Jump to content

kkkoyes

Registered Users

Change your profile picture
  • Posts

    26
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by kkkoyes

  1. Yes good point, i will get the CPR off in the morning and aiming to file by 14th. Have contacted the parking prankster who agreed to help me with it so hoping for a better round this time! I would love to put in a counter claim just to really teach these buggers a lesson! let me know if you have any advice on that and if you think its worth it........
  2. Hey all Firstly just to clarify this is not from a separate posting and has nothing to do with any previous post i have made on this website. It is separate claim that has just come to my attention after I received the claim form attached to the original post. I have not sat on it for a month. I did not want to post here when, as you will see in the original claim form, there was nothing useful in it and only stated they will send a "separate particulars of claim within 14 days". I thought i would wait for this before proceeding. They then sent the particulars of claim in the post (dated 24 Jan- received around 27th) so it has not been very long at all since then that i've posted up all the details here. On the MCOL website it says that Before you can file a defence to the claim against you, you must make sure the following apply in your case: you are filing your defence ----- if you filed an acknowledgement of service, within 28 days of service of the claim (or separate particulars) Now as they served separate particulars dated 24 Jan + 28 days - my understanding is that i have until 21st Feb. My question was is that correct. If not and we are going with the date on the claim form then i understand i have until 14 feb --- and i don't have to submit the skeleton defence by today do i???? Second question was if all they are relying on in their particulars of claim then this surely cannot be enough to convince a judge that i am liable for any charges. Are they able to bring evidence at later stage that they have not included in their original particulars? This is why i want to know if i should request these from them at this stage using the CPR - such as copies of the NTK, the contract, the letter before claim - -- because i have not seen any of it i would like to review these before submitting my defence or is it best not to mention it and just submit a standard CPR template and submit a skeleton defence quite simply as you've stated that the plaintiff has shown no cause of action against the defendant ?? Unfortunately there is no further insight i can give to this as i can't seem to work out what this is about - no other correspondence. All i have and know is what is attached to the original post! Thanks
  3. Name of the Claimant: Civil Enforcement Ltd Date of issue: 13th January 2017 Date to acknowledge = 31.01.2017 DAte to submit defence = 4pm 14.02.2017 What is the claim for: 1.The Claimant claims the sum of 248.05 for Outstanding debts and damages including 12.05 interest pursuant to S.69 of the county courts Act 1984. Total debt and interest due - 248.05. I will provide the defendant with separate detailed particulars within 14 days after service of the claim form. What is the value of the claim? £323.05 including all costs. Has the claim been issued by the original creditor or was the account assigned and it is the Debt purchaser who has issued the claim: Only Civil Enforcement Ltd are mentioned, no mention of creditor or account being assigned Were you aware the account had been assigned – did you receive a Notice of Assignment? No. I didn't even receive a letter before claim. I have attached the claim form and the separate particulars of claim form (dated 24 January 2017). The particulars were sent after I acknowledged the service. (I have attempted to upload redacted version but correct me if its not all correct!) My first question is how long do i have to submit my defence/skeleton defence? A claim was issued against you on 13/01/2017 Your acknowledgment of service was submitted on 22/01/2017 at 14:55:15 Your acknowledgment of service was received on 23/01/2017 at 01:09:20 The website states Before you can file a defence to the claim against you, you must make sure the following apply in your case: you are filing your defence within 14 days of service of the claim on you (a claim is considered served on the fifth day after it is issued) or where separate detailed particulars of claim were served, within 14 days of service of those or if you filed an acknowledgement of service, within 28 days of service of the claim (or separate particulars) Hey knowledgeable ones..... I was hoping you are able to help advise me on the next steps in the scenario below. As they sent a separate particulars of claim dated 24 Jan - am i correct to assume i have 28 days from this date to submit my defence? Secondly i have not recieved a letter before claims. Nor do i recall the NTK - although this may been sent i would like to see if its valid and also i can't see any evidence specifically any images of the vehicle alleged to made the contravention. So how am I supposed to accept their allegations - based on their nothing but their words? Do i send a CPR requesting evidence and if so do i include in the above points. I have seen the template CPR request but can i include the above in it and if so how best to word this please? I suppose the skeleton defence can be addressed later after the CPR but any thoughts welcome! If you have any links you can direct to me that might help that would be most appreciated also Many thanks COURT LETTER.pdf PARTICULARS OF CLAIM.pdf
  4. It feels like i did a lot right, if not all in my responses to the judges questioning, but to be honest i think it appears more so that I came up against a rogue judge. He should not have been asking: “Under what circumstances would anybody think that it was ok to park here?” The correct question should be: Under what circumstances is a charge of £100 legally allowed He said the signage was clear in that £100 fine would be payable if anybody stopped there. If the signs in the bundle related to a different place, that would be incorrect. But i should of checked this properly beforehand - a learning point for me. The signs ARE forbidding and do not offer a contract. Also, the £100 is not clear! He did not feel the consumer contracts regulations are relevant here. They are relevant to all contracts, apart from those listed in schedule 6 of the act. He cant just say he doesn't 'feel' they are not relevant And him saying even IF IT was trespass he would award £100 to the claimant anyways. But If it was a trespass, then only the landowner could claim, and then only for actual damages, as stated in ParkingEye v Beavis Sadly, he seems to have forgotten his role. He made a number of fundamental flaws in his judgment The problem is, it would cost me £255 to appeal and fear is (as in my experiences in other areas) of the judges sticking together, so its not a guaranteed a win. Although justice would be sweet it might be wasted time and money. To get a transcript of the judgment costs about £50 also. If money wasn't an issue trust me i would love to appeal just to get that victory feeling and say the words you've been gladstoned lol but sadly i don't have more money to risk so its with a heavy heart that i've made the decision to suck this up. @ericbro i was looking for the post you are referring to in the prankster blog - was it the right of audience and solicitors agent? little confused about this does this mean the solicitor is not allowed to send an agent on their behalf - as they do not have right of audience? If so then i'm sure a lot of these claims are probably being represented by agents that legally are not allowed to do so.... and suspect that was the case in this case also. Nonetheless on another note i have been blessed (or cursed - depending how you look at it!) with ANOTHER parking court claim from different but equally notorious company - Civil Enforcement Ltd - so will have to apply what I've learnt from this in an effort to redeem myself. These cronies did not even send a letter before claim - but i'll be posting about it separately so not to mix it up with this post. I could no doubt do with the wisdom and advice of CAG , ericbro, dx - please follow it on the separate post..
