I need help please with DCBL and Smart Parking and Evri

Defcon67

Hi

Apologies how long winded this seem, but the details matter to help give you a clear picture.

I used to work for Evri (don't judge), and when I started the depot we had to go to to collect the parcels to deliver had cameras up and I did see some signs re parking but as nobody from Evri H/O y email or their staff at the depot (BDMs), I didn't think anything of it.

This was End of November 2024 and I continued working through December, January 25 and so on. Some of the drivers I then go to know to say who helped with using Evri's incredibly terrible app etc.

The organisation in the morning was to get to the depot wait for the gates to open at 9:30am and join the queue of cars also waiting to get inside to a parking and then to be advised which route they were doing, to collect, scan and then pack into the vehicle ready to set off on delivery.

The waiting in the Queue could be well over 2 hours and a big part of that can be where you have moved up closer to the depot even just inside the gates but with 7/8 vehicles still on front of you waiting fr someone to leave so that a loading bay becomes free.

I mention this part because I believe its important to my case.

Sometime towards the end of March 25 I received an invoice from Smart Parking for overstaying parking limits at the depot which I immediately showed to one of the BDMs. She said another one, leave it with me Ill get it removed. I asked has there always been parking restrictions here because I have never been told this by anyone. She said no, its something new been brought in by Evri HQ to try discourage certain drivers who spend time talking to other drivers. I was still new and didn't know anyone that well and I never had a set route, hence each time I went to work I had to spend time fighting with the app then almost never worked, which meant I had manually scan the deliveries the BDM assigned to me, then route find and place in my vehicle last out first in etc. I also just wanted to get done in the quickest time possible as most weeks I had my to pick up from school.

I did receive another one dated 2 April 25 of which again I went to a BDM for them to get cancelled which I assumed had been done with the previous one received in March as I had received no further letters regarding that alleged parking contravention for March 25. Unfortunately, I was advised that the BDMs are no longer allowed to cancel the parking fines as of 1st April 25. Again none of this was ever communicated to us prior to help us drivers. I argued this and because of the date of mine the BDM did take it and said they will see what they can do. I heard nothing more regarding this alleged parking contravention.

I heard nothing else about that alleged parking contravention from March 25 until November 25, of which I was no longer working at Evri where I left in July 25.

Another spanner in the works is that in April 25 BDMs showed us a QR code that had been printed out and stuck to the notice board for drivers to scan and enter our details to provide more than the 90 minutes that was timed limit imposed by smart parking / Evri even though this new parking restriction was never communicated to us drivers either by email by Evri HQ or via the BDMs who are onsite.

I used the QR code just to be sure I didn't receive any more hassle and I never did. Sometime in May this QR code was removed and when I asked about this as it was very beneficial to me as a casual who often did different routes daily and the majority of the time had to scan my own parcels onto my workspace, then do a route find for the quickest route to deliver and pack into my vehicle accordingly. As you can imagine all this takes time and on top of this any parcels or missing parcels meant you had to go speak to the BDM to either help rectify by going and looking for parcel which is like trying find a needle in a haystack and eventually conceded defeat and authorise missing parcel or damaged parcels unable to deliver which further adds time to your stay as I wouldn't be the only driver with these issues.

I cannot remember this date but I do recall then being told in passing by one of the BDMs that Evri is removing smart parking, hence why the QR code was no longer needed. She advised the experiment failed by Evri and caused huge backlash among the drivers.

Do I have a case that as it was workplace and when I started there were no parking restrictions, and once they were implemented for a short while we were also not notified of this change?

I have contacted Evri and one of the BDMs but have had no reply and one of BDMs told me that Evri won't allow them to send references or assist in anything else either.

Do I have a case and do I need to help instruct a solicitor.

I sent my defence via the MCOL website and they said they're continuing with the claim, however, since they have said that they have phoned nearly everyday no doubt to come to a settlement.

I have a directions form N180 to complete and be sent in a few days if I don't think it is suitable for small claims track.

Thanks in advance

Gr1pr

Post a redacted picture of the POC from the lower left of the claim form below after hiding the VRM details first

Post the Issue date too, top right of the claim form, and the total amount claimed

Post a verbatim copy of the defence that you filed on MCOL too

I presume that DCB LEGAL filed the claim on behalf of Smart Parking ?

