Saba parking Ticket and £170 debt! advise please

Lozzie2

I parked in a station car park without a ticket, 4 weeks later i received a letter, the letter was tucked in a magazine and left in my mail box that had been put there by my neighbour, i live in a building with 3 flats. i picked up and opened the letter a week too late, the fine said 60 pounds but because i hadnt paid it, it was now 100 pounds. i appealed immediately, to the email address that i THOUGHT was on the letter. www.paymypcn.net. I received an email back to say they had received my appeal but needed reg no, my address, tel number, etc. I sent them. I heard nothing more! i waited to hear back, nothing. 
I then received a letter form ZZPS LTD about 3 weeks later to say i owe a debt of 170 pounds!! I was highly stressed, I can little afford to pay the 60 let alone the 170. I work hard and am on my own, financially keeping my head above water. I phoned them to ask why they hadn't written to me as i had appealed. The guy on the phone said that they hadnt recieved my appeal. instead of emailing www.Ipaymypcn.net, I missed off the "I" and messaged a different company who weirdly replied and acknowleged my email and appeal but didn't get back to me.  I explained this, he didn't care, he said i owed 170 pounds.

Despite sending my emails and the replies form the other company, with exactly the same email, minus an "I" to them, and asking if they would accept my appeal under these circumstances, as i had appealed but forgotten to put the "I" in the email they've ignored this and just want the money.

I really think this is appalling and i feel scammed. How can i owe a debt of 170 pounds for parking in a station car park without a ticket. I would have paid the 60 pounds, if id been given the chance. 
Can anyone help? give me any advise, please? 



 

D_P_Dance

 I explained this, he didn't care, he said i owed 170 pounds.

You owe nothing unless a judge or magistrate says you do.  If they do not know the identity of the driver they are very likely to struggle.  Read about parking tickets on land covered by bye lawsin the stickies.

Nine times out of ten these tickets are scams, so consider complaining to your MP, it can cause the scammer extra costs and work, and has been known to get the charge cancelled.

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.

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.

Lozzie2

Thanks for this, I will look into it, They know i am the driver as the letter is addressed to me, they have said that my data has been released by the DVLA? that if not paid I could be liable in private criminal prosecution and have to pay 1000 pounds, they say if i don't pay within a week it will go to a solicitor, obviously its a bit worrying. Whilst I'm looking into this, I'm wondering should i communicate with them? 

KeithP

They know i am the driver as the letter is addressed to me

What??

 The DVLA doesn't know who was driving either so how can they tell the PPC who was driving?

The DVLA has told them the name and address of the Registered Keeper. That's all.

Lozzie2

I will write to my MP, please could you re-iterate the legislation that i should bring to her attention, I've clicked on the link but its all "gobledeegook" to me! im not great at reading laws etc as my brain doesn't seem to understand them...im not sure which bit i should be looking at. Thank you

Coupon-mad

Why don't you simply google SABA railway parking moneysavingexpert and read threads about this, and ignore it until it times out after six months, like everyone in the HUNDREDS of other threads exactly the same.  Sadly this forum's search is broken and not fit for purpose any more, so you have to Google it to find threads here (embarrassing but true - the results of searches now are utterly useless and give you 2013 threads and nothing in date order).

Thank goodness you didn't pay the £60.    You'd have been none the wiser about the scam of private parking charges.

Fruitcake

Lozzie2 said:

I will write to my MP, please could you re-iterate the legislation that i should bring to her attention, I've clicked on the link but its all "gobledeegook" to me! im not great at reading laws etc as my brain doesn't seem to understand them...im not sure which bit i should be looking at. Thank you

At the moment the private parking industry is unregulated. The Act referred to by Mr Dance is saying, there will be mandatory legislation to regulate the scammers. The problem is that it has not yet been writ.


What you should be telling your MP is for the government to extract its collective digits and implement the mandatory legislation. You should also ask how you, as one of the users of private car parks referred to in the Act, is going to be consulted as per the requirements of the Act.

Lozzie2

I've written to my mp yesterday. 
They've threatened me yesterday that  if I don't pay within the week theyll hand it over to a solicitor and take me to small claims magistrate court for prosecution. 
Can, will they do this?! 
Loz

Castle

Lozzie2 said:

I've written to my mp yesterday. 
They've threatened me yesterday that  if I don't pay within the week theyll hand it over to a solicitor and take me to small claims magistrate court for prosecution. 
Can, will they do this?! 
Loz

I'd doubt it since there's no such thing.

Half_way

Did they really say Small claims magistrate court?
It may seem pedantic, but exact terms /phrases used are important on here

Coupon-mad

Lozzie2 said:

I've written to my mp yesterday. 

They've threatened me yesterday that  if I don't pay within the week theyll hand it over to a solicitor and take me to small claims magistrate court for prosecution. 
Can, will they do this?! 
Loz

SABA can't, but the Train Operator could, within six months only. 
Why was it parked without buying a ticket, contrary to the byelaws and signs?