PCN from IPC member for non payment on private carpark. Legal action tomorrow!

sausagebutty

End of April PPC issued 'invitation' to pay or advise name of driver.

Received 9 days later.

Used their online appeals facility.

Heard nothing back.

PPC issued 'reminder' (aka NTK?) 15/5/25

20/5/25 received 'reminder'. Legal action to be started 28/5/25 i.e. TOMORROW!

Yesterday emailed PPC to ask 'why no response to my appeal'.

Their response: 'We have not received an appeal.'

I Immediately went to online appeals again and entered an appeal. 'As the registered keeper I believe I am not responsible for this charge.'

The PPC's appeal form automatically fills in two non-compulsory fields on the form thus:

'were you the owner - yes'. 'were you the driver - yes'. I stated in my appeal that both those fields were not completed by me and I did not answer either yes or no.

I emailed them (9:21PM) to say I had now appealed and would they confirm the deadline was now put back until after their response to the appeal.

The PPC acknowledged my email at 10:21PM yesterday ( working night shift on a bank holiday!).

This morning they have asked via email for the details of my appeal! I have not answered that email.

In the email they have given a summary of my appeal and INCLUDED the two fields mentioned above as if I had answered them saying I was the keeper and the driver! OUTRAGEOUS!

As the 'deadline' for legal action is tomorrow I really don't know what to do now. Paying seems like the simplest option. I'm 75 yo and don't handle stress well.

Advice from the forum would be massively appreciated.

Car1980

There is no deadline for legal action. It's a bluff to scare you.

What is the name of the parking company?

Am I right in thinking you've had two letters in the post from the parking company and nothing else?

sausagebutty

Thank you Car1980. The PPC is Park With Ease Ltd. Yes, just the two letters and of course the emails from yesterday. What ultimately is my best defense? What happened at the time of the incident was I entered my reg no and presented my card in payment but for some unknown reason payment failed. I was shocked to get the letters.

sausagebutty

Car1980 said:

There is no deadline for legal action. It's a bluff to scare you.

What is the name of the parking company?

Am I right in thinking you've had two letters in the post from the parking company and nothing else?

Thank you Car1980. The PPC is Park With Ease Ltd. Yes, just the two letters and of course the emails from yesterday. What ultimately is my best defense? What happened at the time of the incident was I entered my reg no and presented my card in payment but for some unknown reason payment failed. I was shocked to get the letters.

Car1980

You probably shouldn't shocked - they seem a particularly nasty company. 

See https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.parkwithease.co.uk

There is no appeals process. It's a sham.

Simply ignore them from now on. It's likely you will receive a few threatening letters in the post from powerless debt collectors (they are NOT bailiffs and the only way for them to obtain a CCJ is if you receive a court claim in the post AND fail to defend AND fail to pay in 28 days). 

They will make it sound like they can just obtain one by magic, which is nonsense.

Come back if you receive a Letter Before Claim from Gladstones. Court claims for this company appear to be very rare and I certainly can't find any record of them actually taking a court claim all the way to a hearing. You have a defence anyway.

Remember 41,000 other people received a private parking ticket on the exact same day you did. If half were daft enough to pay, we'd still see 20,000 court claims every single day and the board would be overwhelmed.

sausagebutty

Thank you once again! I have composed a letter to the landowner (can I name them here?) complaining about PWE and saying I won't use the landowners facilties again. Should I send this? I think they would be appaulled to be associated with PWE.

Car1980

I would state you tried to pay and the machine was faulty and to request the charge is cancelled.

sausagebutty

My letter is rather more emotive than that but I can edit it down if you think it wise. Should I mention PWE's Trustpilot rating and their sham behaviour? Sorry if I'm being neurotic! your help has been invaluable.

Coupon-mad

No ... don't mention that.