Initial Parking at Abersoch

Bookends

Online at register-of-charities.charitycommission DOT gov DOT uk/en/charity-search

"Abersoch Village Hall" in the search box

Choose Accounts and annual returns and open 'Accounts and TAR' Its a 30-page pdf and the details you're looking for starts from page 6 (end of April 2024)

Hope this helps

Mickstercf

I'm not sure that that kind of means anything, though. It just means that payments were made to Initial for some reason.

Mickstercf

Quick update – it’s now gone to Debt Recovery Plus.

I’ve now received the first email from Debt Recovery Plus (DRP). They say Initial has instructed them to recover £170 and the account is shown as “Legal Action Status: Eligible.”

The particularly ridiculous bit is that DRP states the reason for issue as:

“UNPAID TARIFF TIME”

…despite Initial Parking now expressly acknowledging in writing that they found my £3 payment in their records. I also still have the original £3 ticket and the corresponding bank transaction.

DRP says:

“We cannot contest the charge”

and then has the usual payment/debt-recovery stuff, including a graphic showing £60 → £170 → £280 “if legal action taken”, and an offer to pay £10 now and the balance in 30 days.

I’m not intending to pay DRP. My thought is to send them one short response saying:

• the debt is denied;
• the tariff was paid and Initial has acknowledged finding the payment;
• their description of the case as “UNPAID TARIFF TIME” is therefore disputed;
• the underlying PCN remains formally disputed;
• they should mark the account as disputed and refer it back to Initial; and
• if Initial wants to pursue it through court, I’ll respond to a proper Letter of Claim and defend it.

Separately, the SAR/data-protection saga with Initial has moved on quite a bit. Their DPO has now confirmed that the PCN was manually reviewed before my DVLA data was obtained and that they have information relating to that review, but the SAR disclosure still doesn’t appear to contain the actual manual-review/audit information I’ve repeatedly asked for. After several rounds of correspondence, Initial has now told me that if I’m still dissatisfied I can take it to the ICO, so that’s what I’m doing.

I’m also preparing the BPA complaint now that Initial’s internal complaints procedure has been exhausted.

Any thoughts on whether it’s worth sending the one-off “debt denied / refer back to your client” response to DRP, or whether you’d just ignore DRP correspondence unless/until a proper Letter of Claim arrives?

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82147103#Comment_82147103

It doesn't (well I doubt it) because landowners don't pay parking firms. Changing sums are more likely Initial sharing the spoils with Abersoch, so they are both profiting from victims like you.

It is never worth engaging with DR Plus.

Mickstercf

Okay then, I'll completely ignore the message from Debt Recovery.

Car1980

You've done a lot of stuff except the important one (assuming you live nearby):

• Go back and get a video replicating Lynda's one. Take a second person with a phone, who records a clear image of the screen as it moves on and misdirects the consumer;

Mickstercf

I know, but I don't live anywhere near. The Abersoch Facebook group shows that some other people have had the same problem. I'm hoping to get in touch with somebody locally and get them to maybe do this.

pustit

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82152252#Comment_82152252

point them to this website and your thread. Spread the word!

Mickstercf

https://uk-parking-fair-play-guide.netlify.app/

Coupon-mad

https://uk-parking-fair-play-guide.netlify.app/#keying-error-cases

Great collated case list of the 'keying error scam' there. Really good evidence that the common denominator is the machine, not the hundreds of cheated drivers at each site.