Letter of Claim from DCB Legal - PCN dated 2019

anotheronewasted

Hi all,
I have signed up to this forum to seek help from the knowledgeable folk that i see here.
I  have received a letter from dcb legal, attached.
It is in relation to a PCN issued by UKPC in 2019.

I did receive some correspondence from UKPC, which I tried to contest, via mail.
All mails I sent went unanswered. (I still have them saved)
At the time the UKPC website had actually been hacked, so couldn't see / do anything - I have a screen recording of this.
Following this, I received letters from multiple different companies, attempting to get the money
I rung one such company, I think it was Zenith solutions (?), and explained to them that I did not accept the charge, and my attempts to contact UKPC were unanswered. I asked for facts / evidence and how they had reached the figure of £160
They were rude, abusive and very aggressive, and actually hung up on me.
This was in 2021 if I recall correct.

Now I receive the attached, which I think is indicating I need to actually do something.
I am just not fully sure what.

Things of note (in my mind anyway)

• The letter from dcb does not break down the £160 charge
• Despite being told by multiple companies that attempts have been made to contact me, I have not had as many letters in the post as they imply.
  Probably never sent, or lost in transit (royal mail notorious for this)
• I am no longer the registered keeper / owner of the car to which the PCN is linked. And haven't been for 1 year plus.
• The letter from dcb does not state how many minutes I am alleged to have overstayed
• The letter from dcb does not give any time stamps
  
• There is no photographic evidence supplied.

I cannot remember the exact circumstances of my using the carpark
I do not live in this area, although based on the date, I did visit during this weekend.

I was in the process of drafting a mail to dcb, but though I should seek some advice first.
My intent was to outline the above points, and conclude with, "my assumption being the alleged offences and charge would be withdrew, and this would be the last I would hear on this matter", or words to that affect.

Any tips on how to proceed would be appreciated.
Part of me is considering just paying, I simply cannot be bothered with the hassle.
Part of me is loathed to do so on principle.
But, I do not want, nor need the grief of possibly ending up in court.

Coupon-mad

It's just a standard Letter of Claim (same as a Letter before Claim).  Do what the NEWBIES thread advises for LBC stage.

No paying.  This is the beginning of the end of the scam, which ends after they file a claim, you defend and they discontinue.

anotheronewasted

Coupon-mad said:

It's just a standard Letter of Claim (same as a Letter before Claim).  Do what the NEWBIES thread advises for LBC stage.

No paying.  This is the beginning of the end of the scam, which ends after they file a claim, you defend and they discontinue.

Thanks, I have read the noobies thread multiple times.
There is a LOT to take in, especially for someone not very well versed in these topics (i.e. me)
As I understand, I should make a SAR request to collate all data related to the PCN? And this goes to UKPC?
Will me not being the registered keeper be an issue? I cannot provide the V5, and all my utility billing is online?
I should then email DCB and request a 30 day extension? I guess this should be done right the last minute, but within the 30 dates of the letter?
Once these are sent, is it a waiting game, to see how they respond?
Or is my 'next move' defined by their resonses?

anotheronewasted

Another point if I may...
The Noobs thread states:
"In EVERY case (not just P/Eye) complain to the Landowner or retailer, and LBC stage is your chance."

I am unsure who the land owner is?
I think it was actually a homebase car park.
I rung the store and asked that they instruct UKPC to cancel the PCN, but the store manage said this was not possible, as they aren't responsible for the car park.
Is there any way i can determine who owns the land, or do I try going higher within the Homebase hierarchy ?

DE_612183

email this guy:
Damian.McGloughlin@homebase.co.uk
He's the Homebase MD - also ask for the name of the landowner that the store is situated on - they should know!

anotheronewasted

DE_612183 said:

email this guy:
Damian.McGloughlin@homebase.co.uk
He's the Homebase MD - also ask for the name of the landowner that the store is situated on - they should know!

Thanks
I have sent a lengthy email to Damian McGloughlin, and the corporate office customer feedback address.
I am honestly not expecting a reply, but worth a shot.
Google is drawing blanks too on this car park

Not_A_Hope

As I understand, I should make a SAR request to collate all data related to the PCN? And this goes to UKPC?
Will me not being the registered keeper be an issue? I cannot provide the V5, and all my utility billing is online?
I should then email DCB and request a 30 day extension? I guess this should be done right the last minute, but within the 30 dates of the letter?

