FTMDave
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Smart parking ANPR PCN - Haven Bank Retail Park Exeter
FTMDave replied to emc50's topic in Private Land Parking Enforcement
First, it's not a fine. Smart Parking don't have the power to fine anyone. Second, I would suspect you'll be asked to start your own thread. -
At one point you state the Beavis case "is to be heard in February 2015." As it's now 2017 that bit needs to be edited!
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But there is a huge difference between Britannia Parking and Debt Recovery Plus. Britannia Parking claim you owe them money and might take you to court, although you are a hell of a long way from that at the moment, and their case would be pretty useless given their NTK is out of time. Debt Recovery Plus are just a bunch of oaves who send scary letters, they have no power to do anything, they are paper tigers. Even if the debt exists, it's not theirs. That's why the advice is to ignore them.
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So after 19 months they are still sending out threatagrams, but never see to get round to this feared court action!
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As others have said, the first thing is not to panic. The whole point of these threatening letters is to make motorists think they'll be hung drawn & quartered and therefore it's better to cough up. Yet the vast majority of the threats come from paper tigers who will do nothing in the end. The facts that your mum has had the good sense to not communicate with these conmen and not identify the driver, plus the fact she lives in Scotland, puts her in a excellent position legal-wise and the parking company in a pretty useless one. Think about it. If they are in such a good position regarding the law, why haven't they already taken your mum to court? Why do they keep sending letter after letter rather than getting on with actual court action? 'Cos they know that if the case ever did get to court they'd be thrashed.
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If you lose - which you won't - you'll have to pay very limited costs because this is a small claims action. Certainly not thousands of pounds! In Gladstone's claim they are asking for £75 costs.
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Great news! However I think I'm correct in saying that the parking companies can take people to court up to six years after the event, so although you're 99% in the clear don't throw the documentation away!
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Smart Parking ANPR PCN - Havens Bank Retail Park Exeter
FTMDave replied to ajjm's topic in Private Land Parking Enforcement
They do like the use of the word "may"! These DCAs have no powers whatsoever, so ignore them, all you've got is a pathetic attempt at a scary letter. -
Are you sure it says you have to cough up? Isn't it instead a letter from the court which sets the date for the court hearing?
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You would only get a CCJ if there was an actual court case, which you lost, and you still didn't pay - so no need to panic at all. Others more knowledgeable than me will be on shortly to advise on how to fight Gladstones.
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National Express Coach Delay
FTMDave replied to griffzilla's topic in Public transport (Trains, tubes and buses)
I once nearly missed a flight due to the National Express coach not turning up, and ended up having to take a taxi to the airport (two other passengers were in the same situation so we split the fare three ways). As soon as I got home I complained by snail mail to NE, pointing out the third of the taxi fare that I had had to pay. I later realised I had complained to the wrong NE department so e-mailed the right one. The first complaint led to them sending me vouchers to cover the money I'd spent, and in response to the second complaint they sent me a cheque! So at least in my experience NE took complaints seriously and were willing to compensate the customer. -
Traffic offences in other EU states
FTMDave replied to FTMDave's topic in Speeding and Motoring Offences
Looks like what I read was right about the UK being about to enter this system http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?476757-Commit-a-traffic-offence-in-Europe....DVLA-will-be-required-to-provide-your-keeper-details-!!! -
Others more knowledgeable than me will be on in the morning, but (a) there is supposed to be a grace period of 10 minutes so no overstay happened and (b) being in a drive-through queue is not parking! You won't pay a penny. Do you still have the receipt for the coffee? Useful but not essential.
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Brilliant news! Well done for not giving in!
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Firstly, it's not a fine, only the police, local councils, etc. have the power to fine. Secondly, if you did go to court, it would be a civil, not criminal court, where you would have ample chance to defend yourself in relatively informal surroundings. Thirdly, it seems a bit strange that DRP give you 500,000 chances to pay, rather than, er, VCS actually taking you to court: seems like they aren't so confident about winning in court! Others more knowledgeable than me will be on in the morning.
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Paying £60 is better than paying £100, but paying £0 is even better ;-) Expect the site experts on in the morning to help you do just that. These private parking companies are cowboys whose whole business model is built on lies, conning motorists and abuse of the legal system.
