OPC Private Parking Tickets

[Conniff]

Surely this must come under the 'harrasment' regulations. They are your bays and you pay rent for them.

 

I think I would send them a letter to desist what amounts to harrasment or you will apply for an injunction, see how they respond to that.

 

They obviously know they cannot enforce against you or they would have gone down the courts route a long time ago.

[GuidoT]

I kind of give up writing to them, they just ignore it all, waste of effort really.

[Conniff]

You could always write in an 'arrogant' manner ie make your print size big and tell them why it is that size. As you are in no way in the wrong, you should take advantage of the situation.

[GuidoT]

They are back again.

 

Received a standard threating letter from Winsdor-Smythe today.

[brumct]

Hello. We are wondering if anyone can give us some advice re OPC parking tickets.

 

We are tenants in an apartment complex and parked in our allocated parking space. We have requested a permit several times from our agent and have been brushed off. Late last year our apartment complex installed security gates we felt that we were unlikely to get a ticket as OPC were not given a fob to access the premises.

 

A few weeks ago we received a ticket and referred it to our agent to handle as we felt it was not our issue as we had never been given a permit in the first place.

 

How OPC got in is anyone's guess. Mine is that they tailgated in. Is this legal?

 

We have now received a letter from OPC advising that if we don't pay in 14 days the matter will be referred to a debt collection agency.

 

Judging by the previous posts we have nothing to worry about but any advice would be great.

[GuidoT]

Brumct, welcome to the forum.

 

Have a read around here.

 

Your conclusion is about right, OPC never seem to pursue these, they just send you lots of letters with ever increasing empty threats.

[brumct]

Thanks for that. I'll take a look.

[GuidoT]

Received a standard letter today on a more recent ticket.

 

The miserable security guard in our building has left and we have now stopped getting tickets. I always thought it was that misery that used to tip off OPC and get them to ticket our vehicles.

 

Unfortunately it just seems to be fizzling out.

Edited July 28, 2008 by GuidoT

[novacustard]

Enjoyed reading about your saga with OPC and glad it seems to have come to an end.

Two quick questions for you:

1. Did you ever take up the matter with your landlord who was using OPC?

2. Given the time you have spent dealing with this matter, was there any mileage in putting in a small (or not so small) claim for loss of earnings/damages against OPC?

 

Cheers for the entertainment,

 

Richard

[GuidoT]

1. Yes, but like banging your head against a brick wall, he said he even paid some tickets

 

2. I cannot be doing with putting in a claim for loss of earnings, life is too short, I have enough disputes to deal with

 

Glad you enjoyed it, at least my OPC saga has had some use.

 

Anyway received another standard letter from them today that I will duly ignore.

[Guest Bernard Skintlebinger]

OPC often do pursue tickets. Although clearly not these ones.

[pin1onu]

OPC often do pursue tickets. Although clearly not these ones.

 

Wow what an amazingly insightful and helpful post. Almost as good as your post on the Excel thread.

 

These cases were won in the county court, in the centre of the county.

 

Thats an incredibly moronic thing to post even for a Troll.

 

I must say the quality of the Troll postings are going down hill.

 

Get back under your bridge please Mr Troll.

[frederico]

Hello,

 

I have recently recieved a private parking ticket from OPC in my town. I was visiting a friends flat to pick her up and she needed some help with some luggage so I left the car outside (not in a parking place) for literally 5mins and came back to see i'd been issued a parking ticket. I found this ridiculous considering it was at 22:20 on a week day!

I have been given 28 days to pay £100 reducing to £50 if paid within 14 days. Should I write a letter to appeal or just ignore?

I was in a hired car rented through my company at the time and am concered whether the hired car company will release my details...

 

I have read previous posts on similar incidences but would welcome any further advice

[pin1onu]

Hi Frederico,

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

The general advice is to ignore. Wait for these [problematic] to get your address from the DVLA (it costs them £2.50) and then incur the cost of writing to you.

 

Don't engage with their appeals process. Remember you'll be dealing with the firm who issued and the ticket and they'll hardly be neutral.

 

If you haven't done so have a read of the Private Parking Companies/Charges guide in the stickies section.

 

Use the template letters in the stickies section to reply once you receive a letter from them.

 

Be prepared for a load of bumf through your letter box. Some of it may be threatening in nature - don't worry they're empty threats.

 

If you've got questions post back.

[GuidoT]

Got a load more letters recently, unsealed claims forms, more tickets.

 

I just do not bother responding to anything anymore, it all goes in a file (in fact now two) just waiting for the day when they file a claim form at court.

[lamma]

MCOL forms don't carry a seal.

[GuidoT]

I know that, indeed I advised you of such here.

 

For the avoidance of any doubt these documents were not issued through MCOL, just by OPC.

[lamma]

I know that, indeed I advised you of such here.

 

For the avoidance of any doubt these documents were not issued through MCOL, just by OPC.

Indeed.

 

for the avoidance of another doubt.

they issued faked (unstamped) Court Papers ? ?

If so . . .

[Zamzara]

Were the fake court papers sent after 26th May? If so, see here. It would probably be fraud even under the old rules but the main difference is that the standard of proof is now lower and no intent needs to be proved.

[GuidoT]

Thanks for that. I have the AoJ Act too that I can rely on.

 

That report is 88 pages, can you take me to a specific part please.

[Zamzara]

Pages 28-36 in particular. Don't be misled by the term product: it is defined in the regulations in very broad terms so as to include all goods, services, invoicing, debt collection etc.

[lamma]

fake court papers - have to consider Fraud Act 2006 I reckon.

 

Plus one of the 'Court' Acts probably.

[bankbandit]

I'm not sure the sending of unsealed court papers would constitute any form of misuse of official documents unless they claimed it was somehow "sealed" or recognised as a claim by the court. Work for a solicitors who accept proceedings for an insurance company and always get unsealed docs from other firms, its a fairly standard practice and just outlines the claim and arguments, points of dispute etc (on the claiming bank charges threads it advises to send a copy of your form to the bank you are claiming against). It just amounts to another form of threatening, along the lines of the bailiffs will come and seize your house if you dont pay us etc. As with most of the correspondence from these jokers, ignore it, they have no legal knowledge or grasp of technicalities and you will almost never receive a sealed copy.

[lamma]

I do not agree at all. Unless such a 'fake' document arrives with an attached and clear explanation of this being an example of the what is going to be filed at the court then it is clearly deceptive. that court coat of arms means something...

[bankbandit]

I think we need to get away from the idea it is "fake", the forms are real and can be picked up from courts, they do not appear to be printed off by these chancers on their home pcs. It is not deception it just amounts to another version of "if you dont pay up we'll send the collectors round" letter. In essence a way to bully and cajole money, forums on this site re:bank charges and Martin Lewis advise to send a filled in (unsealed) form to banks, it is merely a satement of intent. Are these people guilt of criminal conspiracy then? The PPCs are just preying on people and unfortunately the intimidation probably pays off so the more people that are aware of their tactics the better. Have spoken to someone who works in criminal law and said the argument that sending genuine forms is misrepresentation holds little water, unless they are fraudulently claiming court has awarded judgement and they must pay up,or fake docs from a court produced by them etc but is different matter regarding harassment if keep sending demands (in any form) after a cease and desist.