To not pay the debt company?

[Allnightlong2016]

Help please. I received a letter two days ago from a debt company stating that I owed £160 for a parking ticket at the end of October. At first I couldn't understand why it had taken them two months to tell me and why there was no photo of the car. It dawned on me that I had never received a ticket to pay on in the first place. I called the debt company who said there was nothing that could be done. I then called the parking company who said they had sent the ticket and as it was now with debt company, it was nothing to do with them. If I've got a ticket, I'll pay it but how can you pay for what you don't know about? I think it's wrong to have to pay penalty when you haven't been able to pay it because you didn't know about it...

There probably is nothing to be done. It's not fair, but it isn't going to go away.

They'll hound you and add further penalties. Then they'll sell the debt to another collector. The longer you ignore it, the more it will get sold on to different debt collectors. Your debt will be classed as higher risk and the collectors that buy it will be the aggressive sort that get the bailiffs to come around.

I would demand to see the ticket etc. Why or how could you pay for it without ever having even seen the ticket or what you have done?

Did you use the car park on the day being referred to?

Just getting started very negative way of looking at it!!

I would still find out what it is for.

Surely if they are genuine, they'd have a record of the offence and be able to re-issue a ticket?

If they posted a ticket then they would definitely have records, if it was a ticket on your car, again, there would surely be some sort of record, otherwise how would they be able to sell your details to a debt collection agency?

If they can't prove that you've committed a parking offence then why should you have to pay for it?

Was it on public or private property? As that makes a difference to whether you are eligible to pay it or ignore someone is trying it on. But without ticket ir proof then why would you even pay it. Could be a big stinking scam couldn't it?

Could be a big scam.

My work colleague had the same and it was a scam. He brought both letters in to show us. Check the addresses for both the debt company and the parking company because if I remember correctly they both had near enough the same postal address! He just ignored both letters as he knew it wasn't true. If it is a scammer they probably rely on the fact that some people are scared into paying without questioning to avoid further action.

My first thought would be scam too. Just tell them you will be happy to pay of course but you will need proof of the actual ticket. Paying something just because someone says you owe them is a bit daft

of course you can just not pay it, but I'd want to know exactly what's going to happen if i don't. The odds are very high the debt will escalate and you'll end up with bailiffs at your door or in court and it's going to cost a huge amount more. They won't just write it off.

I've never seen companies take a pic of the car for a ticket, usually it's left on the wind screen, so someone could have removed it. I also got a fine for leaving my car for a few hours at a motorway services, no ticket, just a letter in the post, which I paid, it was fair.

You are focusing on the actual ticket, but you don't say whether you committed the parking offence or not, if you did, then I'd suggest just paying it.

Please read this OP.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets

It is worth checking that it's genuine. My reply was based on the assumption that it was genuine. The OP believed that they'd spoken to the ticket issuer and just felt it was unfair to pay penalties.

In that case, it's not fair but nothing can be done.

When I had a parking ticket the parking company were able to show me a picture of my car showing the infraction. If they cant/wont show you their evidence then I'd be inclined not to pay.

If you did commit the parking infraction and are fighting for the right to just pay the £80 'if paid within 2 weeks' version of the fine instead of the £160+costs it has escalated to - then it is likely that fighting this is going to cost way more than just coughing up. If you have money to burn then by all means take it to court as a point of principle and challenge the companies in question to prove that you knew of the charge before 19th December. They may not be able to do so.

If you decide to follow this path then stop with the phone calls and put all correspondence in writing including writing to both companies right now saying that "there's nothing to be done" is not acceptable and both companies have a responsibility to prove the existence of the debt (which they probably can't) and prove that you have been correctly notified (which you haven't) and that you will take them to court if they don't produce reasonable evidence that they aren't just making this up.

Check first. Google the companies and see what comes up. If it's not a council or police ticket you don't have to pay if you are in Scotland. England I think is different but they are not enforceable in Scotland.