Migraine Attack at UKPC Ltd Lady Bay Retail Park in Nottingham

Coupon-mad

Yep, as per 200 others we've helped so far:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377263/dcb-legal-record-of-private-parking-court-claim-discontinuations#latest

This is what we see DCBLegal do.

They set up the legal arm side of the DCB Group comparatively recently - in 2017 - AFAIK purely as 'parking bulk litigators'.

They are now the most prolific in what might be called the conveyor belt of parking claim 'churners'. In just 5 years they've gone from 0 close to 100,000 generic parking claims per year. 

Then after judgment, they feed the 90% that go to CCJs straight to their bailiff arm, DCB Ltd who add more money and if the 'debt' exceeds £600 (easy with the added £70 per PCN and where they are chasing more than one PCN) they send their own HCEOs round.

There's an often-documented previous connection with Gladstones, which is another notorious parking litigator firm with very close back-connections to the IPC Trade Body:

https://www.lawnews.co.uk/legal-insight/appointments/positive-changes-coming-to-the-british-parking-association-with-cheshire-lawyer-new-hire/

More background re meritless claims and the convoluted conflicts of interests:

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2017/10/gladstones-client-pcm-uk-hit-with-1500_29.html?m=1

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2017/07/gladstones-discontinue-heath-parade.html?m=1

And as you can see from that first link, DCBLegal now has massive influence in the rival Trade Body, the BPA.

The parking operators and debt firms have such influence within the Trade Bodies that they effectively 'invented' the added £70 per PCN (so-called admin fee/damages) themselves.

The 2 rival Trade Bodies are widely seen as 'old invested clubs' and the system is broken and about to be replaced.

Do not mistake the BPA for a regulator. They are not.  In 2018 as the Knight Act made its way through the House of Commons the BPA was called "as much use as a multi-storey car park in the Gobi desert" and both rival Trade Bodies were condemned by MPs:

"the current system of regulation is hopeless, like putting Dracula in charge of the blood-bank".

See all the MPs' damning words summarised in brown (under the FAQ) here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822/newbies-private-parking-ticket-old-or-new-read-these-faqs-first-thankyou

Does BBC Nottingham know about the background and huge numbers involved?

Parking court claims make up what looks like c400,000 claims (certainly at least a quarter of ALL small claims) fed with generic wording, no checks & balances and no evidence - not needed at claim stage - through the auto-CCJ sausage machine enabled by the CNBC and the MoJ.

These figures were exposed by the DLUHC's Call For Evidence that's just closed on October 8th.  Facts & figures are in the Government's draft Impact Assessment:
https://www.michaelgove.com/news/government-launches-call-evidence-parking-charge-limits-protect-drivers

Read the draft IA or tell the BBC contacts.
The private parking industry is described as being in 'market failure' by the Government.

Anyway back to DCBLegal:

In our experience, they always discontinue those that make some 'noise' or use our forum Template defence:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6108153/template-defence-to-adapt-for-all-parking-cases-with-added-admin-dra-costs-edited-31st-july-2023/p1

This is what we do here every day.

This is why I said that you would have had a stronger defence had you come here earlier.  See the Template Defence.

There's so much more that defendants could/should be using than mitigation.  But your fightback has got you to the same outcome that we achieve, so nicely done!

You will be number 201 on @Umkomaas' thread(that first link above) if you accept their 'drop hands' offer.

But in your shoes - well - do you want them to walk away scot free? You might want to send them a costs assessment of a few hundred quid and say "no".

Up to you...

Not sure if they are interested but I'm happy to speak to journalists if the BBC guys want more background.

I am the only consumer on the DLUHC's Steering Group which has worked to create the new statutory Code of Practice that the greedy parking industry temporarily blocked with Judicial Reviews in Feb 2022.

I've never missed a meeting since the Government's working group began in 2020.

I can't talk about the work but I can talk about my experience, as well as facts, figures and the main issues as well as why and how this unchecked bulk litigation harm has reached the levels it has, since clamping was banned in 2012.

The current set up is FAR more damaging than clamping, due to the 90% nodded through CCJs ruining people's credit rating, employability and housing mobility chances.  That's real consumer harm.

I'm the lady on Shoreham beach on this show, if BBC Nottingham want a chat:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6318816/parking-the-big-con-on-channel-5-tonight-7pm/p1

SherwoodSound

Coupon-mad said:

Yep, as per 200 others we've helped so far:...

Thank you for this. It is very helpful. They have send me the N279 Notice of Discontinuance, however, I will have a chat with my friend at the BBC see what we can do with this.

The fact these firms are clearly abusing the justice system to scare people into paying to make a profit absolutely horrifies me! I'm sure I read somewhere that this is a criminal offence.

As I said in the OP, you all do amazing work in helping people combat these in-plain-sight scammers. I will keep you updated on our work with the BBC, should they follow this on. 

Coupon-mad

Calling @Umkomaas - another DCBLegal discontinuance!

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!

Umkomaas

Coupon-mad said:

Calling @Umkomaas - another DCBLegal discontinuance!

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!

On to it. 👍

patient_dream

SherwoodSound said:

Coupon-mad said:

Yep, as per 200 others we've helped so far:...

Thank you for this. It is very helpful. They have send me the N279 Notice of Discontinuance, however, I will have a chat with my friend at the BBC see what we can do with this.

The fact these firms are clearly abusing the justice system to scare people into paying to make a profit absolutely horrifies me! I'm sure I read somewhere that this is a criminal offence.

As I said in the OP, you all do amazing work in helping people combat these in-plain-sight scammers. I will keep you updated on our work with the BBC, should they follow this on. 

:Well done ...

This indeed would make a good Panorama programme;;;
Assume you are aware that DCBL and UKPC are both on the BPA's Council of Representatives.  Maybe the BBC could discover if there is a Cartel operating

Nigel Farage on GB News could be interested in this monster scam