Hi In August I decided to dabble in by selling cars, I took out a traders policy through Choice Quote, the actual insurers being MMA. I Paid up in full at the time. I had a claim going through which was taking ages to sort. I rang and asked how much I would get back if I cancelled the policy. I was told around £460. That with any excess I had to pay would pay for the vehicle damage. I had stopped trading and so didn't need the insurance now anyway, when I spoke to the insurers they said that would be ok. I cancelled the insurance and have chased up by phone to be told that I that the returnable fee was £444, but there was a cancellation charge of £45, which is in the policy document, then Choice Quotes' cancellation fee and also their commission!! So I will probably end up with 250 quid. Surely I should be paying one £45 cancellation charge as stated in the policy, but not the brokers and the insurer cancellation fee plus the brokers commission?

Hi, I still haven't heard back in almost 7 months, so hopefully they go away. Might get a surprise at some time but I doubt it.

Hi, just to update on 'T's situation. After several meetings with the MD who admitted that he may have made some mistakes in the procedures etc, an agreement has been made. A fair settlement has been reached, 'T' is happy with the compensation, a compromise agreement has been signed, the company has paid for the solicitor to check the agreement, I don't know how much that was. 'T' has started his new job which is nearer to his home and in a more secure environment, so things have turned out fine. Thanks for all the advice throughout, especially Ell-en who assisted greatly.

I wrote to them telling them to return the debt to UKPC as I was disputing the thing. I also called them and spoke to some bored woman who had obviouosly heard this stuff before and told them we would not be paying and to pass it back to UKPC, which she said OK. That was back in May and haven't heard a thing since. They just keep trying and once they get to a point they will either have to back down or try and go to court. I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm not sure, I will have to get him to check it out, I wondered something like that myself, he's not that IT competent, but you would expect that if that was the case PCW would have told him that when he went back to complain.

A mate has just bought a laptop from PC World, which says it has Windows Vista. He keeps getting a screen to say that he needs to enter a 25 number code which he can't find. He rang the helpdesk and they said he has to pay for the software as it is only a trial version giving 30 days or 25 accesses. He has taken the Laptop back to PCW and said that no one told him that there was only a trial version on the laptop and he would have to pay. They said of course you will have to pay for the software. They also said that he didn't ask them the question wether it was free or not. Surely if you are buying a laptop, you would expect the operating system to come with the thing to make it run? He said that there was nothing on the paperwork or the blurb in the store to say that Vista would need to be paid for after 30 days. They said that the price would normally be £100 but he could have it for £75, when he asked to see the manager, he reduced it to £50. Does anyone know about this rip off? Whenever I've bought a computer the OS comes as part of the package, has this changed with the intro of Vista?

They never give up on the 'The RK is liable for payment of PCN's' malarkey. Good work Bernie.

They (Roadside Lawyer) basically says everything that is said on this forum. Without going to court they (CEL)will get nothing, they won't go to court because they haven't got an enforceable case. Dont pay the 'fine' and don't bother paying £25 for someone to write a letter you can do. I agree with Demon. If you want to, just ignore all the letters from the debt collecting agency when it gets to them, nothing will happen if you don't give in to them.

I believe there are plenty of other posts on the forum regarding this particular problem at Gatwick McDonalds and the BP station there. Most, if not all, haven't got to court, because it isn't enforceable. I'm sure that they will persist with threatening letters, but stay fast and tell your wife not to worry. If it did all go t*ts up, which is unlikely, you would still have a chance to pay before bailiffs were involved.

I agree totally. Tried to tip your scales again, but apparently have to spread some reputation around before giving it you again! Excellent advice and help.

Thanks Ell-en, it is very disappointing, however, it was nothing less than we expected. T has two job offers on the table and so he will be ok. The point is the unfairness of how this has been done. I would think that it will be happenening again soon as our work is drying up. I will send on your comments and see what he thinks. Many thanks for your help again.

The appeal was heard last week by a director from one of our other offices. T had around 6 pages of information, from the beginning of the whole thing and set out a timeline highlighting all the mistakes and non communication and the fact that it was evident that he had been singled out from the start for redundancy. I sat in on the appeal and an excellent case was put forward. It would be hard to see how anyone taking into account all this info could not come to the right conclusion. The director promised that he would look at it as an independant. T received a letter this morning saying his appeal was unsuccessful. There was no explanation of the points that were brought out, there were no reasons as to the justification of the scoring criteria and why the information wasn't passed out correctly. A complete whitewash. The directors have obviously collaborated to come to this decision. I beleive the MD is taking a risk that T will still be loyal and not take the company to ET.

