Euro Car Parks did not send letter until 6 weeks later!

redroseyellowrose

Hello,

I have had a look through the newbies thread and others but can only see information linked to receiving the first letter and the timeframes associated with that.

I parked in a newly charging carpark on 29/05/25. I did not see the signage. It was not prominent. I parked right by the entrance. I was there an hour and it had been a donation box carpark the only other time I parked there.
I received the first letter on 14/08/25, from Debt Recovery Plus stating I now need to pay £170! And the opportunity to appeal has now passed. Apparently this is the 4th letter they have sent. I have not received any so far so this was news to me. 
I have not phoned or replied or complained through POPLA yet. 

Can someone point me in the direction of any thread that will help me deal with this. Signage was not clear at all and the fact that I did not receive any notification until now is suspicious. 

Many thanks in advance.

Gr1pr

You cannot complain to popla

You should not contact DR PLUS either 

Get your V5c log book out and check that its up to date, because those letters went to the registered address,  so that is where suspicion lies ( very common error by registered keepers if they move   )

Coupon-mad

This is probably due to an old address on your car logbook. Sooo common!

Obviously no paying.

NEWBIES PLEASE READ THESE FAQS FIRST is the pinned Announcement thread you seem to have missed. We won't link it as you already have 2 links back to page one on every page.

  

redroseyellowrose

Thanks for your replies.

The address is current. I have not lived anywhere else in the time I had the vehicle.
I was going to send a letter to ECP Ltd. Is that ok as I was confused as I also saw people saying not to contact them.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing in relation to Parking Charge Notice (PCN) XXX, issued by Euro Car Parks Ltd. The registered keeper of the vehicle has not received any PCN or related correspondence from Euro Car Parks Ltd. The first communication received was from Debt Recovery Plus on 14th August 2025, demanding payment.

According to the British Parking Association (BPA) Code of Practice (February 2024), Euro Car Parks Ltd is required to reissue a PCN if the original notice was not received. As per section 23.8 of the BPA Code of Practice:

• You must respond to appeals within 28 days or acknowledge receipt and provide a timeframe for a decision.

• A process must be in place for considering appeals lodged outside of the 28-day period if the appellant can provide evidence that the PCN was only discovered after this period. This requires the appeal process to restart, and any enforcement action, except court proceedings, must be paused.

No such opportunity has been provided, and it appears that Debt Recovery Plus has taken unscrupulous actions by issuing debt recovery demands without any prior attempt at contacting the keeper or giving the driver a chance to appeal, as required by the BPA Code of Practice. The keeper has resided at the same address since before the appeal and the vehicle details are up-to-date with the DVLA.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines is a breach of the BPA Code of Practice and may result in legal action, including a formal complaint to the BPA, and further legal proceedings if necessary. I request that Euro Car Parks Ltd:

1. Immediately reissue the PCN as per the Code of Practice, allowing the appeal process to restart.

2. Cease any further debt recovery action until this matter is properly resolved and the appeals process has been followed.

Please confirm receipt of this email and provide a formal response within 14 days

Yours faithfully.

 

 

Coupon-mad

Yes send that because DR Plus have form for going straight to debt demands.

Challenging the fact no PCN arrived can work, if they realise that in fact none was sent!

redroseyellowrose

Thank you very much  

redroseyellowrose

I received this reply yesterday by email:

Good afternoon,

 

Please be advised that the Parking Charge Notice (PCN) has been forwarded to the address of the registered keeper of the vehicle at the time that the PCN was issued.

 

This address has been provided by the DVLA, it is your responsibility to ensure the DVLA are updated with your current address.

 

A notice sent by post is to be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to have been delivered on the second working day after the day on which it is posted; and for this

purpose, “working day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday in England and Wales.

 

Please note that we are unable to accept your correspondence as this parking charge notice has now been passed to a debt collection agency.

 

Please contact Debt Recovery directly with regards to payment on 0208 234 6775.

 

Euro Car Parks are unable to assist any further, please ensure all/any communication must now be complete direct with Debt Recovery Plus.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Customer Services

Except it was never received. They did not attach the PCN to the email. How do I prove something has not been delivered? Surely the onus should be on the sender proving that it was sent?

Gr1pr

It would be,  in a court case,  or on the balance of probability 

You cannot prove a negative,  but they do not have to prove receipt,  it's presumed to be delivered 2 business days later

They probably issue hundreds of pcns by post everyday,  so that balance of probability is on their side

If its with debt collectors,  ignore them 

Come back to this thread if or when you receive a Letter of Claim giving you 30 days notice,  or a court claim against you 

If they have breached the common code of practice,  report them online to the BPA AOS compliance team 

Coupon-mad

redroseyellowrose said:

I received this reply yesterday by email:

Good afternoon,

 

Please be advised that the Parking Charge Notice (PCN) has been forwarded to the address of the registered keeper of the vehicle at the time that the PCN was issued.

 

This address has been provided by the DVLA, it is your responsibility to ensure the DVLA are updated with your current address.

 

A notice sent by post is to be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to have been delivered on the second working day after the day on which it is posted; and for this

purpose, “working day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday in England and Wales.

 

Please note that we are unable to accept your correspondence as this parking charge notice has now been passed to a debt collection agency.

 

Please contact Debt Recovery directly with regards to payment on 0208 234 6775.

 

Euro Car Parks are unable to assist any further, please ensure all/any communication must now be complete direct with Debt Recovery Plus.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Customer Services

Except it was never received. They did not attach the PCN to the email. How do I prove something has not been delivered? Surely the onus should be on the sender proving that it was sent?

Ask ECP and the DRA (but no phoning!) for a copy of the original PCN under your SAR and pre-action protocol rights.