UKPC parking charge

belay_intent

Hi on the 12/12/2024 our daughter called us when she was on her way back from a failed relationship with her two children aged 1&2 at the time. She had fled the house while her partner was asleep and consequently had very little with her for herself or her children. We had arranged to meet her at McDonalds Hardwick in Kings Lynn so as not to cause too much stress for the children. The restaurant was extremely crowded and the wait time for food was longer than usual and we had been there for more than 90 mins, unbeknown to us at the time that there was a time limit on the stay at this car park due to the lack of appropriate signage. I have noticed since that there are now signs inside the restaurant, I’m guessing as a result from other charges being handed out to other unknowing customers.

Our daughter left the car park before us to head back to ours, bearing in mind we were at the car park before she was. On the 31/12/2024 she received a parking charge notice for overstaying her 90 mins which after a long drawn out affair trying to appeal her charge and finally getting in touch with UKPC we managed to get her charge overturned. I have to state that all correspondence addresses on her letter DOES NOT EXIST and their website is only rigged to take payment.

To my surprise I received a letter from DCBL for FINAL NOTICE OF DEBT RECOVERY on the 22/05/2025 for the same offence this time addressed to me. Upon receiving this I emailed UKPC explaining the same situation with which they replied stating that the parking charge had been cancelled. They having not properly read through my email had stated what we already knew about, stating that my daughter’s parking charge had been cancelled. I wasn’t asking about my daughter’s parking charge I was asking about my parking charge. I had stated that id had no correspondence from UKPC regarding my case at all, the first I was made aware was a letter from DCBL for the FINAL NOTICE OF DEBT RECOVERY on the 22/05/2025.
This Thursday just gone the 10/07/2025 I received a letter dated the 02/07/2025 for LETTER OF CLAIM. Again I replied by email to UKPC through the same email address that we’d used for my previous email and this time to DCBL stating exactly the same to them hoping for my charge to be overturned. Logically if I’d managed to overturn my daughters parking charge through email I would have expected mine to be overturned as well especially as it was for the same situation, the only difference being my daughter had received a letter from UKPC I haven’t, not even to date. Your help with dealing with this now snowballing stressful situation would be very much appreciated.
Thanks 

Gr1pr

Study the 2nd post in the newbies sticky thread in announcements near the top of the forum 

DCBL are powerless debt collectors,  you can ignore their demands 

However,  DCBL do not send out Letters of Claim,  so if you have a Letter of Claim giving you 30 days notice then respond by email using the LoC response template from the post you just read, to whoever sent you the LoC,  which is probably DCB Legal,  not DCBL

Given your problems regarding there being 2 separate pcns, you should also put a complaint in to UKPC, using the official complaint link shown against their name in the BPA AOS members list on the BPA website , trying to get written cancellation of whichever pcn is outstanding  ( each pcn would have had a different reference number,  probably listed on the letters   )

Come back to this thread if you receive an N1SDT court claim pack from the CNBC in Northampton using MCOL to get further advice 

belay_intent

Sorry I haven’t seen any LoC response template, have you got the link.
Thanks again for the reply will keep you posted.

K_S

belay_intent said:

Sorry I haven’t seen any LoC response template, have you got the link.
Thanks again for the reply will keep you posted.

@belay_intent

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6108153/template-defence-to-adapt-for-all-parking-cases-with-added-admin-dra-costs-edited-in-2024/p1

Gr1pr

belay_intent said:

Sorry I haven’t seen any LoC response template, have you got the link.
Thanks again for the reply will keep you posted.

Top of the forum,  4th thread down from the top,  NEWBIES READ THIS by coupon mad

belay_intent

Hello guys as per their usual time keeping they have now sent the following letter to which I am going to reply stressing yet again I have not received the first letter giving me the time to appeal the (PCN) like I did for our daughter. 
They have stressed / pointed out :
Under paragraph 2.1(c) of the Protocol  they have stated "We would respectfully draw your attention to paragraph 2.1(c) of the Protocol and remind you that both parties are expected to act reasonably and proportionately.

For the avoidance of doubt, please note that the timeframe in which to appeal the Parking Charge has expired. You were given the opportunity to lodge an appeal when the initial Notice was issued to you. Given that the case has been escalated to this firm for recovery action, the time to appeal has now elapsed and payment of the Parking Charge(s) is now required"

My argument is that I, first of all never received the first letter from UKPC only the letter DCBL for FINAL NOTICE OF DEBT RECOVERY. This means by their words I have missed the point for me to appeal their (PCN), so this means that neither UKPC or DCBL have NOT acted reasonably and proportionately but also deliberately removed any chance for me to appeal this notice, possibly knowing that they have already cancelled our daughters (PCN).

