Parking charge notice for somewhere I have never been to 150 miles away?

georgeireland

Hello, I'm sorry to make a thread about this but I wanted to make sure I wasn't being scammed in some way.

I received a letter today telling me "my vehicle" was parked at a pub 150 miles from my home address. The letter indeed shows a cropped out picture of a 'copy' of my car REG but nothing else. Now, obviously this wasn't me but I wanted to come here and make sure the appeal process goes smoothly so this is one headache I don't have to deal with. I know what these companies are like so I need advice on how to get them to back off.

'Euro Car Parks' is the company but I'm more worried that I'm either being targeted or some scumbag has tried to copy my reg.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Coupon-mad

You are being scammed. The parking industry are weighed down by a greed mentality. There are too many rotten apples and ANPR is unfit for purpose.

It's probably a VRM misread in the dark and they enhanced the image and altered one of the letters.

2 plus 2 = 5.  Highly unlikely to be a cloned plate.

Don't appeal yet.  Instead, email a formal data complaint to their DataProtection email (see ECP's privacy webpage) and copy in the DVLA - see their complaint email address in the 5th post of the NEWBIES thread - and state to both that THIS IS NOT MY CAR.

Provide a photo of the back of your car (if that would help to show any stickers, or identifying features or make/model badge or logo that stands out as different) and state that the car was not there and this must be an ANPR misread.

State that it is a formal objection to the DVLA and Euro Car Parks handling your data at all and that the DVLA must explain why they released your data.  ECP must explain why they enhanced the photo to look like your numberplate and confirm they have now examined the raw images and must admit they got it wrong and apologise.  

Tell them you expect an apology from both the DVLA and ECP within 14 days plus an explanation of how this error happened (and not a template DVLA fob off letter saying they 'take data security seriously') otherwise you will report both to your MP, plus the Information Commissioner.

georgeireland

Coupon-mad said:

You are being scammed. The parking industry are weighed down by a greed mentality. There are too many rotten apples and ANPR is unfit for purpose.

It's probably a VRM misread in the dark and they enhanced the image and altered one of the letters.

2 plus 2 = 5.  Highly unlikely to be a cloned plate.

Don't appeal yet.  Instead, email a formal data complaint to their DataProtection email (see ECP's privacy webpage) and copy in the DVLA - see their complaint email address in the 5th post of the NEWBIES thread - and state to both that THIS IS NOT MY CAR.

Provide a photo of the back of your car (if that would help to show any stickers, or identifying features or make/model badge or logo that stands out as different) and state that the car was not there and this must be an ANPR misread.

State that it is a formal objection to the DVLA and Euro Car Parks handling your data at all and that the DVLA must explain why they released your data.  ECP must explain why they enhanced the photo to look like your numberplate and confirm they have now examined the raw images and must admit they got it wrong and apologise.  

Tell them you expect an apology from both the DVLA and ECP within 14 days plus an explanation of how this error happened (and not a template DVLA fob off letter saying they 'take data security seriously') otherwise you will report both to your MP, plus the Information Commissioner.

Thank you for the quick response. Here is what I have ready for ECP. I got a little bit...passionate when typing it out so If you think I need to tone it down a bit I'm open to it

RE: Formal complaint over mishandling of my data.

PCN:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Registered Keeper's Name

Address Line One

Address Line Two

Address Line Three

You have issued said vehicle with a PCN and incorrectly mailed it to me. Quite simply, that vehicle is NOT owned by me, anyone I know or driven by anyone on our registered drivers. The grainy, upscaled, heavily cropped/edited picture you sent me does not show any additional information about the driver of the car or even the vehicle so I am concluding this PCN was sent to me in bad faith.

 

Let me be very clear on this: You have used my data from the DVLA to send me a fraudulent PCN, I will be complaining to them directly about this matter. My vehicle was NOT at the location you described. My vehicle has NEVER been beyond 12 miles of my home address in over 2 years. My vehicle is registered to an address 150 MILES from the alleged infraction to which you sent this letter to. This is a clear misread of registration plate numbers by your cameras during the late evening so why has the image been enhanced to look like my plate number? The quality is abysmal.

 

Please see attached an image of the REAL plates of the Registered Keeper you incorrectly sent a PCN to. Notice the border around the outside of the edge which is absent from your image. Notice the branding lip at the bottom, again – absent from your image. Notice the screws being a completely different colour AND location from your image.

 

You must re-examine the RAW unedited images again and explain to me HOW this error happened in full detail with admittance of Euro Car Parks wrongdoing, and an apology within 14 days of this email. I take my data protection extremely seriously – if these reasonable requests are not respected I will be reporting this matter to my MP and the Information Commissioner.

 

Regards, NAME - Registered Vehicle Keeper of XXXX XXX

CCRT@dvla.gov.uk

KADOEservice.support@dvla.gov.uk

complaintsTeam@dvla.gov.uk

KeithP

...with admittance of Euro Car Parts wrongdoing...

Your 'passionate typing' got away from you. I think you mean Euro Car Parks.   

georgeireland

KeithP said:

...with admittance of Euro Car Parts wrongdoing...

Your 'passionate typing' got away from you. I think you mean Euro Car Parks.   

Oh my! coincidentally see many of their vans in my area, corrected - thanks! 

Coupon-mad

Looks fine to me but also visibly also copy in the DVLA complaints email at the same time.

The DVLA are particularly jumpy about data handling at the moment.  This is as much their fault as ECP's due to none of them carrying out proper human checks:

https://amp.theguardian.com/money/2022/jun/25/parking-fines-dvla-law-drivers-details-claims

georgeireland

Coupon-mad said:

Looks fine to me but also visibly also copy in the DVLA complaints email at the same time.

The DVLA are particularly jumpy about data handling at the moment.  This is as much their fault as ECP's due to none of them carrying out proper human checks:

https://amp.theguardian.com/money/2022/jun/25/parking-fines-dvla-law-drivers-details-claims

Thank you again I've added it in at the bottom as a subtle thinly veiled threat to them. 

Coupon-mad

Great - but make sure your name and postal address goes on it and that you are the registered keeper (no such thing as registered owner).

georgeireland

Coupon-mad said:

Great - but make sure your name and postal address goes on it and that you are the registered keeper (no such thing as registered owner).

Will do! It's a family vehicle but I have the full permission to act upon this and will be greenlighted by the keeper before being sent as my family knows how horrible these companies can be.

Thanks!

Fruitcake

Nevertheless, it must be from the keeper. Even if you are acting as their advocate, it must have the keeper's name and details on it.

georgeireland

Fruitcake said:

Nevertheless, it must be from the keeper. Even if you are acting as their advocate, it must have the keeper's name and details on it.

Absolutely. It will be through her name and address through her email when we send it