Study the 8 steps in the defence template thread in announcements near the top of the forum and follow them, including the N180 document

Defcon67

What's POC? is it the claim form? The date of this is 15 July 2026.

Yes, SMART Parking first sent the letter, then it was Debt recovery Plus and now DCBL.

Le_Kirk

The POC is the Particulars of Claim. Follow the advice by @Gr1pr particularly pertaining to the N180 and the 8-steps in the template defence thread. You have to complete the N180 whether you think it suitable for the small claims track or not. Of course it is suitable for that track.

Gr1pr

More likely to be DCB LEGAL on that claim form, below Smart Parking, top left ( its definitely NOT DCBL. )

The POC is Particulars of Claim, its the bottom left quarter of the claim form, below your name and address

Post a redacted picture of it below , after hiding your vehicle registration ( VRM. )

And post an exact copy of the defence that you filed with the CNBC, should be on MCOL

Defcon67

See attached

BF8181FC-4924-412C-B04C-603C5D337963_1_201_a.jpeg

Defcon67

This is what I wrote on the money claim website.

I started working at Evri Bradford in Dec 24. Upon my first day I
was kindly told by the other drivers that we don't just drive into
the premises, instead each driver parks on the road outside the
front gates, being bridgeway and each driver lines up behind the
other. I have sent this line go all the up Knowles Lane to the
main road being Wakefield road / Tong street.

Once the gates open the first 20-30 vehicles drive in and park up.
The rest move forward with some vehicles driving through the depot
gates and wait until a vehicle leaves so they can go park up.

There were already cameras and signs up then, but as nobody said
anything about time restrictions and every other driver had been
doing this job longer than me and that nothing ever happened, it
is not something you begin to worry about and therefore just wait
your turn for a free loading spot to become available.

This alleged contravention happened in March 2025. Prior to Evri
instructing smart parking and during, we received no email from
Evri notifying us drivers of this contract and nor did the BDMs
who are onsite notify us of this change. As a result a large
majority of drivers were totally unaware of these changes.

The issue I have with this is that the method of waiting in line
for a loading bay to become available, as driver I could be just
inside the premises which triggers the ANPR but a further 45-60
minutes later be beyond the ANPR camera positioned on the gates
and yet still be waiting for a loading bay to become free.

When I received the invoice from smart parking, understandably I
went and spoke to a BDM to query this. Claire took this off me and
aid she will deal with it. That was the last I heard of it until
around November /December last year. She advised that they had the
power to cancel these and that they're getting a QR code that you
can scan to get more than the 90 minutes currently allowed, which
again was never communicated.

The other issue I have with this and was never taken into account
is that after the 45-60 minute wait for a loading bay, you have to
go inside and speak to the BDM about what round I will be doing.
As a casual I never had a set round and even in Mar 25 I was still
new to this and quite often after waiting 5-10 minutes to speak to
a BDM I would have to take the cages to my vehicle scan all
packages into the app and then press the button to calculate the
route finder which would arrange the packages in the order to be
delivered. Once that was done I then had to load the car in the
order as set by the app, take the cages back into the depot and
nearly every time speak to a BDM regarding a missing package which
they would then try and find for you causing further delays or,
there would always be a package that would not scan which they had
to approve. AS you can see there are a lot of variables as to why
this uncommunicated parking restrictions would never work. There
were also times when you had too many parcels so had to leave some
in the cage and come back to the depot to load and then go
deliver.

Also if the BDMs had the power to get these cancelled, why did we
need to worry about something that neither Evri or there employed
BDMs never made us aware of this new restriction, as we only found
out after the event putting us in a disadvantaged position.
However, with them being able to get these cancelled and then the
introduction of the QR there was never an issue.

I want to see details of when smart parking were instructed by
Evri and details of how they think this would work. Also a record
of how many Evri got cancelled and the dates of these.

I find this deeply suspicious why I am being chased for this
unpaid invoice which a BDM took off me and said she will be
getting this cancelled and now that I no longer work at Evri, I'm
being pursued by DCBL who claim to be instructed by smart parking
without actually ever. providing supporting evidence.

I also recall that the parking restriction was then scrapped by
Evri simply because it didn't work and left everyone very angry an
disappointed at not being made aware of their intentions and as to
why they felt it necessary to have it in place. Please advise and
supply evidence when this contract was terminated, as again we
drivers received no notification of this and was simply told in
passing by the BDMs that the parking restrictions were no longer
in force, which was back end of April / early May 2025.

