National Parking Enforcement ( NPE ) £60(£100) for 5 minutes.

JRevan

Hello, 

This is my first time receiving a PCN and I'm really unsure what to do. Any help would be great. I'm really nervous about the situation and was tempted to pay it just to get it over with but I resisted as I really think I've done nothing to warrant this charge. Money is really short for me at the moment, as it is for a lot of other people with all that's going on, and this has really got me panicking. I'm not a great one for situations like this honestly.

So I received a PCN from National Parking Enforcement Ltd on the 22/07/2020 issuing me with a parking charge of £100, £60 if I paid within first 14 days. The reason for issue is 'Not parked in a marked parking bay'. I had pulled up onto a single yellow line to drop someone off and the total length of time to warrant this charge is 5 minutes and 15 seconds. During that time I did not turn my engine off nor get out of the car. The time was at quarter to 8 in the evening. 

After receiving this letter I've looked up said company online and read about their nefarious practices and reports from others, even here on MoneySavingExpert ( https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5714229/national-parking-enforcement-npe-60-100-for-4-minutes-the-battle-begins/p1 ) complaining about their conduct. Before even thinking about it I had copy and pasted someone else's reply email, filled it out for myself and then sent it to their appeals email address under an alias email. I didn't even read the replies to that thread before doing so and acted rashly, and now I fear I may have made a mistake by doing this.

I'm also given to understand that there is a 10 minute grace period for issuing parking tickets for situations like this per the IPC but honestly I am a little lost as to what to do right now. Do they have any power to enforce this? Is it legal? Is what I'm doing by refusing to pay illegal? What do I do now?

Please help.

Redx

its an invoice , its legal , it does not break any laws

NPE are an IPC member, so download their latest code of practice (CoP) and read up on grace periods, that will answer that part of your questions above

I am not convinced they will accept your appeal from an alias email account, in any case they will reject your appeal , they always do , no profit for them in accepting any appeal whatsoever, no matter what it says

you can refuse to pay, it is not illegal to refuse, they have 6 years to take you to civil court where a judge will decide if you owe any money , if he agrees with them a CCJ will be issued, at which point they have the right to enforce the Judgment , not before

JRevan

Redx said:

you can refuse to pay, it is not illegal to refuse, they have 6 years to take you to civil court where a judge will decide if you owe any money , if he agrees with them a CCJ will be issued, at which point they have the right to enforce the Judgment , not before

Thank you. So basically now just wait for 6 years? Is there really nothing I can do to prevent this from going any further? (obviously without paying) It just seems so underhanded and malfeasant. Would it be prudent to speak to a lawyer or is that just overdoing it?

Redx

I fail to see how speaking to a lawyer can help without a pending court case

PLAN A is the best option to get rid of this at this early stage

read the newbies FAQ sticky thread at the top of the forum, where all the advice resides on here

KeithP

Where exactly did this alleged parking event take place?

JRevan

KeithP said:

Where exactly did this alleged parking event take place?

Huntingdon

KeithP

Is there only one very short bit of yellow line in Huntingdon?

Or can you perhaps be a little more precise?

JRevan

KeithP said:

Is there only one very short bit of yellow line in Huntingdon?

Or can you perhaps be a little more precise?

Sorry, 
The Walks, Huntingdon, PE29 3PS

Fruitcake

JRevan said:

KeithP said:

Is there only one very short bit of yellow line in Huntingdon?

Or can you perhaps be a little more precise?

Sorry, 
The Walks, Huntingdon, PE29 3PS

Is that a hospital, retail park, medical centre, shopping centre, a residential complex, or an access road? 

What did you actually put in your appeal? Did you blab about the driver's identity? What happened when you complained to the landowner? Have you complained yet to your MP about this unregulated scam?

D_P_Dance

Nine times out of ten these tickets are scams, so consider complaining to your MP., it can cause the scammer extra costs, and in some cases, cancellation. 

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 later this year,

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

Coupon-mad

Just ignore them now unlss they try a small claim (easy - we win them). 

You're allowed to stop to drop off or pick up a passenger on any single or double yellow line on street, so the same Highway Code rules should define private land 'copy' yellow lines too. 

Private companies can't make up a new meaning for yellow lines, pretend they are a red route and ignore exempt activity.

Promise us you WILL NOT PAY and that you will read the 4th (ignore the debt demands) and 2nd (how to win at court) posts of the NEWBIES thread and not post about tedious debt collector letters nor be spooked by them.  Come back if they try a claim - it's fun and we win.

I repeat - no updates (pretty please) till you get a Letter before Claim/claim.