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Hi everyone, this is not the usual thread about tackling a speculative invoice, so if in the wrong place please move or delete! It's always struck me that the private parking cowboys are a particularly British phenomenon. Yesterday I stopped in a shopping complex in Mestre, which is the mainland town opposite Venice. The complex is near the bus station, near the train station, near the centre, and near the public transport routes to Venice, and I would suspect a place that non-customers could easily want to park. So, for once, there is a need for proper private parking control. So how do they do it? Well, with a barrier system, like an airport. There is free parking for two hours. Who overstays that for a short time has to pay €0.80 for the extra hour. Who stays there for hours and hours has to pay €0.80 per hour. So genuine customers pay nothing, if you're a bit late you pay a bit, and if people want to use the car park for non-shopping purposes they have to pay the owners more money, but still a very reasonable amount. If that can be done in Italy, not known for its organisation, why not in Britain?
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UKPC PCN braehead glasgow scotland
FTMDave replied to Followufollowme's topic in Private Land Parking Enforcement
Others more knowledgeable than me will be on later, but as far as I know debt collection agencies have no power to do anything, although they will try to con you that they can. Plus, POFA doesn't apply in Scotland so the parking company can't come after the keeper, just the driver. -
Traffic offences in other EU states
FTMDave replied to FTMDave's topic in Speeding and Motoring Offences
http://www.amendes.gouv.fr Seems legit. -
Traffic offences in other EU states
FTMDave replied to FTMDave's topic in Speeding and Motoring Offences
Many thanks to everyone for your advice. I was in two minds originally as to whether to post a thread here, as obviously CAG is a UK site and won't be expert about legal agreements between France & Italy! However, I thought (a) a thread might be useful for others as I think the UK is going to join this scheme in May and (b) CAG is always a source of intelligent advice anyway. I can understand why some suggested this could be a sc@m but I'm pretty sure it isn't: my name, car reg., the times of the offences and the roads I drove on are all legit. The site they want payment through is the official French site for payment of motoring fines. There is also a lot of info. on-line in Italian forums and on reputable Italian media sites about this agreement between EU countries, and it all fits. I'm tempted to pay as 2 x €45 isn't much and I have no idea of the next time I could be in France, potentially with the same car. Thanks again! -
Hi everyone, I've done some digging, and see that 25 out of the 28 EU countries now share details if a foreign car is noted committing certain traffic offences. An Italian car, say, is photographed speeding in France. The Italian authorities will give the French authorities the keeper's details and the fine will be sent to the person's home in Italy http://etsc.eu/faq-eu-cross-border-enforcement-directive/ This scheme does not apply to the UK - but the UK will join in May and presumably stay until Brexit, if not longer. I was wondering what forum members would advise in such a situation. Regarding France specifically, I see a speeding fine for being just a few km over the limit is €45, if paid within 46 days, which I doubt would be worth chasing, but after 76 days it becomes €180 which might be worth chasing. Obviously the French authorities can't do anything themselves in the UK, but they can transfer the debt to a third party in the UK (I think!) My reason for writing this thread is that although I'm British, I live in Italy, and have just received two French fines, one for being 7km over the limit on a motorway, and one for 5km over the limit, on a different motorway. I need to ask for advice on Italian forums, which I am doing, but as I'm a fan of CAG I thought to scribble a thread here too!
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As an aside, are you sure that the original fine by Hungarian motorways was issued correctly? It's easy to check here http://toll-charge.hu/articles/article/pricing if you purchased the vignette for the correct period and for the correct category of vehicle. But this is an aside, EPC can do nothing anyway, and it's a pity you paid the original £54.
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Over the years I've had a few fines in other EU countries with a British-registered car, not because I think it's OK to act like an idiot abroad, but due to ignorance and on one occasion because of incredibly-misleading signs. I never paid any of them. Nothing whatsoever happened to me. Spot on.
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I live in another EU country and as far as I know there is no mechanism in place to make the keeper of a British-registered car, for example, pay a fine for driving in Hungary, for example, once you've left Hungary. At least I've always operated on that basis. I don't want to be rude, but given you had paid for the motorway, why did you pay the fine? Is the car a British-registered vehicle? Are you British yourself? And how did they get your address? Last time I paid for the motorway in Hungary I simply stated my registration number, nothing else. I'm not an expert on this forum but I have some experience, albeit some time ago, of similar problems to yours.
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Others much more knowledgeable than me will be on tomorrow, but logically, why, if you're bang to rights, aren't G24 Ltd immediately dragging you off to court rather than getting a debt collector to send you threatening letters which will "recommend" court action? Because it's all nonsense, and people who know nothing about the law unfortunately feel threatened and cough up. BTW, replying to you has forced me to stay up late and drink alcohol and therefore I want £500 from you which will increase by £200 for every day you delay payment and if unfulfilled after ten days will lead me to recommend you to be hung, drawn and quartered. Anyone can send scary letters to anyone else, but if there is no legal basis to the letters that's all they are, scary letters. Expect the experts tomorrow.