  5. Thanks guys for the support - I do feel also he got it so wrong and serious errors of law have been made so would like to appeal. I wasn't given any information on how to do this or even what the next steps are... Just want to know if anyone knows will I receive something in the post to confirm the judgement and/or transcript - will that need to be requested? and if so, how? After reviewing this it will help me to make a decision on whether to proceed with an appeal and obv it would be interesting to see what words the DDJ is prepared to put on paper! I can't remember the name of the guy from Gladstone's tbh but it wasn't one of those guys mentioned in the above post.. Does anyone know how i can get the detail of who owns that specific land from? I just want to check if it actually the council - due to the painted yellow cross hatches and council signage. If this was the case then clearly parkawatch are not the proper claimant
  6. Hey all - update on the outcome of the case I will give a brief but detailed run through of what happened. I had everything prepared witness statements, my key points, full print out of the previous cases i had referenced as well as the laws i was relying on (copy for everyone) and had thoroughly researched and felt confident of all points i was making and that i knew what I was talking about. At the start, Gladstone’s tried to make a point that i had submitted my witness statement late (it was dated 2nd Jan [exactly 14 days] but yes i was 2 days late in posting) it turned out he was saying he only RECIEVED the papers from his office yesterday - which is something completely different then trying to accuse me of not sending within time! the Judge also mentioned he did not receive a copy of my witness statement at all (this was shock to me - as i had sent it BY HAND to the county court) but nonetheless he asked if I had print out of the statement so gave the judge the copy. Worst of all the claimant had actually submitted their statement AFTER they received mine via email (you will read this on my posts here) in fact they had opportunity to review it before responding to the points in my witness statements in theirs - how could they accuse me of sending my witness statement in late? They obviously sent theirs after mine as their statement referred to mine! Bizarre! In terms of the procedural rules I also responded in kind to add: Their particulars fail to comply with Civil Procedure Rule 16.4 and Practice Direction 16, paragraphs 7.3 – 7.5 as they do not contain a copy of the contract, and do not explain how the contract was concluded. The claimant tried to add new particulars of claim in their witness statement by supplying a copy of the contract. The defence points could not be added until the contract was filed. the Judge wished to hear the case today and did not want to play the game of technicalities asked if either felt the need to adjourn the case to resubmit statements - but we accepted we are happy to run with the case on the facts today. First off the judge instantly made a bid to the other party to limit the charges being claimed to £100 (this was great as it felt like this judge was on my side!) After some hesitation Gladstone guy agreed that he would not be able justify the additional charges and agreed. The judge asked if the claimant wanted to say anything and they summarised their case and showed time stamped photos that seemed to suggest the vehicle was parked for approximately 14 min or 17 mins (can’t remember exactly) I was asked if there was anything i would like to put to the claimant. firstly I mentioned the fact that the area of land that the claimant is alleging that I had stopped is not relevant to the pictures of the signs that the claimant included in their bundle. These signs were related to “bus access zone” – this is a different piece of land to which the vehicle is shown to have entered/stopped in. I put it to the claimant to advise whether they had planning permission from the council for the signs and the cross hatches that were painted on the private land and the double red lines as it is misrepresentation to suggest that these mean anything under law. The judge asked under what law they need planning permissions and I answered the Town and Country Planning Act 2007. I also reiterated that if it is the case that this is not Private Land then the proper claimant is the Council and Park Watch are unable to bring this case against me. The judge reviewed the drawings and asked the claimant to point out where in the drawings this piece of land was. Secondly I pointed out that the claimant has not been compliant with the Protection of Freedoms Act so they were not able to bring this claim against me (as the keeper) - The NTK does not have the text required in 9.2.e and 9.2.f, and so is not valid. The judge was confused whether this was an actual law that they had to abide by as the print out I provided contained the heading of the British Parking Association. I was able to advice of the Act and the schedule 14 – to refer to and the paragraph was highlighted for his reference. The claimant went on to state that they are not relying on the POFA / bringing the claim under the POFA. (Not sure what his point was, as this is law!). T he judge put to the claimant what the paragraph says the NTK must contain and the claimant AGREED that the NTK did not follow the requirements in POFA. However it all went a bit pear shaped from here on in! The judge asked me directly whether I was the Driver of the Vehicle. I wasn’t prepared for this direct level of questioning. I responded and repeated my statement that I was unable to admit or deny being the driver of the vehicle as I have no recollection of this. The judge was not impressed by my response and felt I was being evasive. On pressing me I responded to say no – he then reminded me that its criminal offence etc the claimant may bring further evidence. I really felt the pressure from Judge as he was determined to finger me as the driver all of a sudden. I reminded him that the date of this incident was 2 years ago I honestly can’t remember. He continued to question on me on how many people were insured to drive the vehicle (myself and my wife) and also how many cars where in household. Who was the main driver in either car? I responded that we shared the cars and it could’ve been either of us. He put it to me that it is probable that I was the driver and was not satisfied until I agreed with the statement that it was probable that I could’ve been the driver of the vehicle. I added him that it was also entirely probable that I was not the driver of the vehicle and the claimant is provide proof of the same. I did not want to get hung up on this point nor force a nasty situation with the Judge, as I had other points to make. I continued with my statement next it was: 4. The Claimant’s