My experience with Euro Car Parks & G24 (update)

[lamma]

at the end of the day its just a mail [problem]. they depend on fear and misrepresentation to get your money. Have never yet seen a set of paper from a PPC that is lawful. see http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/164651-problems-ppcs-face.html?highlight=problems+ppc+face

[p.s.]

Well, a month has passed and heard nothing more from either Euro Carparks or G24........

 

 

Ditto for two months - guess they both gave up

[manny69]

Have been reading this forum with interest as I too have had an invoice from G24. Was wondering if anyone had come across the letter at roadsidelawyer.co.uk

 

Private parking response letter — The Roadside Lawyer

 

I particularly like the last paragraph about harassment. Do you think I should use this or just ignore them?

 

Thanks

 

Manny

[lamma]

Ignore them.

[Al27]

I can't see any benefit to writing letters, template or otherwise.

 

They will always just give up if you ignore them.

[ancient geek]

Agree. Just ignore them.

A nice letter arrives from Charles Howard and Partners written on a quality yellow coloured paper just like you would expect from a fancy solicitors, but at the bottom in tiny printing is the following:

 

Charles Howard and Partners is a trading style of Comercial Collection Services Ltd

 

Probably someone pointed out that it was illegal to pretend to be a Solicitor!!

[DDWales]

Agreed. They will give up quicker by simply ignoring. By writing to them they think that you may be wavering and the nonsense will keep on coming.

[p.s.]

three months have passed - proof enough they have both (Euro Carparks and G24) given up.

 

My advice would be IGNORE EVERYTHING

[1092dancing]

I'm having a similar problem with G24, CCS and Charles Howard. I received a charge certificate and, probably mistakingly, replied to them saying I was not driving the car and to prove I was. I received a standard reply from them a week later telling me to pay which I ignored. I subequently received letter from CCS (pretty much like the ones I've seen on this thread). Then CCS phoned (don't know how they got my home number), I told them I was in dispute with G24 and wasn't going to pay. Then received a document from CCS titled 'Notice of Legal Proceedings' threatening to take me to court. I sent a standard reply saying I was in dispute with G24. This week I received a letter from Charles Howard titled 'Legal Notification' informing me they had been instructed by CCS to commence legal proceedings against me.

 

I notice that no one else seemed to receive a 'Notice of Legal proceedings' and this concerned me.

 

Should I just ignore them? I'm one of those people that feel uncomfortable receiving these sorts of letters but hubby says I should just ignore them and if it goes to court he will go and represent me, can he do that?

 

Judging by the experience of P.S. I think I should just sit it out and see what happens.

[crem]

You are receiving more letters than most because you keep replying to them! Replies from victims tends to suggest you are more likely to crack than anyone who confidently ignores them.

 

Like smoking, it's never to late to start to stop, so start to stop replying to them with immediate effect!

[lamma]

standard set of letters. looks like you are at the end now. which is a shame as its means they have stopped wasting their own money on postage and printing. always nice to see a PPC spend its money with no hope of a return.

[Al27]

I notice that no one else seemed to receive a 'Notice of Legal proceedings' and this concerned me.

 

Don't worry - it's all part of the [problem]. It means absolutely nothing anyway - there is no such thing as a 'Notice of Legal Proceedings'.

[the_freedom_trail]

You are receiving more letters than most because you keep replying to them! Replies from victims tends to suggest you are more likely to crack than anyone who confidently ignores them.

 

Like smoking, it's never to late to start to stop, so start to stop replying to them with immediate effect!

 

Crem is quite correct here - you are inviting these additional letters by responding to them. It is the same as the school bully - they only carry on when they see that they are getting a reaction. If you completely ignored them they would soon get fed up with writing to thin air. Your husband has wise advice for you - please continue to ignore.

 

Al27 also hits the nail on the head with the word '[problem]' it is nothing more, nothing less.

 

Please fully ignore and they will quickly go away now.

 

All the best,

 

TFT

[1092dancing]

The saga continues. Just received a letter from Charles Howard & Partners headed '72 hour notice of home visit'. They letter states that as I have not yet paid them they are making arrangements for one of their collectors to visit me at home! This is to:-

 

- secure payment from me

- investigate my home situation prior to court action

 

They also end the letter 'Your account will not be overlooked or forgotton and we intend to resolve this matter to our client's satisfaction.'

 

Am I right in thinking they cannot do this, they can only send someone to my house if they have a court order? I feel very uncomfortable about this but at the same time don't want to pay... my husband will go to court on my behalf before that happens!

 

Should I take a copy of this letter to the police as I think it is harrassment.

 

Should I just keep ignoring them? What should I do if they do come round to my house? Has anyone else had a letter like this?

 

Thanks.

[lamma]

its part of the mail [problem]. they have no powers and they know they will be wasting their time visiting as you would just tell them to get lost. However this is a clear and flagrant transgression of The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 No. copy their their letter and send it as part of a complaint o Trading Standards.

[the_freedom_trail]

The saga continues. Just received a letter from Charles Howard & Partners headed '72 hour notice of home visit'. They letter states that as I have not yet paid them they are making arrangements for one of their collectors to visit me at home! This is to:-

 

- secure payment from me

- investigate my home situation prior to court action

 

They also end the letter 'Your account will not be overlooked or forgotton and we intend to resolve this matter to our client's satisfaction.'

 

Am I right in thinking they cannot do this, they can only send someone to my house if they have a court order? I feel very uncomfortable about this but at the same time don't want to pay... my husband will go to court on my behalf before that happens!