Hi all, an update. I have refrained from posting in the last week as I was paranoid that the employer was alos looking atthis site. However Ell-en helped greatly ( by PM's) by providing a draft letter for an appeal, enlcosed here is the jist of it. I will start another box to explain further. I am appealing against your decision to dismiss me by reason of redundancy as I believe I have been unfairly dismissed due to the following: 1.Unfair selection process: a)I believe that that I was targeted for redundancy before being advised of being at risk and therefore correct procedure has not been applied to the consultation process. I believe this to be the case because – I was asked questions regarding how redundancy would affect me before I had even been put at risk. I was excluded from a management meeting which I attend as part of my normal duties. I was not notified of the date of consultation meeting or my rights regarding redundancy process, nor was I given a copy of the selection process and criteria. At the consultation meeting I asked to see my scoring and it was refused, but was told I could get a copy the next day. b)I believe that the scoring applied to the criteria is unjustified and defamatory and cannot be substantiated. “The drawing up of criteria, however, is not enough to guarantee fair and reasonable selection. Even though the criteria may satisfy the test of objectivity, the selection will still be unfair if they are carelessly or mistakenly applied. Employers will need to demonstrate that there has been comparative analysis of the information relating to all in the unit of selection if qualitative criteria are used. The standard of work performance or aptitude for work of those to be selected may be an important consideration. However, case law shows that there should be some objective evidence to support selection on this basis, for example by reference to the company's existing appraisal system.” Source: Acas - Home “If an employee has been selected for redundancy on the basis of poor performance or an unsatisfactory attendance record but has never previously been told that they are not meeting the required standards, this could lead to an unfair dismissal claim”. Source: www.eef.org.uk c)I have been asked to confirm that I will not take any action against (name of employer) by way of Employment Tribunal as a result of my redundancy, but no compromise agreement with compensatory sum was offered. This is unfair practice and places me at a disadvantage regarding my rights. 2. Other Work I have been given no opportunity to offer my suggestions for alternatives to redundancy, not has the subject of alternative employment been discussed, yet other members of staff have been given new contracts, and one given an increase in salary as an incentive to stay with the business. I therefore request that you review the decision to dismiss by reason of redundancy. I look forward to your receiving your response to the above points and your proposal for remedy.

Is it form Hunter Forrest? That will be the debt collectors on behalf of UKPC, they sometimes send their first letter with a UKPC logo. Anyhoo, I would write back saying the registered keeper is not liable for these charges (which are not enforceable anyway), only the driver of the vehicle and they have to prove a debt is outstanding. I rang Hunter Forrest and a bored woman answered, I told her we wasn't paying and to return it UKPC, a big sigh and she said ok. I have heard nothing since. They will try and intimidate you with the letters ie, you will get a CCJ and won't be able to get a loan/mortgage, yadder yadder yadder. Highly unlikely that they will go to court. I have been itching for them to try it on so that they can be exposed for what they do. They will work on percentages that a lot of people will pay in ignorance. Call their bluff or ignore, you decide, the outcome will be the same...nothing will happen.

Hi, I was told by the MD that one of the girls felt that he was blanking her and she was stressed out, (she's not losing her job). It may be that the MD spoke to her and she is stressed anyway and he has taken this as a way to keep T out of the office for a while. I haven't spoken to the person involved as I am a little surprised by her comments if she did make them, she was a friend of T. T did speak to her this morning to ask how she was as she was off sick yesterday. Most people are disappointed he has had to leave because even though he is under this threat, he has continued in his normal way and kept good cheer. T responded by Email last Friday that he wished to appeal. Although a date hasn't actually been formalised he was working on ten weeks notice from the day he got the letter which was Thursday. The MD I believe would be quite flexible on a leaving date. T has also asked for a higher figure than the statutory amount as a redundancy payment.

Hi Ell-en, T has been asked to go on 'gardening' leave until his appeal which is probably going to be next week, apparently he is unstabilising the offfice, which surprises most people here, seems like a poor excuse. The MD explained to me why he has done it but it doesn't stack up. They will phone him and let him know when exactly the appeal will be held. Is there anything we can do in the meantime? Thanks again for your help. regards Andy

Thanks Ell-en, scales tipped! I had advised him to go to appeal anyway, but as usual he didn't think it will be worth it, but in my view he needs to stick to his guns. The appeal will be heard by one of the directors from our other office, I wouldn't hold out much hope but if we get a date and you could advise from there, it would be most appreciated.

Hi Ell-en, thanks for responding. At the end of the week after the management meeting he was given a letter on Friday 21 Sept that he was on notice of redundancy, saying that the consultation would be held on 1st October. That date was changed at the end of September to 15th October because one of the noticee's was away on a course. He wasn't informed of this either verbally or in writing and gleaned it from others conversation in the office. On the 12th T went into the MD to see what was happening and was then told that the consultation would be on Monday 15th, an e-mail was then sent out to the parties involved. I got a copy of the mail as one of my team was on the list, however she was off on the Friday and didn't see the mail till she turned up on the Monday morning. At the consultation the MD went through the criteria with T and asked him his comments to them, ie, how would you rate you're work, etc. T didn't know before what the criteria was going to be and so wasn't prepared. The interview was terminated abruptly and told to meet again 9.30 next morning. Meanwhile the other Associate Director had his meeting which lasted considerably less time. The next morning T was asked if he had any further comments. On the Wednesday morning T was told that his job was being made redundant and he recieved the letter this morning with the marking sheet. In a meeting yesterday when discussing various things the MD wanted a commital from him that he wouldn't go to a tribunal, why would he want that if he didn't think there may be an issue here? Although the company has attempted to follow procedure, because T wasn't involved in the process as he normally would have been I think that it hasn't been done well at all. T even went into the MD to explain what he should be doing on the Friday before the consultation, that is how loyal he is still being.

