CST letters' forum group thread

Umkomaas

LittleJay14 said:

Umkomaas said:

No. You just need to deny any alleged debt, tell them that you will robustly defend this in court, and as you will be seeking debt advice (although you deny there is any debt owing), you require them to place the case on hold for a minimum of 30 days as per the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims. That's it.

The second post on the newbies thread FAQ says to request a SAR from the company. Do you mean reply to the CST Law company and deny the alleged offence or the actual UKCPS car park alleges?

That's already been explained above by me and @beamerguy. 

Coupon-mad

You have claimed an additional £45 for ‘debt recovery’,

No they haven't, they've added a lot more than that to the parking charge.  They've not just added £15 per PCN.

IhateFines

Hi just looking to get some advice. 
In Jan 2020 I received a letter from Smart Parking in regards to an alleged contravention (wanted £70 I think). I appealed this using the newbie template as the NTK didn't arrive by day 14 and that the NTK didn't bother with POFA 2012 wording so the keeper is not liable. I received no acknowledgement of my appeal or any reply to my appeal, I did have a screenshot of the appeal reference but now cannot find it. 

Fast forward Sep 2020 I received an unpaid debt reminder letter from Debt Recovery Plus Ltd (DRP) as an agent of Smart Parking Ltd for £170. As advised on this thread I ignored these letters. 

I have now received a LBC from CST Law instructed by Smart Parking relating to the outstanding amount £170 payable within 30 days etc.

Reading this thread thoroughly I was going to send an SAR to Smart Parking Ltd and a letter to CST denying the alleged debt, telling them I will robustly defend this in court, and that I will be seeking debt advice requiring them to place the case on hold for a minimum of 30 days. 

However, as outlined on page 45 the other side of the LBC I received from CST Law on behalf of Smart Parking asks for payment to be made to Debt Recovery Plus and it should be ignored as it is a debt collectors letter - which I will do. 

My question is should I try to get in front of this by getting into contact with the SRA in regards to this being a scam? Or by getting in contact with POPLA and getting them to cancel this PKN as Smart Parking did not reply to my original appeal (not sure if possible). Quite frankly I'd like for Smart Parking / DRP and CST Law to stop with these letters 

Coupon-mad

I'd send a SAR to Smart, to see if there was ever a rejection letter (but don't tell them that's what you are looking for).

IhateFines

Coupon-mad said:

I'd send a SAR to Smart, to see if there was ever a rejection letter (but don't tell them that's what you are looking for).

Would this be okay to send?

Dear Sir or Madam

Subject access request ( Data Protection Act 2018 / General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) )

Please supply the data about me that I am entitled to under data protection law relating to myself.

*All photos taken

*All letters / emails sent and received, including any appeal correspondence

*All data held, all evidence you will rely upon, and a fully copy of the NTK

If you need any more data from me to confirm my identity please let me know as soon as possible. It may be helpful for you to know that data protection law requires you to respond to a request for data within one calendar month.

If you do not normally deal with these requests, please pass this letter to your Data Protection Officer, or relevant staff member. If you need advice on dealing with this request, the Information Commissioner’s Office can assist you. Its website is ico.org.uk or it can be contacted on 0303 123 1113.

Yours faithfully

Coupon-mad

Yes if you explain that you are the keeper of vehicle xxx xxxx and attach a copy of the logbook.

IhateFines

Coupon-mad said:

Yes if you explain that you are the keeper of vehicle xxx xxxx and attach a copy of the logbook.

Brilliant will get that sent out to them through email and will keep you updated! Thanks

Umkomaas

If you need any more data from me to confirm my identity please let me know as soon as possible. 

Don't offer them any opportunity to delay the process; sending them a copy of your V5C (logbook) meets ICO requirements. 

My question is should I try to get in front of this by getting into contact with the SRA in regards to this being a scam? 

Do that, throw a bit more petrol on the fire. 

JohnMac77

Update on SRA complaint from February. Got identical first response to NorthSeaJoe few weeks back and then, yesterday, this:

Dear

Report about Credit Style Limited

On 24 April 2021, we explained that we were going to look more closely at the concerns you have raised about the firm Credit Style Limited (“CSL”). Your report has been passed to me and I will be investigating the matter. Please note our file reference above.

Please note that we are not able to provide legal advice or resolve legal matters relating to whether:

·        the CPRs have been breached. This is a matter for the Courts to determine.

·        parking fees are valid as a result of the parking company not evidencing its claim.

·        parking restrictions were properly displayed and visible.

You however have a legal right to defend the parking charges in the Courts. You may wish to seek legal advice or contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau who may be able to assist. The BPA may also be able to assist you.

Our Investigations

We are presently reviewing the information you have provided and the concerns about CSL’s arrangement with its client referrer the Debt Recovery Plus Limited, a debt collection agency who are agents for Smart Parking. This includes concerns about whether CSL is recovering excessive costs over and above what it may be permitted. 

Where we identify serious breaches of our rules, Standards or Regulations, or serious risks to consumers, the public or the wider public interest, we take action. We are at an early stage in our investigation and no decision has been reached yet as to what action, if any, we will take. We will keep you updated.

Our Enforcement Strategy sets out how we consider seriousness and the factors we take into account. This can be found on our website.

What we need from you

We do not need any further information from you at this stage. Should we require any further information from you to help me with our investigation, we will let you know as soon as we can.

Please note that that we may share any information you give to us, where we think it is appropriate to do so. If you have concerns about this, I am happy to discuss it with you.

Please let me know whether you would prefer me to email, call or write to you as my investigation progresses or if there is anything I can do to help you when I am communicating with you about this matter. 

What we will do next

I will update you about the progress of my investigation by 7 August 2021, or sooner if there are any substantive developments.

If you have any questions in the meantime, I am happy to discuss them with you. My contact details are below.

Yours sincerely

 

Investigation Officer

Investigation & Supervision
Solicitors Regulation Authority

Umkomaas

Moving ahead nicely ✔️