Advice please

kdkm

Hi,  please could anyone help settle my churning stomach.
Last August I took my 4 year old granddaughter to buy shoes from Clarks in Wigan, an area I am completely unfamiliar with. I parked in a euro car parks on the edge of town. Afterwards, I lost my bearings and had to ask someone for directions to find my way back, stupidly I didn’t note the name of the road where I’d parked. 

The relief when I found my car. 

I ended up being 18 minutes over my parking time and toddlers are not fast walkers. 

I did not receive a letter initially, then had multiple invoices for £170. 

I held my nerve and ignored them. 

Following those I had letters from a company called GCTT and now an intimidating letter from QDR solicitors.
I feel so stressed and scared about what they can do, I’m hardly sleeping.
I have not acknowledged any correspondence so far but I am
also getting texts from this solicitor so they have my mobile number. The messages have an attachment but I haven’t opened it.
Please if someone could help, I’d be very grateful.

DE_612183

Ok, first point - have you complained to the landowner? _ thats the first port of call.

Also read the post in the newbees thread: it's about the 6th one down at the start of this board.

Have you had a letter from the court yet? - If so post a redacted copy here.

But most of all - don't panic - there are people on here that will talk you though this.

The money grabbing sharks are relying on you panicking.

kdkm

Thank you. 

I haven’t contacted the landowner, do you think I should?
I haven’t had a court letter yet,  if it goes that far I don’t know what I’ll do. I feel bad enough now.
i will find that post and read it, thanks  so much. 

Le_Kirk

kdkm said:

Thank you. 

1. I haven’t contacted the landowner, do you think I should?
2. I haven’t had a court letter yet,  if it goes that far I don’t know what I’ll do. I feel bad enough now.
3. i will find that post and read it, thanks  so much. 

1. Yes it is Plan A in the NEWBIE sticky for a reason.
2. You will likely get more debt collector letters - ignore them, you might/should receive a letter before claim - attend to that as per the advice in the NEWBIE second post, having made sure it is a proper LBC/LOC by giving you 30 days to respond and not a debt collector letter dressed up as a LOC/LBC but only giving you 14 days.
3. It is one of the blue announcements with and it is cunningly marked *****NEWBIES!! PLEASE READ THESE FAQs FIRST*******

kdkm

I will follow your advice and I’m  grateful for your help and reply. 

I’m in knots inside, it’s horrible 😢
Thanks again 

Coupon-mad

kdkm said:

I will follow your advice and I’m  grateful for your help and reply. 

I’m in knots inside, it’s horrible 😢
Thanks again 

You'll be fine.

And you have no fine.

It is perfectly defendable if QDR issue a court claim. We had half a dozen QDR /Euro Car Parks claims this past 6 months.   Everyone is happily defending and found it easy because we have near-templates and we know what we are doing. You are safe with us. No risk.

You can sleep soundly.

Gr1pr

Even if you lost in court it wouldn't be much more than the £170

Untie the knots, stop panicking and follow the advice on here 

Its a simple civil dispute matter, not a Rooney versus Vardy saga, and nowhere near the high stakes in those types of disputes

kdkm

Thank you all for your replies,  I feel better after reading them as I’ve no one to ask.

Trainerman

As others have said, you are in safe hands here. The experts will help you through it.

I suggest you block that number if you can. You do not need the texts or the pressurising calls that might follow, and it might tell them that you are no pushover when they are blocked.

Coupon-mad

kdkm said:

Thank you all for your replies,  I feel better after reading them as I’ve no one to ask.

Not many people know what we know anyway. Asking someone - even asking  Citizen's Advice - is asking for trouble as they don't know what they are talking about re parking cases and they don't understand the lack of risk in simply defending a claim.  Those who don't know about parking cases just scaremonger, sadly.

We do this daily. It's easy, but relies on a lot of knowledge we have gleaned over many years.  You won't find it elsewhere.

  

Nellymoser

Is your address correct on your V5C? If it is you may wish to support this. 

So many people don't receive 1st/2nd pcn but the £170 payment due letter often manages to drop through letter boxes. PPCs always claim discounted/full rate pcn/court claim letters were sent though offer no evidence to prove this. A letter's issue date is not it's sending date nor does it prove the letter was sent.

Since PPCs CHOOSE NOT to provide evidence of their posting date and delivery we must continue to press gov to ensure they do. Please sign/share these petitions.

Require communications from Private Parking companies to be traceable/trackable. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/652355

Immediately Reintroduce Private Parking Code of Practice. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/660922

Thanks. Hope your pcn gets cancelled.