First Gladstone’s Letter - Unusual circumstances - not sure if I have the bottle to see it through

Pinkcat2505

Hi
I’m hoping for some encouragement or advice not to bother pursuing going to court- I’ll try and keep it brief -
1. Paid for the parking on the day in a car park at the university but covered by UKPcM for parking.
2. I paid and they (I presume because it said video footage but a still shot on first letter) have CCTv footage of me putting my money in the machine but I stupidly forgot to enter my reg, but paid £3.60.
3. Received parking charge notice and appealed through POPLA and was rejected. I asked for machine deposit records on the day and CCTV footage to be checked to prove I paid but they refused.
4. Immediately when it was rejected I sent a cheque for £60 (the original amount they asked for in the fine) which they received and cashed. Bank statement shows.
5. Then received another letter saying they wanted £100 not £60 so I owed them £40.
6. This is now £160 because I didn’t pay the £40.
7. I have not responded to any letter received since then and followed the advice from this website.

The first letter has come from Gladstone’s today telling me to pay debt recovery plus which I have also not responded to. I am happy to follow all advise and represent myself in court but do I definitely have a chance ??

waamo

£160? How have they magicked that figure up? That smells of abuse of process, there is a long thread on here if you search.

Did they cash your cheque? What was the reason for not giving the mythical discount?

Pinkcat2505

Hi
Yes they cashed the cheque for £60. It went from £60 to £100 initially because I appealed and lost through POPLA but I sent the cheque for £60 straight off receiving POPLA email. Now it’s £160 just because I haven’t paid the remaining £40 when they said. But I have in effect paid the parking on the day and the initial fine they asked for.

Umkomaas

The first letter has come from Gladstone’s today telling me to pay debt recovery plus

That’s the giveaway - the letter isn’t from Gladstones, it’s from DRP. G’s have pimped out their letterhead so that the scam carries a degree of ‘frightener’ for the naive, the vulnerable and the easily intimidated.

Just ignore it.

Please read the NEWBIES FAQ sticky, post #4.

The_Deep

They are taking you for a fool. If you paid for parking, why did you also pay them £60? It is not a fine. It is an invoice from an ex=clamper. It is only valid if they take you to court and a judge orders you to pay.

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Nine times out of ten of these tickets are scams so consider complaining to your MP, it can cause the scammer extra work.

Parliament is well aware of the MO of these private parking companies, many of whom are former clampers, 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.

[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/contents/enacted[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]

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

Pinkcat2505

I can’t actually prove I paid on the day myself (no tickets issued) - I put the money in The machine but didn’t type in my registration number - my mistake they say -so after failing appeal I paid the fine. I’m sure it could be proven with machine takings records and watching CCTV but they wouldn’t entertain looking for obvious reasons ! I will complain to an MP is it my local or local to the car park ?

Umkomaas

I will complain to an MP is it my local or local to the car park ?

Your own - but you could also cc your email to the car park MP too.

KeithP

You complain to your own MP although I am sure the MP where this took place would be very interested to know what's going on on his patch.

On the other hand they both probably have other things on their mind at the moment.

'Prospective MPs' might also be keen to be seen doing the right thing.

waamo

Writing to your MP is probably best left for a few weeks. You won't have one for a while.

Fruitcake

waamo wrote: »

Writing to your MP is probably best left for a few weeks. You won't have one for a while.

Alternatively tell the MP (assuming they are standing for re-election) you will vote for him/her if they sort this out.

Coupon-mad

The first letter has come from Gladstone’s today telling me to pay debt recovery plus which I have also not responded to. I am happy to follow all advise and represent myself in court but do I definitely have a chance ??

Yes, a very high chance, as we win 99% of cases here.