Late Parking Notice - worried about credit rating

Worriedandalone

Hi all

i have looked on the forum for the answer to this but can’t find anything similar so hoping some kind soul will be able to help ease my worries.
I received a Smart Parking PCN notice in the post yesterday (22nd Feb) for £100 reduced to £60 if I pay within 14 days of the date of issue. The problem is that the date of issue is 7th December 2022 and the date of offence 19th November. So i am way over the time of 14 days and also the 28 days to pay it through no fault of mine.
When I try and go online to pay their system refuses to allow payment and states that I need to contact them.
however, they make contacting them really hard and my email to them has had a bounce back saying they will take around 7 days to reply.

My worry is that this is because they’ve already passed it to a debt collection agency and this could now impact my credit rating even though this is the first I’ve ever heard about it. Can anyone put my mind at rest? I’ve emailed the company but would logging an appeal help matters?
Im not looking to avoid the charge, it’s annoying but a fair cop as I was slightly over the permitted time, but it feels very unfair to force me to pay the higher charge or impact my credit rating because they’ve failed to issue the notice promptly. 

Your thoughts would really help

Half_way

There has been no offence.
Your credit score is safe, unless they take you to court, then you loose and then after all that you refuse to pay.
You are a very very long way from that happening.

Who's car park was this?
Do not id the driver or attempt to no I did she did he me brother friend etc

Worriedandalone

It was my car and outside a Home Bargains shop

Fruitcake

Plan A is for the keeper to complain to the landowner, the manager and/or CEO of any store visited, and their MP.

Did you keep the envelope the NTK came in, and if so does it have a date stamp/postmark?

I hope you didn't reveal the driver's identity in your email.

If a landowner cancellation is not forthcoming then the keeper could appeal by post using the template in the sticky Announcement for NEWBIES, and add a one liner that since the NTK was not received until the 22nd, then it is non-PoFA compliant and arrived too late to hold the keeper liable.

I doubt it will do any good but it will look better if this does result in a court claim.

Ignore powerless debt collectors.

Worriedandalone

The email didn’t identify the driver but did say something along the lines of “we have received a letter” so identifies that we’ve received something. 

We’ve still got the envelope but annoyingly there is no postmark on it. We’ve got Ring doorbell footage of the letter being delivered but in honesty it’s very hard to prove that’s the actual letter the postman delivers. It’s a plain white envelope after all.

in honesty, I’m not looking to fight it, just get rid of it before it escalates into something more serious but my fear is that they may have already done this whilst I was blissfully unaware for 3 months. 

Fruitcake

Okay, make the complaints as advised, and appeal by post if that is unsuccessful. Send the appeal first class from a Post Office counter, and get a copy of the proof of sending, which is free.

Worriedandalone

Okay so, if the request to the landowner fails, you think I should appeal on the grounds of late notification. Would I be able to appeal now though as it’s over 28 days passed the date of the “offence”? Would they have already passed it to a debt collection agency?

Grizebeck

Worriedandalone said:

Okay so, if the request to the landowner fails, you think I should appeal on the grounds of late notification. Would I be able to appeal now though as it’s over 28 days passed the date of the “offence”? Would they have already passed it to a debt collection agency?

Its irrelevant as its smart parking so harmless
Its so minor 

Worriedandalone

Well things just escalated. After receiving the first letter yesterday we have just received a letter from a debt collection company demanding £170 within 7 days or they will proceed to court. 

There is a number to call for the debt collection agency but before I do is there any advice? I’ll obviously explain that we only received the initial notification yesterday but I feel like the debt collection company won’t care. 

Boat_to_Bolivia

NO STOP. No phoning the leeches.

Boat_to_Bolivia

The debt collector letters can be safely ignored. But do not ignore a LBCCC (Letter before County Court Claim) or a LOC (Letter of Claim).

You should read the NEWBIE thread, a sticky at the top of this forum which will make things clearer.

BUT DO NOT PHONE ANYONE.