Breathing space and dispute

Mayaboo

be gentle I’m not great and get overwhelmed by this stuff.

I’ve just received a letter saying I can’t appeal ( euro/ dcbl) Two tickets dated 2024.

First communicating since I paid all out standing tickets last year.

I believed I’d paid all tickets (and they would have added these on to what I had outstanding )

In 2025 I paid all fines before it reached ccj and asked them was that all tne fines over tne phone , as I paid . They said yes. I requested a text confirming payment .
yesterday I got a letter saying I can’t appeal .(?)

i believe this is an error. I found the text and spoke to dcbl number of times the last time I said I have one text proving payment of some tickets and a reference . She would not direct me to how i can get a copy of which pcns were on that payment. She said id have to prove to them I paid. I cannot prove it without tne documentation to check if i paid. They told me it was sent to a different debt collector first then transferred to them.
I told them I have breathing space- she told me I didn’t , repeatedly. I have an appointment with cab on Friday and tne breathing space reference. I’m not sending them tne breathing space letter unless cab tell me too.

How do I get tne documents back from 2024 . Last letter they say they sent me was sep 2025. And the phone call where. I asked if it was all paid up .

fatbelly

Breathing Space is a waste of time and the CAB are likely to be useless. At this stage all you do is wait for the claim, and defend it.

Have you read the Newbies thread?

Car1980

It's not an error. It's all deliberate. You're acting as if these are real debts issued by reasonable people when in reality in they're scammers in suites. There is no "appeals" route at this stage (as if they'd voluntarily cancel charges at any stage).

STOP talking to powerless debt collectors at DCBL. They're liars and worse than scum.

And for God sake stop paying these fake invoices.

This is what you do:

1. Check your V5 car document has your current address on it.
2. Do nothing and await a Letter Before Claim from DCBL Legal. They will eventually make a court claim that will eventually be discontinued. We we help you defend (it's all online).
3. Learn these facts about CCJs: a CCJ is a county court judgment and can only be issued in one of two ways: the postal claim form is ignored OR the claim is defended AND it goes all the way to hearing AND the person loses AND they still refuse to pay up within 28 days of the hearing.
   
   CAB are useless, so don't bother. They'll tell you write to them and then pay whatever bills they send you. Obviously you'll get duplicates of what you already paid because they're out to scam you.

Coupon-mad

"I paid all out standing tickets last year."

Oh no! I sm so sad you paid, and probably at the false £170 per PCN unlawful double recovery rate.

You never had to pay a penny.

How many did yo get frightened into paying?

How much did they 'extort' from you (DLUHC Minister's word in 2022 about the added £70 per PCN).

Please show us the 2025 threatening and misleading letter(s) that listed the ones you paid as I want to see if they misled you and if you have grounds to counterclaim the false unlawful £70 add-ons.

For that reason (possible counterclaim for misleading demands and double recovery of the same heads of cost) you DEFINITELY want the new case to go to a claim, to open up the counterclaim door.

Or you could sue them later for it back, when the MHCLG and CMA (we are fairly sure, once they realise) state that this add-on was always unlawful double recovery of the same costs covered by a PCN…

…and maybe even that mass refunds are due because the industry knew from the POFA and from Beavis that only the parking charges are recoverable and they already 'MUST' (said the Supreme Court) cover all costs of enforcement - the bog standard model of a pre-action letter chain - that HHJ Moloney helpfully listed at the first hearing.

That's my strong view on the fake £70 'extortion'. I think the sector should be ordered to refund all the double recovery, certainly since 2015 (Beavis - per the Supreme Court which upheld HHJ Moloney's findings about the PCN having to cover 'all costs') and arguably since 2012 (the POFA Schedule 4 banned double recovery and stated that the 'maximum recoverable sum' was the parking charge).

"I have an appointment with cab on Friday"

Oh no.

CAB advisers wrongly treat parking charges like they aren't inflated or unfair but this isn't about a debt that any judge would grant the parking firm. Not that the DCB Legal / ECP combo intend to attend hearings or pay hearing fees.

It's all about a model set to frighten and intimidate people, and you were mugged by them.

You actually want a claim form but the CAB will tell you to negotiate. Sigh…DON'T!

Either cancel that appointment or go along and DO NOT be told to pay or offer money.

This is NOT about needing breathing space.

If the adviser says that this is a debt and you should offer money, say:

"no you are wrong, and I should never have paid any. Did you read last month, that the Competition and Markets Authority have opened a consumer protection investigation into Euro Car Parks?".

Read that now.

Read the CMA's Open Letter to the sector. They are rogue and are under scrutiny.

Come back and tell us what the CAB said because sadly, their advice on parking charges (particularly those at pre-court stage) is currently terrible.

Mayaboo

my situation is, I have memory problems and mental health problems which makes dealing with this very difficult. I would park somewhere which had free parking for a certain length of time and intend to pay tne ticket but. I’d forget. They built up that way. It got to tne point where they were taking me to tne county court and at that point I just paid.

Mayaboo

I don’t think I have any defence. What I’ve said is tne truth but it’s my fault for forgetting.
They won’t tell me which ticket numbers originally paid and I disposed of tne paperwork after I asked them if it was all paid up.
so there’s been a time gap of maybe edit 2.5 years from when tney say they sent tne latest recovery and they refuse to tell me what’s numbers I paid. I’m thinking of getting an SAR

Mayaboo

I’ve never been in ‘ debt’ in my life,

Breathing space means I have time to get any information I need and stop worrying .

Because I can’t cope with the stress.

ChirpyChicken

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82095197#Comment_82095197

your not in debt,you dont need any information in order to deal with this

Mayaboo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82095245#Comment_82095245

ok so i want to avoid getting a mark on my credit score.but the letter does say I can’t appeal and I have to pay within 14 days. please, good MSEpeople walk methrough this or signpost me how to deal with it.

ChirpyChicken

there wont be a mark

and you dont do anything until you get a court claim

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82095456#Comment_82095456

Just await a claim form.

See post 2 of the NEWBIES FAQS thread.

You should NEVER have paid any PCNs but you really must pay fees to park. You can't just say "oh I forgot". Find a way to remind yourself to always pay the fee on site whilst there in a car park.

🙂