relevant signage at this site states “ALL VEHICLES NO STOPPING AT ANY TIME. TAXI’S, VEHICLE’S LOADING & UNLOADING. £100 Parking Charge. Reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days” It is submitted that if these notices are attempting to make a contractual offer, then as they are forbidding they do not fulfil the basic requirement of a contract, which is that each party to the contract must offer valuable consideration to the other party, on clear terms capable of acceptance. In this case neither the Claimant, nor their principal the landowner, is offering anything to motorists. The notices cannot, therefore, reasonably be construed as having created a contractual relationship between the Claimant and the Defendant. The above point was recently tested in the County Court at High Wycombe, in the case of Parking Control Management (UK) Ltd v Bull & 2 Others (B4GF26K6, 21 April 2016), where District Judge Glen dismissed all three claims, stating in his judgment that: “If the notice had said no more than if you park on this roadway you agree to pay a charge then it would have been implicit that PCM was saying we will allow you to park on this roadway if you pay £100 and I would agree with Mr Samuels’ first analysis that essentially the £100 was a part of the core consideration for the licence and was not a penalty for breach. The difficulty is that this notice does not say that at all. This notice is an absolute prohibition against parking at any time, for any period, on the roadway. It is impossible to construct out of this in any way, either actually or contingently or conditionally, any permission for anyone to park on the roadway. All this is essentially saying is you must not trespass on the roadway. If you do we are giving ourselves, and we are dressing it up in the form of a contract, the right to charge you a sum of money which really would be damages for trespass, assuming of course that the claimant had any interest in the land in order to proceed in trespass.” While this is a County Court decision and therefore not binding, it is on all fours with the present case and may be considered as persuasive. The judge asked what level this judge was and asked for the full transcript which I provided. He read this through and asked whether the defendants in this case were all tenants at this estate – which they were. he asked me whether there was further parking round the back on this land – which there was. 8. In the alternative, if it was held that the signage was contractually valid, it would be impossible for a motorist to have read the terms and conditions contained therein from a moving or stopped vehicle, and if the vehicle is stopped, the ‘contravention’ according to the Claimant is already committed. The above point was recently tested in several cases regarding Hayes and Harlington station. There a similar situation arises as the vehicles were charged for briefly stopping but the signs are far away from vehicles and high up In all cases it was ruled that no contract was entered by performance as the signage could not be read from a vehicle. The case references are; C3GF46K8, C3GF44K8, C3GFY8K8 At this point as I did not have the transcripts of the cases I was referencing – he dismissed my point. 9. The IPC code of conduct states that a grace period must be allowed in order that a driver might spot signage, go up to it, read it and then decide whether to accept the terms or not. A reasonable grace period in any car park would be from 5-15 minutes from the period of stopping. This grace period was not observed and therefore the operator is in breach of the industry code of practice. Additionally no contract can be in place by conduct until a reasonable period elapses. Thus the signage is simply a device to entrap motorists into a situation whereby the Claimant sends them invoices for unwarranted and unjustified charges, for which motorists can have no contractual liability due to the terms and conditions not having been sufficiently brought to their attention. This activity is bordering on, if not actually crossing the boundary of, a criminal offence of Fraud by False Representation. At this point the judge sided with the claimant as the time stamps showed the vehicle was stopped for sufficient time to read the signs. 10. Additionally, the contract fails informational requirements for contracts established in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, enacted 13 June 2014. Any alleged contract would be a distance contract for services as defined in The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. The regulations define a distance contract as: “distance contract” means a contract concluded between a trader and a consumer under an organised distance sales or service-provision scheme without the simultaneous physical presence of the trader and the consumer, with the exclusive use of one or more means of distance communication up to and including the time at which the contract is concluded; • This is clearly an organised service-provision scheme (for parking) • The contract is clearly concluded without the simultaneous physical presence of the trader and the consumer. • There is clearly the exclusive use of one means of distance communication (signage) up to and including the time at which the contract is concluded. This is therefore a distance contract. None of the exemptions in regulation (6) apply. No vending machine or automated premises was used to conclude the contract. Any contract would be concluded by stopping in the area. Regulation 13 lists information to be provided before making a distance contract. The contract fails to provide the required information listed in Schedule 2. As per 13(1) the contract is therefore not binding. Alternatively if the contract is on or off-premises, the information rules still apply and the contract is not binding as per either 9(1) or 10(1). 11. Additionally, the charge of £100 is a penalty and unfair consumer charge. The leading case on this matter is ParkingEye v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67. In that case it was ruled that the penalties rule was engaged but the charge was not unfair because the motorist had the bargain of 2 hours of valuable free parking in exchange for the risk of paying £100 for overstaying. The risk was clearly brought to the attention of the consumer in a huge font. Here, there is no valuable consideration on offer and no bargain for the consumer, and the charge is applied immediately on stopping. It is submitted that no motorist would agree to pay £100 instantly on stopping and this is therefore and unfair consumer term in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. I summarised my case by saying: 1. The signage cannot be safely read while driving. There can therefore be no meeting of minds and no contract by performance 2. The signage is forbidding and makes no offer to the motorist. There can therefore be no contract. 