 

Should I take a copy of this letter to the police as I think it is harrassment.

 

Should I just keep ignoring them? What should I do if they do come round to my house? Has anyone else had a letter like this?

 

Thanks.

 

lamma is quite correct - there is more chance of Santa visiting - it's just a threat to get you to pay. 'Your account will not be overlooked' - have you ever recalled opening an account with these people? lol

 

Relax, it's water off a ducks back after you've had a few of them - trust me - you've got nothing to concern yourself about.

 

TFT

[speradamatic]

Surly if these people were to turn up on your door when you happened to be in, could you not just call the police for someone tresspassing on your land?

[lamma]

after you told them to leave and they failed to do so. but they won't turn up, its all just part of the [problem]. threatening to turn up a definite breach of Consumer law in my opinion and all such instances should be reported to Trading Standards.

[letshelp]

This is to:-

- secure payment from me

:lol::lol::lol:

 

- investigate my home situation prior to court action

:lol::lol::lol:

.

 

One of the funniest yet, particularly like the, 'investigate home situation' yeah right, come in, how many sugars in your tea, chocolate hob nobs ok with your tea Mr Investigator?

regards

[ancient geek]

I got the home visit letter several weeks ago, put the kettle on, still waiting!

[DDWales]

The saga continues. Just received a letter from Charles Howard & Partners headed '72 hour notice of home visit'. They letter states that as I have not yet paid them they are making arrangements for one of their collectors to visit me at home! This is to:-

 

- secure payment from me

- investigate my home situation prior to court action

 

They also end the letter 'Your account will not be overlooked or forgotton and we intend to resolve this matter to our client's satisfaction.'

You just couldnt make it up! PPc nonsense gets worse and worse....

[lamma]

phone them up (block your caller-id and don't ring any 0800 type number) and ask for a time and date for the visit so that you make sure you are there for them !! (sound worried and nervous).

(record the call).

[m.mishka]

I have not had such a laugh for a long time!!! I was about to pay my £75 from G24 before it becomes £95, then I thought hold on a minute a nice handbag can be purchased for that amount of cash. Anyway, Homebase refused to assist, so did G24. How's this for a letter to Homebase MD's secretary?

 

Dear Mr. Loft’s secretary,

 

Thank you for your very polite but “tough” letter of refusal to assist me with the parking charge received at your Watford store and for your advice for me to contact G24, who I already contacted with the same letter as you received about the absence of working toilets in your store, which resulted in my friend and I being sent running around town looking for a toilet by your extremely unhelpful and insensitive staff on two occasions, which resulted in us taking longer to shop, which in turn resulted in a parking “infringement”. G24 said that “on this occasion the claim was not successful” which initially caused dissatisfaction and disappointment, gradually replaced by curiosity prompting me to look into this before reaching to my pocket to extract £95 which, frankly, I would rather spend on a fine pair of shoes.

 

After conducting a little research, which I had a great laugh doing, I would like to inform you that Homebase are not doing their business and reputation any favours by employing a rather dodgy company like G24 to manage their car parks. G24’s practices are bordering between legal and illegal, but predominantly on the illegal side, which has resulted in foul reputation for them and many lost customers for businesses who use their services. You can rest assured that neither I nor my friends or family will ever use any of your stores again. But that is not all.

 

Not only will I confidently ignore any correspondence of questionable legality from your incompetent laughing stock partner G24 but, to make this matter even more entertaining, I will collect such correspondence and forward it to mine and Watford local papers. That is, after posting it in various consumer action forums on the Internet. Such action will inform a large number of people of your car park management policy, from which I will derive enormous amount of satisfaction. Just think about it: what lovely experience Homebase customers have by coming to shop, then finding themselves frantically running around town at the point of wetting themselves looking for toilets, only to come home from work to a £95 parking charge! And then writing letters to Homebase and their dubious rip-customers-off-for-shopping-with-you partner, who only pass the buck to one another refusing to deal with the matter.

 

I look forward to getting G24’s threats in my post, to involve Consumer Direct and Trading Standards who have got vast amount of experience of dealing with such “companies”, as soon as these intimidating letters land into my mail box.

 

Good luck recovering from damages you caused to yourself by that, and by employing G24. You would have been much better off by installing ticket machines at the entrance of the car parks.

 

Sincerely,

Your ex-customer Mrs. Smith

 

I don't think I have to say that I will keep you posted of outcomes, because we all know what the outcomes will be. I would like to thank you all for saving me £95, which will no doubt serve a better purpose than stuffing the pockets of G24's cretins.

[lamma]

spend it well. enjoy every pound.

 

nice blast at Homebase, I hope you sent to the home address of a senior director or two.

[ancient geek]

It has now been 6 months since I committed my "traffic offence" and several weeks since the home visit letter, so I assume there is nothing more to expect.

 

A funny, but true story to lighten up the thread.

 

I was in Spain last week and met a friend who lives in Spain whom I had not seen for over a year. We were talking about government corruption and I raised the issue about the DVLA selling our personal data for £2-50 in spite of the Data Protection Act. He was astounded and disgusted and it turns out that he was also caught by G24 at an Aldi store in the South West. He thought that the traffic notice was dodgy, but paid his £40 as he assumed it was all legal.

 

The amusing part of the story is that he has been divorced for several years, but had moved back to the family home in the UK before Christmas, after an apparent reconciliation. He had borrowed his wife's car, but was caught by G24's camera with a lady friend in the car. As his wife is the registered keeper, she received the traffic charge certificate with quite clear images. He is now back in Spain, homeless!