Stansted McDonald’s 3 year old parking fine now gone to debt collection

AbiStahl

In April of 2018 I received a PCN for overstaying in the McDonald’s car park at stansted airport. In the restaurant there were signs on the table stating that if you wanted more time you should ask a member of staff and that is what I had done on that occasion. I appealed the PCN at the time with POPLA explaining I had been authorised to stay longer. POPLA acknowledged this and said “In her appeal to POPLA Miss Stahl acknowledges that she exceeded the maximum permitted stay but states that she was a customer of McDonald’s and spoke to a member of staff in the restaurant who said it was okay for her to stay for an extra 15 minutes. We note Miss Stahl’s comments, however the car park she has parked in is for the use of Starbuck’s customers only, as clearly stated on the signage in the car park. McDonald’s is located adjacent to this site and has its own car park.”. However my original letter didn’t say anything about being in the wrong car park and provided no evidence of this. I wasn’t able to appeal any further and didn’t want to pay the fine as in my opinion they shouldn’t be able to change the reason for the fine without providing evidence. It feels to me as though they are just saying what they want to say in order to get me to pay the fine? 

Either way I had ignored it and it went away, until a few months ago when I received a letter from debt recovery plus asking me to pay a £100 fine (nearly 3 years later). I have contacted Debt Recovery Plus requesting they put me in touch with the company who is issuing the fine as I don’t believe it is fair as they have no evidence that I parked in the wrong car park but Debt Recovery Plus will not do that. Does anyone out there have any advice as to what I should do next? I do not want to pay a fine for staying in the wrong car park as they have no evidence of this and also I should have the chance to appeal that decision if that is what they want to fine me for.

AbiStahl

*edit 
I made a typo, it is £160 they are requesting from me

nosferatu1001

Did you read the newbies thread?>
It tells you exactlky what you do about DRP
How do you know they dont have evidence? Have you sent them a SAR?

Fruitcake

It is not a fine.
The fourth post of the NEWBIES explains why it is safe to ignore powerless debt collectors.
What is the name of the PPC please?
What happened when you complained to the landowner/Starbucks CEO?
All you can do now is wait to see if the scammers try court in the next six years.

AbiStahl

nosferatu1001 said:

Did you read the newbies thread?>
It tells you exactlky what you do about DRP
How do you know they dont have evidence? Have you sent them a SAR?

I did not read the newbies thread - I will read it now, thank you for introducing me to it. 

I do not know wether they have evidence that I was in the wrong car park or not but they have not sent me evidence or proven to me that I parked in the wrong car park.
What is a SAR?

AbiStahl

Fruitcake said:

It is not a fine.
The fourth post of the NEWBIES explains why it is safe to ignore powerless debt collectors.
What is the name of the PPC please?
What happened when you complained to the landowner/Starbucks CEO?
All you can do now is wait to see if the scammers try court in the next six years.

Thank you for highlighting the Newbies thread - I am new to this website so had not heard of it - I will read through that today.
I made an error and threw the original parking fine letter away about a year after I received it as I believed it was all over (very naive of me!) but I am sure the PPC was MET parking.
I have not contacted either starbucks or McDonald’s directly regarding this charge, do you think I should? 

Redx

Definitely complain asap and get it cancelled , unless you prefer court with a judge within the next few years ??

A SAR and plenty of other useful info is in that newbies thread near the top of the forum , do not ask questions until you have read it thoroughly.  Google is also good for answering the basics

D_P_Dance

Read this wrt to unlawful £60 they have added and complain to your MP,

Excel v Wilkinson

At the Bradford County Court, District Judge Claire Jackson (now HHJ Jackson, a Specialist Civil Circuit Judge) decided to hear a 'test case' a few months ago, where £60 had been added to a parking charge despite Judges up and down the country repeatedly disallowing that sum and warning parking firms not to waste court time with such spurious claims.   That case was Excel v Wilkinson: G4QZ465V, heard in July 2020 and leave to appeal was refused and that route was not pursued.  The Judge concluded that such claims are proceedings with 'an improper collateral purpose'.   This Judge - and others who have since copied her words and struck dozens of cases out in late 2020 and into 2021 - went into significant detail and concluded that parking operators (such as this Claimant) are seeking to circumvent CPR 27.14 as well as breaching the Consumer Rights Act 2015.   DJ Hickinbottom has recently struck more cases out in that court area, stating: ''I find that striking out this claim is the only appropriate manner in which the disapproval of the court can be shown''.