3. Even if there was a contract the signage fails informational requirements for contracts established in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation And Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, enacted 13 June 2014, and so any contract would be non-bindng on the consumer. 4. Even if there were a binding contract the charge would be a penalty and unfair consumer term as it is not a genuine pre-estimate of loss and is not saved by the case law in ParkingEye v Beavis. The judge then proceed to question me directly again and with the steel faced angry look on his face and asked me: “Under what circumstances would anybody think that it was ok to park here?” I was put back by the question again and was not sure how to answer it at the time. I said I am unable to answer the question. He thought I was being clever not to indicate myself as the driver and reminded me the question he is asking is why ANYBODY would think that it was appropriate to park here. I could not give the judge a satisfactory answer and to be honest I did not feel prepared for this level of questioning. I am reflector in nature and therefore on the spot responses is not something am used to providing. He then proceeded to make his judgement as the claimant had nothing to add. The deputy district judge ruled in favour of the claimant ruling that on the balance of probabilities he believed I was the driver – from my response to his earlier questioning. He stated that he found me evasive. The signage was clear in that £100 fine would be payable if anybody stopped there. He ruled that my answer to why anybody would think that it was appropriate to park here – made it clear that I knew I shouldn’t park there. He did not feel the consumer contracts regulations are relevant here. And nonetheless IF IT was trespass he would award £100 to the claimant anyways. The claimant requested additional payment for some court fees, solicitor fees and interest which came up to another £103. And this was awarded to the claimant so in total £203. Obviously this is not a full transcript of what happened and I may have missed bits out etc but best of my recollection. I understand I may have made some textbook errors in my responses and the way I handled the case – but please bear in mind I’d never been to court before and was completely untrained on how the law works. If i had a chance again lot of things i would've done different but we are where we are. I was asked by the Judge if I would be appealing which he tried to discourage me from. I asked if I needed to make the decision now – which I didn’t – I think it was 21 or 28 days. Overall I feel quite let down and deflated from this judgement and did not feel the judge was being fair to me. He did not seem to have full understanding of the laws I was referring to me and was more interested in the direct questioning of me rather than the law as it stands. I’m not sure what to do now? Do I suck it up and pay the money – should I appeal? Is it worth getting the transcript and how can I go about this? If I was to appeal how would it work – does the judge make a fresh decision or is it a judgement on whether the deputy district judge was right in making his decision? Whatever the case I appreciate all your help guys especially ericbro and dx – not happy that Gladstone’s came out on top on this one but interested to hear your thoughts. It has been a fascinating journey and learning curve that either way I have benefited from.
  7. Thanks Ericbro "It is like me saying you now owe me £100 for reading this line of text. How is anyone supposed to consider and accept the terms if they dont stop?" Lol Exactly . Makes me wonder if I can put a sign up on my doorstep saying NO STOPPING HERE. £100 Charge! - and expect to sue anyone who did so! Ridiculous. there has been no admission of driver so will argue the keeper liability point certainly too and check out para 9 thanks i assume they are not saying this is trespass? what happens if they do go down the angle of damages for breach of contract - is that a valid argument for them? it seems like that's the angle they are gonna try to pursue i am just trying to anticipate what their main points might be so i've deffo covered it in my counter response We'll see what happens on the big day:wink:
  8. Thanks ericbro Just to give all an update. I did a lot of reading on these cases and had a look at parking pranksters blog which I thank you for directing to me. My amended defence statements has taken into account the primary point of no stopping being a prohibition. (BIG CREDIT TO PARKING PRANKSTER BLOG) 4. The Claimant’s relevant signage at this site states “ALL VEHICLES NO STOPPING AT ANY TIME. TAXI’S, VEHICLE’S LOADING & UNLOADING. £100 Parking Charge. Reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days” I t is submitted that if these notices are attempting to make a contractual offer, then as they are forbidding they do not fulfil the basic requirement of a contract, which is that each party to the contract must offer valuable consideration to the other party, on clear terms capable of acceptance. In this case neither the Claimant, nor their principal the landowner, is offering anything to motorists. The notices cannot, therefore, reasonably be construed as having created a contractual relationship between the Claimant and the Defendant. The above point was recently tested in the County Court at High Wycombe, in the case of Parking Control Management (UK) Ltd v Bull & 2 Others (B4GF26K6, 21 April 2016), where District Judge Glen dismissed all three claims, stating in his judgment that: “If the notice had said no more than if you park on this roadway you agree to pay a charge then it would have been implicit that PCM was saying we will allow you to park on this roadway if you pay £100 and I would agree with Mr Samuels’ first analysis that essentially the £100 was a part of the core consideration for the licence and was not a penalty for breach. The difficulty is that this notice does not say that at all. This notice is an absolute prohibition against parking at any time, for any period, on the roadway. It is impossible to construct out of this in any way, either actually or contingently or conditionally, any permission for anyone to park on the roadway. All this is essentially saying is you must not trespass on the roadway. If you do we are giving ourselves, and we are dressing it up in the form of a contract, the right to charge you a sum of money which really would be damages for trespass, assuming of course that the claimant had any interest in the land in order to proceed in trespass.” While this is a County Court decision and therefore not binding, it is on all fours with the present case and may be considered as persuasive. 