DCB Legal, First Parking, Letter of Claim received for 2 PCNs

Pandemonium78

Hi there,

I'm starting a new thread for 2 PCNs from First Parking which were received 3 weeks apart for parking in the same car park.  I've gone round in circles on other threads for hours and wondering if the time spent is worth saving the £290 they want from me, however, it is a matter of principle and I would really appreciate guidance on navigating it.

Stage it is at:
Letter of Claim has been received for both PCNs and 2 separate response emails have been sent back to info@dcblegal.co.uk using the wording provided on newbies page, also stating reason for defending.  Automatic replies received for both.
  
Situation:

Vehicle was parked in car park at place of work with a one day permit displayed in windscreen - one day permits had been given by the place of work to the temporary staff member so they could park there.

At the time the one day permits were given to the temporary staff member the First Parking cameras were widely known to not be switched on.  

Assumption is that First Parking cameras were subsequently randomly switched on, as the windscreen permits were used on other dates but no PCN received for those dates.  

Additionally permanent staff who have yearly windscreen permits also received PCNs on the same dates; one staff member parked in the car park all 5 working days but received PCNs for only 3 of those days.

1st PCN was sent to registered keeper at old address (which still had access to), it was received there 16 days after the alleged breach of terms; I believe they must be received within 14 days am I correct??? 

(Vehicle was for sale and subsequently sold shortly after = why address was not updated with DVLA)

PCN forwarded to new address, registered keeper abroad so PCN received after the date the PPC will accept an appeal.  Meanwhile a 2nd PCN is received and forwarded to new address.

Place of work/landowner contacted about situation and advise temporary staff member/registered keeper to appeal to PPC.

Meanwhile an agent of behalf of the registered keeper sends a Bills of Exchange act letter re: both PCNs as follows:

"Payment of your parking charge will be made in full on provision of evidence that the vehicle owner/driver breached the terms and conditions of parking by leaving the site as alleged.

 It will also be required that you issue and deliver a properly formatted invoice, as per the Bills of Exchange Act 1882, for your charge which is required to be legible and include the following features:      

Your registered company name, number and address.

 The date of the invoice and the date by which the invoice is to be paid.

 A full description of the goods or services supplied or provided and the cost thereof i.e. what of value has been exchanged? (The CONSIDERATION).

 Account for Value Added Tax, be this at zero percent or otherwise, and show your company's VAT registration number. If you are exempt from VAT, state this clearly on the invoice. 

 The invoice document must be titled 'Invoice' and bear a legible wet ink signature of an Officer of the Company."

PPC send back a load of gumph in response to that, including "the required invoice requested inline with the BPA guidelines"!

Appeal sent to PPC re: both PCNs but is rejected due to "the opportunity to appeal having passed", and because they did not receive an appeal or payment within their specified timeframe the PCNs were passed to their appointed debt collectors DCBL.  

Registered keeper asks Landowner/representative to contact First Parking, which they do.  
The registered keeper is told by landowner/representative in an email "I have been in touch with First Parking and because you didn’t appeal within the 14 days, unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done."

4 letters subsequently received for each PCN titled:

1. Notice of debt recovery - unpaid parking charge £145
2. Final reminder
3. Final notice of debt recovery
4. Notice of intended legal action

All were ignored as per advice on this forum.

Now Letter of Claim has been received as stated at the beginning of the thread.  It just says the vehicle was parked in breach of the Terms (the PPC camera cannot see the windscreen permits).

There is still the opportunity to pay as they have kindly included several ways to give them £290.  
I think they rely on people giving up and thinking it's not worth the fight, but this sounds a bit like a protection racquet - pay up and we'll stop harassing and intimidating you!

Helpful advice/comments appreciated, eg is this worth fighting?

The landowner/representative has been asked again by email to get it cancelled, no reply received yet.  They will be approached in person tomorrow, if possible, as a last ditch attempt.

I wonder if DCB Legal monitor these pages, hmmmm. 

Nellymoser

You can expect to be given plenty opportunities to pay their inflated demands throughout this process.
DCB Legal are likely to file a Claim but also likely to discontinue before they need to pay the court hearing fees. They don't seem to like attending a hearing with a judge.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377263/dcb-legal-record-of-private-parking-court-claim-discontinuations#latest

NEWBIES 2nd post Small Claim and Template Defence thread are relevant to the stage your at.

Pandemonium78

I have drafted a defence using the one which seems to be the latest update on this link

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6108153/suggested-template-defence-to-adapt-for-all-parking-charge-cases-where-they-add-false-admin-costs/p1

Coupon-mad

Meanwhile an agent of behalf of the registered keeper sends a Bills of Exchange act letter.

Oh dear. You didn't pay that Freeman of the Land idiot did you?!

Pandemonium78

No I didn't pay anyone, it was what someone I know sent when they had a PCN, they never heard anything again.  

I sent something similar, but much briefer, back in around 2014/15 to a PPC and never heard from them again, so whatever I sent got it cancelled.  

Anyway, something must have changed in the meantime as it didn't work this time.

Pandemonium78

OK here we go, I've today received a pack from HM Courts & Tribunals Service, issue date 29 May 2025, for the first PCN issued on 30 October 2024.  

The second PCN was 3 weeks later so I guess it's 3 weeks until I receive another Claim pack for that one.  

Am I to email DCB Legal asking them to combine the two claims into one??

I calculate that I have until 17th June to file AoS, correct?  

I am just wondering if I wait to see if they combine the claims into one, or file the AoS anyway for this first claim?

Pandemonium78

Photo of the PoC. 

Pandemonium78

Another question - do I make any reference in my defence to the correspondence I had with First Parking prior to them being sent to debt collection? 

Coupon-mad

Yes, you should put that in your para 3. See the second post of the NEWBIES thread for how to do the AOS then defence.

THIS IS NOT A TIME TO EMAIL DCB NOR DELAY.

Pandemonium78

OK, I'm sure I read somewhere on here that if they don't combine the 2 claims, it can be used against them for wasting court resources/times etc  (if anyone remembers where please let me know now so I have an idea how to word it in the second PCN defence document).

I am very grateful to this forum as it gives us confidence to deal with something that could cause an awful lot of stress.  It helps to even have a smidge of experience doing these things.  

Coupon-mad

Yes I know exactly what you mean but it isn't relevant to the first claim. It's the Henderson v Henderson principle but that's only in play if you get a second claim,