Is there any comeback regarding a stolen parking ticket?

mikeyhinde

First, apologies if I have overlooked anything, but most of the output seemed to be about addressing private parking tickets rather than something from a local council.

My other half apparently picked up a ticket in December but never received anything on the screen, either because it got blown off in the bad weather or because some scamp had picked it off the screen before she returned to the car the next day and found it.

Subsequent to that they apparently have been sending letters chasing the fine, after the expiry of the 14 day 1/2 price payment period, but these were also not received as she moved in with me at the turn of the year and they were being sent to her previous address, where the car was still registered at the time of the fine.

The first she heard about it was today when bailiffs rocked up at her old address with a warrant to take payment of just over £400 (which in itself seems mad for a £50 fine) or goods to that amount.

Now, bearing in mind she no longer lives there, the bailiffs were insistent that they were taking payment anyway, even if that involved collecting possessions from the current tenant of her old house.  The owner got hold of her number from a neighbour and got the bailiffs to call, but they were still insistent that she either paid now via card (after having been mailed all the correspondence, obviously) or that they would still take goods from the home the car was registered to at the time of the fine.  So given that it would be morally wrong to have someone else short of goods, it got paid in the end to avoid that.

I appreciate that payment is likely an admission of guilt and probably kills any further challenge of this dead in the water, but even if that is the case I wanted to know if there was any advice that people could give, should this ever happen again? 

It seems bonkers that you can be chased for a sum of money that grows exponentially the longer you are unaware that you have even received a fine.  I accept that the warden will have taken a photo of evidence the ticket was there at one point in time and that it would be clearly open to abuse if everyone could claim 'there was no ticket there when I returned to my vehicle', but equally it seems mad that it then increases your fine 9-fold if you aren't even given the opportunity to pay the original fine.

I'm also bemused that bailiffs have the right to grab property from anyone, rather than just the owner of the debt.  Is that really correct, such that potentially the previous tenant of my house could rack up debts that would result in people coming and emptying all my high value possessions?

It seems a pretty crazy world that the local council operate in.

Umkomaas

This forum is about private parking tickets. The PePiPoo forum deals with council parking tickets, but I suspect you are now much more in need of professional help for bailiff-related issues. 

You will be best served in dealing with bailiffs/enforcement agents by making contact with 'Bailiff Advice Online'. Sheila, who provides this service, has an extremely good reputation for assisting people with bailiff problems. 

Calls and the email enquiry service are free.

Here's your link:

http://bailiffadviceonline.co.uk

Sheila also posts on MSE as 'Herbie21'

HTH

Coupon-mad

Seconded, @Herbie21 is the expert on this.

zhonguonuren

No, the Council cannot take property belonging to another and you were forced to pay under duress.  I would print out what you have posted and send to the Council (which has a duty to check your details are up to date under GDPR). I sued Hammersmith and Fulham Council on behalf of my daughter.  The bailiffs were instructed to attend a flat I owned that she had vacated 2 years prior and the new owner was away a lot and did not see the demands.  I was furious and asked for £1,000 and settled for £500 so that she did not have to take time off work to attend court.  Daughter was very happy with the outcome!

zhonguonuren

By the way nothing was paid to the Bailiffs but if it had I would have added it on to the moneyclaim