DCBL notice

cnssnap

Hi all -

Would appreciate a quick opinion on whether I need to pay the parking fine attached. All details provided in the attached redacted photo of the two letters I received. It's many years ago, and I can't remember if I paid the fine at the time or even received notice. I don't normally avoid fines, so would be surprised if i hadn't already paid if they gave me notice at the time, but that won't hold up in any dispute / defence.

I don't have time to really swat up on the subject, so if there's a good chance they'll recover this in the future by whatever means, please indicate so I can pay and avoid the stress.

TLDR: parking fine from 2018, only recently received letters, can't remember if I originally paid the fine or not.

Thank you!

Grizebeck

Follow the newbies....
It isnt a fine
You dont pay. Only a mug pays
There is no stress with these lot

Fruitcake

It is not a fine.

DCB Ltd are powerless debt collectors and can safely be ignored. Do not ignore a Letter of/before Claim that may or may not come from DCB Legal Ltd.

Topher Ltd are IPC members. This is the first I have ever heard of them on this forum. They appear to be a very small family outfit with only one officer.
If they don't know your current address you should send a rectification notice to their DPO instructing them to erase your data and replace it with your current address for service. Make sure you use the word I have highlighted.

Did you get a PCN/NTK prior to this, and if so, what happened?

Plan A is always a complaint to the landowner and your MP. Everything should be done in the name of the vehicle keeper without revealing the driver's identity.

Have you read the sticky Announcement for NEWBIES yet? This will answer most of your questions without you having to ask first.

Grizebeck

@Fruitcake they have been around for a long time but as you say a very small concern and pretty harmless

cnssnap

Thanks guys.

I checked newbies forum and there was a ton of information, with lots of acronyms that I'm still working through.

In short, if I take a lazy approach and do absolutely nothing, and continue ignoring the letters, what's the likelihood that I will eventually have to pay up the £160 or more?

If that likelihood is high, i'd rather cut my losses and pay. However, if the company is just scare-mongering and has no weapons in it's arsenal to recover this, I'd rather leave it.

cnssnap

@Fruitcake will this usually escalate into a letter from DCB Legal? If so, seems to make sense to just pay and avoid the hassle. Honestly not sure re. prior correspondence, quite a long time ago

Grizebeck

Stop thinking about paying. Dont be an easy victim
Unlikely to get a court claim 
Please get a backbone over this and forget about them unless you get a claim 

cnssnap

@Grizebeck what I'm getting is that if I get a letter though from DCB Legal, then I take action. But what I don't understand is what proportion of these cases devolve into that? And when they do, whether the amount owed increases? If the answer is low-likelihood and no change to owing amount (£160), then I'll ignore. Otherwise, I can't spend hours upon hours researching and backing my case, so I know i'd lose in any situation that requires my input.

Grizebeck

Your question is irrelevant as it has no impact on your own case
You dont owe anything and i have never seen a court claim from Topher.
If you get one just come back here
Again dont be an easy victim

Fruitcake

You might get a claim, you might not. Nobody can predict that.

You are more likely to get a court claim if the PPC does not have your current address for service. Whether Topher will or won't is not known, but they could easily and cheaply make a claim against you at your old address knowing you will never receive it.

I asked several questions, the answers to which will help us to help you. I also made a specific suggestion depending on the answer to one of these questions.

You don't have to take advice given here, but neither of us want you coming back later asking how to clear a CCJ from a default judgment because you took the lazy way out and did nothing.

Coupon-mad

As long as you don't move house - which DOES require you to write to tell the scammers - there is no stage that requires much input at all.

If a claim arrives from DCBLegal you'd just hop back here, check in with us and copy our template defence, adding your facts in one paragraph to make it your own.

DCBLegal would later discontinue.  No hearing, no costs, no risk, no CCJ.

The likelihood of a court claim depends on the parking firm.  Do NOTHING about DCB Ltd letters.

Topher Ltd are highly UNLIKELY to sue.