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Gladstones Solicitors

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Saniyas
Saniyas Posts: 11 Forumite
edited 16 October 2016 at 3:48PM in Parking tickets, fines & parking
Thanks for your feedback.
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  • beamerguy
    beamerguy Posts: 17,587 Forumite
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    Y8SSR wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I overstayed a free 10 minutes parking at a Lidl Store in Luton and received a parking charge a few months ago. I ignored this along with many other letters and got a Gladstones letter through the post on the 13th October saying I need to pay £160 within 14 days of the dated letter which had the 4th October?

    The information on the letter is very similar to what people have written here.

    My question is there anyone who has had a similar letter and ignored it completely and the Solicitor company has given up? I have a good template ready to send to them by Parking Pranskter but thinking to hold it off?

    All replies will be much appreciated

    Who are Gladstones acting on behalf of ?? Athena

    In the meantime, read this Prankster Blog about the clever boys at Gladstones ?

    http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/horizon-parking-youve-been-gladstoned.html
  • Ralph-y
    Ralph-y Posts: 4,563 Forumite
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    have you complained to Lidl yet ?

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5541417

    have you read the newbie thread ?

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4816822

    good luck
    Ralph:cool:
  • The_Deep
    The_Deep Posts: 16,830 Forumite
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    The extra £60 is ultra vires, they know that and are being investigated for overcharging, (fraud?) by the SRA along with several other possible breaches of the Code of Practice.


    Complain to Duncan Allen here:


    http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page


    The more complaints they receive the more likely that they will be sanctioned.
    You never know how far you can go until you go too far.
  • Castle
    Castle Posts: 4,211 Forumite
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    How long was the overstay?
  • hoohoo
    hoohoo Posts: 1,717 Forumite
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    Gladstones always go all the way to a hearing. it's their business model - gouge the parking company for as much as they can.

    So don't rely on otherwise :-)
    Dedicated to driving up standards in parking
  • Marktheshark
    Marktheshark Posts: 5,841 Forumite
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    Complain to Lidl and tell them you had a disabled person with you who required more time than normal to shop and therefore you are demanding a reasonable adjustment and they should instruct their agents to cancel the court case.

    Failure to do so will result in substantial counter claim against Lidl as principle under EA 2010.
    I do Contracts, all day every day.
  • hoohoo
    hoohoo Posts: 1,717 Forumite
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    Y8SSR wrote: »
    Gladstones are acting on behalf of Smart Parking. I overstayed by about 20 minutes but to be honest I didn't go in to Lidl just used their car park. The notice says 10 minutes free parking during business hours otherwise receipt to be shown at the till.

    I'm thinking I can say I did not find what I was looking for so had no receipt. To this day I have never replied to Smart Parking Thus the letter from Gladstones.

    Never lie. Gladstones read this thread, and will use this against you during the hearing
    Dedicated to driving up standards in parking
  • Coupon-mad
    Coupon-mad Posts: 132,240 Forumite
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    Letters from Gladstones asking for £160 re a Smart Parking PCN seem to be debt collector letters actually sent by DRPlus, a bit like the 'new' Graham White threatogram discussed here, which can be ignored:

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5541262

    Y8SSR you appear to have shied away but no-one is telling you to PAY this! Smart Parking do not have a history of suing anyone and if they did, it can be defended with our help. Does the Gladstones letter state that payment is to be made to Debt Recovery Plus? If so, ignore it, as per the BMPA link within that thread.

    We can also tell you that, even if you get court papers from Gladstones these cases are defendable, and certainly Smart Parking cannot hold a registered keeper liable, due to their choice of PCN wording. Their PCN can only hold an admitted driver liable, potentially, so never say who was driving. No admitted driver = no liability, with Smart Parking.

    And I would just add I can't recall a case from Gladstones actually proceeding to a court hearing on MSE all year. Not cases where a defence has been worked out on the forum to suit the case, all have quietly discontinued I think.

    So do not pay, do not fear an 'inevitable court hearing' (highly unlikely) and please confirm if the letter is merely asking for payment to DRPlus?
    PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
    CLICK at the top of this/any page where it says:
    Forum Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD
  • Saniyas
    Saniyas Posts: 11 Forumite
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    Hi, yes the letter says to contact DRPL for payment and not Gladstones Solicitors as that may not be valid. There is no date or time of the contravention and the letter is similar to what people have mentioned.

    Thanks
  • Coupon-mad
    Coupon-mad Posts: 132,240 Forumite
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    Great, a toothless debt collector letter then, like you will have seen in the BMPA link in the other thread I showed you. The BMPA advice is to ignore that one, as you will have seen when you clicked on the link.

    Come back if you get a Gladstones Letter before Claim where the client is the parking firm (Smart Parking, not DRPlus). We have not heard of them ever trying court but like I say, we've seen off every Gladstones claim on here that I can remember this year, with no hearing needed in any case. A claim is defendable so come back if you get one, no panic.
    PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
    CLICK at the top of this/any page where it says:
    Forum Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD
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