Thread: Vehicle Control Services Ltd (VCS) Private Parking Charge - please help!

A couple of weeks ago I received the normal invoice made to look like an official fine document from the above company. I was parked outside my boyfriends. I knew that I needed a permit - which is basically a form to fill in and put in the windscreen every day you are parked there - so 2 every time I stay overnight. We had pointed out to the landlord how quickly these would be used as I stay frequently, and he said he would get me a visitors pass - that was weeks ago and i still didnt have one.

When I got the parking charge my boyfriend went to see the landlord who told us to appeal the charge and for my boyfriend to give his contact details and state that he was using my car and his pass had fallen off. The landlord said he would also write to VCS stating the same.

We did this and my boyfriend has recieved written notification that the appeal has not been upheld and we have 3 days to pay the £80 otherwise it goes up to £120.

Normally I would fight this, I would let them pay to go to the DVLA to get my contact details, when they wrote to me I would reply stating that it isnt legally a fine, what they are really charging me is damages to the landowner for breaking a contract I entered into when I parked on his land (there are appropriate signs) and I would ask them how they have calculated that I have cost him anywhere in the region of £80?

What i want to know is have we completely shot outselves in the foot by doing what the landlord told us to?? Obvisouly they no longer have to go to the DVLA for registered keeper details as they have my boyfriend down as driver and they have his full address. Which means I darent just ignore it - cos if anything came of it - it would be him that got the flack over it.

Some advice would be greatly appreciated as I need to act fast on this!

Originally Posted by elc153

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You (or, rather, your boyfriend) could just keep ignoring them.

Not be the driver is only a defence if you are not the driver. It would still be up to the landowner to demonstrate any actual losses incurred from parking on the property.

Is the landlord the landowner too? Who are the PPC acting as agent for?

Yeah the landlord is the landowner too. He was supposed to write a similar letter to ours backing us up. I dont know if he forgot to do this, or if he even did do it but it doesnt mean anything...

The charge is unenforceable. The only thing to aim for is to stop them writing letters, and that is more likely to happen if you never ever contact them.

Obviously your appeal was denied because there is no appeals process. No private company will turn down profit.

Tell your landlord to deal with it.

Either way, do not contact them again and just ignore their letters. They have option but to give up after sending you some more junkmail.

Just relax and forget about it. You have nothing to worry about.

Does the landlord have any say over the charges they make? If he said they had to drop it would they have to or is it out of his hands once he's brought them in?

If the landlord has employed a cowboy firm who give out unenforceable tickets, followed up with fraudulent and intimidating junkmail, he's as bad as them.

If someone was theoretically stupid enough to pay, they would be entitled to jointly sue the ticketers and the landlord.

I would be furious with the landlord as much as the company. Luckily though, it's simple to ignore the lot of them and their pathetic letters and they will simply fizzle away in a couple of months.