DCB Legal - Acknowledgment filed/Next Steps?

southincorporated

Hi All, I have been attempting to follow the advice on this very helpful thread and am now in a position where I have filed my acknowledgement of service (28/05/2026) through the Money Claims Portal, and I believe I must now submit my defence by the 14th of June. I was planning on making use of the defence template I have seen on here for DCB Legal claims, and wanted to sense check whether it would be applicable in my case/if any significant changes would be needed.

A few details of my case - I was unable to process the payment through Ringo (which I consistently use to park at this particular site). Even with multiple attempts, it would continue to glitch - I managed to get a screenshot to evidence this. And, this resulted in me having to leave (within 30 mins or so of arriving) without being able to make the payment. I received a PCN back in 2022 and appealed to no avail. I received various letters over the years from CST Law, followed by DCB Legal, which then eventually sent a letter of claim. This culminated in a claim form dated 12/05/2026.

I sent the following email to DCB Legal in response to their letter of claim (before receipt of their claim form), adapting a template found in the thread:

"Dear Sir/Madam, 
I write in response to your Letter of Claim. 
As I have noted in my response to a previous Letter of Claim to CST Law, previously instructed by Smart Parking Ltd, I maintain that I attempted to pay the parking charge on 12/08/2022. I have used the relevant car park for many years while attending the local mosque and have consistently paid for parking. I am able to provide evidence of successful payments made at this location, demonstrating a consistent history of legitimate use and compliance with the parking terms. 
In an effort to resolve matters without unnecessary litigation, I made a reasonable settlement offer, as a gesture of good faith, equivalent to a full day’s parking charge. This correspondence was ignored, and no substantive response was provided. 
Your client’s decision to pursue proceedings further appears disproportionate and contrary to the overriding objective of resolving disputes efficiently and at proportionate cost. 
Should your client intend to proceed with the claim, please provide the following documents and information: 
1.    A copy of the original parking charge notice
2.    Copies of all photographs relied upon
3.    Copies of the signage terms in force at the material time 
4.    Evidence of the claimant’s authority from the landowner to issue and pursue parking charges 
5.    A detailed breakdown of the sum claimed, including any added fees, costs, or recovery charges. 
I reserve all rights in this matter, including the right to draw the court’s attention to the parties’ pre-action conduct on the question of costs."

I received the cookie-cutter response from them on 15/05/2026, containing an offer to settle for £200 (the full claim amount being £308.60) to be paid within 14 days, to which I have not responded as of yet. Also, to note that the evidence that they attached was an image of my car entering the parking lot with time stamps for entry and exit, but nothing further. Should I be following up to this settlement offer? I am still willing to settle for a day's parking charge (about £5), which I'm sure they're unlikely to take, but the fine amounts are simply egregious.

Thanks in advance for any feedback or further advice!

Coupon-mad

There is a current tsunami of Smart Parking claims. So much so, that I now have copy & paste advice ready:

just click on the username @Meltof

You could have copied their version of a Smart Parking final defence posted on April 12th. Obviously, as they didn't use the POFA, theres no keeper liability possible with Smart, so we hope no response has admitted to driving? 


These claims are all the same (none go to hearings) and the sheer numbers of Smart Parking claim threads - about half a dozen new ones EVERY DAY here - have driven us regulars a bit mad in April/May with this batch!

Literally read any Smart thread…

Follow the 8 steps in the Template Defence thread which also covers Mediation.

It'll be discontinued just before the hearing fee falls due in the Autumn/Winter.

Read @Umkomaas'thread of over 850 examples.And counting!

Coupon-mad

"This culminated in a claim form dated 12/05/2026."

@southincorporated did you get the easy (copy & paste) defence in yet? If not, you are risking a CCJ any moment. Get it in!