The invoice charge is too expensive for a parking violation
occurred during working time and with the abovemnetioned comments
of the variables at play which eek into the so called alotted time
allowed.

I have tried to communicate with smart parking and dcvl and nobody
is willing to listen as they want to be paid their piece of the
pie.

The whole process is heavily weighed against the consumer,
especially when the case to be heard is not as clear cut due to
what has being outlined above and the fact that these restrictions
which were never in place when I started in Dec 24 were then never
communicated by email or in person by Evri themselves.

I am currently unemployed as due to Evri's price decreases I was
simply not earning enough to make ends meet and pay for the extra
wear and tear on my vehicle.

Defcon67

What do we think?

Coupon-mad

It's not a great defence but it's an honest account and it doesn't matter what you put! We are happy that you defended it.

"Do I have a case"

Yes.

"and do I need to help instruct a solicitor."

No. Definitely not. DCB Legal always discontinue defended claims before they have to pay the hearing fee.

What you need to do now is read the Template Defence thread, top of the forum on page one. Skim-read the defence you should have submitted, had you come here earlier(!), and just follow the rest of the 8 steps now.

No offering money at Mediation!

Come back in 2027 to show us your Notice of Discontinuance…as always happens before the hearing. We'll need to see yours to add to @Umkomaas' famous thread! Read it now.

Where exactly is this Evri depot please? I want to kniw wgere because this one is worth me showing to the CMA because you say Evri Managers said at first:

"advised that they had the power to cancel these and that they're getting a QR code that you can scan to get more than the 90 minutes"

But then you heard:

"Unfortunately, I was advised that the BDMs are no longer allowed to cancel the parking fines as of 1st April 25."

That absolutely stinks! Evri didn't make that change, you know. Guess who did?

Sounds like Smart had REALLY peee'd off Evri due to all the unfair PCNs sent to the workers.

In my opinion & experience, Smart suspected (or had had notice) that they were about to lose the contract with Evri, so it seems they pulled the rug on vehicle whitelists and client cancellations.

Just as Smart reportedly laughed about in their Earnings Call earlier this year…

(No links to threads provided or needed. See my signature for how to hop back to page one):

MrJenkinsEsq

Your defence definitely isn't great, but it isn't terrible either. It puts a great deal into issue, and the claimant now has to prove all of it.

Where you have given your own version of events, the claimant has to prove theirs. You didn't admit the amount claimed, so that has to be justified too, including any debt recovery add-on.

You say the ANPR clocked you at the gate and you then sat in a queue inside for 45 to 60 minutes waiting for a bay. Waiting for a space is not parking, and the time between entry and exit is not the same as time parked.

You describe scanning, route finding, loading the car and sorting out missing parcels. That is loading, not parking.

You say Claire took the invoice and told you BDMs could cancel them. That raises whether the landowner cancelled it or asked for it to be cancelled. Smart will have to produce its contract with the landowner to show what it was allowed to do. If that contract lets the site cancel charges or whitelist drivers, it may help you.

You ask when Smart were brought in and when they were got rid of. That puts their authority and the dates of their contract in issue.

You say the restriction was never communicated and drivers only found out after the event. The claimant has to prove the terms were properly brought to your attention, not the other way round. A 90 minute limit at a depot where the queue alone takes an hour is a harsh term, and harsh terms have to be made very clear.

You say Evri brought in a QR code to allow more than 90 minutes and then scrapped the whole scheme because it didn't work. That shows the landowner had no real interest in a 90 minute limit for its own drivers. That gives you a good argument that the charge is out of all proportion and unenforceable.

In your witness statement, give the date you handed the invoice to Claire. If it was before 1 April 2025 that helps you a lot, because BDMs could still cancel at that point.

Coupon-mad

Please do identify the office location because I'm hoping to include this one in a report for the CMA about Smart Parking.

My issue is the stranglehold control exerted by this sector to massage & alter the parameters of the 'client' dashboard (in fact Smart's dashboard) to deliberately prevent landowner cancellations & even reportedly (see 'Liverpool Marina catastrophic' Smart Parking news article this summer) mysteriously drop exempt vehicles from the whitelist when Smart were under notice to leave.

I'd like the CMA to investigate & ask Smart Parking for all the details on the Liverpool Marina contract and all the details on this Evri office farce too, but I need to know the location.