7. It is denied that the Claimant entered into a contract with the Defendant. As held by the Upper Tax Tribunal in Vehicle Control Services Limited v HMRC [2012] UKUT 129 (TCC), any contract requires offer and acceptance. The Claimant appears to have been contracted by the landowner to provide car-park management services and is not capable of entering into a contract with the Defendant on its own account, as the land is owned by and the terms of entry set by the landowner. Accordingly, it is denied that the Claimant has authority to bring this claim. The proper Claimant is the landowner. The Claimant is to provide Proof of assignment from the land owner to create contracts and make claims in their own name. 8. In the alternative, if it was held that the signage was contractually valid, it would be impossible for a motorist to have read the terms and conditions contained therein from a moving or stopped vehicle, and if the vehicle is stopped, the ‘contravention’ according to the Claimant is already committed. The above point was recently tested in several cases regarding Hayes and Harlington station. There a similar situation arises as the vehicles were charged for briefly stopping but the signs are far away from vehicles and high up In all cases it was ruled that no contract was entered by performance as the signage could not be read from a vehicle. The case references are; C3GF46K8, C3GF44K8, C3GFY8K8 11. Additionally, the charge of £100 is a penalty and unfair consumer charge. The leading case on this matter is ParkingEye v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67. In that case it was ruled that the penalties rule was engaged but the charge was not unfair because the motorist had the bargain of 2 hours of valuable free parking in exchange for the risk of paying £100 for overstaying. The risk was clearly brought to the attention of the consumer in a huge font. Here, there is no valuable consideration on offer and no bargain for the consumer, and the charge is applied immediately. It is submitted that no motorist would agree to pay £100 instantly on stopping and this is therefore and unfair consumer term in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. so all points included and summarised as: 1. The signage cannot be safely read while driving. There can therefore be no meeting of minds and no contract by performance 2. The signage is forbidding and makes no offer to the motorist. There can therefore be no contract. 3. Even if there was a contract the signage fails informational requirements for contracts established in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation And Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, enacted 13 June 2014, and so any contract would be non-bindng on the consumer 4. Even if there were a binding contract the charge would be a penalty and unfair consumer term as it is not a genuine pre-estimate of loss and is not saved by the case law in ParkingEye v Beavis. If it's of interest to see the full defence statement i'd be happy to upload it and send it via email. But like you say there is recent example on the parking prankster blog which largely owe credit to. Funnily enough as soon as I submitted my witness statement - they have just responded to me with their pack. uploaded here: have also attached my photos of the location itself: Just to clarify the bus access sign they have included in their pack (visible on the no entry sign on my uploaded images) is referring to a different piece of land than where the vehicle is question was stopped. The vehicle did not enter the bus zone and this can be seen on the pictures. The vehicle was stopped where the yellow cross hatches are and the sign refering to "no stopping in this zone" can be seen on in the top left area of the images uploaded. I have also noticed that there is a bullet point sentence which they have blocked out on page 4 of their pack - this is their ccustomer lisence agreement. Can they do that? Little bit more worried now they have sent their pack. They haven't responded to all my points but what do you think considering everything..... merged.pdf
  9. Thanks guys, I appreciate it is very short timescale any help you can offer I am very grateful for. I have looked at some previous threads and had a go below: Example Witness Statement [Please correct or amend my wording as appropriate] 1. It is admitted that Defendant is the owner of [motor vehicle]. 2. The Defendant is unable to admit or deny the precise times he was stopped in the area designated as a red route “no stopping” zone at one stop shopping centre, as he has no recollection of this. The Claimant is put to proof of the same. 3. It is an offence to claim money by misrepresentation and using a false instrument to gain a pecuniary advantage such as claiming red lines painted on private land mean anything under law is misrepresentation. The Claimant is to put to provide Proof of planning permission granted for signage and the painted cross hatches under the Town and Country Planning Act 2007. 4. It is denied that the Claimant entered into a contract with the Defendant. As held by the Upper Tax Tribunal in Vehicle Control Services Limited v HMRC [2012] UKUT 129 (TCC), any contract requires offer and acceptance. The Claimant was simply contracted by the landowner to provide car-park management services and is not capable of entering into a contract with the Defendant on its own account, as the carpark is owned by and the terms of entry set by the landowner. Accordingly, it is denied that the Claimant has authority to bring this claim. The proper Claimant is the landowner. The Claimant is to provide Proof of assignment from the land owner to create contracts and make claims in their own name. 5. If there was a contract, it is denied that the penalty charge is incorporated into the contract. As per Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking [1971] 2 QB 163, the relevant term must be made known before a contract was formed. Here, the charge was not incorporated into the contract because the signage could only be viewed after stopping of the car. A vehicle will naturally pass through this land as the “no stopping zone” forms part of a roundabout that vehicles and shoppers are free to use and the Defendant will not have been able to read and agree to the contract by the time that the Claimant defined as “stopping” in the zone for which the Claimant is claiming the parking charge for. 6. Alternatively, even if there was a contract, the provision requiring payment of £234.87 is an unenforceable penalty clause. Following Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co Ltd v Selfridge & Co Ltd [1915] AC 847, clauses designed to punish a party for breach of contract may only be upheld if they represent a genuine pre-estimate of loss. The provision is a penalty and not a genuine pre-estimate of loss for the following reasons: (a) as the Claimant is not the landowner and suffers no loss whatsoever as a result of the stopping of a vehicle in the zone; (b) the amount claimed is evidently disproportionate to any loss suffered by the Claimant; © the penalty bears no relation to the circumstances because it remains the same no matter whether a motorist stopped for ten seconds or ten years; and (d) the clause is specifically expressed to be a penalty on the Claimant's signs. 