Ditto above....We had a ticket from UKPC in February, have had the letters from UKPC and debt collectors letters (Hunter Forrest) have told them to pass back to UKPC and not heard anything since, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Hi, I'm posting on behalf of a colleague who I will call T to avoid extra writing! T has worked for the company for 10 years and has several posts within it. We are currently about 30 employees in two offices. T works in the southern (head) office. He is an Associate Director, really only in writing because he has had no benefits from this title in any way. He is a Project Manager, Office Manager, Regional Manager, HR Manager and the office first aider. The MD has decided that the next few months invoicing is going to be close to our break even point and so redundancies are needed. T's project client unfortunately stopped the current work they were doing and put it on hold. We believed that there would be the 5 project managers in the frame, but it appears to everyone in the office T has been targeted for redundancy from the start and everything has been 'fixed' to achieve this aim. The MD decided to put 5 people in the line for redundancy, the receptionist/PA who is not a fee earner, two junior people and the two associate directors, T and P. P currently has a project running and is 'in' with the client. Before the notices were sent out T was asked how redundancy would affect him, stupid question! The consultation dates were put back for two weeks while one of the juniors was on a two week course. T wasn't informed when this was to be, he only got it second hand from other people. On the day of consultation he was asked several questions from a criteria list which he didn't know and hadn't been given. The MD said he would be able to see the marking guide. In the event, the receptionist has kept her job, no one knows why, only the fact that she occasionally does some typing for the MD. One of the junior members decided to stay full time on her course and leave anyway, the other junior member has been offered a job by another company and is probably going to take it. T is being made redundant. In a meeting with the MD T asked to see his scoring sheet, the MD refused to show it and said he didn't want to talk about it, however he did say he could get it at 9am the next morning. We are aware that the MD then did the scoring sheet that afternoon. Before all this happened a management meeting was held to discussthe situation, T was asked not to attend although he usually attended all the meetings. The other associate director rang someone the day after the meeting and was told that he would probably be alright. He seems to us totally that T has been earmarked form the start because his project was put on hold. He hasn't been offered any other work, although the company has given contracts to three other new members of staff. It is incredible and obvoius to most people that T has been treated poorly and unfairly after 10 years loyal service, no more a company man could you meet! He has been given his scoring today, insulting marks for flexibility and commitment that no one in the company would agree with. We have just heard that the other junior member has been offered more money in way of a car allowance to keep her to stay. Sorry about the long thread! Any comments and advice would be most welcome. Cheers

Hi Jojo, I am presuming that it is a private car park as you said it was a retail park. I wrote to them denying any wrong doing as the registered keeper wasn't the driver of the car. You could use one of the many templates on this forum just to let them know that you understand they can't really persue a penalty. Leaving the barriers open when it it closed seems like a bit of a [problem] to get people in and issue a ticket. just ignoring them is another way, you will recieve further letters and then letters from Hunter Forest who are their debt collectors. When you get that one inform them that you deny any wrong doing and they should pass it back to UKPC, who will then probably sit on it.

Jojo, don't worry, read the sticky here, and look at other peoples threads regarding UKPC and other companies of the same ilk. They will threaten court etc, will pass on to their debt collecting mob, but essentially it is unlikely that they will go to court. I have been dealing with them since Feb and heard nothing since around May, so they have probably given up on me. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-wardens/65341-private-parking-companies-charges.html

Their letter sounds pretty amateurish, trying to be intimidating, just makes their case (if any), pretty lousy. Definitely worth reporting as suggested above.

I have been dealing with UKPC over an issued ticket since February. We have refused to pay, it went to their debt collectors, Hunter Forester ( trying to sould like solicitors), they threatened court action if it wasn't paid, I told them we weren't paying and to return it to UKPC, which they did and we haven't heard from them since about May time.

Just official looking letters that say they may take you to court, they may have CCJ issued etc etc, it is just scare tactics. No one can come to your home without authority form the court and this after they have applied for the debt to be accepted as a debt and that is very doubtful. If it gets to the stage of getting letters from the debt collecting agency, you should refer the debt collector back to the private parking company by telling them you don't accept there is a debt, which they will have to do. The Parking Company will then have to apply to court, and again very unlikely.