Received Letter of Claim from DCBLegal

PanAction25

1. Parking Event – 04/10/2023

• Parked at York Street, Manchester (Euro Car Parks).
• It was dark at the time.
• After entering the car park, I spent time searching for a parking space.
• ANPR cameras record the time of entry, which does not account for time spent driving around to find a space.
• After parking, I joined a queue at the payment machine.
• While waiting, I realised payment could be made via RingGo instead.
• I paid via RingGo: £7.20 for 2 hours (plus £0.40 RingGo fee).
• Total time recorded on site: 2 hours 24 minutes.

1. Medical Context (Relevant to the Event)

• I have diabetes, which can worsen abdominal discomfort and affect mobility.
• I experience episodes of sudden abdominal pain requiring me to take Lanzoprazole and either sit or lie down briefly until the discomfort subsides.
• On the evening in question, shortly after entering my vehicle to exit the car park, I experienced one of these episodes and had to remain seated until the pain reduced.
• Medical tests have been ongoing since the incident.
• One test has confirmed an inguinal hernia.

1. Euro Car Parks PCN & Appeal

• PCN issued alleging the RingGo payment did not cover the full duration.
• I appealed to Euro Car Parks.
• Appeal rejected.
• Their rejection letter stated that if I appealed to POPLA and lost, the discounted amount would no longer be available.

1. POPLA Appeal (Decision dated 16/03/2026)

POPLA found:

• I did pay for the correct date.
• Payment covered 2 hours, not 2h24m.
• Signage was considered clear.
• Operator must allow a 10‑minute grace period under the new Single Code.
• Even with the grace period, the stay exceeded the paid time.
• Appeal refused.

1. Post‑POPLA

• Euro Car Parks later offered £85.

1. Debt Recovery Stage

• Received letters from Debt Recovery Plus (DRP) requesting £170.
• Received letters from DCBL requesting £170.

1. DCB Legal – Letter of Claim (24 June 2024)

• Received a Letter of Claim from DCB Legal.
• Includes 28‑day deadline, reply forms, and threat of County Court proceedings.
• Also includes a link to an online reply portal.

1. Current Position

• I prefer not to use the online portal and would like guidance on how to respond at this stage.
• My grounds include:• POPLA confirmed I did pay.
• Overstay caused by a medical episode.
• Ongoing medical investigations.
• Confirmed inguinal hernia.
• Diabetes affecting mobility.
• Time spent searching for a space and queuing at the machine before realising RingGo was available.
• ANPR does not account for time spent driving around or queuing.

I would be grateful for any suggestions about my next steps.

Many thanks in advance.

Coupon-mad

You can just email evidence of this:

• Overstay caused by a medical episode.
• Ongoing medical investigations.
• Confirmed inguinal hernia.
• Diabetes affecting mobility.

But equally, you could just use the recommended terse LBC reply in the NEWBIES thread post 2.

DCB Legal will ignore it anyway, or they'll send a template reply THAT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE EVER AGAIN, PLEASE!

🤣

PanAction25

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058755#Comment_82058755

Thanks. If they ignore it what happens next?

Gr1pr

They are likely to issue a Money Claim using MCOL on behalf of their client, ECP, by post

A Letter of Claim, ( LoC or LBC ) is usually the last legal letter to give someone a last chance to settle the matter, before an official court claim is issued. ! , "otherwise we will issue a court claim against you "

PanAction25

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82059260#Comment_82059260

Thanks but just wondering whether based forum members experience I have a stronger case.

Incident date: October 2025 at York Street, Manchester (Euro Car Parks).
• Conditions: Raining and dark.
• Arrival: ANPR captures entry time; does not account for time spent driving around looking for a space.
• Payment attempt: Walked to the payment machine and joined a queue. People ahead were having issues.
• Payment made: Noticed RingGo was available → paid for 2 hours (£7.20 + £0.40 fee).
• Total time on site: 2 hours 24 minutes (approx. 7 minutes before payment + 2 hours paid + 15 minutes due to medical episode).
• Medical context: I have diabetes and episodic abdominal/groin pain requiring Lanzoprazole. One episode occurred after I got into my car to leave, preventing me from moving for around 15 minutes. Ongoing tests since Dec 2025; recently diagnosed inguinal hernia linked to these symptoms.
• Euro Car Parks appeal: Rejected.
• POPLA appeal (March 2026):• Confirmed I did pay for the correct date.
• Said payment covered 2 hours, not 2h24m.
• Applied 10‑minute grace period.
• Concluded the overstay exceeded tariff + grace period.
• Cited ParkiingEye v Beavis case and said a charge “in the region of £85” is allowable.

• Post‑POPLA: ECP later offered £85.
• Debt recovery: DRP and DCBL letters for £170.
• DCB Legal: Letter of Claim received June 2026 with 28‑day deadline and online reply portal.

ChirpyChicken

Its irrelevant just follow the standard process

Coupon-mad

None of the detail matters. Forget it.

You don't need a good case. DCB Legal always discontinue all ECP court claims before hearings.

Nobody loses or pays.

When I replied to you, I deliberately didn't type what happens next because it is a cinch to find that out, with a bit of reading of this forum. Read some threads. @Umkomaas' DCB Legal one is a good starter for ten.

🙂