7. Further and alternatively, the provision requiring payment of £234.87 is unenforceable as an unfair term contrary to Regulation 5 of The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. This is a term which falls within Schedule 1, paragraph (e) of the Regulations being a term "requiring any consumer who fails to fulfil his obligation to pay a disproportionately high sum in compensation". The term was not individually negotiated and causes a significant imbalance in the parties' respective rights and obligations, because the charge is heavily disproportionate in respect of a stopping and is imposed even where consumers are legitimately using the road for its designated purpose. 8. Save as expressly mentioned above, the Particulars of Claim is denied in its entirety. It is denied that the Claimant is entitled to the relief claimed or any relief at all. Also ericbro just drawing on some previous posts and threads that you’ve commented on. Can I ask if these points still apply at this stage and should I bring them to the court’s attention? • The arrangement between them, this claim, the IPC and how they are being paid as there is a stink of Champerty and maintenance – please advise what this means in laymen terms and whether this is still applicable? • Can I ask they justify the monies claimed using the decision of Cavendish Square Holdings v El Makdessi (2012) (saw this mentioned in another thread – not entirely sure if this is applicable and how to use this argument?) Also earlier you said I could send a letter to court saying that they have failed to show cause for action and locus standi by way of CPR 31.14 request and that the particulars of claim fail to meet the requirements of CPR16.4 and therefore ask that the claim be struck out for this reason. Now I did send them CPR 31.14 Request (letter in the previous post) on 11th October – but as mentioned before they replied saying quite simply: “Part 31 Requests do not apply to the small claims Track.” Would you say now I can write the letter to the court as mentioned above – or should this be included in the above witness statement? Once again many thanks to the forum and in particular dx and ericsbro – hoping to nail this in the coffin with your support and hope it can serve as an example for anybody else who finds themselves in a similar situation at that location. Look forward to your helpful advice, as always
  10. Yes past that stage now - acknowledged service. And they tried to do a paper hearing. They actually said they do not want to mediate. We did not accept the paper hearing and asked for an oral hearing. Also sent CPR request. They responded to CPR saying it does not apply. The court accepted the oral hearing and set the date now for 17 January at Birmingham court. Eek. Need to get my head together. Have been reading posts but would like to know best form of defence and how to tackle this. Considering everything said and done so far.
  11. thanks dx100uk I assume by WS you mean witness statement? If so, no haven't received anything. The deadline for which is 3rd Jan. I have already searched CAG for all the posts related to those that were fined at the same location as me to understand possible defences. And all the steps I've took so far have been following advice and templates from the forum. as far as self help goes its in my interests to research these but if you can offer some specific threads you think would be useful then i'd be happy to see it. this is the reason im here after all! And perhaps i can help CAG and its members in return too. I have searched and bookmarked those threads which were at the same location as me but none seems to have gone to court or do they go into the detail about what happened there. I suppose that's what I'd really appreciate some direction on more than anything - what should i say at the court? would you suggest i serve some documents/witness statements also
  12. i know sorry guys i am panicking more then anything. i actually misplaced the letter with the court date and was under the impression that they have backed out as i hadnt heard anthing. found the letter and its bit late but i cant go back [removed - dx ] but suppose as the claim is for under £250 dont really want to fork out more for a solicitor for that amount. God. help me!!
  13. Hey guys It's been some time since i posted so can i let you know of the progress now. To be quite honest I am really quite concerned as at first I wasnt expecting it to get to this stage! they have set the court date as 17 January in Birmingham. This is only two weeks away and I little idea what to do or say!?!! As the date approaches my confidence has been diminishing day by day so any detailed advice you guys can offer me would be much appreciated. I have submitted the skeleton defence as mentioned previously and all previous steps that i've talked about on this thread but now its crunch time:| Please can i ask for some guidance and help of how to tackle this. Obviously going up against Gladstones and these are legal professionals so i'm already the underdog and having not been at court ever before like this not even sure how it goes. I also notice they want any witness statement or documents i will be relying on to be sent 14 days before the date of the hearing which isnt very long away at all. Will i be relying on any documents? Some questions i have in my head are: What main line of defence should i go for? Will they be asking for admission of driver? as this has not been indicated yet? can they get the registered keeper (me) Should i mention no contract formed? signage? who is landowner? They have not provided me with this. I am aware of the above possible defences but not sure how to put the arguemnt across effectively in what order and what time. [removed] - dx Bottom line was they are trying to claim this money for an apparent "stopping" in an area of land they have designated as "no stopping zone" . I have not divulged yet as to whether i was stopping and if so the reasons for this - as i was yet unsure of their legal right to even claim for this secondly waiting for correct legal advice as to which would be the best legal position for me to take as defendant Gladstones did respond via email to my previous letter which was requesting information from them under CPR 31.14 Their response was as follows: Part 31 Requests do not apply to the Small Claims Track.
