No Permit Defence

glasso

Hello,

Have had a Claim Form come through from County Court Business Centre and wanting advice. Issue date 30/5/22 - I did the AOS 11/6/22 but have left it late doing defence due to being on holiday for a fortnight - my first question is - when is the last date I can send defence (if it's not already too late)?

The claim relates to a fine from First Parking LLP and is being pursued by DCB Legal. It is from an occasion roughly a year ago, parking in a carpark of a large university (I assume it's wise not to give any more details than this?). My partner is employed by the university and has a parking permit which he displays, specific to his car reg. My personal car was parked there without a permit and got fined - no defence, it should have had a permit and didn't. 

I have sent an SAR which has come back with pictures of my car and no permit as expected. There's also copy of a letter sent which was addressed to me at an old address - not sure if this benefits me in any way?

I've already emailed the person in the university who deals with permits and liaises with car parking company and she's unwilling/unable to ask them to drop it.

Any ideas for a defence or advice on approach to take? All I have is:

• Company has no information on who the driver was - if my husband has permission to park there but did so in a different car without a permit, is this a line of defence?
• The signage is inadequate - wording unclear or font too small (I'd have to actually go back to the carpark and double check that's the case)

Thanks

glasso

Just to add in case relevant - amount claimed is £222.47:
£137.47 total of the PCN and damages
£35 court fee
£50 legal representative costs

KeithP

glasso said:

Have had a Claim Form come through from County Court Business Centre and wanting advice. Issue date 30/5/22 - I did the AOS 11/6/22 but have left it late doing defence due to being on holiday for a fortnight - my first question is - when is the last date I can send defence (if it's not already too late)?

Hello and welcome.

With a Claim Issue Date of 30th May, and having filed an Acknowledgment of Service in a timely manner, you have until 4pm on Monday 4th July 2022 to file your Defence.

That's almost a week away. Plenty of time to produce a Defence, but please don't leave it to the last minute.

To create a Defence, and then file a Defence by email, look at the second post in the NEWBIES thread.

Don't miss the deadline for filing a Defence.

Do not try and file a Defence via the MoneyClaimOnline website. Once an Acknowledgment of Service has been filed, the MCOL website should be treated as 'read only'.

glasso

Writing my defence now using the template from the linked thread - I'm really struggling with point 3. Presumably I am going to court so I don't lie... I admit I was the driver. But what's my defence? You need a permit to park there and I knowingly parked there without having one...?

KeithP

So you have left it until the last weekend.

Typically weekends are quieter on this forum. Let's hope someone has the time to help you.

Coupon-mad

Did you know you needed a permit snd thought nothing would happen? Surely not.

Or you didn't know that a permit was needed because it was dark and the signs were hidden and unlit?