SAR goes to the PPC UKPC.

If you have sold the vehicle send them a copy of the letter they have sent you as evidence you are the data subject. You could also download and send them a redacted utility bill or bank statement. Do not send any photo ID or passport. Remember they are scammers.

Requesting a 30 day hold whilst you seek ‘debt advice’ before DCBLegal issue a claim will give you a bit of breathing space whilst you work out what the process is and your defence. You may also receive a response to your SAR.

Best method of getting this PCN cancelled without going to court is to get it cancelled by the retailer or landowner. Please don’t succumb to their pressure to pay. A good defence and witness statement results in many discontinuations before court.

anotheronewasted

DE_612183 said:

email this guy:
Damian.McGloughlin@homebase.co.uk
He's the Homebase MD - also ask for the name of the landowner that the store is situated on - they should know!

Well, rather surprisingly I have a response from Homebase - they cannot / will not help:
"Unfortunately due to the age of the charge and that Homebase as a company has been bought out by another company and had a lot of administration changes since then, there is nothing we can do to help here."

They go on to say:
"We do not own the land where the carpark fine was given, we do not have any contract with UKPC who at the time owned/rented the land as the carpark is now owned/rented by another company"
So it seems this piece of land has now changed hands, and is not owned by UKPC - does this change anything?

Not_A_Hope said:

SAR goes to the PPC UKPC.

If you have sold the vehicle send them a copy of the letter they have sent you as evidence you are the data subject. You could also download and send them a redacted utility bill or bank statement. Do not send any photo ID or passport. Remember they are scammers.

Requesting a 30 day hold whilst you seek ‘debt advice’ before DCBLegal issue a claim will give you a bit of breathing space whilst you work out what the process is and your defence. You may also receive a response to your SAR.

Best method of getting this PCN cancelled without going to court is to get it cancelled by the retailer or landowner. Please don’t succumb to their pressure to pay. A good defence and witness statement results in many discontinuations before court.

Thanks for confirming.
I have sent an SAR to the DPO at UKPC.
Along with this I attached a recent leccy bill, with everything redacted barring my name and postal address.

I have also mailed DCB advising them that due to their lack of clear and concise evidence (e.g. time of parking) I do not accept the debt. I made it clear I am seeking debt advice, and requested that the claim be put on hold for 30 days to allow me to do so.

I think the retailer route is a dead end, based on the mail from Homebase, they simply do not care enough to even pretend like they will help.
And now it seems the car park in question is not even owned by UKPC:
"We do not own the land where the carpark fine was given, we do not have any contract with UKPC who at the time owned/rented the land as the carpark is now owned/rented by another company"
Does a change in land ownership have any affect on my PCN / case?
I will persist a little with Homebase, and I will ask them to confirm who was the landowner in 2019, and who is now the landowner

Coupon-mad

It was never owned by UKPC.

Not_A_Hope

It is very unusual for a PPC to actually own a car park. They set up an agreement with the landowners to ‘manage’ it.

You could continue to pester Homebase for details of the landowner and suggest you cannot afford to use any of their stores in future if this results in a risk of an additional £100 for genuine customers.

In the meantime wait for the results of your SAR and a potential claim form.

anotheronewasted

Not_A_Hope said:

It is very unusual for a PPC to actually own a car park. They set up an agreement with the landowners to ‘manage’ it.

You could continue to pester Homebase for details of the landowner and suggest you cannot afford to use any of their stores in future if this results in a risk of an additional £100 for genuine customers.

In the meantime wait for the results of your SAR and a potential claim form.

According to the comment from Homebase, UKPC were the owners, but no longer are.
I also find this hard to believe

Their second response states they cannot give me the name of the landowner as it is "protected by GDPR"

I have already stated I will no longer shop at Homebase, or any retailer affiliated with the brand, including Sainsbury's, Fuel stations and Argos...they do not care, lets be honest.

Any tips on how to pester them further would be appreciated, but I feel it's a none starter with them