UK Parking Control Ltd

Bopeep123

Advice please. I was parked in a designated work carpark but was in the wrong bay as all of ours were full, I had a valid permit which was on show. I received a fine which I ignored. I think I received 1 or 2 further letters, again rightly or wrongly I ignored them. That was 2 and a half years ago. I have now received a letter from Direct Collection Bailiffs Ltd wanting immediate payment. Should I ignore this or pay the £160 the fine is now at?

nosferatu1001

Why are you saying it is a fine? Does that word appear anywhere?

What does the newbies thread tell you to do? Haveyou worked o9ut if it is debt collector trash? 

Fruitcake

It is not a fine.
Ignoring a NTK has not been advised here since the law changed in 2012.
DCB Limited are acting as powerless debt collectors, so they can be ignored, but you should expect a court claim within six years from the date of the alleged event from DCB Legal. or another scamilicitor.

What happened when The Keeper complained to the landowner/their employer? Plan A is always the best idea.

The scammers have added on a fake £60 which is unrecoverable. Anything above the original amount is not permitted so can be vigorously defended. Even if you lost a court claim, it wouldn't be much more than the £160 they are claiming now.

Get pics of the site and signage if this isn't cancelled by the landowner.
Follow the guide to court written by bargepole in the second post of the NEWBIES if you get a real court claim.

Do not reveal the driver's identity, so never say things like, I drove, I parked, I did this etcetera. Only ever refer to The Driver and The Keeper.

All of this is explained in the sticky thread for NEWBIES that asks everyone to read it first.

Bopeep123

Dumb question here but how do I get to the sticky thread fir NEWBIES on this site please? The letter I have actually doesnt say fine anywhere on it, it just mentions unpaid parking charge. I cant find the original letters I was sent but I will go and take pics of the signage at the carpark. The bottom of the letter says, aswell as stating that they feature on the TV on "Cant pay We'll take it away" , states that this case is not subject to high court or bailiff action however should you fail to contact us we will recommend to the client the commencement of legal action. Is this an empty threat?

D_P_Dance

No, it is not an empty threat, and the PPC is very likely to take you to court.  That uis why you should undertake the very little effort requires to find the newbies.

beamerguy

Bopeep123 said:

Dumb question here but how do I get to the sticky thread fir NEWBIES on this site please? The letter I have actually doesnt say fine anywhere on it, it just mentions unpaid parking charge. I cant find the original letters I was sent but I will go and take pics of the signage at the carpark. The bottom of the letter says, aswell as stating that they feature on the TV on "Cant pay We'll take it away" , states that this case is not subject to high court or bailiff action however should you fail to contact us we will recommend to the client the commencement of legal action. Is this an empty threat?

And there you have it, the scam operated by DCBL trying to scare you with the junk TV soap

Just a cheap nasty little version of the WONGA scam

DCBL letters ... forum group thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6237177/dcbl-letters-forum-group-thread#latest

Fruitcake

Bopeep123 said:

Dumb question here but how do I get to the sticky thread fir NEWBIES on this site please? The letter I have actually doesnt say fine anywhere on it, it just mentions unpaid parking charge. I cant find the original letters I was sent but I will go and take pics of the signage at the carpark. The bottom of the letter says, aswell as stating that they feature on the TV on "Cant pay We'll take it away" , states that this case is not subject to high court or bailiff action however should you fail to contact us we will recommend to the client the commencement of legal action. Is this an empty threat?

The NEWBIES is just underneath the NEW THREAD button.
Go back to the page where you clicked on that button and it will be one of the first five threads that are stuck to the top of the main forum page.

As already mentioned, the letter you have received is from a debt collector letter. The fourth post of the NEWBIES explains why it is safe to ignore them. The only thing they can do is send you poor quality bog paper.

Do not ignore a letter from a solicitor or LBC/LoC/MCOL. Acronyms and abbreviations common to the parking forum are explained in the fifth post of the NEWBIES. I suggest you print them off or write them out for reference.

As already asked, what happened when you complained to the landowner?

If you don't have the original paperwork, send an SAR to the scammers as per the NEWBIES. Include proof of ID such as a copy of the V5C or two redacted utility bills or bank/card statements. Do not include any photo' ID.

Bopeep123

I didnt complain to the landowner, I complained to my employer, there were a few of us got fined on the same day. Our employer eventually decided to pay up and I thought they had paid mine aswell but clearly hadnt. I dont work for that company anymore. 

Umkomaas

Don't confuse DCB Limited with DCB Legal - same company, different arms, the former you can ignore, the latter you mustn't. Come back if they get real, but for UKPC PCNs, the preferred litigators are SCS Law. 

Fruitcake

Bopeep123 said:

I didnt complain to the landowner, I complained to my employer, there were a few of us got fined on the same day. Our employer eventually decided to pay up and I thought they had paid mine aswell but clearly hadnt. I dont work for that company anymore. 

It is not a fine.
By paying the scammers, your former employer has funded the scammers so they can scam even more motorists. 
It is never too late to complain to the landowner. 

Coupon-mad

I can never understand how people can't find the threads at the top of the front page of a forum, which has a breadcrumb trail link back to page one at the top of every forum page, as most forums do.  For those that don't know that, my signature below every post I make also tells everyone that, and where to click. 

No URL link given to a sticky thread, it is important to know how easy it is to hop around a forum without opening twenty tabs.  And don't use a phone!