About to give in following solicitors reminder for DCB Legal

R5D5

Hi All, 

I have read through the forum and about to pay-up rather than go to court as I think I may have a loser. This pains me as it's the same parking charge scam that many in the forum fell for around Stansted Airport.  Before I pay the infamous £170, I wanted to get final advice from the forum which has been great help so far.

My case is as follows:
In March 2018, I parked in front of the Starbucks near Stansted Mid-term car park. I have received a Parking Charge Notice from MET Parking showing me leaving the car and returning a little while later. Not quite sure how long as it's been a while and I haven't kept the pcn but 15-30 mins. The grounds for the claim as I understood later was that I did not visit the Starbucks but the McDonalds next to it. The McDonalds restaurant is the only other building in the area, I had thought this is a regular service station / leisure centre and it makes no difference where I park as long as I go to one of the two restaurants. Not quite so.

I appealed using Met Parking Website in the process I admitted that I had parked there and indeed went to the McDonalds nextdoor. The have of course rejected my appeal. 

Thereafter, I offered to pay Met Parking via email £10 as a genuine estimate of their losses (which I recall was advice I picked up on some forum or another). This would have been enough to buy a few cups of coffee in Starbucks at the time. They declined my offer. After this point I have ignored the enless chaser letters and DCBL letters they have been sending over the last 4.5 years. I was feeling confident that if they took me to court, I could demonstrate that I had made a reasonable offer to cover their losses and thereby win against the claim.

Looking at the more recent updates in the forum I found that the GPEOL is not a strong one and given that I have already admitted to being in breach of the terms I will likely lose in court. Do you agree with my verdict?


Thanks for your responses in advance

fatbelly

Have they sent the pre-action letter and form with 30-day reply yet?

R5D5

Not yet, only a "Solicitors Reminder Letter" saying they could raise a claim. Should I wait for the pre-action letter?

Coupon-mad

About to give in following solicitors reminder for DCB Legal

R5D5 said:

Not yet, only a "Solicitors Reminder Letter" saying they could raise a claim. Should I wait for the pre-action letter?

Why?!

I mean why even THINK about paying?  'About to give in'? Why?

This would be a laughable claim and you could use the Joe Lycett video in evidence. Your defence case is strong and is about unclear signs and lack of delineation between the car parks.  It is not about GPEOL of course but you realise that now.

MET don't sue people but if they've signed up with DCBLegal and start issuing claims this year, so what? We always win or see DCBLegal discontinue.

As long as you follow our advice, you wouldn't lose!

R5D5

Many thanks Coupon-Mad, I had exactly what happened in Joe Lycett's video  (Link for everybodyelse's benefit: youtu.be/5i_RcNM4SM0)

I will then let them come.  Though, how do I collect evidence of how the site was 5 years ago?

KeithP

R5D5 said:

...how do I collect evidence of how the site was 5 years ago?

Can google street view help with that?
Any threads here that have suitable pictures? This forum forms a vast knowledgebase.

R5D5

Hi all, I wonder if anyone has a ready to go defense for this one (Starbucks / McDonalds parking next to Stansted Airport Midstay car park) with pictures etc that I can copy paste. I have now received the Letter of Claim the Stansted Airport car park so now should now start to compile my defense. Of course, please share a defense that has been succesful!

R5D5

R5D5 said:

Hi all, I wonder if anyone has a ready to go defense for this one (Starbucks / McDonalds parking next to Stansted Airport Midstay car park) with pictures etc that I can copy paste. I have now received the Letter of Claim the Stansted Airport car park so now should now start to compile my defense. Of course, please share a defense that has been succesful!

I only ask as I think it is a pretty common one, as per Joe Lycett's video.

Coupon-mad

The Template Defence is 'ready to go' and usable for any case where debt recovery fees are added.

But it is due (likely) to be changed a bit later this month, to update the position when the DLUHC announce their Draft Impact Assessment this month.

So just reply to the LBC as the NEWBIES thread already tells you, using the magic words to buy more time, and during that 30 day 'hold' you can learn from us about the DLUHC's latest publication once it's out, and how it might help defences.

R5D5

Coupon-mad said:

The Template Defence is 'ready to go' and usable for any case where debt recovery fees are added.

But it is due (likely) to be changed a bit later this month, to update the position when the DLUHC announce their Draft Impact Assessment this month.

So just reply to the LBC as the NEWBIES thread already tells you, using the magic words to buy more time, and during that 30 day 'hold' you can learn from us about the DLUHC's latest publication once it's out, and how it might help defences.

Many thanks Coupon-mad.  I have been a bit too quick reading the NEWBIES thread and sent a SAR request to MET parking (DCB Legal's client). Is that a biggie?  Does it mean I should adapt the template?

Coupon-mad

What template?  You aren't at court claim stage.  You said you only have a LBC and I told you what to do in July, to buy more time - the 30 day hold - and why.