VCS Bristol Airport - LBC Stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited

cathcartzigel

VCS have issued me with a Claim Form dated 27th April vis ELMS Legal Ltd. I will be disputing the whole claim and have also sent an e-mail to the Bristol Airport CEO and local MP in the hope that either or both will intervene.  

The claim is for stopping in an area outside the VCS boundary where I had stopped whilst I was reading signage about the short-stay car park terms.  The signs are clearly shown in the claim photographs as is the barrier to the short-stay car park.  I am furious with them for perusing this spurious charge.  

Umkomaas

Consider a counterclaim for misuse of your personal data if they have accessed your details from the DVLA for a claim for a PCN on land for which they have no authority to enforce. 

Read these:

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2017...0-for-data.html

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2016...orist-wins.html

https://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/data-protection-act/

There has to be some process of backlash against PPCs for their unchecked harvesting of personal data from the DVLA - on an industrial scale. 

KeithP

cathcartzigel said:

VCS have issued me with a Claim Form dated 27th April vis ELMS Legal Ltd.

With a Claim Issue Date of 27th April, you have until Monday 17th May to file an Acknowledgment of Service, but there is nothing to be gained by delaying it. 

To file an AoS, follow the guidance in the Dropbox file linked from the second post in the NEWBIES thread.

Having filed an AoS, you have until 4pm on Tuesday 1st June 2021 to file your Defence.

That's over four weeks away. Plenty of time to produce a Defence, but please don't leave it to the last minute.

To create a Defence, and then file a Defence by email, look again at the second post on the NEWBIES thread - immediately following where you found the Acknowledgment of Service instructions.

Don't miss the deadline for filing an Acknowledgment of Service, nor that for filing a Defence.

cathcartzigel

Umkomaas said:

Consider a counterclaim for misuse of your personal data if they have accessed your details from the DVLA for a claim for a PCN on land for which they have no authority to enforce. 

Read these:

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2017...0-for-data.html

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2016...orist-wins.html

https://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/data-protection-act/

There has to be some process of backlash against PPCs for their unchecked harvesting of personal data from the DVLA - on an industrial scale. 

Really useful links, thank you.  And definitely a course of action worth considering once the court claim is out of the way.  

cathcartzigel

KeithP said:

cathcartzigel said:

VCS have issued me with a Claim Form dated 27th April vis ELMS Legal Ltd.

With a Claim Issue Date of 27th April, you have until Monday 17th May to file an Acknowledgment of Service, but there is nothing to be gained by delaying it. 

To file an AoS, follow the guidance in the Dropbox file linked from the second post in the NEWBIES thread.

Having filed an AoS, you have until 4pm on Tuesday 1st June 2021 to file your Defence.

That's over four weeks away. Plenty of time to produce a Defence, but please don't leave it to the last minute.

To create a Defence, and then file a Defence by email, look again at the second post on the NEWBIES thread - immediately following where you found the Acknowledgment of Service instructions.

Don't miss the deadline for filing an Acknowledgment of Service, nor that for filing a Defence.

Really useful to have the dates laid out like this - thank you. 

Umkomaas

cathcartzigel said:

Umkomaas said:

Consider a counterclaim for misuse of your personal data if they have accessed your details from the DVLA for a claim for a PCN on land for which they have no authority to enforce. 

Read these:

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2017...0-for-data.html

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2016...orist-wins.html

https://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/data-protection-act/

There has to be some process of backlash against PPCs for their unchecked harvesting of personal data from the DVLA - on an industrial scale. 

Really useful links, thank you.  And definitely a course of action worth considering once the court claim is out of the way.  

A counterclaim has to be made (and paid for) at the time of your defence. It means that the PPC is obliged to attend the hearing (many will put you through all the hoops then discontinue at the last minute, leaving you having expended wasted hours of research and document drafting). If they don't defend the counterclaim, they lose by default. You get paid. 

You can issue a separate court claim after the case is settled first time, but I don't think it carries the same thrust as an in-their-face counterclaim. Your case, your choice. See what others say. 

cathcartzigel

I made a last ditch-attempt to contact the Airport and instead of the generic ‘all appeals must go through VCS’ response, I received a telephone call saying they would request VCS re-look at my case.  Very shortly afterwards, I was sent an e-mail directly from VCS saying the case was being dropped after review.  I’m obviously delighted at this -  but it should never have got to the stage of them issuing a court date to me.  I know many others would have just paid up to avoid the hassle, as I am quite headstrong but was tempted to pay it myself at times.  Remember my notice was for stopping by the short stay car-park barrier whilst reading the signage - totally valid reason for stopping and no passengers got in or out whilst I stopped!  I am going to write to the airport with everything I received from VCS to illustrate how unfairly I have been treated, so they can take this up with VCS at their next review.  Can anyone recommend any other action I can take to improve things for future innocent motorists? 

Umkomaas

Very satisfactory outcome. Well done. 👍

I am going to write to the airport with everything I received from VCS to illustrate how unfairly I have been treated, so they can take this up with VCS at their next review.

Good plan, let the airport people see the threats and intimidation that VCS meted out in an attempt to penalise you for their own enrichment. 

Can anyone recommend any other action I can take to improve things for future innocent motorists? 

I'd remind the airport that as a consumer you have the option to choose which airport to fly from and if VCS are still operating at Bristol when you next fly, you will be doing so from another airport. 

Why not put some appropriate comments on the airport's Facebook and Twitter pages?

If your Parliamentary constituency also covers Bristol airport, write to the MP covering both of you and advise him/her of the issues there. Even if you live away from the airport area, write to your own MP and ask that they copy to the airport MP (or cc them in to your letter yourself). 

A nasty monkey off your back, now this has ended.

cathcartzigel

Yes, I’d cc’d my MP and live in Bristol so will also get back im touch on that front.  I’d like to hammer home to them how flawed the appeals process is.  Also like to know how they monitor complaints and would like to know how many court cases get dropped or lost by VCS as tgis will show how they just gamble on customers paying up.
The monkey off my back is a perfect analogy - not heard that before!

D_P_Dance

Why not complain  to the new Mayor