Please help, Moorside legal, URGENT

Cathygull

Hi, 
Please bear with me on this. I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, and have been team MSE for decades, BUT I have AHDH, and the sheer amount of information in this forum, and in the help posts is making my brain scramble.

I have left it to the last minute, as per, my worst ADHD trait, so I really need to reply today I think.

I received a parking fine from Parking Control Management UK Ltd back on 5th Sept 2024. It then got passed to Trace debt recovery, whom I ignored as per advice here. I then received a Letter of Claim from Moorside legal on 4th July 2025, 9 days after the date of the letter of 26th June.

I have read and re-read Post 2 about responding to this type of letter but I am just so overwhelmed and want to give up and cry and hope it all goes away. I know it won't so I please need, in gentle dummy language:

1. Who do I reply to?
2. Email or letter?
3. What do I say?

I am disputing the fine because the signage was really small writing and over twice my height up a pole.

Thank you so much in advance. I promise I have read the relevant posts 100 times but my brain can't cope with the number of words :-(

Nellymoser

You email the reply to Moorside Legal.
The template reply to LoC is in the NEWBIES post 2 Small Claim.
You'll find it below this statement:
Here's a more generic one to the solicitor (or operator if they sent the LOC themselves):

Coupon-mad

Cathygull said:

Hi, 
Please bear with me on this. I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, and have been team MSE for decades, BUT I have AHDH, and the sheer amount of information in this forum, and in the help posts is making my brain scramble.

I have left it to the last minute, as per, my worst ADHD trait, so I really need to reply today I think.

I received a parking fine from Parking Control Management UK Ltd back on 5th Sept 2024. It then got passed to Trace debt recovery, whom I ignored as per advice here.

I then received a Letter of Claim from Moorside legal on 4th July 2025, 9 days after the date of the letter of 26th June.

I have read and re-read Post 2 about responding to this type of letter but I am just so overwhelmed and want to give up and cry and hope it all goes away. I know it won't so I please need, in gentle dummy language:

1. Who do I reply to?
2. Email or letter?
3. What do I say?

I am disputing the fine because the signage was really small writing and over twice my height up a pole.

It isn't a 'fine' and you'll never pay it.

Either copy the suggested reply, or stay quiet and don't reply at all. Either tactic is fine.  A claim form will arrive regardless (which you must NOT ignore) but that's what you want! Honestly...

Come back when you get the claim form which is when you'll get real dispute resolution by using our template defence and seeing it off.

In the meantime please, please do this:

Please read this message and do the current Public Consultation in August:

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

It's vital the Government hears from people with unfair charges who are facing horrific, scary court claims.

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

- banning DRA 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'.

Do not be deterred by the fact that some questions are for the parking industry only.

See the link and follow it through to the main thread about the new statutory Code plans, where we are discussing how to respond. Please join us in doing this Consultation.

This is your one chance to make a difference re the future regulation of private parking.

Tell the Government how the £170 demands made you feel and that you may have engaged with the DRA if the £60 discount was still an option to avoid court. A three figure sum is plain extortion and no wonder nobody pays! Despite the anxiety and fear, tell them the DRA fee add-on means you may as well defend in court. Nothing to lose when it's already silly money.