Advice needed re: 3 parking tickets

Gsta842

Hi all, could really use some advice from those in the know. I've read carefully through the appeals guide, but I'm not sure whether at this point I should sit back and let the relevant company take me to court (which they well might, as it's three tickets they're attempting to charge a total of £480 for) or else make some more proactive move.

BACKGROUND: I'm an American who just finished a PhD at the University of Leeds in January, and I'm also working as a postgraduate tutor during my remaining term. I fully intend to find a job that will allow me to remain in the UK. But I am dead broke, period - there is no money. My current trickle of income from tutoring doesn't not cover the bills. I'm on the job market now, and it's very slow. I'm likely to have to take a low-paying temp job for some number of months until I can lock down a short-term teaching contract, and then eventually a permanent gig. There is no money to pay, end of. There is no one to borrow from. There is no room on a credit card account. There is nothing to sell to fund paying £480 worth of parking tickets. Indeed my car only cost me £500 - just about the same as what they're charging me for these three tickets (and less than what I'd be liable for if I lost at court).

THE TICKETS: I live in my partner's flat in the city centre in Leeds, and park my car either 5-10 minutes away where there are two small roads with free street parking, or else 20 minutes away where there's a significant amount of free street parking. In February and March 2021, the University of Leeds allowed all students to park on campus for free at any time of day - and I was eligible for this as my student status had not yet lapsed while I continued to teach for the university. Nearly every day during these two months, I parked my car where the red car (not mine) is parked in the screenshot below - the left-hand side of a dead-end street about 5 minutes from where I live. This street is listed on the university's website as university-owned parking, and the sign on the left-hand side (circled in red) shows that it's university parking.

For three consecutive days in March, I parked on the right-hand side of the street instead (as there were cars on the left), near the beginning of the dead-end (so just right next to the brick pillar circled at bottom right). I didn't drive my car for those three days, and once I had moved it back to the left-hand side. A week later, I received a series of three letters charging me for parking without a permit. It turns out that, although the university website makes no mention of this, only the left-hand side of the road pictured above is university parking - the right-hand side is private. (That is just incredible to me. I've never heard of anything like this before.) The only signage indicating this at the time, however, was the sign on the building circled in the middle of the screenshot. There is now another sign on the brick pillar circled at bottom right, but this was not added until after I was 'charged for breach of contract'. There was also no sign in any of the months leading up to my parking at this spot, including October 2020 when the above Google Maps image was taken.

They attempted to charge the maximum of £100, and I wrote to them explaining the situation as above, including their lack of appropriate signage. They - the company itself - declined my three separate appeals (one for each of the three tickets). I then missed the deadline to appeal to the relevant parking body, as I was home in the US for a month worrying about other things. As a result, I continue to get mailings threatening to take me to court if I don't pay (even offering a four month payment plan - only £120/month for 4 months!), and saying that I may owe £235 per ticket if I lose at court.

What should I do here, given that I missed the deadline to appeal to the relevant parking body? Allow them to take me to court and protest that the signage was not adequate? You can even see, in one of their photos of my car (given on one of the three letters charging me), that there is no sign on the red brick pillar at the bottom-right of the photo above - though because of the angle they used to photograph my reg plate, you have to squint really hard (and they may claim it's not clear) - see below:

I would not have parked here if I had known this side of the dead-end street was not university parking. There was no reason - spots were available on the other side. And although I hadn't moved my car for three consecutive days, I would have moved it promptly had I seen a ticket/notice posted on my windscreen when I walked by each day - but they only sent notices/fines through the mail, nothing on my car itself. And, worst of all, I do and will have no money at all to pay, even if it should go to court and I somehow lose on all three tickets. Can anyone advise how best to proceed here? Really appreciate any help - this has been quite a source of stress over the past few months.

pogofish

The appeals guide?  That was a waste of time!

Now go and read the Newbies Sticky, which has all the accurate and up to date info you really need!

Gsta842

pogofish said:

The appeals guide?  That was a waste of time!

Now go and read the Newbies Sticky, which has all the accurate and up to date info you really need!

Ah, huge apologies. Will read through all that, and another "READ THIS BEFORE ..." page linked from it, today.

DW190

I'm sure someone will be here soon to advise.
If you reversed into the Street you wouldn't see any sign.

Umkomaas

Who is chasing you for £160 a pop parking charges?

Which parking firm is involved?

Do you still have a US home base on which papers could be served, and someone there to receive them?

Gsta842

Umkomaas said:

Who is chasing you for £160 a pop parking charges?

Which parking firm is involved?

Do you still have a US home base on which papers could be served, and someone there to receive them?

The original letters were from UKCPS; now I'm hearing from Debt Recovery Plus (assuming this isn't just a branch of UKCPS).

I don't have an address in the US anymore, no - though I share a name with my father, so imagine they could find his address if they were so inclined.

fisherjim

Gsta842 said:

Umkomaas said:

Who is chasing you for £160 a pop parking charges?

Which parking firm is involved?

Do you still have a US home base on which papers could be served, and someone there to receive them?

The original letters were from UKCPS; now I'm hearing from Debt Recovery Plus (assuming this isn't just a branch of UKCPS).

I don't have an address in the US anymore, no - though I share a name with my father, so imagine they could find his address if they were so inclined.

That's not what Umko is saying, he is suggesting that if the PPC scammers think your address is in another country they will not pursue through the courts.

Debt Recovery Plus are just useless debt collectors that are to be ignored.

Gsta842

Ah, I see. Afraid I can't go that way - address as registered keeper (and on my driving license) is the Leeds flat my partner owns.

Umkomaas

UKCPS rarely litigate, but, with any parking firm, the more tickets at stake, the odds shorten.  You can ignore anything DRP throws at you. 

You could email the Data Protection Officer at UKCPS (usually linked via their website's Privacy Page) and tell them that the address for service of any further correspondence is now <your father's US address>, require them to also inform any of their agents handling your personal data and to erase <UK address> and not to serve any further correspondence there. 

We would not ordinarily advise this, but in your case I'd send them a copy of the cover and the personal page(s) of your US passport, but redact the photo, your date of birth, your signature and any reference codes - but you don't want to over-redact, it needs to still appear authentic. 

See if others agree with this suggestion. 

Coupon-mad

I agree, you can legitimately give the US address for service because at the moment you are only here to study and your permanent address is in the USA.

Redx

And your driving licence is irrelevant