Why is it my responsibility to help Euro Car Parks?

still_savin

I have letters to my home containing four separate Parking Charge Notices for fines for the same vehicle on consecutive days from Euro Car Parks. The owner of the car was a foster child who left here last year, although he bought this car while still living here. I don't have contact details for him now.
The threatograms add up to £400 in total, which is obviously of concern to me, so I tried to reach Euro Car Parks and assist them by letting them know their target didn't live here. No phone number is answered by a person, only a recording telling you how to pay. No email address seems to exist to contact them - the only ones I can find are for telling them you want them to rob drivers on your own bit of land. I can't find any way to help ECP other than to create appeals against each penalty notice one at a time and then tell them they have the wrong address (presuming I can do that even then!). 
My question then is this - what liability do I have to help ECP? Yes, I get that it's 'reasonable' of me to inform them the chap doesn't live here any more, but how much 'work' is 'reasonable'? I simply want to email them! 

Gr1pr

Post a letter is one option , with the PCNs enclosed, but taking note of the PCN details, perhaps taking pictures of them so you have the details 

Go to the BPA AOS member list, look to the right and use the complaint link to complain about the constant letters, telling them that the REGISTERED KEEPER and driver no longer live there etc 

Perhaps email the DPO at ECP too , regarding the use of your address etc

Perhaps complain to the DVLA about it too

These letters from ECP are not fines or penalty notices, so use the correct terminology too , Parking Charge Notices are what they are

Its not about helping ECP, its about protecting yourself etc, so keep dated copies of everything, including your responses 

DE_612183

Send them back - not known at this address.

Brie

You have no liability to ECP.  You could simply pop the letters back to them marked "addressee gone away".

The bigger concern is your former foster child who may not have notified the DVLA that they have moved.  Furthermore ECP will escalate the charges and eventually say they are going to court which will result in foster child having a CCJ logged on their credit history.  

Now no one is going to suggest that you pay ECP to stop this happening.  I don't know what they might suggest though about you taking on the work of challenging ECP's right to produce PCNs in the first place.  

Coupon-mad

I think you are taking these letters too seriously and you don't need to contact ECP.  These aren't fines.

Is this in Scotland or England?

Robin9

I agree with the above - nothing to do with you.   I am thinking of the future and what else might drop through your letter box

Although you don't have contact details of the foster child do you still have contact with Social Services ? Could they contact the child? (Perhaps not as I think over 18's drop off Social Services books)

Fruitcake

They are not fines nor penalties.
Never, ever 'phone a parking company or any of their agents.
You have no liability, and need do nothing at all if you do not wish to.
You could however if you wish, send the letters back, marked "not at this address," but don't expect them to stop coming.

You could if possible warn the vehicle keeper and get them to send a rectification notice to the DPO of EPC instructing them to erase the old address and replace it with the keeper's new address for service, as well as ensuring they have informed the DVLA of their change of address for both V5C and driving licence.
When we fostered and then adopted, the agency used a "letter box" system so that messages could be passed to and fro without the two parties knowing the other's address. It might be worth asking if that is still possible, even post adulthood.

still_savin

Thank you everyone for your comments - they have eased my mind considerably. I did find a form that allowed me to contact them yesterday before I posted here, and I sent them a brief message to say that the person they were looking for no longer lived here. Now, I get it that people will say that anyway, just to try and get rid of a parking company, and I understand that they might not want to believe at first blush they are barking up the wrong tree. 

But I *don't* get their reply, which seems to imagine that it's up to me to help them. How are they so entitled?


NoReply <NoReply@eurocarparks.com>

11:38 (42 minutes ago)

to me

Good day,

Please be advised that all correspondence regarding this notice was sent to the address of the registered keeper, which was supplied to us by the DVLA.

If you believe this address to be incorrect or misused, you should contact the DVLA to inform them of this in order for them to amend their records and provide us with a copy of their response confirming that their records have been updated.

However, as this was the address provided by the DVLA as that of the registered keeper of the vehicle, without proof from the DVLA confirming that the address has been incorrectly supplied, we are unable to transfer the notice. Therefore, any further correspondence regarding the notice will continue to be forwarded to this address as this is the address which the DVLA hold as that of the registered keeper of the vehicle.

Kind regards,

Customer services

--

This e-mail was sent from a contact form on Euro Car Parks (https://www.eurocarparks.com)

DE_612183

Are you still getting letters from the DVLA regarding this car - ie Tax reminders etc?

Have you checked on DVLA website if it mot'd and taxed?

Fruitcake

still_savin said:

Thank you everyone for your comments - they have eased my mind considerably. I did find a form that allowed me to contact them yesterday before I posted here, and I sent them a brief message to say that the person they were looking for no longer lived here. Now, I get it that people will say that anyway, just to try and get rid of a parking company, and I understand that they might not want to believe at first blush they are barking up the wrong tree. 

But I *don't* get their reply, which seems to imagine that it's up to me to help them. How are they so entitled?


NoReply <NoReply@eurocarparks.com>

11:38 (42 minutes ago)

to me

Good day,

Please be advised that all correspondence regarding this notice was sent to the address of the registered keeper, which was supplied to us by the DVLA.

If you believe this address to be incorrect or misused, you should contact the DVLA to inform them of this in order for them to amend their records and provide us with a copy of their response confirming that their records have been updated.

However, as this was the address provided by the DVLA as that of the registered keeper of the vehicle, without proof from the DVLA confirming that the address has been incorrectly supplied, we are unable to transfer the notice. Therefore, any further correspondence regarding the notice will continue to be forwarded to this address as this is the address which the DVLA hold as that of the registered keeper of the vehicle.

Kind regards,

Customer services

--

This e-mail was sent from a contact form on Euro Car Parks (https://www.eurocarparks.com)

They are not entitled, and it is not up to you to do anything, but,

They think you are lying
They hope either the person they want will get frightened and contact them, or, you will get frightened and tell them the information they want
They don't care if you are telling the truth
They only have one address, and even if the keeper has changed it post alleged parking event with the DVLA, the PPC can't ask the DVLA again
They are greedy and want money

If they want to find the person concerned, they could do a soft search that will only cost them a few pence.

As already advised, you can ignore the letters, or you could hand them back to the Postie, telling them the addressee no longer lives at your address, or post them back marked "not at this address." 

You are permitted to open post received at your property but addressed to another person provided that you do not use the contents to your advantage or the addressee's detriment. Personally I wouldn't open anything else unless it is from a solicitor or the CNBC in Northampton.