Private parking fine notice

GDL1

My wife parked in a Parkmaven car park in Birmingham end of May. Ticket bought for £9.00. 3 weeks later we went on a 6 week roadtrip in Europe, returning end of July. A parking fine notice of £100 was in our post, on return, stating the fine of £60 hadn't been paid within 14 days so was increased to £100, to be paid within 28 days. This related to the parking in May. We honestly did not receive the first notice, or we would have paid it before we left on the roadtrip. The second letter must have arrived shortly after we left the country. We tried to phone the firm immediately, but all automated, and not recognising our reference number cos we were now outside the time for appeals. Emails were sent regarding our case, with no reply to date.. We did receive a third letter from bailiffs for £170 a few days after arriving back home. We visited citizens advice last week, and they spoke with the bailiffs requesting a 2 week stay, for us to get our evidence together, which they agreed. We emailed evidence of leaving and returning via the Chunnel and Ferry, bank account showing the £9 payment at their car park on the day and included that we can show all our bookings whilst away. It's so frustrating not to be able to speak to someone. Our emails are just being ignored and today we received an email from bailiffs stating their 'client' has asked them to pursue the charge. I assume Court will be next.

Coupon-mad

"or we would have paid it before we left"

Why? Nobody pays these scam invoices. It wasn't a fine and she paid to park!

This is almost as bad in terms of missteps:

"We tried to phone the firm"

No. Nobody tries to phone the parking industry.

"It's so frustrating not to be able to speak to someone."

No, it really isn't. That's the last thing you want! You don't talk to these thug firms.

"We visited citizens advice last week, and they spoke with the bailiffs requesting a 2 week stay, for us to get our evidence together,"

That was a waste of time.

The CAB are sadly clueless about private parking and do not understand it. Awful advice from them and the letter isn't from bailiffs!

You do not need breathing space and it isn't a 'stay'.

The CAB really don't get it; they actually think these are real debts. Sigh…

OK if it goes to court, let it. That's when you see all their evidence. What exactly are they saying the driver did wrong?

Try emailing a complaint to Parkmaven (see their complaints policy) reminding them that the Code of Practice requires them to 'pause debt recovery and reissue the PCN' where they know it wasn't served, or the keeper was away and could not respond, including cases where the recipient was abroad, which you've proved.

Tell them if they continue to refuse to reissue the PCN, you will report all this to the BPA (it's a Code of Practice breach) as well as complaining to the Competition and Markets Authority, in line with the CMA's Open Letter to the parking industry in July about the need for 'fair and open dealing' with consumers.

Bet the CAB didn't tell you about that latest news?! Google for the CMA's Open Letter…

elsien

What specifically did you say in the emails that you sent?

James_Poisson

Oh dear please calm down and breath you are not in such a dire place as you think you are you are just dealing with a two bit parking company, the likes of which any dodgy halfwit can set up, they are not an authority.

Look at all the letters and count the number of times a "fine" is mentioned you won't find one as there is no fine.

You have a speculative invoice from a bunch of chancers that have just hit on a way to make money out of sending scary letters that aren't really.

The parking company do not own the car park they just give their "services" free to the land owner and then make up as many terms and conditions as they can to trap people in to breaking them so they can send out an invoice for damages hoping people pay up and shut up.

They actually want you to fall foul of their rules it's the only way they make money, your appeals, emails, protests and explanations are just ignored they aren't interested they are only interested in money.

You do not have any letters from "Bailiffs" they are from crummy debt collectors who are powerless because you do not have a debt, only a company that claims you owe them money.

Stop phoning them they are just nasty greedy muppets they will lie to you and twist what you say, don't take any notice of CAB they are clueless as @Coupon-mad has stated, and she know her stuff and has been on the consultation committee with the government trying to sort this mess out for years.

Follow C-M's advice it is highly possible that if the car park was ANPR and you made an error inputting your VRN into the machine, these idiots may have not sent the Notice to Keeper out (on purpose) so the cost escalated they are not playing on a level field.

What exactly are they claiming was the reason for the charge, under payment, no payment, over stay, parking over the line, parking in an area that wasn't a bay it could be anything?