Claim Submission Form Received - Acknowledgement filed...now to prepare the defence

Redx

so lets get the gist here

if by post you have to travel to a post office and pay for postage and obtain a free certificate of posting to post a letter to a court that is dropped into a dropbox , its essential travel ? really (plus duplicate the task because 2 are being posted after queuing to get to the counter)

or you (or a volunteer) do the above trip for the WS to go to the claimant , and another excercise trip past the local court and drop it into a dropbox, or you ask an essential worker or volunteer to drop it into the dropbox on your behalf

its still gone into a dropbox !!!

or you do not make any trips whatsoever past your front or back door , isolating yourself as per the guideines, not bothering to post either to anybody

I do not see any other choices here, even if the bundles are emailed to both the court and the claimant, despite the lockdown

how about the claimant issues a letter of discontinuance by post and protects everybodys health ? (its only a parking charge invoice after all , not life and death)

onlyfoolsandparking

What's wrong with doing it all by email, then OP doesn't leave the house, or am I missing something?

Redx

if the court and claimant both agree to it , plus if the court does not have a printing limit or onerous printing costs , then it is an option, especially in these troubled times

perhaps the courts should have altered their processes and CPR,s to account for pandemics and migrated from paper , but talking to solicitors I know it seems very little has changed apart from actual face to face court hearings

I know one solicitor told me that her boss bought a laptop and a printer and paper etc just before the lockdown in order to work from home

POPLA is suspending their cases until things return to normal

so given the recent changes in some court systems , then more is required and alternatives such as emails should be more widely accepted , where there is a will , there is a way , but it seems many judges like paper and ring binders with tabs and highlighter pens used

Coupon-mad

onlyfoolsandparking said:

What's wrong with doing it all by email, then OP doesn't leave the house, or am I missing something?

You are missing that a local court will have a print limit. 

Coupon-mad

People are allowed to go to do their shopping - and that can be by car as long as it's local enough - so the OP can drop it in on the way.  After all this is their local court so not an issue. 

I can't understand why you have a problem with a person dropping some important (essential) paperwork either at a PO or at the local court, when out to get shopping anyway.  People are allowed to shop and/or walk in their local area as necessary and this is local to them.

It's high time the first PPC rolled over and announced they were folding.  I can't wait.

onlyfoolsandparking

Because A, grocery shopping IS essential so people are allowed to do this, B, dropping paperwork off isn't essential and should be avoided even if there are no systems in place yet to accommodate an electronic alternative, I suspect there will be at some stage and dispensations will have to be given. I have a problem with people doing what they like in this current climate or being advised to because its that sort of approach that will cause this pandemic to spread beyond what our NHS can or even should have to cope with, then parking 'invoices' will become the least of peoples problems.
I was advised to post responsibly, people on this 'parking forum' especially experienced regulars should heed the advice they gave me! Nothing more for me to say, stay safe everyone
  

 

Coupon-mad

Guess what.  I have some essential post to take to the Post Office this week, and I will go there in person and ask for a certificate of posting.  That's why they are open.   I do not expect the Spanish Inquisition or to be arrested for posting my letters. 

In the current climate, quite a lot of post is still pretty urgent, with people's livelihoods and peace of mind depending upon it in many cases.  Dropping essential post to a court post box on the way to a food shop, or when out walking for exercise in the local area, is no different.

Do you at least share my hopes and dreams of shedloads of PPCs folding this year?

Redx

It is the job of the OP and so only gbbe to contact their local Court and also the claimant to see if electronic alternatives are allowed or not , it's not our job as volunteers to change court practices so whilst I agree in principle that gbbe should not be going out during the lockdown , a trip to the court or to the post office amount to the same thing ,  it's still a  trip outdoors !!  Whatever the reason

We can tell people how it used to be prior to this national emergency , but a lot of things have changed despite the wheels of justice  grinding slowly and we are in unknown territory

The fact remains that they gbbe must take this decision , starting with contacting claimant and court to check alternative solutions, it is not our decision to make

I do share coupon mads vision of a better world where parasite bullying by parking companies and misusing MCOL and dubious practices by debt collectors are a thing of the past

Le_Kirk

gbbe said:

............ and the other to the claimant at their head office

You should (send) serve the claimant's copy to the address on the claim form where it states in the box "address for service of documents".  It might not be the parking company, it could be a solicitor and the address could be different.

D_P_Dance

 dropping paperwork off isn't essential and should be avoided even if there are no systems in place yet to accommodate an electronic alternative,

Indeed, I am eighty and diabetic.  I have even postponed visiting the dentist.  A visit to the PO is not high on my bucket list.