Private Parking Tickets - General discussion points

[cb1979]

Hi i am new to this site and have read many of the posts in this thread,as a member of my Family have recently recieved a PCN from a company called Premier Parking Solutions who are based in Devon

 

They parked a in Private Pay and Display Car park in a nearby Town and bought a Ticket for 2 Hours @.50p per Hour

 

When they placed the Ticket on the Dash( it was a poor quality ticket without a sticky back )and shut the Door it must have Blown over,it was a bit windy that Day and Raining at the time.

 

They returned 45 mins later to find a PCN on their Car to pay a £100 charge,for incorrectly displaying their Ticket(kindly reduced to £70 if paid within 7 Days)

 

After the 28 Days to Pay up, we recieved a letter 4 Days later from a Company called Valley Enforcement ltd who are based in Thornton Heath in Surrey(but their Appeals reply address on their fancy website is also in Devon)Demanding a payment for £130 within 14 days or the threat of courts and debt collectors calling,and a nice form with a box to tick if you were not the Driver and a box to enter the Drivers name to help them with their enquires

 

After a bit of research on the Internet it appears PPS and Valley Enforcement are the same company

 

We have sent them one of the template letter's and a copy of our valid Ticket and are now waiting for their reply

 

Has anybody else had dealings with these Companys

 

Thanks for any Replys

[civic87]

Thanks for the advise guys think ill just ignore,

 

and cb1979 as far as im aware the excuse companys use when you show the valid ticket is that they state it has to be on display and it is your responsibility to make sure it is witch i think is terible as once you provide the ticket that should be it, end off, but they still claim a breach

 

i dont think with out these guys sharing knowledge on what the law states and what your entitled to anyone could win an appeal the ppc they seem to have an answer to everything

 

Id love to see there faces if someone actually took them to court over the harrasment act or something (if thats possible)

[letshelp]

CB,

 

You have already done more than required, just forget the whole thing and ignore any letters you receive.

regards

[pozziedrive]

hi i dont know if i am talking to bernie cos i am new to site and i just pressed reply after reading about ukcps parking charges. do you realy have to go thru all this corrospondence i was thinking of returning letters to sender with (no longer at this address)anyone got any advice i want to just blank them but my missuss is panicking

Edited September 27, 2009 by pozziedrive

[barney_gumble]

Hi guys, a quick update from me. Last letter I sent was the "cease and desist" template... Since then I got another letter threatening all the same stuff as before - only from a different "collection agency". It was duly ignored. I have heard nothing since.

 

My message to all newbie [problem] victims here is - Don't be intimidated, keep the faith, don't pay a penny!

Edited September 28, 2009 by barney_gumble
spelling

[jonnytt]

I have just received a debt collectors letter for a parking fine imposed in April. The original £80 fine is now quoted as £160 to resolve the matter. I have just posted off the 'in dispute' letter. Anyone advise on what their nexct steps and then mine should be?

[letshelp]

I have just received a debt collectors letter for a parking fine imposed in April. The original £80 fine is now quoted as £160 to resolve the matter. I have just posted off the 'in dispute' letter. Anyone advise on what their nexct steps and then mine should be?

Their next step will be more letters with increasing levels of threats.

Your next and all future steps should be, just ignore these clowns.

regards

[sarsquare]

I received a Parking Charge Notice served 25/09/09 from private parking company PARK DIRECT LTD, who in the past have had bad press regarding the amount of tickets they send out (see £225,000: a ?fine? profit (From Ealing Times)), and their big brother style cameras.

 

The letter is similar to this, Imageshack - img009pc.jpgand contained two images of my car, showing the brake lights on in both pics as I was dropping off a passenger. The time shown was 5.38 and 5.39pm.

 

I have been told to pay £60, or after 14 days it goes up to £150.

 

Firstly I would like to know what happens about the dates, as although the letter was issued 25/09, I recieved it 1 week later on 2/10/09 due to the recent postal strikes, I assume. So this now only gives me 7 days to contest otherwise the fine goes up to the higher amount of £150.

 

The image does show several small signs, probably outlining the rules, but as I was there for less than one minute I did not get out to look at them as I had never heard of a charge for stopping in a space, where clearly the area wasn't busy, and there is lots of free spaces.

 

Here is a snippet of the letter:

Park Direct believes that a parking charge is payable with respect to the above vehicle for the following contravention: stopping or waiting on private land where stopping or waiting restrictions are in force.

 

On 13/08 you were the registered keeper/owner of the motor vehicle with vehicle reg number xxxxxxxx when the vehicle was believed to be waiting or stopping at Ealing Broadway Station W5 at 17.38 which resulted in the issue of the PARKING CHARGE NOTICE REF xxxxx.

 

Do you think that the templates stating that i am merely the keeper, but a number of people use the car would be relevant/useful? And if I don't hear anything back, at all costs can not afford to pay the £150 so should i just pay before the 2 weeks is up?

[lamma]

This is a very well known [problem] spot, google it. I would just ignore them.

[letshelp]

Do you think that the templates stating that i am merely the keeper, but a number of people use the car would be relevant/useful?

 

And if I don't hear anything back, at all costs can not afford to pay the £150 so should i just pay before the 2 weeks is up?

The answer is NO to both your questions.

Give them nothing and they have nothing to go on. Don't make yourself accountable to a private company. Just ignore them completely.

regards

[crem]

Do not reply in any shape or form at all.

[barney_gumble]

OMG they have actually called it a Penalty charge notice, surely that's illegal?

[sarsquare]

I have looked back at the letter and it says parking charge notice, not penalty :-s

[sophiahapgood]

Do not reply in any shape or form at all.

 

agreed they will keep sending you crap, one letter saying one thing then another, then bogus debt collection agency letters etc.

