I have ignored a' fine' from Total Parking Solutions'

[Zola2223]

Hi, I am new on here and hope you good people can help please.

 

I received the fine due to not displaying a new permit at my place of work.

 

The old one had expired and was out of date by 3 or 4 weeks.

 

We used to get notification at the same time every year to remind staff of permit expiry but this no longer happens.

 

At the time of expiry, due to illness, I was not able to drive my car to work anyway

and travelled by public transport for a couple of weeks.

 

When i returned to work in the car, I had no idea that my permit was out of date.

 

The parking company had been operating for a few weeks when I got the ticket and

 

when I queried it with my company they said that there was nothing they could do as they do not get involved whatsoever.

 

Their mantra is that they brought this parking company in to stop all the people who were parking there when they had no right to do so and I totally concur with that.

 

However, it was obvious that I was a staff member who had just forgotton to renew a

nd I feel that the parking company could have checked it out.

If my car had not displayed any pass at all, then I would have held my hands up.

 

I ignored letters from the parking company because by the time I received them,

one parent had started cancer treatment and when they were recovering from that,

the other parent had an accident. A very stressful time and is still ongoing.

 

By the time I got round to looking at these letters, it was too late to appeal so I buried them away hoping that the whole thing would go away.

 

Now I have received a Notice of intended court action from a debt recovery company for £150,

totally out of proportion to what the original parking charge is.

 

They say they will get the parking co.'s solicitor to commence court action against me if I don't pay

and (this is the most worrying thing) they say that a court judgement against me could seriously affect my ability to obtain credit in the future.

 

I will also have to pay their costs including 8% interest.

 

Surely a court judgment would only affect your credit if you didn't pay any court judgement?

Are they allowed to make these statements if they are misleading?

 

Please would anyone be able to advise me what is the best course of action for me now?

 

I am not frightened about going to court as I have successfully brought 3 cases in the small claims court previously and won.

 

However, defending this case will be a whole different ball game I know.

 

What I am frightened of is getting a bad mark against my credit record which is exemplary and also my work finding out about all this.

 

I know there are lots of threads on this forum about similar sorts of things

and I have spent a long time trying to read them all but I can't find anything similar to mine.

 

 

Thanks if anyone can help.

[havinastella]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

Firstly, it's not a FINE!

 

As you have already ignored this stupid invoice, I suggest you continue to ignore everything EXCEPT Court papers.

[dx100uk]

name names please

 

and how old is this

 

its NOT a fine anyhow.

 

dx

[armadillo71]

As your company brought this company in, then they are the landowners?

They can tell the parking company to cancel the ticket.

As dx asks, name the PPC and debt collector pls.

[ericsbrother]

Sounds like Debt Recovery Plus are sending out their unperforated toilet paper again.

 

You are quite safe in ignoring any threat sent out by a debt collection agency,

they get paid £15 for bothering you and if you pay them they get to make a bit more.

 

If you get further letters from the parking co come back here and tell us more about your troubles as the dates of what was sent and by whom is important.

 

I assume that your employer never recinded the right to park becaue you didnt have a permit (or for any other reason) as you say,

you had a right to park there (implied right or term of service) so parking co dont have a leg to stand on if they do decide to go further.

[Zola2223]

As your company brought this company in, then they are the landowners?

They can tell the parking company to cancel the ticket.

As dx asks, name the PPC and debt collector pls.

 

Thanks but my company can't (won’t) tell them to cancel the ticket. They don't want anything to do with parking problems and that is why they brought this company in. I expect if I was important enough they might but I’m not.

I thought you weren't supposed to give names as these people monitor these posts?

[Zola2223]

Sounds like Debt Recovery Plus are sending out their unperforated toilet paper again. You are quite safe in ignoring any threat sent out by a debt collection agency, they get paid £15 for bothering you and if you pay them they get to make a bit more.

If you get further letters from the parking co come back here and tell us more about your troubles as the dates of what was sent and by whom is important.

I assume that your employer never recinded the right to park becaue you didnt have a permit (or for any other reason) as you say, you had a right to park there (implied right or term of service) so parking co dont have a leg to stand on if they do decide to go further.

 

Ok yes this is the name of the debt company. I take it that you are familiar with them. To answer you and the other posters, all this palarva has been in the last 6 months. My work haven't stopped me from applying for a permit because they don't know that I've done anything wrong.

 

So I take it from what I've heard so far is that I should wait to see if I get any court papers? But what about this implied threat that I could get a bad credit reference if I get a court judgement against me?

[armadillo71]

Thanks but my company can't (won’t) tell them to cancel the ticket. They don't want anything to do with parking problems and that is why they brought this company in. I expect if I was important enough they might but I’m not.

I thought you weren't supposed to give names as these people monitor these posts?

 

You can name the parking company and debt collector.

No one knows who you are...

I take it you have a valid parking permit now?

