DCBL chasing Smart Parking PCN from 2021

Culverdene

Recently contacted by DCBL, which is aiming to recover payment for a Smart Parking PCN from November 2021.

At the time, we had permission to park, we were meeting the site manager. We advised the site owner when we recived the PCN, they apologised saying they were having 'some issues' with Smart Parking and that they would get it revoked. We never heard anything again so we assumed that the PCN had been cancelled. Until DCBL started chasing us to pay £170 in May 2025. 
We've tried to reason with DCBL and also Smart Parking, but unsurprisingly they are not budging an inch and threatening court action. 
Any advice please? 

(The PCN is made out to our limited company as keeper of the vehicle and not the driver at the time if this is helpful.)

Gr1pr

Ignore DCBL   ( but don't Ignore anything from DCB Legal or from the CNBC   )

Dont try to contact them or speak with them,  no phone calls,  everything in writing 

Study the bottom of the first post in the newbies sticky thread in announcements near the top of the forum by coupon mad,  then study the second post too, after checking the acronyms in the 5th post 

Smart Parking have 6 years from the incident date to sue you 

If you wanted to throw the driver under the bus, you could name them and their details to Smart Parking,  should you wish to,  or front it out as the non driving keeper or company 

Coupon-mad

And if you want to be part of the push to change things in future, it's very important that people like you tell the Government that:

a) you have no faith in POPLA or the IAS and that there must be the SINGLE APPEALS SERVICE that the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 *almost* promised. As long as it is independent and impartial (and only ONE appeals service, not two involved in a race to the bottom) that will give a real option to resolve disputed cases out of court.

b).  THAT THE ENRICHMENT OF 'DEBT RECOVERY FEES' MUST BE COMPLETELY BANNED. DISPUTED CASES ARE NOT SOLVED BY DEMANDING MORE MONEY AND OFFERING A 'PAYMENT PLAN'. GENUINE DISPUTES ARE NOT EVEN CONSIDERED BY DRAs, SO THEY ARE ACTING IN BAD FAITH.

c). Tell them about your company's experience and the complete and utter waste of court resources caused on a grand scale by DCB Legal,

Responses are invited to the Consultation now:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6617396/parking-code-of-practice-consultation-8-weeks-from-11th-july-2025/p1

Do it this month pleeease! We will discuss it on that thread next week if you want ideas.

Culverdene

Thanks guys. I will do the consultation today. It's a huge waste of time and money.

We have disputed the claim with both DCBL and Smart, unfortunately including a phone call to DCBL I wish we'd found the forum first. 

After we asked the site owner to cancel the charge, we never heard from Smart Pakring again. No follow-ups at all, so reasonably assumed they had complied with the site owner's request. Doesn't seem to make any difference.

Thank you for replying though. I can see that this forum is inundated.

Cheers.

Coupon-mad

Spell out the DCB phone call in detail to the Government please. Make it clear that disputed cases are fobbed off, so the added £70 serves no purpose except to enrich DCB from victims who get scared and pay.

Car1980

Your either going to get a claim, which is guaranteed to be discontinued, or you won't.

If you're the sort of person who doesn't take any sh*t I don't see any harm in calling Smart, DCB or DCB Legal and attempting to scare them into not making a claim. They really wont be used to aggressive calls stating you"ll kick their ars in court and to bring it on, as long as you don't give away any details that could be helpful to them.

I suspect Vinnie Jones doesn't get taken to court for private parking tickets.