Your thoughts and ideas going forward would be very much appreciated as I haven't seen anyone on this forum with the issue of not receiving the first (PCN) from UKPC.

I enclose their response to my email.

Thanks again

Stephanie

Dear [removed by Forum Team]

We write in response to your recent correspondence in response to our Letter of Claim (LOC) and will now respond as follows.

It is our position that the Letter of Claim (“LOC”) is compliant with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (“the Protocol”). The LOC provides adequate information for you to identify the debt that our Client is seeking to recover. We would respectfully draw your attention to paragraph 2.1(c) of the Protocol and remind you that both parties are expected to act reasonably and proportionately.

For the avoidance of doubt, please note that the timeframe in which to appeal the Parking Charge has expired. You were given the opportunity to lodge an appeal when the initial Notice was issued to you. Given that the case has been escalated to this firm for recovery action, the time to appeal has now elapsed and payment of the Parking Charge(s) is now required.

The amount owed is a genuine pre-estimate of the losses incurred in managing the parking location to ensure compliance with the clearly displayed terms and conditions. Further, in accordance with the British Parking Association (BPA)/International Parking Community (IPC) Code of Practice, where the Parking Charge becomes overdue and before Court proceedings have commenced, a reasonable sum may be added for the debt recovery fees. The correct recovery fees have been added and will not be removed, for completeness we would advise that the fee is not inclusive of any VAT, as it does not pertain to a supply of goods/services between you and our Client.

To clarify, when parking on private land, the contractual terms of the site are set out on the signs. You are thus entering into a contract (by way of conduct) and agreeing to the terms by parking and staying on the site. Parking in breach of the terms as stipulated on the signage means that you are then breaking the terms of the contract. 

Attached are copies of evidence pertaining to the matter, however, if there are any documents that you have requested, but that are not attached, it is because we have deemed the request to be disproportionate and/or not relevant to the substantive issues in dispute. We respectfully draw your attention to paragraph 2.1(c) of the Protocol and remind you that both parties are expected to act reasonably and proportionately.

You now have 30 days from the date of this email to make payment of £170.00. Failure to make payment will result in a Claim being issued against you without any further reference.

Payment can be made via bank transfer to our designated client account: -

• Account Name: DCB Legal Ltd Client Account
• Sort Code: 20-24-09
• Account Number: 60964441

You must quote the correct case reference [removed by Forum Team] when making payment. If you do not, we may be unable to correctly allocate the payment. If further action is taken by us as a result of an incorrect reference being quoted, you will be liable for any further fees or costs incurred.

Alternatively, you can contact DCB Legal Ltd on 0203 838 7038 to make payment over the telephone or online

Kind Regards,

 

 [removed by Forum Team]

Litigation Support Associate

DCB Legal Ltd 

 

Tel: 0203 434 0433 | DX 23457 Runcorn

Coupon-mad

"Given that the case has been escalated to this firm for recovery action, the time to appeal has now elapsed and payment of the Parking Charge(s) is now required."

Proves this stage is NOT 'debt resolution'!

You can reply or ignore. Their conveyor belt 'CCJ seeking' system will bring a claim form regardless.

Then you'll defend. Later, they'll discontinue.

While you wait, please read this message and do the vital,  current Public Consultation:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81552148/#Comment_81552148

It's important that the Government hears from people like you with unfair charges who are facing the prospect of scary court claims.

The link shows the two vital points to concentrate on, IMHO:

- banning 'fee' add-ons completely.

- making sure a new SINGLE appeals service replaces POPLA and the IAS which are seen as not fully independent and involved in a 'race to the bottom'.

Click through to the main thread about the Consultation, Do not be deterred by the fact that some questions are for the parking industry only.

We are currently discussing how to respond. Please join us in doing this Consultation before it closes in three weeks. This is your one chance to make a difference re the proper regulation of private parking.

Le_Kirk

belay_intent said:

The amount owed is a genuine pre-estimate of the losses incurred in managing the parking location to ensure compliance with the clearly displayed terms and conditions. 

Someone should tell them the genuine pre-estimate of the losses is no longer and hasn't been for some years, a thing!  They also do not go on to say what those losses are!  OR maybe just let them stew in the juices of their own incompetence.