Debt recovery plus - Euro Car parks

jdub1206

Hi everyone. I have received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus regarding a parking violation within a Euro car park. They are claiming that I parked longer than the maximum period allowed at a Sainsbury's in Windermere. The ANPR camera logs me entering the car park at 8:19 am and leaving at 3:10 pm. I did visit Sainsbury's that morning to buy my lunch but then left 10 minutes later to leave for work. I work in primary schools in the area teaching music. I may have returned later that afternoon to buy a drink, but this was several hours later, and the no-returns policy is one hour. I have evidence of all of this via my Google Maps timelines and the fact that I have to log into the school that I teach at in the morning and then a second school in the afternoon. I then teach many private lessons after this who can all validate that I was driving my car at the time. Hopefully, there will also be CCTV from the first school I visit in the morning. This all took place last November. I have the added complication that sadly I overlooked the fact that when we moved house last year, I did not update my V5 logbook, so I missed all of the initial correspondence from Euro car parks. The advice I've been given from Debt Recovery Plus is that we either pay the fine, £140, or wait for it to be sent back to Euro car parks who will then potentially commence court proceedings where we would need to give evidence. They have suggested, we seek legal advice first before this happens. What advice would anyone have for us? Do you think given the amount of evidence I have that I left the car park and was located elsewhere in the town will be sufficient to win the case? Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed. Thank you in advance.

Coupon-mad

It's not a fine.  You won't be paying a penny.

Send a complaint (not appeal) to Euro Car Parks telling them two things:

1.  This is clearly a 'double dip' ANPR error (two visits in 24 hours).  I may have returned later that afternoon to buy a drink, but this was several hours later, and the no-returns policy is one hour. I have evidence of all of this via my Google Maps timelines and the fact that I have to log into the school that I teach at in the morning and then a second school in the afternoon. I then teach many private lessons after this who can all validate that I was driving my car at the time.

2.   The BPA CoP (Feb 2024) now includes a new clause and you are in breach.  Euro Car Parks will be reported to the BPA for failing to pause debt recovery, rewind the case to PCN stage and comply with mandatory new clause 23.8 which says:

23.8 You must have a process for considering appeals received outside of the normal 28-day period allowed for lodging an appeal where the appellant provides evidence of exceptional circumstances for the appeal not being lodged within the normal timeframes – where the addressee only discovers and can show that a parking charge notice has been issued in their name after the 28- day period the period must restart and any enforcement, excluding court action, must be paused.

But given the fact this is clearly a double dip ANPR error, I suggest you call your useless DRP dogs off, apologise, cancel the PCN and erase my data (both my new and old address) before I sue you.

Consider this a Letter Before Claim legal warning and a formal complaint.

yours faithfully.

Le_Kirk

I may have returned later that afternoon to buy a drink, but this was several hours later, and the no-returns policy is one hour.

What a ridiculous policy!  What would they have you do if you had completed your shopping, driven away and realised you had left your hat (straw boater, as one poster used to say) or wallet/purse or worse, a child, at the checkout?  Get thee back to Sainsbury's and tell them how stupid their system is, cancel the PCN and you won't be able to shop there again if every trip comes with a £100 surcharge - and neither will your family and friends when you tell them.

D_P_Dance

You are not alone, read these,

** DOUBLE-DIP PARKING - List of cases ** - Page 4 — MoneySavingExpert Forum

fisherjim

The only route to attach these charges to a human is through a VRN of a vehicle, but that vehicle could have been driven by two separate individuals who may have no knowledge of each others movements which makes a total joke of their no returns policy anyway.

You are dealing with greedy scammers both in the parking company and the pointless debt collectors, and there is no "fine" no one actually said that did they?

jdub1206

Thank you everyone for your replies. Greatly appreciated. @Coupon-mad thank you for this. I will be writing to them by email and post today! I will let you all know the outcome. Thanks again for your support.

jdub1206

Also, I have now emailed them via their contact us form on their website. After sending the message, you are greeted with this response:

"We are in receipt of your correspondence and aim to respond to you within 28 days. If you have received a letter from a debt collection agency or a law firm, you will need to contact them directly. Euro Car Parks are unable to deal with your case at this stage."

We will see what happens next. 

Coupon-mad

You didn't use their complaints policy?  Or was contact us the way to lodge a complaint?

jdub1206

Hi @Coupon-mad. Yes, according to their website there are only two ways to complain. One is through the contact us form on their website and the other is to write to them directly via post. However, I have had an instant reply today....

"Good morning,

Please be advised that the Notice is closed and no further action is required.

Kind regards,

Customer services"

Thank you so much for the advice. Greatly appreciated 😊👍

mysticalsoul786

jdub1206 said:

Hi @Coupon-mad. Yes, according to their website there are only two ways to complain. One is through the contact us form on their website and the other is to write to them directly via post. However, I have had an instant reply today....

"Good morning,

Please be advised that the Notice is closed and no further action is required.

Kind regards,

Customer services"

Thank you so much for the advice. Greatly appreciated 😊👍

Thats brill. 

Coupon-mad

jdub1206 said:

Hi @Coupon-mad. Yes, according to their website there are only two ways to complain. One is through the contact us form on their website and the other is to write to them directly via post. However, I have had an instant reply today....

"Good morning,

Please be advised that the Notice is closed and no further action is required.

Kind regards,

Customer services"

Thank you so much for the advice. Greatly appreciated 😊👍

That was quick! But it was a double dip scam PCN that should never have been issued.