[Zola2223]

Yes I applied right away for a new permit as obviously I would have been "done" again. I don't normally make the same mistake twice!

[armadillo71]

Yes I applied right away for a new permit as obviously I would have been "done" again. I don't normally make the same mistake twice!

 

Which means you were always authorised to park at your place of work by your employer.

 

Who ever the PPC is must have it in their contract with the landowner, that they have authority to pursue these tickets to court.

I suspect they don't.

 

After DR+ letters come zenith recovery service letters... same company.

 

You can only get a ccj by being taken to court, losing the claim, then not paying what the court tells you to.

[Zola2223]

Which means you were always authorised to park at your place of work by your employer.

Who ever the PPC is must have it in their contract with the landowner, that they have authority to pursue these tickets to court. I suspect they don't.

After DR+ letters come zenith recovery service letters... same company.

You can only get a ccj by being taken to court, losing the claim, then not paying what the court tells you to.

 

Well thanks for the advice about Zenith.

 

So DRP's statement about "a court judgement affecting your ability to obtain credit" is misleading as it doesn't say "if you don't pay".

 

If it does go to court wouldn't it go against me that I haven't replied to any of the letters even though I have proof of all the illnesses I mentioned in my original post?

[armadillo71]

Well thanks for the advice about Zenith. So DRP's statement about "a court judgement affecting your ability to obtain credit" is misleading as it doesn't say "if you don't pay". If it does go to court wouldn't it go against me that I haven't replied to any of the letters even though I have proof of all the illnesses I mentioned in my original post?

 

 

 

Who is the parking company?

[dx100uk]

Which means you were always authorised to park at your place of work by your employer.

 

Who ever the PPC is must have it in their contract with the landowner, that they have authority to pursue these tickets to court.

I suspect they don't.

 

After DR+ letters come zenith recovery service letters... same company.

 

You can only get a ccj by being taken to court, losing the claim, then not paying what the court tells you to.

 

just to clarify, the CCJ is issued regardless of if you pay or not.

 

you prob mean if you pay it off in 28days, it will be satisfied

and not registered

[armadillo71]

just to clarify, the CCJ is issued regardless of if you pay or not.

 

you prob mean if you pay it off in 28days, it will be satisfied

and not registered

 

 

 

Yup, that was what I meant! It will not affect your ability to obtain credit if it is satisfied.(you pay it)

[dx100uk]

before the 28 days after issue:lol:

 

well for readers its better clarified...you know what guests can be like.

 

dx

[armadillo71]

before the 28 days after issue:lol:

 

well for readers its better clarified...you know what guests can be like.

 

dx

 

 

Indeed dx... It's late!

[Zola2223]

before the 28 days after issue:lol:

 

well for readers its better clarified...you know what guests can be like.

 

dx

 

Yes i understood completely about that thanks. So the statement on the debt recovery form is misleading then?

 

By the way to answer the poster who asked who the parking co. is, it's Total Parking Solutions who I believe is a member of POPLA.

[armadillo71]

Yes i understood completely about that thanks. So the statement on the debt recovery form is misleading then?

 

By the way to answer the poster who asked who the parking co. is, it's Total Parking Solutions who I believe is a member of POPLA.

 

POPLA is the 'independent' appeal service. You are probably too far down the line for this.

TPS are members of the BPA.

Read this thread for bit of info on TPS letter chain.http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?409761-Total-Parking-Solutions-now-a-dca-no-popla-info-received-(1-Viewing)-nbsp

As far as I can find out , TPS don't do court...

[Zola2223]

Hi again, I have now received another letter from DRP (not Zenith as someone said I might do) with the heading: "Reduced payment offer to avoid court proceedings". if I don't pay then it will be referred back to the clients (Total Parking Solutions) solicitor.

 

They are obviously desperate to get something out of me as I have ignored every letter so far. Does this indicate that they may give up on this now or should i still be concerned?

[JoeyJoeC]

They are trying everything without actually going to court. I highly doubt they would even go that far, just trying their luck. I'd personally ignore it unless real court papers come through. That is very unlikely though.

[Meekyou]

Ultimately if it did go to Court, they would use this letter as evidence they tried to be nice and offered you every chance to pay up, and even out of their own kindness and generosity offered you a reduced payment amount to avoid any more action etc.

 

Basically they are begging and hoping that a reduced payment offer, still with the threat of court action if you don't pay this lesser amount, will make you think its worth paying off to end it.

 

Personally, I'd ignore it; my attitude to these things is the more letters they send, the more it's costing them and the more they are losing

[Zola2223]

Thanks to both of you. I have no intention of paying anything but it is still something that's there in the background and you're always wondering what's going to come next.

[JoeyJoeC]

Thanks to both of you. I have no intention of paying anything but it is still something that's there in the background and you're always wondering what's going to come next.

 

It's the fear they invoke which is what keeps them in business.