Gladstones Again

Sandfairy

I’ll try & make this short but haven’t found a case similar that I can refer to. 

I received a court summons in August. No prior letters, nothing to ignore. There was something that made me think Scam so I researched Gladstones and decided it was. I sent form back and basically, stupidly wrote a sarcastic note saying they should be paying me for the distress of filing a claim for something I knew nothing about. At this point I showed a few people, all agreeing scam as I had heard nothing in 5 months from alleged fine. I now have a CCJ and a fine of £264.99 which I felt I had no choice but to pay OR risk another £275 trying to challenge it.
Gladstones today send another threatening letter saying I must retract my counterclaim (done when I didn’t believe this was Kosher). This I have done ( I think), filling in N279 and sending to court. I had not had confirmation of counterclaim from court. At no time had I admitted fault and I had asked for mediation so I could get to the bottom of it but Gladstones didn’t acknowledge the communication then filed that I had ignored them! 

I just don’t see how any of this is legal and fair? I have been accused of not paying ( when I have a ticket to show I did), I have been accused of lying about not receiving notice when there was nothing on my car, no mail received and now I have a CCJ attached to my credit report I worked so hard to build in 3 years (after 30 years overseas ). I am absolutely floored that they can get away with this, and the condescending letters from Gladstones are beyond infuriating. Lots of advice on here on how to ignore Gladstones but this is what happens when you do! Can anyone give me hope that this is fixable? 

Umkomaas

1. Check the address showing on the V5C (logbook) for the vehicle in question - that's the address the parking firm and Gladstones would have written to. 

2. Call the Northampton CCBC and ask to which address the court claim was served. Prepare for a long 'on hold' wait on your phone call, start the call at 9am, start of business for best chance of an early answer.

First two steps in starting to sort this out. 

Lots of advice on here on how to ignore Gladstones but this is what happens when you do!

Only when acting in the capacity of debt collectors. There is no advice here to ignore them once the court process commences. 

I now have a CCJ and a fine of £264.99 which I felt I had no choice but to pay OR risk another £275 trying to challenge it.

If the date by when you had to pay the court order has passed (normally one month after the date of the judgment), paying this off does not help your credit rating - it's still trashed!  You need to get the judgment set aside .... or you're shafted credit-wise for 6 years! ..... Or have you already paid it?

Which parking firm is involved?

Sandfairy

Umkomas, yes already paid it within 24 hrs of receiving. Have requested the CCJ is removed but will it be? 
My address is an issue, since I moved in, my landlord sold off part of the property and so my listed address no longer exists. This has caused more issues than just not having mail go missing but they don’t accept that.

Umkomaas

If the CCJ has been paid within the timescale ordered by the judge, the CCJ is expunged from your records. I think you can check with the CCBC that it has been removed. 

If the court papers were served at the 'correct' address, notwithstanding what you say about the landlord selling part of the property off and you not receiving some mail, I think you'd have a much more difficult task in showing the court that the paperwork did not arrive. Different than if you'd moved to a new property and Gladstones were writing to a former address. You seriously chance losing the £275 set aside fee as well as the sum you've already paid - a very risky punt. But see what others say before deciding.

Coupon-mad

Did you lose because your inadequate defence was struck out without a hearing?