Parking PNC - Euro Car Parks

rover02

I have had a couple of PCN s in the past and the NEWBIE THREAD has also been more than sufficient for me to have them cancelled at the appeal stage. However, on this occasion I have been unable to find an answer. I am also unfamiliar with being at the stage I am now at which is having my appeal rejected by POPLA and so will now likely be receiving debt collection letters. From what I can see on the thread the advice is to ignore these, which I will do. 


I received the £100 fine in September after parking on a Euro Car Park, which has some form of agreement with the leisure centre I was attending at with my daughter for swimming. The agreement is that members of the gym can use the car park for 3 hours free after 1630 during the week and anytime at the weekends. You just have to enter your registration in a machine inside. My daughter and I attended on a Saturday lunchtime. I must have forgotten to enter my registration as it is the only explanation but I certainly believed that did as I always do. I was convinced that the machine has malfunctioned but I am now second guessing myself. I have an email confirmation of my swimming booking for a one hour slot at the relevant times. I was parked for 1 hour 10 minutes, which I sent through on my appeal. Well within the 3 hours parking provision.

I initially complained to the leisure centre but they told me it was nothing to do with them and that they could do speak with Euro Car Parks to have it cancelled given I was simply making use of the free parking on their recommendation (I previously parked elsewhere being unaware of this agreement). Euro Car Parks then rejected my appeal on the basis that I broke the T's and C's by not entering my registration. They did offer for me to pay a £20 admin fee to settle the matter. I just did not believe this was justified though as I have done nothing wrong having been in attendance at the leisure centre for a legitimate purpose. I have proved this with an email confirmation. It does not seem fair that I would have to pay anything, even if I have forgotten to enter my registration on that one occasion. 

I then appealed with POPLA and have found out today that this appeal has been unsuccessful on the same basis and that the signage was clear etc. I am now expecting to receive debt collection letters, but given the circumstances of my fine, I am wondering whether the advice is still to ignore them or if I should contact ECP, pay the fine, re - contact the leisure centre? 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. 

Coupon-mad

Just ignore them!  Keep them updated if you move house within 6 years.

Come back here if they try a small claim.  Unlikely from Euro Car Parks for a VRM keying error.

rover02

Thank you for replying and so promptly. 

rover02

Hello I have received a couple more debt collection letters from zpps, which I have ignored. However, I have now received one from GCTT Enforcement Agents with a 'Notice of Transfer to Solicitors' (QDR Solicitors Limited). 

Does the advice remain the same i.e. to ignore them until a small claim is actually made? 

Thank you in advance. 

Coupon-mad

GCTT are ZZPS.

aldomc03

Hi team,

A new guy here and looking for advice about an email I received from GCTT.

I received a parking charge notice a few years ago and promptly ignored it each time. The car was parked in a hotel car park and at no time were we notified that we had to inform the hotel reception of our registration number. 

Since then, I have received numerous requests to pay the notice, with the most recent email arriving today from GCTT. 

I am based in Scotland and am under the impression that this isn't enforceable 

Can anyone confirm? 

Coupon-mad

Search the forum for Scotland parking law and change results to RECENT. 

LDast

@aldomc03, please start your own thread if you require advice.

rover02

Coupon-mad said:

GCTT are ZZPS.

Hi, I have now received a 'letter of claim' from DCB Legal. I have read some stuff on the NEWBIES forum about sending a generic reply to their solicitor as opposed to responding on their form. However, I am unable to find the email address for the solicitor which should be somewhere on the forum as per the guidelines? They say the charge now stands at £170. All this when I have parked on a free car park for an hour where you type your number plate into a computer within the leisure centre (the car park is that of the college's and run by Euro Car Parks. I still have my email confirmation from the leisure centre proving that I had booked to take my daughter for a family swim session. I don't understand why it didn't register my VRM. The only thing I can think of is that I inputted it into the machine next to it for another adjacent car park with the same conditions. Please can somebody advise what best to reply with an by what means i.e. DCB legal solicitor email address? 

KeithP

The first few paragraphs of the second post of the NEWBIES thread offers a comprehensive response to a Letter of Claim.

info@dcblegal.co.uk seems to work.

rover02

I have since had this reply:

Dear ******

We write in response to your correspondence received in our office dated 03/10/2024.

 

We now respond to the same as follows.

 

The terms and conditions displayed on the signage state a full and correct vehicle registration should be registered, otherwise a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) would be issued. The vehicle was observed on site in breach of these terms and conditions. As such it is our Client’s position that the PCN was issued correctly.  The HMRC ‘VAT Supply and Consideration manual’ (VATSC06140), which was last updated on 02 September 2020, confirmed that parking charge notices falls out of the scope of VAT. There is no requirement for a VAT invoice to be issued to you.In accordance with the British Parking Association (BPA) Code of Practice, where the Parking Charge Notice (PCN) becomes overdue and before Court proceedings have commenced, a reasonable sum may be added for the debt recovery fees. The correct recovery fees have been added and will not be removed. As such, the outstanding balance of £170.00 remains payable to prevent further action. 

You now have 30 days from the date of this email to make payment of £170.00. Failure to make payment will result in a Claim being issued against you without any further reference.

Payment can be made via bank transfer to our designated client account: -

• Account Name: DCB Legal Ltd Client Account  
• Sort Code: 20-24-09  
• Account Number: 60964441

You must quote the correct case reference (120673.35485D) when making payment. If you do not, we may be unable to correctly allocate the payment. If further action is taken by us as a result of an incorrect reference being quoted, you will be liable for any further fees or costs incurred.

Alternatively, you can contact DCB Legal Ltd on 0203 838 7038 to make payment over the telephone or online at *******. 

Kind Regards, 

 

****** ****

Litigation Support Associate 

DCB Legal Ltd  

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Can you advise best cours of action? Am I to just remain firm. I can't believe it's getting to this. 

Thanks in advance

Chris