PCN for St Michael's Mount Long stay

tariqm

Thanks for your advice. I have contacted local MP, and she will fit me in to her next surgery. 
I think I put in 90 minutes, and then it charged me £1.50, but I can't be sure. I am getting a friend to go and have a look- he lives nearby. 

Update: I have ignored the letter from the solicitor which came in December 2021, and have not heard anything since. I doubt that is the end of the matter, but who knows. I have been writing strongly worded responses to most of the correspondences I have received from both IP and debt recovery a) explaining what happened b) offering them any potential underpayment of £1 as a means of settlement 3) outlining mitigating factors. 

Let's see what happens. The worse possible scenario is that I get taken to court, and lose, and have to fork out maybe £400 or. Which I won't like, but am willing to take a bet on. 

But I am hoping that because of what I have written, they might let it go. 

Coupon-mad

The worse possible scenario is that I get taken to court, and lose, and have to fork out maybe £400...

For one PCN?  Under £200 all told.

tariqm

Well at the moment, they are asking for £170 in debt recovery. 
So I assumed if it went to court, would have to pay court fees, and victim surcharges- the latter of which is a total joke in this situation. 
Hence, maybe £400?

Coupon-mad

Victim surcharges? No.

And the added £70 is already banned.  That's all over the forum and was on BBC news on 7th Feb when the new statutory Code of Practice came out.

If you lost in court you'd pay under £200.  We know what we are talking about.  No CCJ or huge costs risk.

tariqm

Yes I appreciate your comments and thoughts (thank you), and did hear the news about the new code of practice. 
I think it doesn't come into force until 2024 though, as per this govt link. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-parking-code-of-practice/private-parking-code-of-practice

Coupon-mad

Not true; it will be implemented sooner, from this year onwards and the educated guess is that only the more difficult stuff will get a 'grandfather period' (such as changing all signage across all car parks, which is a fair old job).  

Haven't you yet seen the wording we are using about the £70 being banned?   This is NOW, not in the future.  It's a massive steer to the courts in existing cases when the Ministerial Foreword to the new Code declares the add-ons to be 'designed to extort money from motorists'.  Clearly talking about the existing set up.

i.e. the costs are dead.  Pushing up the daisies.  An ex-charge. They are no more.

I was involved in the Steering Group to create that Code.  This was discussed on bargepole's thread.

kernowbill

Hello tariqm, I've received a demand for £170 without previous notification of any charge, and am thinking of going to court to put my side of the case. I wondered if you had had success in your resistance to this bullying

Coupon-mad

The OP is not even at court yet and the scammers can't have the added £70, and there's no risk in defending.  Everyone should.

tariqm

kernowbill said:

Hello tariqm, I've received a demand for £170 without previous notification of any charge, and am thinking of going to court to put my side of the case. I wondered if you had had success in your resistance to this bullying

Thanks Kernowbill. I have not heard anything for 3 whole months now. Up until Dec 2021, I kept writing back to them, explaining my side of the story. And the unfairness of the extra charges. Hopefully that will be the end of it, but if it isn't, then I am willing to take the (now small) risk of losing in court, and paying a couple of hundred quid or so. You are right, they are bullies, and I would fight it to the end. Don't give in. PS I am trying to make an appt with my local MP too. 

tariqm

PS I also kept offering them the £1 or so that I might have owed them, as a way of settling this matter. Unsurprisingly, they did not take me up on my offer.