They give invoices out even if you are in a traffic jam, and someone jumps in or out, so basically yes its a scam and about money generation and nothing about safety, and in answer to you, please ignore them utterly don't appeal don't communicate with them at all.

This matter has been featured several times on BBC Three Counties Radio and they even interviewed some big cheese from Luton Airport about drivers dropping off passengers . Unfortunately the interviewer (Jonathan Vernon Smith) kept calling these charges "fines" and didn't point out that these charges are unenforceable, and they have to go after the driver and not the RK. All-in-all it was a wasted opportunity to spread the truth about private parking charges,

Thanks so much guys you've put my mind at rest!! So we should just ignore it completely then?

Yes just ignore, watch these videos on this thread, they are not about luton airport, but all ppc invoices are the same.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3164256

Plenty of threads showing in a forum search on this sub board for 'Luton Airport':

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/search.php?searchid=103931020

APCOA are easy to ignore by all accounts and do not do Court. Check out the top thread on the current board view, 'PPC letters, what to expect' so you can see what threatograms they will bombard you with.

As our Company's car adminsitrator, we were recently sent a letter by Roxburghe on behalf of APCOA alledging a car infringement against one of our employees and I basically told them where to get off and even threatened them over their harrasssment of us and they backed down so quickly I was quite disappointed as I wanted to wind them up even more.

Haven't heard a thing since.

Thanks again everyone and thanks so much for the link i'll go and have a read of this now!...I can't believe some shady people and companies do this!! (well I can but it's so disgusting!)

Ha ha I'd be inclined to do the same if they were to harrass us I wouldn't take it lying down!

APCOA - very easy to ignore. Never ever done court either.

Seems like Roxburghe have changed their "letter". Check the last paragraph "We are fully aware of anecdotal information being presented via the internet and on various websites and you may well feel this guidance is worth following. We strongly urge you to seek independent legal advice rather than rely on these opinions, and would respectively suggest that you refer to the Civil Procedure Rules part 31*, and more specifically parts 31.16 and 31.17"
So, looks like we are being advised to check the internet for advice?............

Except they forget to add that "Civil Procedure Rules part 31*, and more specifically parts 31.16 and 31.17" does not apply to the Small-Claims track. How very remiss of them!

There's absolutely no way they "forgot" , they are 100% deliberately misleading people in the hope of conning them into providing information that they are not obliged to.
Shame that all that OFT guidance on this counts for nothing , i.e. even if reported the OFT won't actually do anything.
I suggest anyone who is deliberately mislead in this way ...replies in kind giving a made up driver but at a real address..after all it's not a crime to give false information when you have been deliberately lied to in order to obtain such information ..is it ?

On a more serious note anyone who gets such a letter should make their MP aware of how Debt Collectors acting for Private Parking Companies behave ..a perfect example of why the industry does not deserve to have any legislation enacted supporting what is basically a scam.!!!

I was being ironic!

Thank you very much, ignored as per your advice and never heard from them afterwards.

I drove my husband's car to Luton Airport a month ago to drop my brother off. I stopped at a red traffic light on roundabout and my bro decided to jump out as he was in a hurry to check in. I then drove on. I received a penalty notice accusing me of dropping off in an unauthorised area and had the usual pay £40 now or £80 in a few weeks or we'll use a debt collection agency to recover monies. I wrote to them saying that I had no control over my passenger's action and that I had not stopped to drop him off. I stopped at a red light as I was obliged to do. Should I ignore this? My husband is nervous as it is his car reg they have. His instinct is to pay it and forget it. I don't want to pay them. It's a rip off. Should I write to them and tell them I have no intention of paying or should I just let it lie?

Simply ignore their silly letters. They have not got a hope in hell of ever enforcing such a stupid contravention.

They are simply trying to mimic official road regulations on private land! You have advised them of the circumstances, let them waste their time sending silly letters. Which will ultimately come to nought!!

Just ignore these clowns. That way they will leave you alone much sooner. By the way, this isn't "penalty charge". As a private company that cannot issue such a document. What you have received is a parking charge notice.

My husband was also nervous when I ignored a fake PCN 3 years ago. But I already knew about this scam from reading MSE so just laughed at the bogus PCN and the debt collector letters that followed. Nothing happened, of course, because it is NOT a fine.

My OH still thinks we avoided the 'fine' by exploiting some 'loophole' and doesn't even get why clamping is to be banned. He's very intelligent with an important job that is useful in Society (unlike a PPC) but he is also the sort of person who was brought up to believe - almost unquestioningly - in 'authority'. He told me that he thought that 'a sign being on display' is enough for clamping to be allowed, and that a debt collector letter must mean that a PCN is a real one...I have given up explaining the scam to him but he does at least know never to pay a PPC!

Please make sure you read the top thread 'PPC letters, what to expect' and 'welcome, please read before posting' with the Watchdog youtube link. Show the letter-chain preview and the Watchdog programme to your OH:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=163

The 'stickies' are at the top, just read the two I mentioned. Then choose any thread on that first page that's about a private parking co (PPC). You will soon see a pattern of advice. See how common your situation is, the whole first page is updated with new queries every single day and we answer all of them within minutes/hours because we detest PPC scams.








P.S. Just for fun, I just love this spoof letter by mwilletts which appeared on the 'Disabled Bay Insult' thread a couple of years ago which summarises the letter you got (which is NOT a fine). Show it to your husband once he gets that it's all a scam:

QUOTE
They are all just begging letters, which are basically saying:

"Hi there Mr or Mrs X, we know we have no authority to fine you, as only a court can issue fines, so we are sending you an invoice, which we really hope you will be daft enough to pay.

We'll keep sending letters for a few weeks, possibly even a few months, at our expense, probably totalling a couple of pounds. They'll even get more threatening, we'll say we are sending debt collectors round and we are going to take you to court, but that would cost us even more money than we have already lost by writing to you, so we wont.

PLEASE pay us, as if you don't, more and more people wont pay us, and then we'll be sending letters out for no reason at all and you wouldn't want us to go out of business would you?

Sincerely

A Scammer"

Or words to that effect anyhows...

QUOTE

NO they are not they are seriously taking the !!!! !

On a public road a traffic warden would not give you a ticket for letting a passenger out at a red light even if the road was fully marked up with double yellow lines and no loading/unloading kerb markers.

Hey all thanks so much for your help again!! ohh update on friday I received a letter from Roxurghe debt collectors....threatening to pass it onto their solicitors Graham White for "Potential Legal action"

Should I just continue to ignore or should I send a letter threatening to sue them for harrassment if they continue sending letters to me? As this is causing me uneccesary stress and worry...for an invoice they can't enforce!!

Cheers again for all your help and I hope more and more people are made aware of scammers like this!!

Maz