DCBL - Debt Recovery Letter Received

lcfc_48

Hi,

Apologies if this is in the wrong place or against any kind of forum guidelines. I tried searching for similar threads but the search just kept erroring and timing out for some reason.

I (in my wife's name) have received a letter from DCBL (Direct Collection Bailiffs Ltd) regarding an unpaid parking charge from 2 years ago.

Long story short, when the PCN was initially received from Euro Car Parks back in 2023, it was addressed to my wife as the vehicle owner. As per the instructions on the letter, I responded back to notify them that I was actually the driver and asked for it to be reissued in my name. They claimed not to have received the letter so I resent etc. but I then started receiving final response notices. I tried to call them several times, to discuss this but they refused to speak to me as the PCN was not issued in my name. Their phone lines were only open from 9-5pm, during hours where my wife was unable to contact them herself due to work. I explained the situation and made it clear that there was no way she could call herself but they just outright refused to speak to me.

Everything then went quiet and no further letters were received, so I assumed they'd given up with it. But I've now received this letter regarding debt collection.

Where do I now stand? Can they still chase it after this length of time? Do I have any grounds for refusing to pay or appealing it or anything based on how they have handled it.

Appreciate any advice.

Thanks

Gr1pr

Ignore DCBL , powerless  collectors letters , no teeth,  see the 4th post in the newbies sticky thread in announcements near the top of the forum by coupon mad for explanations and debt collectors advice,  but the simple reply to you both is , IGNORE 

BUT DO NOT IGNORE A LETTER OF CLAIM FROM DCB LEGAL,  lawyers with similar initials , which will give the recipient 30 days notice 

The claimant ECP has 6 years to issue a court claim against the recipient,  using MCOL.  That deadline is in the Limitations Act 1980, so 2 years is nothing  !

The way to hook it in your direction as driver is for the Registered Keeper to inform them about who was driving, ( them being ECP  , so not from you the driver,  but from her, the RK  )

The main point here is to hook the letters in your direction,  with your name and address on them, because eventually DCB Legal will issue a Letter of Claim,  followed by a Court claim pack from the CNBC in Northampton using MCOL against one of you, so if you want that in your name, ensure that ECP and DCB Legal are aware that the keeper has named the driver,  in writing,  discharging their keeper obligations under POFA 2012

DE_612183

Of course the point being is that it will never get to court and DCB (Legal ) will discontinue - but only if you play the game.

lcfc_48

Thanks for the responses.

Apologies for any misunderstanding, as I cut through all the acronyms and technical jargon, but do I ignore this letter or not? Or try and contact Euro Car Parks again to inform them that I am the registered keeper?

In the case of the latter, and if it's reissued in my name, would I then not have to pay it, or do I just continue to ignore any new letters?

And if I do get any follow up from this other DCB Legal, then what, and what exactly do I need to do to "play the game"?

Sorry for my complete lack of knowledge around this.

Just conscious that the letter references "Can't Pay We'll Take It Away". Just got visions of bailiffs turning up to take my car away with a camera crew filming it all and me ending up on tv! 

Gr1pr

Your lack of clarity with the names on the actual letters isn't helping,  so I will assume that your good lady is the Registered Keeper  ( V5c log book is in HER name I assume   ?  )

Presumably ECP obtained her details from the DVLA database as the Registered Keeper   ?  Yes  ?

But you have interjected as the actual driver   ( not the RK  ) and told ECP that you were the driver,  yet they and the dcbl debt collectors are Presumably still writing to her as the Registered Keeper,  even though you want to deal with it  as the actual driver ? Is that correct   ?

If its correct,  get your wife as the Registered Keeper to name you as the actual driver,  in writing,  to ECP  ( ignore DCBL  )

Come back to this thread when they are actually writing to you,  with your own name on the letters 

So my point is that SHE should name YOU as the driver,  if true,  to get out of it 

So I am telling you to tell your wife to name you as the driver to ECP

On a sidenote,  those letters will also mention that they are not acting as bailiffs, both in the letter and in the big box at the bottom,  no bailiff action. It's also escaped your attention when watching the tv programme that they are enforcing a high court writ of over £600, so not the case here. Just your fears about nothing tangible in this case,  so never gonna happen   !

But one of you will receive a Letter of Claim from DCB Legal,  followed by a court claim by DCB Legal on behalf of ECP

Ps , Ownership is irrelevant 

They are chasing her as the Registered Keeper named on the V5c log book, not you

You are or were the driver who borrowed and used the vehicle on the date of the incident 

Once the paperwork is in your name,  come back to this thread for further advice 

I hope that the above facts are correct and therefore my answers 

lcfc_48

Thanks for your assistance and apologies for the lack of clarity.

Yes your assumptions are correct as to who is the registered keeper and who was the driver.

With regards to correspondence, whilst I myself have dealt with it all, the letters were signed and addressed from her as the RK. So everything has been dealt with accordingly in that respect, although for whatever reason they haven't actioned it. It's only been when attempting to speak to them over the phone that I have acted as myself as the driver.

Hope that makes sense.

Gr1pr

OK, so she has effectively named you as the driver,  in writing,  to ECP,  so any subsequent letters should have YOUR NAME on them , as the actual driver,  including the letters from DCBL debt recovery 

She should not be receiving any letters about it,  so if she did receive a DCBL letter recently she should use the ECP complaints link shown on the right in the BPA AOS members list,  complain about receiving letters since she named the driver  ( you  ) and that they should stop harassing her and go and chase the actual driver whose details were provided xxxx months ago   ( change xx to the number  ),  giving them YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS as the driver 

Once you are receiving letters in your name,  you can ignore the powerless debt collectors letters,  including DCBL, but do not ignore a Letter of Claim from DCB Legal,  plus do not ignore a court claim either 

Hopefully Mrs lcfc wont receive any more letters,  just you,  because you have hooked them in your direction as the named driver 

Ps, the figures claimed are too low for the bailiff action you saw on tv, for one or two, but definitely above the threshold if there were half a dozen or more 

Coupon-mad

Decide now: which one of you wants the fun of defending a claim form?

It's just copy & paste of our template defence plus some facts. Dead easy & DCB Legal will later discontinue.

Personally I'd suggest she replies (by email, now) giving your name AND POSTAL address and saying she has transferred liability so their client must now issue a PCN to the named driver.

They'll either move onto you (the correct approach) or DCB Legal will sue her, which is actually perfect because she cannot be liable after transferring liability.

This is for the keeper to handle. You can do the actual email but obviously not as you!

lcfc_48

Hi all,

Returning to this as I've now received the letter from DCB Legal.

To fill you in on the full picture, I  contacted Euro Car Parks (as the RK) in between with the following:

"I have received a letter from Direct Collection Bailiffs Ltd in relation to the above referenced parking charge notice.

As per the previous two letters sent to yourself (attached), I have informed you that I was not the driver of the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence.

Please instruct your client, DCBL, to cease further action with immediate effect and stop harassing me regarding this matter."

Their response was that their unable to accept the correspondence as the PCN had now been passed to DCBL.

What's my next step(s)?