Time ran out to appeal my PCN whilst I was waiting for evidence of my breakdown from RAC

Razor96

I parked in a retail car park whilst I went to the gym for an hour. When I returned to my car the engine wouldn’t start. The RAC took a long time to arrive and I ended up going over the time limit allowed in the car park. Two months later I received a PCN for £100. I thought I should appeal this due to the car breakdown. I do not have a RAC online account due to my cover being through my car insurance provider. As a result I had to attain evidence via email which took a couple of weeks. This meant that I could not appeal the PCN. I decided to reach out to the parking company anyway to explain my situation. They have responded by telling me the time has passed for appeals and that there is a helpline telephone number on the signs in the car park to help with situations like this and could have avoided a charge. It was pitch black outside and I was requested by the RAC to stay in my vehicle so I could not possibly see a helpline number. Since the first PCN, I have received a ‘final reminder’, ‘demand for payment’ and a ‘final demand’, oh and a nice invoice from Trace Debt Recovery too. 

I’m just wondering what my chances are of winning a court case if it gets to that.
Thanks in advance.

Coupon-mad

Ignore them and ignore Trace COMPLETELY.

Which PPC?

Complain to the managing agents who run the retail park and include your evidence and ask them to tell their agent to cancel the scam charge.

Their name is on the entrance plinth; if not, Google the place.

Razor96

Thanks for the advice. The PPC is Vehicle Control Services. I will contact the management agent of the retail park.

KeithP

Which retail park is involved here?

Half_way

Bear in mind, the time limit to "appeal" is a figure that is entirely made up by the industry, as is the word Appeal, as you are not appealing anything. Its all designed to try and make it sound like a real parking ticket , well supposedly designed to make it seem like it is, some may say its a co incidence that its sounds similar ie the co incidence that a PCN - that is a Parking Charge Notice has the same initial as a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)

 What you are doing is challenging an invoice that you disagree with and for that you should have 12 months in which to do so

Coupon-mad

Razor96 said:

Thanks for the advice. The PPC is Vehicle Control Services. I will contact the management agent of the retail park.

There is no real appeal, just so you know.

POLITE BUT ANGRY COMPLAINT is the way forward.

No-one pays VCS here.

No-one here would have used a retail park with VCS signs.  I'd have taken one look and left.

Tell the retail park in your complaint, that you have discovered that there are plenty of people already boycotting this site (and some appalling online reviews) and you won't return unless they can kindly step in and cancel this PCN and give some thought to sacking these predatory ex-clampers for good.

Razor96

Update:

The landowner has not got back to me about my situation and I have now received a Letter Before Claim. 

There is a reply form with lots of boxes to fill out. One of the boxes reads ‘I dispute the debt. Tick this box if you don’t owe the debt, for example because the debt should be paid by someone else, because you have already paid it, or because there is a legal problem with the credit agreement.’ There is also a large space underneath to explain why you don’t owe the debt and a request of any supporting documents. 

Should I fill this out thoroughly and print off my evidence of my breakdown from the RAC and send this off? 

Half_way

Who have you got in touch with?

who is the landowner?

KeithP

The first few paragraphs of the second post of the NEWBIES thread describe exactly how to react upon receipt of a Letter Before Claim.

Razor96

The landowner is Workman LLP. I went on their website and found a correspondent for a neighbouring city (my city wasn’t listed). I explained my situation to the correspondent on 20/06. He got back to me on the same day and said ‘Thanks for your e-mail below. I have copied in the Property Manager who can review and respond to your query as appropriate.’

The property manager has yet to get back to me. 

After receiving another letter today (Letter Before Claim) I have emailed the property manager directly, sending them the same email that they should have seen anyway after being copied into the email thread.

Coupon-mad

Send the same reply to the LBC as I posted the other day for @cheme7676 (that's a link).