UKPC parking notice/dcb legal leading to discontinuance

kmargo

@Coupon-mad  and @Umkomaas and many others for sharing your guidance, expertise and experiences - a MAHUSSIVE THANK YOU!

I am a woman going through the menopause suffering unusual-for-me anxiety and brain fog, so the help here has been invaluable. 

For anyone new to the vile and toxic practices of these so called "parking management" companies, I hope it might help to share my timeline if you fall foul of correspondence from UKPC/ZZPS/GCTT/QDR Solicitors/dcb legal.

November 2022 - poor signage, I had no idea I had overstayed a shopping trip at a retail park by 1/2hr (4 hr limit apparently).

March 2023 - returned from long trip away to find 2 UKPC letters dated January and February 2023, billing £60 and £100 respectively, and 2 intimidating ZZPS letters dated Feb and March 2023 demanding £170.
Appeal posted and emailed to UKPC (based on mse website template and now known not to be one to use) but was referred to ZZPS. 
I couldn't find owner details of retail park.
1 intimidating letter from GCTT (ZZPS t/a same address) - ignored after discovering MSE forum parking notice threads.

April 2023 - another intimidating letter from GCTT demanding £170 - ignored.
QDR Solicitors send letter threatening County court proceedings/CCJs - ignored.

August 2023 - just when I hoped it had 'gone away', received dcb legal LOC.  I was away again and missed opening it in good time.

September/October 2023 - N1SDT court document received, completed and returned. Thanks again to forumites on how to write a defence and template examples to include accordingly.

November/December 2023 - 'without prejudice' emails from dcb legal notifying of their intention to proceed and offer to discuss settlement. Ignored.

Mid December 2023  (poor timing less than 2 weeks before Christmas) I received, completed and returned DQ N180, again completed thanks to guidance from this forum.

March 2024 - trial date sent for end of May 2024.  Claimant due to pay court trial fee by early May.  WS due by mid May 2024.  I decided to wait to do WS after I checked court fee is paid early May 2024 - I was still hopeful of a discontinuation and so much time, mental energy and stress has already been spent on this nasty business.

Mid April 2024 - I have other personal factors adding to my  stress levels and was feeling on brink of paying up, but I hang in there prepared to go to court.  Then... approximately 10 working days before Claimant is due to pay court fee, I receive an email from dcb legal with attached N279 informing of discontinuance:



Woo hoo! The immense relief felt, is very real!
Thank you forumites

fisherjim

Well done for holding your ground, the courts are just being used as a threat in the process by these greedy dullards!

Coupon-mad

Fabulous first post from a Defendant who used the resources here with no hand-holding or spoon-feeding of links needed.  Well done!

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!

I am sure @Umkomaas will see this 'shout out' and add you to the Disco thread shortly!

Umkomaas

Great stuff, and an excellent example for others of doing this yourself via forum research and using our templates and general information.  The timeline is a very useful resource for others plagued by DCB Legal, highlighting the steps in the process that will eventually lead to a discontinuation. Talking of which, let's get your name up in lights on the discontinuation thread right now. Well done. 

I'm going to book mark this thread to show newbies how their case could play out this way. 👍

Coupon-mad

I was thinking of doing the same to stop people asking the questions that make us all tear our hair out, like "how long does it take?" and "how do I answer questions in the DQ?" and:

"what do I do with this letter from DCB Legal that everyone gets. Looks like my case is going all the way", etc.