Should I answer the phone to a debt recovery law firm?

banjo44

G24 have been chasing me for payment of a PCN.

They have now passed the case on to the debt recovery law firm BW Legal. In addition to writing to me they have phoned me twice - once with an automated message, which I ignored, and once by a human, who asked me to confirm my identity. I asked them to call another day.

How should I deal with these calls? e.g. should I give my identity? Should I tell them I am not going to pay? Should I block them?

Does the fact it's been passed to BW Legal mean they are likely to go to court?

Before it got to this stage I tried twice to appeal with IAS, but I got the message 'Your PCN or Registration Number has not been recognised...". I have a screenshot of this. Does this provide a valid defence, in addition to the other legal arguments I've read about on this forum?

Thanks

Le_Kirk

If they phone you, it is you who should be asking them the security questions!  However, you do not want to be conducting your business with them via telephone as the phone call is worth the paper it is written on!  That is, no proof of what was said and/or agreed.  Everything in writing.

patient_dream

In a nutshell, you should never given personal information to a scammer

If BWLegal thinki they have a case, they should know what they are doing.

Did you get a letter before claim from them ???

Half_way

G24 have been chasing me for payment of a PCN.

OK, so the best way to deal with this is to complain to the landowner, but first why did the vehicle receive a parking charge notice?

 where?

and in whos car park?

do not attempt to guess as to who was drving

and I assume you are at the so called debt recovery stage - and not the post court stage

banjo44

Yes I'm at the 'debt recovery stage' - but couldn't see on the forum how to deal with receiving calls. Their last letter said 'your case may proceed to our legal process and the next letter from us would be a Letter of Claim'. 

Unfortunately I discovered this forum quite late in the process. I have said in my appeal to G24 that I was the driver. I wrote to the manager of the store attached to the car park several months ago, but have had no reply.

banjo44

To answer your other questions, the PCN was for parking approx 15 minutes over a 1 hour limit. The car park was for a Wickes store.

Grizebeck

You are most likely to get a court claim
just block their number

Trainerman

As regards your original question, the usual advice is to not talk to them. However, if you have the right mindset, you can have a bit of sport. I once had an operative from one of these companies ( not the one you named), apoplectic because I would not 'go through security'. My standpoint being "who the devil are you, you had better go through my security before I give sensitive information'.  I made much about identity theft and if he was from a responsible company, he would not be putting me in this position.

Poor little chap was livid. He had his nice threatening script all ready to go and couldn't get there. Hung up in the end, at which point I emailed the company and complained about his attitude.

Best fun I had in years, .......but you have to have a certain mindset.

Grizebeck

Trainerman said:

As regards your original question, the usual advice is to not talk to them. However, if you have the right mindset, you can have a bit of sport. I once had an operative from one of these companies ( not the one you named), apoplectic because I would not 'go through security'. My standpoint being "who the devil are you, you had better go through my security before I give sensitive information'.  I made much about identity theft and if he was from a responsible company, he would not be putting me in this position.

Poor little chap was livid. He had his nice threatening script all ready to go and couldn't get there. Hung up in the end, at which point I emailed the company and complained about his attitude.

Best fun I had in years, .......but you have to have a certain mindset.

I am of exactly same mind set and i have on many occasions baited such people,!!!

Trainerman

Grizebeck said:

Trainerman said:

As regards your original question, the usual advice is to not talk to them. However, if you have the right mindset, you can have a bit of sport. I once had an operative from one of these companies ( not the one you named), apoplectic because I would not 'go through security'. My standpoint being "who the devil are you, you had better go through my security before I give sensitive information'.  I made much about identity theft and if he was from a responsible company, he would not be putting me in this position.

Poor little chap was livid. He had his nice threatening script all ready to go and couldn't get there. Hung up in the end, at which point I emailed the company and complained about his attitude.

Best fun I had in years, .......but you have to have a certain mindset.

I am of exactly same mind set and i have on many occasions baited such people,!!!

Yes, fun isn't it? Mind you, I have been accused of being a little odd !

Grizebeck

Trainerman said:

Grizebeck said:

Trainerman said:

As regards your original question, the usual advice is to not talk to them. However, if you have the right mindset, you can have a bit of sport. I once had an operative from one of these companies ( not the one you named), apoplectic because I would not 'go through security'. My standpoint being "who the devil are you, you had better go through my security before I give sensitive information'.  I made much about identity theft and if he was from a responsible company, he would not be putting me in this position.

Poor little chap was livid. He had his nice threatening script all ready to go and couldn't get there. Hung up in the end, at which point I emailed the company and complained about his attitude.

Best fun I had in years, .......but you have to have a certain mindset.

I am of exactly same mind set and i have on many occasions baited such people,!!!

Yes, fun isn't it? Mind you, I have been accused of being a little odd !

join the boat, i find DRP are good sport as they do the whole aggressive thing and then realise it isn't getting them any where
I have in my previous life been known to get information out of certain parking organisations by saying i am from XYZ and starting a whole conversation on various subjects and they wouldn't question me, you just have to have the balls to pull it off
Quite useful when you need info and some people will talk easily