Please help - Debt collection letter with no Parking Charge notice

Anon1239

I received a dept collection letter for £170. £100 fine plus £70 admin fee.
I'd made a mistake when booking parking on Saba Parking and booked the wrong day I went which I appreciate is my error. I booked the parking ticket for that day instead of the following day. I dont think I should have been allowed to book a time in the past but the website did let me and the error was mine.
However I did not receive any Parking Charge letter or any notification of what I'd done until I got a debt collection letter from ZZPA.  I called Saba parking and explained the error as the website let me book the parking for a time in the past. They informed me that "I'd ignored" a letter for a £60 fine and it had been forwarded to a debt collection company. 

I explained there was no letter delivered to my house prior to this one from ZZPA. They said its out of there hands and nothing they can do. I emailed ZZPA explaining the error and that no letter was delivered so I have been give no opportunity to dispute the charge or pay the initial fine of £60. I also asked for proof the initial letter was sent and delivered. 

they have came back and said "Our client (saba parking) maintains the correct issuing and progression of this parking charge and will be able to provide all necessary evidence in the case of litigation"

"We have placed this account on a seven day hold to allow time for you to make this payment in this time, this matter will continue to progress and further charges may be applied"

I've tried contacting POPLA but they need a 10 digit number from a dispute within 28 days of the fine which I cant get because I didnt know about it until after that time.

Can anyone help with what do to do? It doesn't feel right to pay the £170 fine when I didn't receive the initial letter but I also dont want to incur any CCJ against me.

Thanks in advance for any help

Nellymoser

Saba gets vehicle keeper address from dvla. Check your address on your V5C if it's not current that's the reason you've missed their letters. Debt agency do a trace to find present address.

Best to read the NEWBIES FAQ Announcement thread. Lots of info there, learn about a CCJ, there's no risk of one as long as you follow the advice here. Debt agencies demanding monies are to be ignored as 4th post says.

Coupon-mad

I don't understand why you contacted POPLA. Never mind.  Stop reacting and taking their bait.  Stop phoning people. No such firm as 'ZZPA' (it's tedious old ZZPS and you obviously already know to ignore them because you have read that in the 4th post of the NEWBIES thread). Nothing to do except:

Couldn't the problem of the missing PCN be caused by your V5C?  Have you left your old address on it?