Request for guidance on parking fine

FrB_Venom_09

Hello,

I’m new here and have read the recommended threads several times, but I’m still unclear on the best next steps. Apologies in advance for asking for further guidance!

Context:
On 4th August 2024, I was parked at Grove Farm Retail Park, Chadwell Heath (RM6 4BN) from 11:18 AM to 3:04 PM, exceeding the allowed parking time.

I visited Halfords to address an issue with my car battery. I had already jump-started the car to get there. Upon arrival, I checked in at the store and waited approximately one hour before being seen. My registration was written down by Halfords staff on a sheet of paper. Halfords staff inspected the battery and initially advised that the issue was with the starter motor, not the battery.

As the car would no longer start, I explained the situation to the staff and was told it was fine to leave the car there (we've now come to learn they should have input our registration to their computer and didn't). Later that day, my partner helped me jump-start the car so I could leave.

The next day, our local garage confirmed it was indeed a faulty battery and provided a receipt and invoice for the replacement.

Timeline:

• 9th August: I received a postal PCN from G24.
• My partner appealed directly to G24, providing receipts and email correspondence from a Halfords employee explaining the situation. We did not receive a response.
• 22nd October: A Final Notice was issued by G24. My partner appealed again, resubmitting the same evidence. This appeal was rejected with a generic response.
• 9th December: We received a Notice of Debt Recovery from DCBL (Direct Collection Bailiffs Ltd).

Questions:

1. Is ignoring correspondence from DCBL the correct approach at this stage?
2. Are there any other appeal processes we can pursue to have this resolved?
3. We are still liaising with Halfords, urging them to help cancel the PCN/Notice of Debt Recovery. Is there anything else we should request or provide?

Any advice or guidance you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

FrB_Venom_09

Correspondence from Halfords Staff member:



Invoice from local garage replacing the battery:



Final notice:



Notice of Debt Recovery:



Original PCN:

Gr1pr

1)  correct 

2)  complain to the retail park management company and get it cancelled ASAP,  known here as plan A 

3)  see  2) above   ( Halfords are a tenant,  so might help if they also complain to the management company   )

Its not a fine,  magistrates issue those,  but haven't done here

G24 issue private parking charge notices,  it says so on the PCN 

FrB_Venom_09

Gr1pr said:

1)  correct 

2)  complain to the retail park management company and get it cancelled ASAP,  known here as plan A 

3)  see  2) above   ( Halfords are a tenant,  so might help if they also complain to the management company   )

Its not a fine,  magistrates issue those,  but haven't done here

G24 issue private parking charge notices,  it says so on the PCN 

Thanks, @Gr1pr. We will ignore DCBL and continue to complain to Halfords in the hope they can squash this.

If however, Halfords prove useless and can't help to get this cancelled, should we expect further letters from DCBL, including an invitation to Court? And would the evidence, in your opinion, be sufficient to win in Court?

Gr1pr

I repeat,  complain to the retail park management company   ( or landowner   ) , complaining to Halfords is a side issue,  go to the organ grinder,  not the pet monkey,  plan A, the first answer to any private parking query is,  plan A

Capiche   ?

Yes there will be further debt collectors letters   ( but nobody cares about them, irrelevant   )

Eventually Moorside Legal will issue a Letter of Claim to the RK , an LoC

there is no invitation to court at all

After the LoC, G24 will tell Moorside Legal to issue a court claim pack from the CNBC in Northampton using MCOL to the RK

Court is a lottery,  but one would expect common sense to prevail,  probably with a discontinuance,  or maybe the claim would be struck out   !

We dont predict outcomes,  but tomorrow nights lottery numbers will definitely be in the machine,  so it could be me   !

Coupon-mad

Did you miss that exact DCB Ltd letter shown in the 4th post of the NEWBIES thread?

G24 are not very litigious. They had a go last year then stopped.

Tell them if you move house of course. You MUST open every letter. Come back if you get a LBC.

See the 2nd post of the NEWBIES for that.

Bottom line:
Nobody should ever worry about whether they can win in court v a parking firm.  What you aren't factoring in is the propensity of parking roboclaim firms to screw up or discontinue.