PCN UKPC Ltd / DCB Legal ‘Letter of Claim’ McDonalds Alleged Overstay

ElecWal

Hi all, I’m a newbie and hopefully here for some help and guidance.

So, on the 18th February 2023 I received a ‘Letter of Claim’ dated 15th February 2023 from DCB Legal for a unpaid PCN debt of £170 (initially £50, then £100) from UKPC Ltd for an alleged parking offence 

(overstay of the 90 mins maximum stay time) that took place on 11th January 2022 at McDonalds - Newark.

I previously ignored all other letters until now.

For information the vehicle in question was sold on 11th April 2022. So I’m no longer the registered keeper.

I have studied the newbie FAQ’s section and various forums posts and I’m looking to proceed with an SAR to UKPC Ltd’s DPO. (Which I’ve located the email address) Also I’m going to send an email to DCB Legal to make them aware of this. 

Is this the correct procedure and should I be waiting a week or so before I proceed to give me the maximum time available.

 Is there anything I can do in the meantime or just more research? 

Appreciate all your help, thank you.

Coupon-mad

For information the vehicle in question was sold on 11th April 2022. So I’m no longer the registered keeper.

That isn't relevant.

 Is there anything I can do in the meantime? 

A formal complaint to McDonalds.

ElecWal

Thank you.

I know it wasn’t relevant. It was just for information purposes.

So, I spoke to the manager at McDonald’s Newark today to complain (also ask for the complaints department email too) about the alleged overstay offence and surprisingly he was very helpful.

At this stage he told me they can’t cancel the PCN and that i should appeal to UKPC Ltd (which i won’t be doing) but early on they definitely can remove it. Also, for future reference he told me that if anyone was to ever overstay the 90 mins (as long as you are correctly using their facilities) they can add your registration for a day pass or cancel it if it comes through if you let them know ASAP (when you leave).

Regarding the SAR and timescales is it best to leave it a little longer for the maximum time?

Boat_to_Bolivia

ElecWal said:

So, I spoke to the manager at McDonald’s Newark today to complain (also ask for the complaints department email too) about the alleged overstay offence and unsurprisingly he was very unhelpful.

Corrected that for you. Send a formal complaint!

ElecWal

Boat_to_Bolivia said:

ElecWal said:

So, I spoke to the manager at McDonald’s Newark today to complain (also ask for the complaints department email too) about the alleged overstay offence and unsurprisingly he was very unhelpful.

Corrected that for you. Send a formal complaint!

I will do. I suppose I just expected a more confrontation discussion. 

ElecWal

I have an update regarding a compliant I emailed the CEO of McDonalds and a complaints department.

for future reference the email addresses are:

alistair.macrow@uk.mcd.com

customerservices@mcdonalds.co.uk

Here is their response:

“Dear ……,
 
I am writing further to your email which has been passed for my attention from Alistair Macrow regarding your visit to our Newark restaurant. I have noted your comments and welcome the opportunity to confirm our policy on this matter.
 
As a company, putting in place enforcements within our car parks is only done after careful consideration and very much as a last resort. Primarily, we use parking measures to ensure there are spaces available for our customers’ vehicles, as well as to deter unwarranted or unreasonably prolonged usage of the facility.
 
I can confirm this parking area is managed by an independent company who are responsible for monitoring the car park and taking details of registration numbers. The regulations and signs at the restaurant clearly state the policy and the relevant charges.
 
I trust you will appreciate that in order to maintain a consistent approach; we have to adhere to the guidelines in place regardless of whether you were in the restaurant for the duration of the stay or not. As such, in a situation such as a clear contravention of parking regulations, we are unable to deal with any specifics or cases on an individual basis. Suffice to say, if a customer contravenes the clearly displayed parking regulations, they will receive a ticket.
 
Thank you for contacting us and again for the opportunity to comment and if you do wish to pursue the matter, this will need to be done by following the appeals process outlined on the parking ticket.
 
Kind regards,
 

Michael Kelly
Senior Customer Services Manager
Customer Services Team”

Coupon-mad

Reply and tell them this response is unacceptable.