  14. Hi ericbro- thanks for the info. Please forgive my naivety as this is the first time i have dealt with something like this so it's all new territory! I have taken your advice and used a template letter on the form for the "CPR" - and sent this to them. Copy of which is below: Dear Sir or Madam, RE: Defence Systems Ltd t/a Park Watch v XXXXX Case No: XXXXX CPR 31.14 Request On 10th June 2016 I received the claim form in this case issued by you out of the Northampton county court business centre. I confirm having returned my acknowledgement of service to the court in which I indicate my intention to contest and counter claim all of your claim. Please treat this letter as my request made under CPR 31.14 for the disclosure and the production of a verified and legible copy of [each of the following / the] document(s) mentioned in your Particulars of Claim: 1. Proof of assignment from the land owner to create contracts and make claims in your own name. 2. Proof of planning permission granted for signage and the painted cross hatches under the Town and Country Planning Act 2007 You should ensure compliance with your CPR 31 duties and ensure that the document(s) I have requested are disclosed at your earliest convenience. Your CPR 31 duties extend to making a reasonable and proportionate search for the originals of the documents I have requested, the better for you to be able to verify the document's authenticity and to provide me with a legible copy. Further, where I have requested a copy of a document, the original of which is now in the possession of another person, you will have a right to possession of that document if you have mentioned it in your case. You must take immediate steps to recover and preserve it for the purpose of this case. Where I have mentioned a document and there is in your possession more than one version of that same document owing to a modification, obliteration or other marking or feature, each version will be a separate document and you must provide a copy of each version of it to me. Your obligations extend to making a reasonable and proportionate search for any version(s) to include an obligation to recover and preserve such version(s) which are now in the possession of a third party. In accordance with CPR 31.15© I undertake to be responsible for your reasonable copying costs incurred in complying with this CPR 31.14 request. If you are unable to comply with this request and believe that you will never be able to comply with this request please confirm in your response. Yours faithfully XXXXX Hope that's ok. Will keep you all updated.. many thanks, as always
  15. I haven't written to Gladdy's or Defence Watch or anything yet, but this is something i would like to do. So is this is a good point in the process to do this - I have their contact details. Thank you very much for this advice - I will write to them now! Will update the forum on what their response is - Should I also send a copy to the court or is that not necessary
  16. Hey everyone Just wanted to say BIG THANKS for your help so far. I have submitted the form to request the small claims track as advised. UPDATE: letter from court dated 30 August 2016 The claim has been transferred to the below County Court Hearing Centre for allocation. On receipt the file will be referred to a procedural judge who will allocate the claim to track and give case management directions. Details of the judge's directions will be sent to you in notice of allocation. ... Please await the Judge's directions. And the contact details are: County Court at Birmingham (127) does this mean just waiting for them to decide and they will provide a date of the hearing. - could not believe would be going to court to fight this - but i suppose somethings have to be done! and eventually justice will prevail
  17. Hi thanks for the response ericbro what reason shall I give for not wanting the paper hearing? If I say no it asks "If no, say why not and state the track to which you believe it should be allocated" Many thanks K
  18. hey guys it has been some time since my last post and ack of service was submitted. the case has now moved on so please see update below of what has happened: Email from Gladstones solicitors dated 28 july: "Defence Systems Ltd t/a Park Watch -v- XXXXX We act for the Claimant and have notified the Court of our Client’s intention to proceed with the claim. Please find enclosed a copy of our Client’s completed Directions Questionnaire, which will be filed with the court upon their request. You will note we intend to request a special direction that the case be dealt with on the papers and without the need for an oral hearing This request is sought simply because the matter is in our Client’s opinion relatively straightforward and the costs incurred by both parties for attending an oral hearing would be disproportionate. We trust you agree. You will note our Client has elected not to mediate. Its decision is not meant to be in any way obstructive and is based purely on experience, as mediation has rarely proven beneficial in these types of cases. Notwithstanding this, our Client would be happy to listen to any genuine payment proposals that you wish to put forward." The attached special direction simply states "REQUEST FOR SPECIAL DIRECTION The matter will be considered on paperwork without a hearing. The parties attendance is not required and the Judge will determine the matter based upon the documents and evidence supplied and any written representations received." The next attachment is the court form N180 - Directions Questionnaire (Small Claims Track) - with special directions.pdf. In this i have summarised what is said: A1 -In this they have marked NO under if they agree for the case to be transferred to the Small Claims Mediation Service C1 - they have agreed that the Small Claims Track is the appropriate track for this case D1 - About the hearing. At which County Court hearing centre would you prefer the small claims hearing to take place and why. They have put **SEE REQUEST FOR SPECIAL DIRECTION** If the Defendant does not consent to the special direction then we request the claim be transferred to the Claimant's home court. D2 - Are you asking for the court’s permission to use the written evidence of an expert? they have marked NO D3 - How many witnesses, including yourself, will give evidence on your behalf at the hearing? 1 D4 - Dates the expert/witness won't be available (they haven't put any) I have also received the same blank form accompanied with a letter from the Courty Court dated 4 August 2016. In the first page it states: "TAKE NOTICE THAT 1. This is a defended claim. The Defendant has filed a defence. 2. It appears that this case is suitable for allocation to the small claims track. If you believe this is not the appropriate track for the claims, you must complete box C1 on the Small Claims Directions Questionnaire (Form N180) and explain why. 3. You must by 22 August 2016 complete the Small Claims Directions Questionnaire (Form N180) and file it with the due court office. [Address is Northampton] and serve copies on all other parties. Enclosed is the blank N180 form for me to complete. Also some guidance documents about the mediation service. Please could I ask for some advice on how best to respond. I know the response to the N180 must be received as the court has ordered by 22 August. Also it appears this is now likely to go to court/or considered in writing. Look forward to your comments and advice on how best to proceed. Many thanks K
