Smart parking - no response

kbt2024

Hello, 
I had a PCN come through in December 2023 and appealed with smart parking. I had an auto response to confirm
they will respond in 35 days and if the appeal is not a success, they would continue the amount at that time with extended payment terms.
i never had a response from smart parking and suddenly started to receive letters from debt recovery plus now saying I owe 170!! 

I couldn’t find a number for smart parking but an email I did so I have been messaging them and they have said they did reply and sent me a print screen of a cropped letter which looks like a mail merge and could have been pulled together today just to respond! I’m fuming! My friend also received a fine at the same time for the same ‘offence!’and appealed but she has had nothing further. 

I havw been told by DRP I need to pay by today…..what do I do?! 

Thank you!

Fruitcake

To start with, please read the sticky Announcement for NEWBIES.

Plan A is always a complain to the landowner and your MP.

Nobody has received a fine.
Debt collectors are powerless, can do absolutely nothing except send you poor quality bog-paper, and can safely be ignored.
Never, ever 'phone a parking company or any of their agents.

When you appealed, did you reveal the driver's identity, or did you sensibly only appeal as keeper?

Complain to the BPA that you did not receive a PoPLA code.

Gr1pr

Ignore DRP, do not speak to them at all

Go to the BPA website, look for Smart on the AOS member list, look on the right for the Complaints information, use it and send another complaint 

If they ignore or reject the new complaint, complain to the BPA AOS compliance team on the BPA website, including all documents and the complaint response 

You should have received a cancellation, or a rejection that included a Popla code 

Trainerman

Gr1pr said:

Ignore DRP, do not speak to them at all

Go to the BPA website, look for Smart on the AOS member list, look on the right for the Complaints information, use it and send another complaint 

If they ignore or reject the new complaint, complain to the BPA AOS compliance team on the BPA website, including all documents and the complaint response 

You should have received a cancellation, or a rejection that included a Popla code 

So, if there is no PoPLA code on this cobbled together letter, it would tend to prove the point that it is not genuine, would it not?

Gr1pr

Until we see any paperwork I couldn't possibly comment on that 

I am pointing out the correct procedures and stages that the BPA require people to go through, especially as they may ask that the OP complied with the procedures 

After that, its about what the BPA make of it, not me 

Similar things happening in other Smart parking threads like this one 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6520337/smart-parking-ticket/p1

Coupon-mad

Same as all these:

Something of a pattern, eh?  Especially as the same has happened to your friend:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6524609/smart-parking-major-keying-errors-appeal-no-response-debt-recovery-plus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80511826/#Comment_80511826

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6503076/smart-parking-not-responded-to-appeal

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80511533/#Comment_80511533

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80719312/#Comment_80719312

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6514685/smart-parking-pcn-not-received-escalated-to-debt-recovery-within-a-month

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6513559/smart-parking-notice-and-debt-recovery-plus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6506021/smart-parking-and-debt-recovery-plus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80514282/#Comment_80514282

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6489447/smart-parking-ltd/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6489424/smart-parking-didnt-responded-for-appeal

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6525173/smart-parking-penalty-error-and-now-debt-collector-letter

I suspect this might be DR Plus causing it.  Smart have blamed DR Plus before. I suspect they do the back office appeals for Smart and just deliberately or negligently, they (or Smart) drop the ball in a lot of cases and overlook appeals.

Smart Parking had a similar 'problem' once before, and had to admit it to the BPA.

They blamed their debt collectors for sending the wrong letter first.  I saw the outcome from Steve Clark at the BPA when he clamped down in it two years ago.

Now he has left, here we go again.

Not sure which of the two of them is allegedly (victims are saying) 'faking' appeal rejection letters but you'll see from the above links that you are not the first to suggest that.

You and your friend must go through Smart's complaints policy WITHOUT SAYING WHO WAS DRIVING and tell them this is not an appeal, it is a complaint & the pattern is getting ridiculous.

parkingfine887

How much does SMARTPARKING make in a year and do they pay local Councils part of the fine ?

parkingfine887

DO THEY PAY BURY COUNCIL ?

Gr1pr

Smart Parking work with landowners,  managing agents and leaseholders,  I doubt that they pay a penny to any public authority 

Coupon-mad

parkingfine887 said:

How much does SMARTPARKING make in a year and do they pay local Councils part of the fine ?

Of course not.

It's nothing to do with any Council

ChirpyChicken

This poster goes off on a tangent