Please help

Freya62

Hi
i have read lots in here but still lost with what to do! And so many acronyms I’m not sure what some things mean!
i recently visited a car park and when I tried to pay online after (to a private company) it showed me an outstanding charge of £110 from a previous stay in 2017. After a few email exchanges with the company, they have told me this is a fine and they have sent numerous letters (from themselves and a debt collection company) BUT they have been going to my old address. Although I did inform the DVLA when I moved home, there was a bit of a delay. The ‘fine’ would have been sent to my old address about 3 months before I informed the DVLA, and so I have been blissfully unaware of this for over 3 years!! 

I’ve no idea what to do now...pay the fine, ignore them, tell them my new address?....please help

Redx

There is no fine , just an invoice from a private parking company , nobody has told you that it's a fine , just a Parking Charge Notice

Letters before claim are being sent out at the moment to hundreds or thousands of people

Acronyms are explained in the newbies FAQ sticky thread near the top of the forum , post five

Which parking company and how long did they give you to contact them in the current letter ?

Half_way

Is your name Freya, and were you born in 1962?

D_P_Dance

they have told me this is a fine 

Do you have that in writing, did they use the word "fine"?  Have you complained to your  MP?

Freya62

Hi, thanks all, so, apologies they haven't called it a fine, just said 'parking charge' which is outstanding is 'in the hands of the debt collection agency'. Parking with ease and they have said they've sent lots of letters, but i haven't seen them (all correspondence has gone to my old address). I only found out about the debt because i went on to their site to pay for some parking recently and saw the outstanding charge there from 2017....

Redx

Email the DPO at PWE with a data rectification notice of your new address and enclose a copy of the V5C as proof of I D under the GDPR law

Also email a SAR to the DPO at PWE and include a copy of the V5C as proof of I D under the GDPR law and obtain all your data including all documents etc

Freya62

Thank you, if they then send me a letter for the outstanding charge to my new address, should i pay it?!...

Redx

You could show us a redacted picture of it , both sides , but hiding your personal details like name , address , VRM details , PCN reference and by other identifiers

But plan A is your best option , written complaint to the landowner

Freya62

Hi, I did also contact the place i visited (ie. the landowner) and they have said there is nothing they can do. They said they have contacted PWE who said they have "incurred fees from the debt collection agency trying to obtain the money and they have sent 3 letters and ZZPS (debt collection agency) have also issued several letters". I'm a bit worried that if i send them my new address they will obviously send me a new letter for the debt....

Redx

They will send them to you , what you don't want is a CCJ registered against you at your old address due to you not getting post , hence why you give them your new address

A CCJ is much harder to unravel , but it's your choice , your problem , we can only advise you on the best actions to take

Debt collectors work on a no win no fee basis , no costs were incurred !! Somebody is telling porkies

Umkomaas

I'm a bit worried that if i send them my new address they will obviously send me a new letter for the debt....

You'll be an awful lot more worried if they send a court claim, to your old address which you will be unaware of ....... until such time you find you have a CCJ issued against you, and your credit rating is trashed, and you will experience serious finance difficulties for the following 6 years. 

Follow advice - we can't keep on having to justify it!