Letter before claim

Musikate_2

I have recieved a letter before claim notice from Gladstones solicitors - they want me to pay £150 for parking in Tesco car park managed by a company known as Horizon Parking Ltd. Horizon Parking Ltd had sent me letters fining me but to my old address so by the time I received them the time to appeal had passed.  The so called fine is incorrect and I was visiting the supermarket that day - I live locally so there would have been no reason for me to stay beyond the allowed time - they have made a mistake - what is now the best course of action.

Gr1pr

Use the LoC template response as seen in post 2 in the newbies sticky thread in announcements,  confirming your current address as correct for the service of papers 

Definitely not a fine, just an invoice from a private parking company for an alleged breach of the parking contract on that private property 

Coupon-mad

Musikate_2 said:

I have recieved a letter before claim notice from Gladstones solicitors - they want me to pay £150 for parking in Tesco car park managed by a company known as Horizon Parking

Horizon Parking Ltd had sent me letters fining me but to my old address so by the time I received them the time to appeal had passed. 

The so called fine is incorrect and I was visiting the supermarket that day - I live locally so there would have been no reason for me to stay beyond the allowed time - they have made a mistake - what is now the best course of action.

Welcome!

Sounds like a 'double dip' ANPR error where the car was there twice in 24 hours and the cameras defaulted to 'first in last out' images, as if it was one long parking session. A well known scam invoice.

Double dips are so common that even the government uses that phrase in the new statutory Code of Practice that's on its way. Operators are required to check for the 'orphan images' (search the forum for these two phrases in bold and read what others did to complain and sort it).

You can use the forum's LBC response and delete the stuff about VAT. Instead talk about the above complaint and tell them it's a double dip error. Obviously keep the vital top section confirming your correct address.

THEN:

- complain to Tesco Head Office in Dundee and insist they step in to cancel this before you are sued.

- lodge an online complaint to Horizon using their complaints policy. Tell them you'll report them to the BPA if they don't quickly find the orphan images, apologise, call off Gladstones and cancel the PCN because this was two visits, a double dip.