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Parking Charge advice please

31 replies

missyB1 · 08/07/2020 14:00

So on 16th June I received notice of a parking charge (from a private parking company) which was apparently given on 20th March! The letter insisted I had ignored two previous letters therefore two late payment charges had been added, bringing the total to £155.00. I had received no notice of any charge until that letter on 16th June. I didn't quibble that the original charge was fair ( i had been five minutes over the hour I paid for on my ticket), so i immediately made a bank transfer for the original charge of £60.00. I emailed them explaining why I had only paid the original charge i.e. I hadn't ignored any letters and therefore couldn't have paid a charge I knew nothing about.
They simply said hard luck pay the whole amount.

Today I received a letter from a debt recovery firm wanting the remaining amount. I contacted them as well (as advised in their letter) and explained what had happened. Again they said Oh shame but pay up.
What to do? Are they likely to take me to court? Are they likely to win? Could this cost me an absolute fortune and bring loads of distress? Should I just pay the thieving bastards? I do wonder how many people they do this to!

OP posts:
KaptainKaveman · 09/07/2020 12:56

Why do people send registered letters or recorded delivery then?

missyB1 · 09/07/2020 12:58

Wow I had no idea it was such a widespread racket! Bloody hell time to get new laws implemented. I will definitely join the fb group and get some tips.

OP posts:
ProfessorSlocombe · 09/07/2020 13:32

@KaptainKaveman

Why do people send registered letters or recorded delivery then?
For compensation requirements.

In English law, if you have proof of posting, courts will treat it as proof a document was delivered for the purposes of litigation (unless the Royal Mail testify there was a strike/stolen van/fire that precludes the assumption).

It's why letters from HMRC and the like aren't sent registered/recorded. Once posted, they are deemed to be received within 3 working days.

Whether or not the outfit in the OP has sent any letters is another matter. But if they have, and can prove it, just bleating "but I never got them" isn't a magic wand to make things go away.

Sunnydayshereatlast · 09/07/2020 13:39

Remember it's an invoice op. You don't have to pay. Get Googling..

Gobbycop · 12/07/2020 14:16

I wish you hadn't paid the initial £60 as you've effectively admitted your "guilt" for want of a better word.
Not a problem though as a court would see that action as reasonable.

I've successfully fought 3 tickets now the last of which had a court date set.

The absolute first thing you have to do is not worry, honestly they have so much to do to win in court the odds are massively in your favour.
That's only if it gets that far and the vast majority won't.

You can ignore all the debt recovery stuff, it's standard generic toss, they're powerless. They cannot send the boys round to take your stuff, laugh at them and use letter to light a bbq.

As above, as and when you get a letter before action or letter before claim you absolutely must deal with it, you cannot ignore as it's a court document.
Also "court" in this instance is an office within the court building, it's absolutely nothing to fear.

Seriously you have the power here but you will have to arm yourself with knowledge.

Believe it or not, money saving expert forums have a parking ticket section and that's the place to go. The collective knowledge there is fearsome including retired solicitors that help.
Or here forums.pepipoo.com/ also lots of information.

I fucking hate these leeches, don't give them a penny more.

You can easily beat them, you've got this.

Good luck.

Shmithecat2 · 13/07/2020 21:41

@Sunnydayshereatlast

Remember it's an invoice op. You don't have to pay. Get Googling..

OP might not have to pay it. But now it's gone this far, whilst they can ignore anything from debt collectors for now, they will need to respond to further comms if they receive a Letter Of Claim, and following County Court forms. Parking Eye V Beavis changed things, unless these tickets are appealed and/or defended, they can and often do end up as CCJs on people's credit files.

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