DCB Legal / ParkingEye

Coupon-mad

cheme7676 said:

Hi all,

Hope you're keeping well.

Forgot to update here that I submitted the defence and MCOL updated to reflect this.

Good.

Please please please also find time to do this new Call for Evidence this month:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80375249/#Comment_80375249

The Committee invites evidence on:

• What the current level of delay in the County Court is

• The ways in which the County Court engages with litigants in person, and how this could be improved

• The causes of action giving rise to claims in the County Court

• What future reforms to the County Court should be considered.

Please tell them that private parking firms and their bulk litigators are the problem as far as small claims delays are concerned, as they dominate court lists. Parking claim numbers are rising every year and will make up about a third of all small claims in 2023, based on the 2022 figures that the MoJ divulged in the DLUHC's recent Parking Code of Practice Call for Evidence:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/private-parking-code-of-practice-call-for-evidence#:~:text=The%20call%20for%20evidence%20is,help%20the%20decision%2Dmaking%20process.

About half a million parking claims are now made (2023 likely figure).

The MoJ must separate parking cases with a new pre-action protocol requiring use of ADR instead of inflated debt demands and bulk litigators who want court. It should be a last resort but it's the first.The Government needs to remove parking claims from the court system.  They should be handled by an Alternative Dispute Resolution system.

As you know, the Government is already regulating the private parking industry, so they are listening and are aware of the scourge of unfair PCNs from rogues and bulk litigators.  So you are pushing against an  open door but just need to steer all those involved in the same direction.  Evidence is key.

We need people to show the Committee your actual claim forms as evidence and tell them how you feel about being dragged to court over a rogue private PCN.

Interested parties have until 14 December to make a submission to the committee.

cheme7676

@Coupon-mad

Formal letter written up, evidence compiled all into a word document and now submitted. Thanks for letting me know!

Coupon-mad

cheme7676 said:

@Coupon-mad

Formal letter written up, evidence compiled all into a word document and now submitted. Thanks for letting me know!

Great!

Did it let you upload images, PDFs and word docs?

cheme7676

Coupon-mad said:

cheme7676 said:

@Coupon-mad

Formal letter written up, evidence compiled all into a word document and now submitted. Thanks for letting me know!

Great!

Did it let you upload images, PDFs and word docs?

Only word documents allowed and if I remember correctly you it only let me upload one document. So i took scans of the claims forms and appended them to the end of the word document and referred to them in the main text

Coupon-mad

Thanks - that's worth knowing.  I will have to use a few URL links then, when I do my evidence!

cheme7676

Hey @Coupon-mad,

The claim where I submitted my DQ has updated a few days back and now shows it was transferred (to my court). I haven't been home yet to see any letters as I'm away till next weekend.

I looked at another CP Plus/DCB Legal thread from February where you told someone:

Coupon-mad said:

I'd email DCBLegal, refer to their unsolicited phone call and urge them to cease and desist with phone contact, cut the crap, hurry up with the inevitable notice of discontinuance and save themselves the hearing fee.

And yes, I would put it like that.

Roll on your discontinuance!

Which resulted in the discontinuation of their claim: Moto Car Park - DCB Legal & CP Plus / Group Nexus — MoneySavingExpert Forum


I was wondering whether this still applies and whether it's a good time for me to do the same? I haven't received any unsolicited calls yet but was thinking of sending it without that part to see if I can get them to discontinue before I spend time writing my WS when it comes to it. 

Thanks in advance

Coupon-mad

I certainly would.

And, and...please:

If you could reply to this Inquiry that would be superb.  ...only TWO WEEKS left to do this VERY relevant Inquiry linked & discussed here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80417494/#Comment_80417494

Really relevant because the reason there are delays in the work of the county court is because up to a THIRD of all small claims are poxy private parking.

Your paperwork will be great evidence.  

This is about showing how parking firms delay cases, fail to fairly resolve them out of court, abuse the court service and cause CCJs.

There should be a bespoke private parking protocol to resolve cases without court,  and the Single Appeals service should act as a 'court buffer' ADR.

I think if enough people say the above sort of stuff, this Justice Committee will go and talk to the DLUHC guys I'm dealing with, and hopefully recommend a new pre-action protocol.  Desperately needed and it would solve the court delays.

KeithP

You are unlikely to get them to discontinue until just before they need to file their Witness Statement.

Did you read that thread that @Umkomaas pointed out to you back in August?
Here's the link again...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377263/dcb-legal-record-of-private-parking-court-claim-discontinuations/p1

There are now well over two hundred discontinuations reported there, and of course we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg on this forum - there must've been thousands of DCBL discontinuations that we haven't heard about.

cheme7676

Thanks @Coupon-mad - submitted as above!

Regarding the other incident in this thread, MCOL updated from "Defence Received" (submitted in July) to "Case Stay Lifted" today. Is this something to be worried about? I haven't seen any correspondence yet and still not been asked to fill a DQ on this instance.

Coupon-mad

'Case stay lifted' does mean it's open again.

So glad to read you've done that Inquiry. Every response that drums into the Justice Committee that the problem IS parking bulk litigation and it's out of control, is another step towards the pre-action protocol and ADR that is needed.