  19. thanks for that so there's no way it could affect my credit? once it goes bailiffs... what happens then. .. do you think i will eventually need to pay it. i don't agree with the fine but is it too late to appeal that now. the form te3 had a january date on it
  20. Hi I received an order for recovery of unpaid penalty charge (form TE3) some months back. I had completely mislaid and forgotten about this letter on reviewing it again I am concerned it may have caused a county court judgement to be placed against my name. The reason I am concerned about this, is I am hoping to apply for a mortgage soon and I do not want this to affect my credit applications. I already have one CCJ from years ago that has nearly expired and do not want another one! It had a date 29/01/2016 - this is the date which you must either pay the total amount shown above or file a statement if you have grounds for not paying the charge. If you have a query regarding the original penalty charge, you should contact the local authority that issued the penalty charge. Obviously this date has now passed. Is it too late now to respond to this and if so what should I respond? What will happen now that I've ignored? Hoping somebody with some knowledge on this forum can help me out Many thanks T
  21. hey knowledgeable ones i am concerned the deadline for submission of defence is fast approaching. can anyone give some advice or help me out with what to say please many thanks k
  22. Hi John This is a few years now wonder how you got on? Just in case anybody else is looking on the forum on this matter now its 2016 and i can assure there are plenty of lenders that will lend to people with CCJ's and you do not need to even go to subprime. just be sure to check the reviews and compare the fees and interest rates. You can even get it for low as 10% deposit! I have a CCJ myself from 2012 so i know the feeling. But based on my research some of these links may prove useful: [removed] In terms of possible lenders check these: [removed] [removed] Do not pay anything upfront and do your own due diligence. BUT Before all of them though i suggest you enquire with [removed] Good luck
  23. hey ericbro thought i had replied to this, but it does not seem to have come through! i was just saying thanks for that clarity and offer of support it's really appreciated:-) I wonder if any others on here have had any experience with park watch /defence systems who can give an indication of what defence they used and the outcomes? I can't be the only one they caught out with this... . but couldn't see on any of the previous threads on what the outcomes were! Your post has helped my understanding in this matter greatly and is very plain and logical. It seems they are testing us with this, to see if we roll over but i would rather not be in that 75% of people who do not fight. i'm ready to challenge with the support of this forum so hope we can get a positive outcome. it's reassuring to know there are cases that can be quoted that you're aware of which i'm sure will be helpful. I wonder what the next step is? They have not offered mediation thus far - is this normal? And also how is the defence submitted - does this get submitted online too..? I was looking at the post from andyorch on showthread.php?465231 which has a template for defence. I understand this is for PE so not sure how much of it we can use or what bits to include/exclude. Many thanks, again
  24. Thanks for your response @ericsbrother i am starting to understand what you are explaining, it seems by law they do not have the right to suggest I have agreed to this "contract" and thus accept the "fine" that they are now trying to take me to court for. If my understanding of this is correct, then it certainly makes me feel a little better. On doing some further research it appears a couple of other people have had the same issue at that location and the threads for these are: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?425697-parking-ticket-private-land-1-stop-shoppin-centre-perry-barr/page2 and https://cse.google.co.uk/cse?cx=partner-pub-0964707606882478:652l7hswbgv&ie=UTF-8&q=showthread.php%3F400956&sa=Search+CAG#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=showthread.php%3F400956&gsc.page=1 Although these threads provide some insight - i would appreciate, in layman terms, some advice and how to file a defence and if somebody could advise how best to word this? It is not even 'no parking' - the area enforced is for 'no stopping' and it is by camera that they catch people and do not leave a ticket. This is private land - i would assume and the red cross hatches are merely 'graffiti'. However without getting too technical on the principles of the law behind this - could somebody advise a best response for this? what would you say? i will post images of the signs as soon as i can. thank you to this knowledgeable forum
  25. Name of the Claimant? DEFENCE SYSTEMS LTD T/A PARK WATCH Date of issue? 15 June 2016 Particulars of the claim? Date 22/07/15 Description: XXXX(My Reg and ref no.) Amount £150 Due Date 19/08/2016. Total due - £150. AND THE CLAIMANT CLAIMS The Claimant claims the sum of £159.87 for Parking charges and indemnity costs if applicable including £9.87 interest pursuant to S.69 of the County COurt Act 1984 Rate 8.00% pa from dates above to 14/06/16. Same rate to judgement or (sooner) payment. Daily rate to judgement £0.03 Total debt and interest £159.87 What is the value of the claim? Amount claimed: : £234.97 Has the claim been issued by the original creditor or was the account assigned and it is the Debt purchaser who has issued the claim? DEFENCE SYSTEMS LTD T/A PARK WATCH Were you aware the account had been assigned – did you receive a Notice of Assignment? N/A On reading the link also I understand the next best step is for me to complete the acknowledgement of service. Do i need to state my defence at this point? dx100uk Thanks for directing me to the correct area, as i'm new here unsure of the processes I have looked at the link and filled in the Q&A below: At what point would i state a defence, and what would you advise me to put in this defence? Many thanks, again THANK YOU dx100uk I have listened to your instructions and provided the acknowledgement online just as you have stated. This has now been submitted. So i now have 28 days to respond ? I have stated that I am the defendant Look forward to guidance on next steps! Many thanks
×
×
  • Create New...