Hello everyone,

Yesterday I received a Penalty charge note for a parking offence in Budapest in month of August 2016. It is about 6 month ago. The company which is representing the charge is called Euro Parking Collection Plc or epcplc.com

I do remember visiting Budapest and staying for few days but I did always paid for my parking but unfortunately I do not have the parking pay and display proof after 6 months of time. They also send me a link for viewing pictures of my caddy parked in the street and had a penalty charge note placed under my wiper which I never found it.

My question is if they are are any legal to present parking ticket 6 month old from a different state of Europe.

The pictures they sent me does not show anywhere if I had parked there illegally.

In one of the picture does show a parking pay and display ticked but up side down or printed side was turned by an accident.

As I mentioned that I did went to Budapest but I paid parking where it was required and I also paid the motorway vignette.

Shall I pay them, ignore them or file an appeal mentioning the pictures does not show if I was parked illegally. Please help as I really do not want to pay for something I believe is wrong. I have also noticed that the pictures are not on their website anymore.

its a foreign fine that's been bought by nothing other than a UK DCA that happens to call themselves

Euro Parking Collection Plc

they are not bailiffs

they have no legal powers whatsoever

safe to ignore totally.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?461713-fine-abroad-in-Hungary-EPC-euro-parking-company-sent-me-fine&p=4878729#post4878729

Thank you for the information. I did some research and mostly people are just ignoring them. I also found out that they are actually operating for some councils and Dartford tunnel chasing EU vehicles for fine recoveries.

I am going to ignore them. I will keep you update if anything happen.

Are you likely to be going back anytime soon in the same vehicle? If not, ignore them.

Hi guys,

Just to update you that I did not reply to them and they did sent me a second letter with £30 extra added into the charge and it is now £102.88.

Another thing mention is

"Failure to pay the charge may result in the issuing Organisation registering the outstanding balance as a debt and the case will be passed onto a Debt Collector"

The payment due date has already gone past 8th of April. Waiting for the third letter.

I seen the pictures and mostly it is all reflecting glass and in one side window a parking paid ticket upside down making it impossible to read.

I don't think I still have that old ticket.

Do you think I will aspect Debt Collector?

If so then what should I do in my defence?

Ignore them. Don't respond. They're just trying to trick you into paying. A DCA has absolutely no rights in regards to this.

Get on with your life

DCA's are NOT BAILIFFS and have no legal powers whatsoever

ignore totally

The EU has recently [well in tjhe past few years] been trying to legislate for motorists who commit auto offences abroad then return to their native Country without paying. initially the offences were for the mobile offences like speeding , but now they appear to have included parking related problems too as indicated on the AA website-

https://www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-europe/driving-offence-abroad.

I have added the section relating to parking below and at the bottom you can see that this has been fairly recently updated. You may need to look further into this to see if your alleged offence occurred before this legislation and whether you wish to challenge it.

Civil offences

For things like parking fines or driving in restricted traffic zones (If our mail is anything to go by these are the most common offence committed abroad by AA members) the authorities can use debt collection agencies to recover fines.

Operating across Europe, agencies are appointed by the authorities in one country to act on their behalf to recover fines in another country. If you find yourself in this situation you can expect to hear either from European Municipality Outsourcing (EMO), or from Euro Parking Collection (EPC).

We’ve heard of drivers ignoring fines when contacted directly by the enforcing authority, only to be contacted later by one of these agencies with a much-increased penalty charge. If you believe you could have committed the offence you should pay the fine. If you ignore it, not only will the fine increase, but you can expect travel difficulties if you try to return to the same country. You can appeal but this usually has to be done in the local language.

updated 13 April 2017

I am not sure if these foreign debt collectors give up at some time in the future or whether there is a facility to take you to Court in the end.

Perhaps Brexit will come to our aid on that matter.

whats got to be remembered is the debt collection charges are unlawful.

yes ok you might poss owe the original 'ticket' and like here in the UK that may raise, by not paying within xx days

but not by any charges any fake DCA wishes to add.

I know of 2 people who, stupidly, paid EPC last august whilst still in the UK on a long term touring holiday

for 2 parking tickets whilst previously in Poland.

they after touring the UK returned to Poland in feb.17

only to find the authorities there knew nothing about the payments

and were even more shocked to find EPC had collected upon them.

they had NOT outsourced collection of charges and there now an investigation going on

as hundreds of people appear to be in the same boat.

it appears EPC are nothing but spoofers and do not have any authority at all in certain countries.

if anywhere at ALL

Euro Parking Collections are BPA AOS members, ask them for a POPLA code

There's a good write up on these clowns in the Telegraph from 2002, so they've been at it a while... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2719359/Parking-in-Europe-Fine....html

Your vehicle? then unlawful access of the DVLA database.

Keep ignoring.

Hello again,

Just to give you an update.

Today I have received a letter from an international debt collection called Contractum which is based in London.

They are asking me to pay £103.53.

They are also saying that I have ignored minimum 2 notifications through Euro parking collection.

The amount they said would be paid within 28 days with different options.

The letter is dated 7th of May but I have received it today.

Any suggestions?

Hello there.

I imagine they have as little power as the last people, but please wait for those in the know to confirm.

HB

ignore

doesn't say will anything.

contractum...what other stupid names will they think up to name firms to make them sound important when they have no legal powers at all.

a con is a con, regardless of whose letterhead is on the paper.

Hello guys,

Latest update.

Today I have received a letter from Rossendales Collect telling me that Euro parking collection has passed them the amount which comes to now £144.33.

Any help or suggestions.

They have dated 20th Oct and they want the money by 27th.

Please help.

I simply can not afford this type of amount.

UI was in Budapest last week in the same vehicle.

No problems there, I was not stopped or anything.

The parking incident happened last year in July.

Here is the link for the letter copy.

rossers letter.pdf

Advice- ignore. What part of that dont you understand. You have been told that it is a spoof, the only reason it has gone up is to pay for the begging letters.

read up on debt collectors and thier magical superpowers (not)

what part of ignore are you not understanding?????

rossendale collect are a DCA

a DCA is NOT A BAILIFF.

and have stuff all legal powers

Ah OK, thanks. I am really surprised they are still chasing me. I will ignore them. Sorry for keep on posting but at least I am leaving updates on the issue.

Of course they are still chasing you, that's how their business works, it is not legitimate in any form. DCA have no power and cannot take you to court, it is not their debt, any charges they add are unlawful and cannot be enforced.

They know this and now you know it, so in this case the recommended action is ignore everything unless an idiot along their gravy train decides to foolishly issue a letter before action.

If that happens (I'd stake my granny's pacemaker on it that it won't) come back here for advice on how to respond.

I will, of course, follow your advice. Thank you so much

I will, of course, follow your advice. Thank you so much

Hello,

I am new to this forum but I my story is similar to yours and happened a month ago. How did your story end?

They still chase you?

Thank you.

Razvan

you need to start a new thread

of you OWN please

this one was for advising epman and is +2yrs old

you wont get seen here.

dx

your name suggests that your story could have a different ending if you ahve any connection there so start a new thread and tell us everything.