I'm scared about what will happen and what I should do?

SSmith99

Can anybody help me please? I have a disability and not much money. A few years ago I had a letter from dcbl (Direct Collection Baillis Ltd) to pay a fine of over £300, from a car park with free parking, but as I just ran in and out a shop, I didn't put in my details, and so it caused me a lot of depression and anxiety. I kept having nightmares about bailiffs entering my house or being in the newspaper about having a £10,000 debt from fighting against a parking ticket etc. I didn't know about it as never had a note on my windscreen and moved house since.
I came on here and some of it was confusing about what I should do, such as templates, and people explaining things I didn't understand, such as how bailiffs won't come to my house to take away my things, despite dcbl saying that would happen, but eventually somebody from here helped me clear it up. I think that car park had lots of complaints and is now under new management that don't ask for reg details for the free parking.

Since then I have been extra careful about making sure I always put my car details in machines, even in free car parks. Yet today I still had a letter from dcbl to pay £170 for parking from 6 months ago at a different car park and car than before. I've always put my details in that car park machine. There was once I forgot to pay but then went back to put my details in the machine to pay and another time I went back to the same car park on the same day, so could it have been connected to that, but don't see how it would be when I always put in my details to pay.

Now I'm under stress again and not sure what else to do but ask on here again. Would it be OK if nobody is sarcastic to me about my fears? I have a difficult life as have no family. I was abandoned when born, my adoptive parents were abusive and I can just about get by financially with no support, so if I pay £170 I won't be able to eat for a month, or if I go to court and have a bigger fine, my life would be ruined.

Can somebody please explain the first thing I should do? In some ways I just want to pay it to stop threats, but in other ways it doesn't seem morally right to send threats for the amount of £170, which seems much too high from a parking fine from 6 months ago, that I think is wrong.

Also a week before the letter I had mobile phone text messages from the same company telling me to pay it and I assumed it was a scammer, as how would they have got my mobile phone number? That car park is paid before leaving where you put in your car reg number and it tells you how much to pay, but doesn't ask for personal details like phone number.

It's saying I have 14 days to pay it, but what will happen if I don't pay it in 14 days? I'm really scared and unsure if I can do anything myself or what I should do first?

Should I call dcbl or should I do something else first? I assume calling them won't help me fight against the fine as they're told to get payment no matter what?

marcia_

until other forum users wake up start by reading this

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822/newbies-private-parking-ticket-old-or-new-read-these-faqs-first-thankyou

Jemma01

Have you paid cash or card? Do you have a digital record of the payment? That would help you remember what happened that day. Did you pay late, or did you miss paying the second time altogether. Is there a reason why the penalty is so extortionate? Is it already in debt collection stage?

Umkomaas

Which parking firm are DCBL representing?

If you’ve failed on a couple of occasions to receive the initial notification of the charge from the parking firm (not DCBL) and as you’ve moved house, your V5C (logbook) could still have your former address showing. Please check it. That’s the address the DVLA give to the parking firms. DCBL will have acquired your current address/mobile number via a trace company - happens regularly. If your V5C address is out of date, you must update it with the DVLA - it can be done on line for free.

Please stop worrying, you’ll get good help here.

Nellymoser

A lot of the advice is the same as was given to you in your 2023 post below. What happened in the end with that one? You never posted the outcome.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6494322/never-seen-a-parking-ticket-but-now-have-letter-from-dcb-legal-ltd

Is this current letter from debt collectors dcbl the 1st correspondence you've received? Did you not get the original Parking Charge Notice from the parking company?

On your V5C DVLA document does it show your present address?

Do not call dcbl. Ignore their letters as advised in NEWBIES POST - 4.

Ignore text messages, block their number. A trace enables them to find your mobile no.

Look out for a Letter of/before Claim from DCB Legal giving you 30days to reply.

Stop stressing, you've done this before, follow advice in NEWBIES and from posters. 🙂

James_Poisson

Please stop worrying you are amongst friends on here.

As @Nellymoser and @Umkomaas have stated above is your V5C registered at your current address, if not you should get that sorted out ASAP, from what you are saying we have assumed the letter from dcbl is the first notification you have had?

As before you do not have a "fine", private companies cannot issue fines, you received a demand for payment of an invoice they say you didn't pay.

The paperwork should give you some idea of why the charge was issued.

Never phone debt collectors or parking companies their staff are trained to intimidate people as they have no scruples, morals or sympathy when it comes to finding ways of extracting money from people.

From the scant details you included It may be that the original PCN was issued because you went back to pay after the event which the parking company will object to even though you paid, or it was a no return within so many hours scam they are trying on we can't tell.

Who are the parking company claiming you owe them money?

Le_Kirk

Once you have confirmed that you have an incorrect address on your V5C and have corrected it with DVLA, you need to write to the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the parking company. Do we know the name of the parking company?

"For the purposes of service of papers, my address from DD/MM/YYYY is: No. Street, village, town, county. You must erase all old data. I require you to inform all and any of your agents and sub-contacctors of the correct address."

Coupon-mad

"I'll check my V5 to see what it says. If it is my fault because of that, should I just pay it as a lesson?"

No. You put the V5C right with the DVLA.

You will never pay this invoice.

As advised:

Do not call dcbl. Ignore their letters as advised in NEWBIES POST - 4.

Ignore text messages, block their number. A trace enables them to find your mobile no.

Look out for a Letter of/before Claim from DCB Legal giving you 30days to reply.

Once you have confirmed that you have an incorrect address on your V5C and have corrected it with DVLA, you need to write to the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the parking company.

"For the purposes of service of papers, my address from DD/MM/YYYY is: No. Street, village, town, county. You must erase all old data. I require you to inform all and any of your agents and sub-contractors of the correct address."

Do we know the name of the parking company? Who?

Car1980

• Parkmaven I believe.

SSmith99

I have updated my details with the DVLA. Letter from dcbl says I have 14 days to respond or I will go to court or have increased fines, but the letter is dated from 10 days ago, so I'm not sure if that means they will take further action now?
Will they take me to court if I don't pay it? That sounds very stressful. How can they be allowed to make threats if it won't happen? I can't afford increased costs.
How am I supposed to know the contact details for the data protection officer of the parking company?
I'm tempted to just pay it and live on rubbish from the food bank for a month, as then it will go away.
Should I just pay it if it was my fault for not dong the V5 in time so I didn't know previous requests went to a previous address?

Le_Kirk

Use: - data@parkmaven.com