Heathrow T3 drop-off penalty, PCNs not received, demand from DRP received

FUDbyDesign

Hi,

First of all I should preface this with an apology if this is just another rehash of a very old thread which I've somehow missed. I've gone through the NEWBIES sticky and several similarly-themed threads as best I can and haven't found a case that quite matches mine. It's been stressing me out a fair bit so I thought I'd share the load .  

Late last November, I dropped off a family member at the Heathrow T3 Drop-off zone and realised 3 days later that I hadn't paid. I expected to get a PCN but nothing came through so I just left things at that.  Last Friday (i.e., 5 months later), I get a "Pay Now" demand from Debt Recovery Plus - which I understand I should just ignore.  

The reason I didn't get the PCNs was, I think, because in February I updated my address on the V5C. Consequently, the PCNs must have been sent to my old address whereas I guess DRP got my current address from a more recent DVLA lookup.

Does that change my situation in any way - should I relay this information to APCOA (as the registered keeper of the vehicle, not the driver)?  Or do I sit tight and let nature take its course?

Thanks, apologies and Scooby snacks.

B789

First, no debt recovery/collector scumbag like DRP can just go to the DVLA and get your details. Only the APCOA could have done that back when you used the drop-off zone. All DRP could have done is a simple soft search of your credit file which would have revealed your current address from utility/bank/council/electoral register records.

Second, If you've never been in touch with APCOA about this such as an appeal and you have not revealed the identity of the driver, there is nothing they can do about it. Had you appealed just saying, literally, "I am the RK. Your PCN is not PoFA compliant as the vehicle was not on relevant land. Sod off or waste your money at POPLA where you will lose anyway." would have been responded to with a letter saying they've cancelled it as a gesture of goodwill.

For now, you know not to respond to any debt collector garbage. APCOA are benign and has not started any county court cases for many years and will eventually drop it. However, you should write to the DPO at APCOA and tell them to "erase" your old address and update it with your current one. Maybe even include the appeal I advised on above at the same time. DRP will probably continue for a while as they are hoping for some gullible mug (unlike you) to capitulate and pay up so they can get their little slice of the action in their no-win, no-pay scam.

Boat_to_Bolivia

This thread may be of interest to you OP

 https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6442128/heathrow-terminal-2-drop-off-pcn-apcoa#latest

Le_Kirk

FUDbyDesign said:

First of all I should preface this with an apology if this is just another rehash of a very old thread which I've somehow missed. I've gone through the NEWBIES sticky and several similarly-themed threads as best I can and haven't found a case that quite matches mine. It's been stressing me out a fair bit so I thought I'd share the load .  

Did you search the forum (rather than just reading the NEWBIE sticky) for T3 drop-off?  There are loads!  They don't have to "quite match" they are all the same - trying it on!  Please don't stress, you have now received good advice above.

FUDbyDesign

B789 said:

For now, you know not to respond to any debt collector garbage. APCOA are benign and has not started any county court cases for many years and will eventually drop it. However, you should write to the DPO at APCOA and tell them to "erase" your old address and update it with your current one. Maybe even include the appeal I advised on above at the same time. DRP will probably continue for a while as they are hoping for some gullible mug (unlike you) to capitulate and pay up so they can get their little slice of the action in their no-win, no-pay scam.

Crystal clear. Thank you for that. Honestly, that whole drop-off charge business is one sick joke - poorly signposted areas, no way to pay other than online, practically no grace period, massively disproportionate penalties, harassing subcontractors, etc. But I digress.  Hopefully, this will be the last you hear from me in a long while!  Thanks again.

FUDbyDesign

Quick update. I have received from DRP another "PAY NOW" demand for £150, containing more ominous phrases like "We will be checking how long it takes you to pay" and "If you do not pay...within 7 days... legal recovery actions will begin". They really do like to ratchet up the rhetoric. Also included is a "Terminal Notice - Pre-Legal Action" letter with yet more ominous-sounding rhetoric. I'm not budging, but just thought I'd share this with others facing a similar situation. 

Grizebeck

All a load of rubbish

FUDbyDesign

Grizebeck said:

All a load of rubbish

Which is where all these letters are going once they get off my case. Curious though -  what's the next stage?  Is there another letter from them coming my way?

Grizebeck

Probably. Who cares though?

Umkomaas

FUDbyDesign said:

Grizebeck said:

All a load of rubbish

Which is where all these letters are going once they get off my case. Curious though -  what's the next stage?  Is there another letter from them coming my way?

It will fizzle out. APCOA never take anything further than silly debt collector letters. But, just to cover all potential bases, so as you know, APCOA do have 6 years in which to commence legal proceedings, but going on past performance, unlikely to happen. 

We're always here if needed. 

Coupon-mad

You have told both APCOA and DRPlus which address to erase?  That's all you need to do.

No need to tell us about letters from DRPlus or their alter ego CST Law (see the CST group thread).

Also read the 4th post of the NEWBIES thread.