Missed PCN - Debt Collector Letter Received

SillyBilly2020

I work abroad a lot so I rent out my house, which is where my car is registered.  I usually have a Royal Mail redirection in place (to my parents address) but forgot to renew it for six week this summer (it's now back in place).  During that time (July) I visited Fistral Beach in Cornwall and paid to park using their app and ApplePay on my phone, for which I have a booking ref, times and amount paid.  There was no 'ticket' on my car when I returned but I guess it's all done by ANPR these days.

Anyway, today I received a 'demand for payment' for £170 within 14 days from a debt recovery company stating that after no response to the details sent to my home address (which I've yet to see), they used a tracing service to track me down to my parents address (fair enough I suppose).

The only details of my 'offence' is "Unpaid Tariff Time" but there are no other details.

I've read the NEWBIE posts and other similar posts (lots to digest!) and the advice seems to be to ignore debt collectors, wait for a court date and defend the charge there.  However, I have no details of the 'unpaid tariff time' so not sure how to defend it.  Plus, I'll be working in France from late November so it won't be easy to attend court anyway.  The debt collection letter states 'if you believe this information to be incorrect you should contact us to explain why', but all I've read on here seems to advise against that.

TBH, I'm half-minded to just pay up and be done with it, even though I know these things are mostly scams.  But from what I've read, it looks like defending it will involve a lot of time plus the expense of travelling back and forth from France and the work disruption that will entail.  Plus, I have to admit my fault in not replying to the details sent to my home address (as yet unseen by me) and wonder if this will count against me?

So, questions:

1. Will the fact that I effectively ignored the (assumed) PCN sent to my home address work against me?

2. Should I respond to the Debt Collection company, and if so, on what basis?

3. How easy/difficult will it be to defend all this while I'm working in France?

4. Should I just pay up, put it down to experience and move on with my life?

Thanks so much for any help - from what I've just 'crammed' reading posts on here, you guys are doing a great job fighting this sort of injustice!

Umkomaas

TBH, I'm half-minded to just pay up and be done with it, even though I know these things are mostly scams.

I'm sure there's a Nigerian Prince already drafting an email to you!

Is this Initial Parking?

But from what I've read, it looks like defending it will involve a lot of time plus the expense of travelling back and forth from France and the work disruption that will entail.

What exactly have you been reading?  Travelling back and forth from France?😆. Please show us. 

1. Will the fact that I effectively ignored the (assumed) PCN sent to my home address work against me?

2. Should I respond to the Debt Collection company, and if so, on what basis?

3. How easy/difficult will it be to defend all this while I'm working in France?

4. Should I just pay up, put it down to experience and move on with my life?

1,2,4 - Nope, nope nope!

3 - send a data rectification notice to the DPO of the PPC with your actual address (in France) for service. Tell them to erase any UK address and that all future communication be via your France address. 

SillyBilly2020

Yeah, I know what you mean about Nigerian Princes, except they are easy enough to simply ignore, whereas fighting these parking scammers takes time and effort.  I'm not proud tobe considering just paying up and it definitely sticks in my throat, just thinking pragmatically. 

Yes, it's Initial Parking Ltd according to the letter from DRP.  I'm trying to get hold of the (assumed) original PCN to see if there are more specific details, though it's possible my tenant will have binned it.

I've been reading the NEWBIES posts plus a few posts by other caught out. It seems the success rate is high when contesting these charges but there's also a lot of time and effort invlved, judging by all the posts and discussions on here.    The travelling to/from France was my own assumption, based on thinking I'd have to attend court in the UK, which is inconvenient at the best of times but even more so if travelling to/from France.  I know it's just my own circumstances but it definitely has a bearing on things.

1,2 - thanks for that advice - especially 1 if I do decide to contest things.

3 - Thanks, I didn't realise that would be an option.  However, now I've reinstated my Royal Mail redirection my parents should now receive any mail anyway and can email me with scanned copies of anything important . . . which has worked perfectly well for the past few years, it was just my mistake I left a gap in the redirection renewal.

4 - Yeah, I know - it would definitely feel like 'letting the side down'

So, if I should ignore the DRP letter I guess the next step is to get my hands on the original PCN and hope it spells things out more clearly? 

