If they took this to court they might struggle to prove it was not frutrsated by your inability to purchase a ticket.

Read what Pete Wishert, MP said in the House of Commons recently about Smart Parking.

"I am sick and tired of receiving emails from people complaining about the behaviour of parking companies, telling me that they will never again visit Perth city centre because of the negative experience they had when they had the misfortune to end up in a car park operated by one of these companies. I have received more complaints about one car park in the city of Perth than about any other issue. That car park is operated by the lone ranger of the parking cowboys: the hated and appalling Smart Parking—I see that many other Members are unfortunate enough to have Smart Parking operating in their constituencies. It has reached the stage where one member of my staff now spends a good part of each day just helping my constituents and visitors to my constituency to navigate the appeals process.
…
The BPA does not have the ability to regulate these companies and has shown no sign whatsoever that it is trying to get on top of some of the sharper practices. The BPA gives a veneer of legitimacy to some of the more outlandish rogue operators by including them in their membership, allowing them to continue to operate. The Bill will oblige operators such as Smart Parking to amend their practices."

Nine times out of ten these tickets are scams so complain to your MP.

Parliament is well aware of the MO of these private parking companies, and on 15th March 2019 a Bill was enacted to curb the excesses of these shysters. Codes of Practice are being drawn up, an independent appeals service will be set up, and access to the DVLA's date base more rigorously policed, persistent offenders denied access to the DVLA database and unable to operate.

Hopefully life will become impossible for the worst of these scammers, but until this is done you should still complain to your MP, citing the new legislation.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/contents/enacted

Just as the clampers were finally closed down, so hopefully will many of these Private Parking Companies.

NR79

So you don’t think it matters I appealed it?
What is a landowner cancellation?
Thanks

The_Deep

What is a landowner cancellation?

You ask the owner of the land to cancel it. Invariably the PPC does not own the land but is contracted to manage it by the landowner.