DCBL Unpaid Parking Charge - 3 YEARS LATE

DaisyDrift

I received a letter on Monday for an unpaid parking charge. The contravention was in 2023 and this is the first I have been made aware of the fine. I have been given 14 days to pay, but it took 10 days for the letter to arrive - so I have two days left.

DCBL are chasing me on behalf of Euro Car Parks.

The fine was:

• For a car I have not owned for two years
• In a previous name

While I have changed address and name in that time, I have updated my driving licence and the logbook for that vehicle would have been transferred to a new owner.

I have emailed to ask for:

• A copy of the original Parking Charge Notice
• Evidence that any Notice to Keeper was issued and served in accordance with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• Photographic evidence relating to the alleged contravention
• Evidence of your client’s authority to operate and issue charges on the land in question
• Details of the source of my personal data and your lawful basis for processing it under UK GDPR  
• An explanation as to why it took 3 years for this to reach me

I have not accepted any liability nor confirmed I am the driver.

Am I right to challenge? I cannot even recall the day in question and signage has likely changed in the Sainsbury’s I was allegedly parked in between now and then.

The advice on the forums is not to call, but I am worried that time is running out and I might get a bigger fine.

I would be so grateful of any advice.

Gr1pr

There Is no fine and it wont get bigger ( its £100 ) , time is NOT running out

You have an outstanding unpaid Invoice for an alleged breach of the parking contract on that private property, from a private parking company , ECP, who wanted £100 ( or less. )

DCBL can be ignored

Do not ignore DCB LEGAL

Ensure that DCBL and DCB LEGAL have your current address on file and MUST ERASE previous addresses

Ideally get Sainsbury to cancel the old pcn, plan A

No phoning anyone

No paying either. !

DaisyDrift

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81973397#Comment_81973397

Thank you for your advice.

At the moment the charge is £140.

Is it likely that I could get Sainsbury’s to cancel the fine? I can’t prove I wasn’t there and I have no idea how long I was there, so would I just lean on the fact it has been three years with no contact?

Gr1pr

No contact is usually the fault of the Registered Keeper not updating the V5c log book promptly after moving, so no paperwork is no defence, ( you cannot blame them for your V5c mistakes. ) plus the claimant has 6 years to claim against anyone alleged debtor in England and Wales so 3 years is a reasonable time

If the current alleged charge is £140, including the spurious £70 debt collectors fee that won't be paid, then the original pcn charge must have been £70, on the missing paperwork and on the signs too

That original charge NEVER changes and was never a fine, ( magistrates issue fines, not private parking companies like ECP )

If you have the PCN or ECP reference number, plus the VRM details, then complain about it to Sainsburys.

Coupon-mad

You don't have a fine and will never pay it. The letter from DCB Ltd is already in the pictures in the 4th post of the NEWBIES thread.

Le_Kirk

What is the exact date of the alleged parking event according to DCBL? What date did you sell the car and do you have proof of when you informed the DVLA? Is it possible you were still the registered keeper?

DaisyDrift

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81974323#Comment_81974323

The fine is from 4th January 2023. The car was on finance and I gave the car back and purchased a new one in October 2023. I had just requested a copy of my logbook for my new car, which I’ve owned since October 2023 and it is after this I received the charge. Have I mistakenly assumed the dealer updated that I was no longer the registered keeper of the first car? I’ve always been the registered keeper of the current car.

DaisyDrift

I read this post before joining but if I was there, will this not get escalated eventually?

Coupon-mad

You've called it a 'fine' twice but in fact it's only an invoice.

You'll never have to pay a penny, not even when you get a Claim Form from DCB Legal later this year. Read the DCB Legal discontinuances thread by @Umkomaas and spot all the Euro Car Parks discontinuations!

That's how it ends. Stick with us,

NO PAYING,

Iceweasel

For goodness sake stop calling it a fine.

As long as you keep calling it a fine it means that you still don't understand how these money grabbing, scaremongers operate.

Stick with the advice from expert regulars such as Coupon- mad, and you will have a successful outcome.

DaisyDrift

I’ve been contacted by DCL who have had now shared photographic evidence, the notice to keeper and a final notification letter.

They also said the following:

If you have not received any documentation regarding this Parking Charge prior to our instruction, then it is highly likely that the address held with the DVLA/Hire or Lease company was not updated by you when you moved address. DCBL may have conducted a trace on you to find your current address. It is your responsibility to ensure that the DVLA/Hire or Lease is kept up to date when you either move address or sell a vehicle.

The timeframe in which to submit an appeal expired prior to our instruction. Please be advised, DCBL are not part of the appeals process and we are solely instructed for the purpose of debt resolution. As the person named by our client, you remain liable for the outstanding balance.

Why not Download our DCBL Customer App making debt resolution more transparent and manageable. Taking the stress out of debt, the app offers powerful features…

How would you advise I should address this now? I still don’t have any record of receiving the original charge.