The DRP letter gives me a payment deadline of 7/10/20 so no need to pay up until then anyway.

Thanks!

KeithP

SillyBilly2020 said:

3 - Thanks, I didn't realise that would be an option.  However, now I've reinstated my Royal Mail redirection my parents should now receive any mail anyway and can email me with scanned copies of anything important . . . which has worked perfectly well for the past few years, it was just my mistake I left a gap in the redirection renewal.

But @Umkomaas's suggestion of diverting stuff to your France address has another benefit...

They are unlikely to pursue a victim who is resident in France - much too difficult for these simple folk.

Send the Data Rectification Notice that Umkomaas mentioned and include some proof of that French address - utility bill maybe?

Umkomaas

To me this is so easy to deal with. Much more so than it would be for an England/Wales resident. Some folks just get lucky!

SillyBilly2020

Interesting idea.  Only problem is that I won't be starting my new job out there until late November and don't yet have a firm address I could give them right now.

I could write to them and tell them I'll be moving then and will confirm my address when I can, but from their perspective this would be a bit of a lame excuse wouldn't it?  I suppose I could give them my employer's address, though I don't really want them to know I'm 'in trouble' just as I start a new job!

Also, now that Initial Parking has (presumably) sold my 'debt' to DRP, will Initial Parking actually be interested in anything I tell them?

Yet the advice is to not contact DRP, so I'm feeling like I've fallen between the cracks and just have to wait for notice of court action before trying to defend myself.

KeithP

SillyBilly2020 said:

Also, now that Initial Parking has (presumably) sold my 'debt' to DRP, will Initial Parking actually be interested in anything I tell them?

The 'debt' definitely has not been sold to anyone. DRP have been sub-contracted by Initial, on a no win no fee basis, to recover the alleged debt.

If any debt exists, it is most definitely still with Initial.

Umkomaas

The travelling to/from France was my own assumption, based on thinking I'd have to attend court in the UK, which is inconvenient at the best of times but even more so if travelling to/from France.

I thought you said you'd read this somewhere?  

But from what I've read, it looks like defending it will involve a lot of time plus the expense of travelling back and forth from France and the work disruption that will entail.

Much easier if you keep things straight with us here. Please don't tell us you've read it somewhere if you haven't. It has the potential to misdirect us into looking for information that might have been given erroneously.  It's busy enough without any wild goose chases. 

Please check out 'contesting jurisdiction', but be aware that if the PPC tries to resort to litigation, the MCOL admin centre (Northampton CCBC) won't serve proceedings on a French address - unless the clerk didn't pay too much attention in their Geography classes at primary school. 

SillyBilly2020

OK, thanks for that clarification.

So how about this for a plan?

1 - Try to get the (assumed) original PCN from Initial Parking via my letting agency

1a - If 1 is not possible write to Initial Parking explaining that I've not received the PCN and request another copy

2 - Dispute the charge directly with Initial Parking, based on my proof of payment for parking

3 - If doing all the above gets me near to moving to France at end Nov, give notice of my move and new French address to Initial Parking

4 - Wait to see what happens

Umkomaas

1, 1a, 2 - too late. They won't communicate sensibly to help you.  Issue a SAR if you want to filibuster this nearer to your substantive move to France. They have 30 days to respond, and most take that amount of time. 

How to issue a SAR is detailed in the NEWBIES FAQ sticky, second post. 

SillyBilly2020

Umkomaas said:

The travelling to/from France was my own assumption, based on thinking I'd have to attend court in the UK, which is inconvenient at the best of times but even more so if travelling to/from France.

I thought you said you'd read this somewhere?  

But from what I've read, it looks like defending it will involve a lot of time plus the expense of travelling back and forth from France and the work disruption that will entail.

Much easier if you keep things straight with us here. Please don't tell us you've read it somewhere if you haven't. It has the potential to misdirect us into looking for information that might have been given erroneously.  It's busy enough without any wild goose chases. 

Apologies for any confusion - poorly worded sentence on my part, probably should have separated the two points into separate sentences.

I appreciate it must be frustrating dealing with first time 'offenders', but while I'm sure you are well experienced and know the ropes inside and out, this is all new ground for me - and pretty stressful at that!