 

Just had one letter about a month ago from debt collection agency saying they were going to pass the matter back to parking company and yet they are still sending last chance to pay letters..

 

bottom line do not respond to there stuff in any way shape or form.

[Baldy Man]

Hello All - new to this site - thought I might get some help from someone with similar problem and experience. My son received a parking charge notice from Excel Parking in Feb 09. He refused to pay. All correspondence has come to my address - he lives elsewhere. Letter received from Roxburghe Debt collectors in Sept. - now received notice of intended legal action (Graham White, Solicitors) and possible threat of bailiffs if any Judgement is registered against him in the County Court! Are these threats carried out? Has anybody been taken to Court? - does it get that far?! A worried Baldy Man! - as obviously any bailiffs could turn up at my home!! - not his!

[unhappy5490]

I too have had a the same thing and i've been told its just empty threats and they won't go through with it as they wont win

[BenScoobert]

Likewise my sister received this "Notice of intended legal action"

 

We will be ignoring the 1st letter, if a 2nd comes it will be a cease and desist refer it back to your client letter.

[crem]

We will be ignoring the 1st letter, if a 2nd comes it will be a cease and desist refer it back to your client letter.

 

There's no point in wasting a letter and stamp even on a "cease and desist" letter coz they won't take any notice of it.

[DMA]

Yes I had one yesterday too, latest nonesense in a nearly year-long waste of time. I presume they batched up all their outstanding cases. I have so far sent one letter back to each of the tormentors in turn, adapted from good advice on this forum.

 

I understand one of the solicitors involved works for a local council? Anyone have a suitable letter to write to them to alert them to his involvement and question his fitness for employment by a public body?

 

Also, you might like to read around Alan Matthews experiences - he beat Excel twice in court. In addition, he identified that Excel may have broken laws relating to Data Protection in passing private information to their 'debt collectors' without his permission. In that situation, would a reputable solicitor be able to take instruction from the 'debt collectors'?

 

Alan's thread here: Excel Parking - FightBack Forums post #104 for information commisioner thoughts.

 

Keep the faith.

[jonnytt]

I have just received a debt collectors letter for a parking fine imposed in April. The original £80 fine is now quoted as £160 to resolve the matter. I have just posted off the 'in dispute' letter. Anyone advise on what their nexct steps and then mine should be?

 

More news on this - Now got a 'final warning' sent by a firm of solicitors. They say they will refer the matter in 7 days. It says 'please be assured this matter will not go away without solution or resolution'.

 

Now as far as I'm concerned I was parked in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were yellow lines, plenty of signs, they took a picture of my car in situ etc. So they have some evidence. My argument is that there was 1. no alternative parking on the whole industrial estate where the private office I was visiting was sighted. All their allocated spaces were taken and I eventually had to park 1.5 miles away to park 'legally'. 2 The fine of £80 is unreasonable given I was there for approx 10 mins 3. I met the traffic attendant as he found my car and asked where I could move the car to, he wouldn't help or answer. I told him I was moving the car but he issued the ticket (by post) after the event. I felt this was unreasonable as I had offered to move the car.

 

If this goes to court have I got grounds to feel optimistic or should I settle it up and be done with these damn letters? I'd like some realistic assessments if you can and not just the often quoted 'all the guys are cowboys' approach. I'm sure they are but they do have solicitors engaged and who wants to have the hassle of small claims court etc.

 

Appreciate your feedback as always.

[cb1979]

Hello, an update on my earlier post #575

 

Just recieved a NOTICE OF INTENDED ACTION

This is not a Court or Legal Document

 

This was in reply to the Template Letter I sent to Valley Enforcement a couple of weeks ago with a Copy of the Valid Parking Ticket

 

They have now Forwarded it to a Debt recovery company called CCS Collect of Thornton Heath in Surrey,seems a bit strange as Valley enforcement are also in Thornton Heath

 

it states '' THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENDED ACTION WHICH WILL BE RELIED UPON BY THE CREDITOR EVEN IF NOT READ''

 

Was sent with a 2nd class stamp and with the delay in the post is allready past their deadline for Payment

 

There is the threat at the bottom of the page if this is not paid the following action may be taken

 

COURT FEES LEGAL COSTS AND INTEREST MAY INCREASE THE SUM YOU OWE

and lastly:-

 

Commencement of Legal Procedings by a firm of Solicitors

Your Means Examined by the Court

An Agent may arrange to Visit visit you at Home

 

Has anyone else had dealings with CCS COLLECT

 

Thanks in advance for any advice

[lamma]

No. everyone just ignores them !

[Davidj0l0]

I had one of these, and they eventually gave up. The advice on this site is accurate. I found it most helpful to realise these "fines" are simply invoices. Use the "template letters" and remember the threats are empty

[Conned Sumer]

Hi Guys

Not posted on here in a while

recently I received a debt collectors letter, which I researched and found to be about as dodgy as the parking letters.

 

A few days ago I actually received a phone call, very strange, as there has been no contact at all.

 

Since the phone call a solicitors letter has arrived.

 

I intend to do the usual, but of course the fact that they rang my house and of course the first question was to ask if they were speaking to me, and being the polite person I am confirmed my name before confirming who was calling (DOH)

 

Next step?

 

Cheers for all your help still guys, I see a lot of patience and well thought out advice, these forums are invaluable.

[DMA]

Sounds like the different PPC's are using similar template letters - wonder where they got that idea

 

One doesn't normally ignore solicitor's letters but on the other hand I wouldn't want to write back without professional advice and I doubt it will make any difference, so on blance I will ignore and wait for the second letter, and so on.

 

Also on balance, if they do start another or several cases in court, they will keep losing them afaik.

 

DMA