Parking Eye and DRPlus help for elderly mother please!

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

I live abroad, but fortunately am currently staying in the UK with my elderly mother. I have spent a few days reading through your threads on PE. Our situation seems similar to many others.

 

Last June (2013) my mother overstayed in a FREE carpark managed by PE. (a Halfords retail park) She received the usual 2 or 3 penalty notices and was told by my cousin to ignore them, which she did.

 

She heard nothing until last week 22/08/14 when she received the Notice of Intended Court Action letter from DR+.

 

Unfortunately as more than a year has passed she has thrown away the original correspondence and is now in a complete tizz thinking she is about to be thrown into jail. The amount is now £140.00 and though I am prepared to do battle on her behalf, I am wondering if, given her frailty I should just let her pay up. She has until 5/09 to pay it. I am in the country until then, so any advice/help beforehand would be much much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance, and compliments on the first website dealing with this that I've actually been able to make head or tail of!

[renegadeimp]

Stop worrying. Jail will never ever ever happen. Ever. Pe issue a speculative invoice which has no basis in law. They then try to push their luck in court. Use gpeol and they are guarantee to lose.

 

They are nothing more than cowboy clampers.

[DragonFly1967]

It's unfortunate that, unless you pay, they're not going to give up before you leave the country again.

 

The usual chain of events where ParkingLie are concerned is...

 

1. Original Notice to Keeper, Parking Charge £X

2. Reminder. £X (as 1 but now without the "discount")

3. Final Reminder £X (2 + another few quid as an "administration charge") Probably £100 at this stage.

4. Letter from Debt Collector, in this case DR+ adding another £40 or £50, in your Mothers case it's looks like they're being generous (they aren't) and have only added £40 for the DR+ Christmas Party fund. So now £140.

5. A reminder from DR+ "You still haven't paid" £140

6. A FINAL REMINDER from DR+ 'Demanding' that you pay immediately or they'll have no choice but to recommend to their clients that they take court action (that's county court, not a criminal court)

7. Yet another letter from DR+ this time offering you a 'discount' of usually £20. Which will be the last you'll hear from DR+

 

Then one of two things will happen. Another company will (supposedly) 'buy' your alleged debt, and offer you a chance to settle the matter for (usually) £99 or

Your Mother will receive a Letter Before Action from ParkingLie. And unfortunately that's when it will start to get serious, and you're mum will really need you, or AN Other to be able to deal with it. There are defences that will win in county court, and PE don't win anything like the percentage they claim on their website. But if you're not going to be around, it wouldn't really be fair on your Mother to have the worry of all this hanging over her.

 

 

Worst case scenario is if you/your Mother ignore absolutely everything, ParkingLie will win a default judgement against your Mother for around £180 - £200 including their costs. They'll then have a CCJ against your Mother and *could* instruct bailiffs.

 

As much as it leaves a extremely bitter taste in my mouth, as I'm sure it will everyone else who reads this, including yourself, I see very little option but to pay it

 

HOWEVER!

 

On the letter from DR+ should be the Parking Charge Number that's the original ParkingLie 'ticket' reference. You could ring ParkingLie (08442472981) and beg/plead/(but I can't recommend that you lie ) about how your mother didn't understand the ticket, she's really frail, etc etc, lay it on as thick as you possibly can, and was badly advised (say by an internet forum (via a 3rd party), they'll love that and they'll think it's hilarious) to ignore it, and would there by any chance of you being able to pay the original (reduced) amount, or failing that, the original undiscounted amount (usually about £100).

 

You never know and it's got to be worth a shot.

 

 

 

And now that I've actually advised someone to pay these clowns, I'm off for a brandy and a lay down

[DragonFly1967]

Actually, hang on. Having typed all that, I've had a further thought....

 

Go with phoning ParkingLie, and laying it on about how your Mother didn't understand, but say that she wasn't driving, you were.

 

When they ask for your address so that they can chase you instead, give it to them, the one that's not in the UK.

 

The regulations say that if giving the drivers name and address, the address has to be 'serviceable', it doesn't say anything about that address having to be in the UK. I think they'd be a bit flummoxed if you live in say, Canada or wherever, and there wouldn't be a great deal they could do. And as the Keeper has supplied the drivers name and address, they can no longer chase the keeper

[ericsbrother]

DR+ have absolutely no powers to do anything and no interest in the matter so you can safely ignore them. They are claiming £140 because they are a bunch of charlatans and even if the debt were real it wouldnt have increased but DR+ always add a few quid on for themselves and hope you fall for their con.

However, PE like to chase after people they think are weak so write to them with Dragonfly's suggestion of saying you were the driver and have only just received the correspondence about this as you live abroad. You therefore request that they correspond with you at (your address in an EU country or country with reciprocal arrangements like NZ or Singapore) and that as it was a free car park there has been no loss caused to PE by your action and invite them to show strift proof otherwise. That way they have a serviceable address and it is up to them what they want to do next. Dropping the whole thing would be their best option as you will have indicated you are up for a fight.

I wouldnt mention the frail old lady otherwise they will keep after her knowing that she is vulnerable. That is what they are like.

[DragonFly1967]

 

I'd go along with that ericsbrother

[ericsbrother]

my post should read "strict proof". This will clobber them by itself.

[armadillo71]

All in writing .

[i hate bailiffs]

As so much time has passed I would ignore any begging letters

 

Only court paperwork needs responding to they have been loosing in court and can be beaten again

[DragonFly1967]

As so much time has passed I would ignore any begging letters

 

Only court paperwork needs responding to they have been loosing in court and can be beaten again

 

Under normal circumstances I would agree with you IHB, but these are rather unusual circumstances. Ignoring it and waiting to see if they issue court papers isn't really an option.

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

Many thanks for all your prompt answers, will have a look through and take some action. I will come back later and keep you abreast. Many thanks again, you are all very kind.