DCBL letter relating to a parking charge back in 2015! SAR received back

M7R

Hello all, I hope you can help with some good advice. 

A few weeks ago my partner received a letter out of the blue from DCBL (Debt Collection Bailiffs Ltd) asking for £150 for an unpaid parking charge and it dated back to June 2015! The reg does relate to the car she owned at the time, and the location was a flat she was living in at the time which had residents parking. (She has since moved a couple of times)

After reading all the advice on here we drafted a SAR email and sent it off to UK Parking Control on the 9th April. Today they have replied and sent a number of attachments. 

We are now wondering what our next steps are? My partner doesn't remember the parking ticket, nor does she remember contacting UKPC but it seems she did at the time. it was not long after this in July that she moved out of the flat and heard no more about it until now. 

Attached is what we was sent in response to her SAR and the letter from DCBL. 

Is there any way not to pay the massively inflated £150? could we go back to UKPC and offer to settle with them with a letter of apology? I am guessing they are suddenly chasing people as they are close to the 6 year limit? 

Thanks for any help or advice, 

Redx

Ignore the debt collector letters , you have the SAR reply

When a formal LBC comes with 30 days notice , the recipient can reply telling them to place the matter on hold for 30 days whilst seeking debt management advice , but not too quickly

Hopefully it then passed that 18th June deadline , so it's employing delaying tactics to get over the line

So slowly , slowly catchee monkee

Umkomaas

Is there any way not to pay the massively inflated £150? 

Yep, you're going to filibuster this out past 18/06/2015, after which point the Limitations Act kicks in and they can no longer pursue the charge through the courts. 

I'd write to DCB Limited and ask a couple of inane questions you need answers to before you can more fully respond. Then, when they respond, oops, you've got a couple more .....  Just 53 days to drag it out. 

They will need to issue a formal Letter Before/Of Claim which requires a response within 30 days, but then you can require them (towards the end of the 30 days) to put it on hold for another 30 days as you will be seeking 'debt advice' ..... then it's Game Over.

Do not consider for one moment making any payment to them!

Coupon-mad

A few weeks ago my partner received a letter out of the blue from DCBL (Debt Collection Bailiffs Ltd) asking for £150 for an unpaid parking charge and it dated back to June 2015! 

Yep, as @Umkomaas says, engage with them by email, slowly replying each time and asking a new question and get past June and they are timed out. 

DON'T WAIT AND SEE. Reply again and again (slowly, leaving 3 weeks before replying to them each time)

M7R

Thanks for the quick replies, it is very much appreciated. 

Okay so do I need to ask UKPC some questions too via email? or just leave them alone for now and email DCBL with some questions? or both of them? 

I guess I can ask DCBL things like which make model and colour of vehicle does this relate to, any unique identifying markings etc, also which parking space and who it was owned by? 

As the letter was received a little after the 6th of April then if I email them say late Friday the 30th that then starts the timer counting all over again etc and I guess they cant easily issue the LBC if I I am still asking questions? and if they do just wait and ask for it to be put on hold will we seek "debt advice"..

Fingers crossed then, I am sure with a little inspiration to point me in the right direction I can get some very interesting questions to ask...

And once it gets past the 18th June (all being well) then what? it just goes away as it isn't worth their bother?

Umkomaas

Ask your questions of DCB Limited. Leave UKPC out of it for now. 

To my recollection, no UKPC case being pursued by DCB Limited has resulted in a court claim via DCB Legal. Add to that that UKPC's normal solicitors for litigation are SCS Law (no connection with DCBL) and ordinarily they only chase multiple tickets with values around £600 and above, I don't think there's anything to lose sleep over here. 

Any company can chase a debt forever, but the law, in the shape of the Limitations Act 1980, prevents them suing through the courts after 6 years (5 years in Scotland) have elapsed. 

beamerguy

As said above ..... you can respond to the LBA WITHIN THE LAST FEW DAYS and not before.
Then as said you are seeking legal advise so you require 30 days more.

That is the law, they must comply

Sad company are DCBL and if you want a good read about these bods, have fun reading ....
DCBL letters ... forum group thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6237177/dcbl-letters-forum-group-thread#latest

It's crammed packed with DCBL rubbish and UKPC come to that

Coupon-mad

I'd write to DCB Limited and ask a couple of inane questions you need answers to before you can more fully respond. Then, when they respond, oops, you've got a couple more .....  Just 53 days to drag it out. 

Indeed.  But not the make and model of the car...ask for all the evidence and a photos of the car and of the sign because you want to see if you can identify who was driving and want to understand the alleged breach of terms.

M7R

does anyone know where I can find an email for them? they don't give one on their site helpfully, and they say you have to call them which I am not going to. 

Umkomaas

M7R said:

does anyone know where I can find an email for them? they don't give one on their site helpfully, and they say you have to call them which I am not going to. 

It's  xxx@dcbltd, so try 'collections@' or 'mail@' or 'complaints@' or try other ones you think might work. You'll know the ones that 'land' - only the incorrect ones will bounce back. 

Fruitcake

A search engine returned this, complaints@dcbltd.com, so do as Umkomaas has suggested and try different prefixes.