Parking Code of Practice Consultation 2025 - now let's see what happens

Car1980

Any info for these questions?

Coupon-mad

Kaizen2024 said:

Compare that to the 'up to 67%' who used to pay DR Plus when they took 15% commission plus VAT).

What is the source of this data please? For parking debt, not commercial debt.

Show me some of your sources and evidence and I'll consider showing you a peep at mine.

But the source of that data is Debt Recovery Plus themselves. The MHCLG has a copy of the DRP document that states it.

And yes it is a statistic in a DRP document that is ONLY about collecting outstanding parking cases, from a few years ago when
no fake fees were added and "up to 67%" of cases that they handled were paid.

Why do YOU think only 14% of duped victims now pay a parking DRA?

Coupon-mad

Car1980 said:

Any info for these questions?

These are vital to answer but we need data and evidence. Hmmm. Need to think/talk about these questions.

Everything needs evidence, except to note that first question does just go on to ask for 'information' on why parking cases end up in the courts.

Kaizen2024

Coupon-mad said:

Kaizen2024 said:

Compare that to the 'up to 67%' who used to pay DR Plus when they took 15% commission plus VAT).

What is the source of this data please? For parking debt, not commercial debt.

Show me some of your sources and evidence and I'll consider showing you a peep at mine.

Why do you think parking 'debt' is not the same as any other alleged commercial debt? Could it be because - unlike the former - the latter is more likely to be based on a fair supply contract and is valid 'monies owed'?

Why do YOU think only 14% of duped victims pay a parking DRA?

I have no sources of data other than my own and what is available on the internet.

Parking Debt is different for several reasons, such as the misconception that payment is optional, which is largely fuelled by forums such as this and the misinformed ‘lawyers’ you see on the likes of ‘rip-off Britain’ making airplanes with letters.

Commercial debt is also less contentious / complex, with there being a lot less scope for dispute. It also involves a lot higher sums of money, so it’s a huge risk to dispute where the debt is higher than £10k (costs awarded etc).

Then there is the risk of no one doing business with you if you don’t pay your bills, something that is not a consideration for a consumer; aside from being black listed by utility companies etc without the need to go to courts.

Forums such as this also have a part to play in DR collection rates being low (which no doubt you celebrate), advising everyone to ignore them; but it does force operators to issue claims instead.

Remove the DR fee (as some call it) and operators will skip this process and go straight to court, where the costs will be contributed to with fixed solicitors fees etc.

Car1980

Money owed for supply of a service or product is always going to be seen as more valid than money owed for breaching a contract ie. a fine to all intents and purposes.

And payment IS optional. I've never paid one.

Council penalties are not optional. But they come with a genuine appeals process and legislation.

kryten3000

Payment of any debt is always optional, even when a judgment is entered against a defendant in court.

Dealing with the consequences of not paying is an exercise for the debtor

Since parking charge debts are merely alleged unless a judge says otherwise then avoiding payment prior to court has no consequences other than the useless letter chain.

ChirpyChicken

kryten3000 said:

Payment of any debt is always optional, even when a judgment is entered against a defendant in court.

Dealing with the consequences of not paying is an exercise for the debtor

Since parking charge debts are merely alleged unless a judge says otherwise then avoiding payment prior to court has no consequences other than the useless letter chain.

Even when a debt is passed to a HCEO there is no need for someone to panic and pay. If there is no scope to set aside you can easily ride them out and they will go away if handled correctly.

Coupon-mad

Kaizen2024 said:

Coupon-mad said:

Kaizen2024 said:

Compare that to the 'up to 67%' who used to pay DR Plus when they took 15% commission plus VAT).

What is the source of this data please? For parking debt, not commercial debt.

Show me some of your sources and evidence and I'll consider showing you a peep at mine.

Why do you think parking 'debt' is not the same as any other alleged commercial debt? Could it be because - unlike the former - the latter is more likely to be based on a fair supply contract and is valid 'monies owed'?

Why do YOU think only 14% of duped victims pay a parking DRA?

I have no sources of data other than my own and what is available on the internet.

...

Remove the DR fee (as some call it) and operators will skip this process and go straight to court, where the costs will be contributed to with fixed solicitors fees etc.

Fee or no fee, they can't skip the PAP. It's not optional.

Genuine questions:

As you remember the paper aeroplane lawyer on Watchdog (that was back in 2010) you've clearly been around in this industry for well over a decade. Aren't you even a tad uncomfortable or embarrassed by the aggressive monster that this industry has morphed into and the fact that it's not about parking management and all about a PCN sausage machine egged on by DRAs calling the shots?

Do you agree that things were far better before DCB Legal were invented in 2017?

Kaizen2024

By straight to court, I mean straight to LBC; with no offer of payment plans. More like 20 years. I can see you trying to bait me, not falling for that again ☺️

Car1980

I've found the answer, courtesy of the lovely old BPA, desperately scrambling to keep hold of their £70 cash cow: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/135740/default/

With no debt resolution process, cases currently referred for resolution may be passed

immediately to litigation instead. The number of cases referred for debt resolution to

the 3 main Debt Recovery Agencies who serve the private parking sector in 2022 was

over 3 million. In 2022 119.2k cases were taken to court. Applying current CCJ rates for

cases taken to court of 75%, we could see in excess of 2.2 million CCJs issued if the

policy decision to remove DR fees is implemented. We believe this would put significant

pressure on the County Court to deal with matters that should be predominantly

resolved through a well-regulated resolution process.

In 2020, 2% of the parking charges referred for debt resolution resulted in court action.

In 2021 and 2022 this figure rose to 5%.

This probably tallies with the suspected 1,000 - 1,500 a week through DCB Legal.

3.3 million debt collection transferrals would mean £210 MILLION in £70 additions.

A industry claiming it genuinely loses two hundred million and desperately scrambles to recover as much of this "loss" as possible is beyond incredible.