Judgement for Claimant (in Default) 3 months after submitting N180 - Advice appreciated

Badja

I'm hoping someone can help me navigate this situation. Despite trying to follow proper procedures, I feel I'm caught in a bureaucratic loop.

Background:

It started on August 18th, 2023, around midnight. I returned to my vehicle to find the parking payment machine displaying only "please wait". I took a photo of it saying "please wait" and nothing else. I tried multiple times to make payment but got nowhere with it. (I now realize I should have tried contacting someone, but given the time of night, I wasn't sure who to reach out to).

I received a PCN sometime after this (I believe it was initially around £70, though I apologize for not having the exact amount on hand).

Recent Timeline:
-Sometime in July (I was on holiday) I received a Directions Questionnaire (N180).

- August 10th, 2024: Received SECOND court letter requesting N180 form

- Same day (Aug 10th): Submitted N180 as suggested by members of this forum via email to dq.cnbc@justice.gov.uk with the claim number in subject line

- Between August and November: Complete silence from all parties

- November 15th, 2024: Received Default Judgment stating I "haven't replied to the claim form"

- I have email proof of my N180 submission in my sent folder

Current Predicament:

I admittedly forgot about this for a while after submitting the N180 (assuming everything was proceeding normally), and I'm now past the 30-day deadline to respond to the judgment. Here's where it gets frustrating: The judgment amount is £295.52, but the application to set aside would cost around £300 - more than the judgment itself.

I've seen mentions of N244 forms in other posts, but those seemed to be for cases where judgments came completely out of the blue e.g change of address. In my case, I actually submitted the requested form (N180) as instructed, yet still received a default judgment three months later.

Questions:

1. Given I have proof of submitting the N180 as requested, what's my best course of action?

2. Does the fact that I attempted to pay initially (despite the broken machine) hold any weight?

3. Is it worth paying £300 to set aside a £295.52 judgment?

4. Should I be approaching the court directly about the apparently ignored N180 submission?

5. Has anyone successfully dealt with a similar situation where their submission was seemingly overlooked?

I know I should have been more proactive in following up when I didn't hear anything after submitting the N180, but I genuinely thought I had done what was required. Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

KeithP

Badja said:

- November 15th, 2024: Received Default Judgment stating I "haven't replied to the claim form"

That usually means that you didn't file a Defence within the prescribed timeframe.

Your post above makes no mention of having filed a Defence.
Did you file a Defence? If so, when?

Badja

KeithP said:

Badja said:

- November 15th, 2024: Received Default Judgment stating I "haven't replied to the claim form"

That usually means that you didn't file a Defence within the prescribed timeframe.

Your post above makes no mention of having filed a Defence.
Did you file a Defence? If so, when?

It was a while back now and my memory isn't great. I don't have an email I sent to ClaimResponses.CNBC@justice.gov.uk, but I do remember having to sign up to a website and sending my evidence in, where I put the pictures stating I wasn't able to pay in the fist place, maybe it was this.

As I mentioned, I was unaware of this useful newbies thread when this process started, so I can only blame myself for any lapse in process

KeithP

Badja said:

KeithP said:

Badja said:

- November 15th, 2024: Received Default Judgment stating I "haven't replied to the claim form"

That usually means that you didn't file a Defence within the prescribed timeframe.

Your post above makes no mention of having filed a Defence.
Did you file a Defence? If so, when?

It was a while back now and my memory isn't great. I don't have an email I sent to ClaimResponses.CNBC@justice.gov.uk, but I do remember having to sign up to a website and sending my evidence in, where I put the pictures stating I wasn't able to pay in the fist place, maybe it was this.

As I mentioned, I was unaware of this useful newbies thread when this process started, so I can only blame myself for any lapse in process

Well if you can't demonstrate that you did indeed file a Defence then it looks like your only option is to pay the amount demanded on the Default Judgment notice.

Best to make that payment within 28 days to avoid a Judgment remaining on file for the next six years.

Coupon-mad

Show us the latest Order.

If you got as far as N180 DQ stage then you were well past defence stage (it's clear that you must have defended).

Are you sure it's about the same claim ref?