ElecWal

Coupon-mad said:

Reply and tell them this response is unacceptable.

I was going to could I ask for your scrutiny of my response please:

“Dear Michael Kelly,

I am too writing further to your email which I have noted your comments and welcome the opportunity to scrutinise your policy on this matter.

I’m sorry but your response is uninspiring generic and completely unacceptable. You as a company need to take responsibility for these issues you have created and rectify them.

I do appreciate you have issues in certain restaurants (Newark has a very small car park and is right next to the A1) but there are much better ways of dealing with this! It is utterly appalling for genuine warranted users like myself who are being horrendously penalised for the correct usage of your facilities as you would like and as they are supposed to be.

‘So, let’s go for a coffee, let’s have some lunch too, oh brilliant I’ll just use the free Wi-Fi to finish off some work and then get a £100 parking ticket. (Because we stayed just a little too long using your inviting facilities).

The independent parking company your referring to is UK Parking Control Ltd. They do not monitor the car park, they monitor for opportunities to primarily make profit. The signs are not clear (as proved by POPLA on many occasions) and you can not contravene private parking regulations you have paid for or been contracted to. 

‘Also, It is not parking ticket it is an invoice’ 

UKPC Ltd and there subsidies are unregulated, they intimidate, harass and bully genuine customers like myself into paying a completely unrealistic parking charge.

UKPC Ltd’s appeals process is a joke! Their procedures involve them trying to trick the registered keeper into admitting they are the driver and subsequently mine was rejected! So I’ve now been harassed with an abundance of debt collectors letters for over a year. I have now received a ‘Letter of Claim’ for DCB Legal asking for me to pay £170. I have 30 days to do so or I will need to start writing my defence for court!

I do not understand how you can completely wash your hands of all of this! I and many others use your McDonalds restaurants on a daily/weekly basis and i’m appalled by this carefully considered enforcement which is disgraceful behaviour towards your most valued assets.

Yours sincerely”

Le_Kirk

ElecWal said:

I’m sorry but your Your response is uninspiringly generic and completely unacceptable. You, as a company, need to take responsibility for these issues you have created and rectify them.

I do appreciate you have issues in certain restaurants (Newark has a very small car park and is right next to the A1) but there are much better ways of dealing with this! It is utterly appalling for genuine warranted users like myself who are being horrendously penalised for the correct usage of your facilities as you would like and as they are supposed to be.

‘So, let’s go for a coffee, let’s have some lunch too, let's spend some money at your restaurant, oh brilliant I’ll just use the free Wi-Fi to finish off some work and then get a £100 parking ticket. (Because we stayed just a little too long using your inviting facilities).

The independent parking company your you are referring to is UK Parking Control Ltd. They do not monitor the car park, they monitor for opportunities to primarily make profit. The signs are not clear (as proved by POPLA on many occasions) and you can not contravene private parking regulations you have paid for or been contracted to. 

‘Also, It is not parking ticket it is an invoice’ 

UKPC Ltd and there subsidies their subsidiaries are unregulated, they intimidate, harass and bully genuine customers like myself into paying a completely unrealistic parking charge.

If you haven't sent that, here are some suggestions.

1505grandad

"UKPC Ltd and there subsidies their subsidiaries..."

Perhaps a more apt word would be "and their cohorts"?

B789

Perhaps, highlight something along the following lines...

Blah, blah...

As a regular customer who spends c£50/month (insert whatever figure is relative to you) at your "restaurant" (use this term advisedly), I am not sure you are aware that there are other fast food chains where I can exercise my choice to dine and add to their profits instead. Due to the attitude expressed in your template response, I will indeed be exercising my choice not to further contribute to your establishment's income.

In addition to the above, I will be advising all my family, friends and acquaintances of the abysmal response I have received and advising them to take their custom elsewhere as they risk being invoiced an extra £100 for the dubious privilege of dining at McDonald's. I will leave it up to you to calculate the likely loss of income that your response will have caused, suffice it to say, that over the next year it is likely to be many times more "expensive" for your company than it is going to be if you cannot be bothered to cancel the PCN I have received after being your customer for many years.

Blah, blah...