Received a Debt Recovery Plus Letter but no letters before!!

Hellothree

Hello,

Today I received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus regarding an "unpaid" parking charge - it says I've ignored all previous letters and now I have to pay £170. It also says to pay by THIS FRIDAY! (9th Feb) so I have less than 48 hours to even figure something out! Which also seems completely unfair.

I have not received any letters before this to notify me that I have a parking fine (I did pay and display but went over the time) I would have happily paid the initial fine, had I received the letters!

I called the Debt Recovery Plus and they said they have proof of sending me the letters. So what do I do now? It seems so unfair to have to pay £170 when I haven't received any notice before this! 

Can anyone help? Thank you!

KeithP

The fourth post of the NEWBIES thread explains exactly how to deal with debt collector's letters, but to summarise that post - ignore them.

Check the keeper's address on your vehicle's Registration Document(V5c).
Almost certainly that is out of date - you have moved home and not kept it up to date.
That can easily be corrected on the DVLA website.
You also need to inform DRP and the parking company they are representing, of your current address.

Which parking company is involved?

Coupon-mad

You aren't going to be PAYING anything, this is nothing (except your V5C address is probably out of date, which you MUST address).

The fourth post of the NEWBIES thread explains exactly how to deal with debt collector's letters.  As KeithP says.

Same as all the other cases; here's a few from this week (yes it is that common):

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6503409/smart-parking-debt-recovery-plus/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6503642/debt-recovery-plus-text-03-02-2024

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6502763/never-received-original-pcn-now-have-debt-recovery-plus-letters


And last week, same:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6502156/debt-recovery-letters-wrong-address/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6500488/letter-from-debt-collectors-for-parking-fine

Obviously get that old address ERASED from the databases of the parking firm and the debt crawlers.  That is all.
 
See you back here if you get a claim.  Yes - a court claim (easy to defend) if PLAN A in the first post of 'NEWBIES PLEASE READ THESE FAQS FIRST' (a pinned announcement thread) doesn't work.

No paying it. Stop ringing them!

Tell us if PLAN A works. Read the NEWBIES thread please.

Hellothree

KeithP said:

The fourth post of the NEWBIES thread explains exactly how to deal with debt collector's letters, but to summarise that post - ignore them.

Check the keeper's address on your vehicle's Registration Document(V5c).
Almost certainly that is out of date - you have moved home and not kept it up to date.
That can easily be corrected on the DVLA website.
You also need to inform DRP and the parking company they are representing, of your current address.

Which parking company is involved?

Hi Keith thanks for replying. My address with DVLA is up-to-date. Lived in the same house for 7 years and have always received PCNs usually. Just received no PCNs for this one!

The parking company is Initial Parking Ltd

KeithP

Hellothree said:
My address with DVLA is up-to-date.

For both your vehicle and your Driving Licence?

Hellothree

Coupon-mad said:

You aren't going to be PAYING anything, this is nothing (except your V5C address is probably out of date, which you MUST address).

The fourth post of the NEWBIES thread explains exactly how to deal with debt collector's letters.  As KeithP says.

Same as all the other cases; here's a few from this week (yes it is that common):

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6503409/smart-parking-debt-recovery-plus/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6503642/debt-recovery-plus-text-03-02-2024

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6502763/never-received-original-pcn-now-have-debt-recovery-plus-letters


And last week, same:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6502156/debt-recovery-letters-wrong-address/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6500488/letter-from-debt-collectors-for-parking-fine

Obviously get that old address ERASED from the databases of the parking firm and the debt crawlers.  That is all.
 
See you back here if you get a claim.  Yes - a court claim (easy to defend) if PLAN A in the first post of 'NEWBIES PLEASE READ THESE FAQS FIRST' (a pinned announcement thread) doesn't work.

No paying it. Stop ringing them!

Tell us if PLAN A works. Read the NEWBIES thread please.

Thanks so much for your response. Will go through all this in the morning, had enough of researching now! But my address is up-to-date, which is why I'm so confused as to why I haven't received any PCN's - I have in the past and still in the same address.

Hellothree

KeithP said:

Hellothree said:
My address with DVLA is up-to-date.

For both your vehicle and your Driving Licence?

Yes, both up-to-date so I don't believe they ever sent me a PCN but apparently they claim they have proof

Coupon-mad

Send a complaint (NOT AN APPEAL) online to Initial Parking, telling them that the keeper received no PCN, and quote the new bit in the BPA Code of Practice (Feb 2024) that requires them to reissue a PCN, if not received.

Tell them you suspect that DR Plus are doing all the back office work & letters, and it seems that they only sent a debt demand, which has happened reportedly before, in a case the BPA handled about Smart Parking about 18 months ago.  Smart had to apologise & issue PCNs late.

Then escalate all this to the BPA.

DO NOT write that you expect them to be able to prove a PCN was sent because that hands Initial the easy answer 'the Code does not require us to send letters by a trackable service'.  Use my words above.

Assuming PLAN A doesn't work first.

Hellothree

Coupon-mad said:

Send a complaint NOT AN APPEAL) online to Initial Parking, telling them that the keeper received no PCN, and quote the new bit in the BPA Code of Practice (Feb 2024) that requires them to reissue a PCN, if not received.

Tell them you suspect that DR Plus are doing all the back office work & letters, and it seems that they only sent a debt demand, which has happened reportedly before, in a case the BPA handled about Smart Parking about 18 months ago.  Smart had to apologise & issue PCNs late.

Then escalate all this to the BPA.

DO NOT write that you expect them to be able to prove a PCN was sent because that hands Initial the easy answer 'the Code does not require us to send letters by a trackable service'.  Use my words above.

Assuming PLAN A doesn't work first.

Thanks so much for your help.

So I should try Plan A first? Is that to complain to the retailer? As this car park is not part of any retail, hotel or hospital. To my knowledge, it's just a small car park off a high street that doesn't belong to a certain establishment? It's Wendron Street Car park in Helston, Cornwall if that's any help.

So does that mean I should send the complaint to Initial Parking first? 

Coupon-mad

Yes go straight to a complaint online tomorrow.

Nellymoser

Your not alone. So many people don't receive 1st and/or 2nd pcn but the £170 payment due letter often manages to drop through letter boxes.
PPCs always claim discounted rate/full rate pcns/court claim letters were sent though they offer no evidence to prove this. Since they CHOOSE NOT to provide evidence of their posting we must continue to press gov to ensure they do and see it included in the new Parking CoP. Please @Hellothree sign/share @jmccabe petition closes 22nd june 2024.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/652355
Require communications from Private Parking companies to be traceable/trackable