PCN received, specsavers?

[gordonbennet]

Received a notice to owner this week, apparently one of our cars was parked over the time allowed at a supermarket and they want £70.

 

Neither of us can recall visiting the hell hole mentioned, which is 80 miles from here, so clicked on the online appeals at the parking company concerned, and they have an additional evidence box you can click.

 

Sure enough, there's a photo of a completely different car with one letter different to ours...wouldn't mind but it's modern shit too...do they know who i am?

 

 

Now lads, how long shall i let them go on before telling them to arrange a visit to the optician?

 

Next letter should be nasty, so i'll ignore that one for sure.

 

Maybe debt collector will start threatening after that, shall i write bollocks on that one and send it back or just ignore it too.

 

Whats the best way to piss them about for as long as possible, and whats the most expensive route for them, let it get to court summons stage?

[Pillock]

Just return them with "I'm not going to pay this". It'll be interesting to see how long it takes them to ask why, exactly.

[Lankytim]

Tell them you won't pay, and invoice them for the letter. £250 should do. Further correspondence should be met with a random "fine" of varying amounts, e.g £15, £2.56, £456000

[richardmorris]

Depends what your fun:inconvenience ratio is. I like a quiet life, so would just send it back with "this is not my registration" in large green capital letters written on it. Did similar earlier in the year to a government questionnaire about why I'd chosen London for my business location. We hadn't and had moved from the address they had in 1996.

[Skizzer]

Personally I'd just ring them up/write and tell them they've made a mistake, then get on with my life. It is just a mistake, after all, not a personal attack on you. Is it really worth a load of revenge hassle?

[twosmoke300]

I had it before with my old boxer van . There picture showed a purple fiesta ! Sent them a letter recorded delivery iirc

[Doctormop]

Appeal the charge but don't flag up the error with the registration no, they will reject your appeal but you can then appeal to POPLA, (Parking on private land appeals service or something like that)

POPLA charge the parking company £28.50 for every appeal win or lose, highlight the reg no discrepancy to POPLA and they will uphold your appeal and you will get the notice overturned.

More information on www. Moneysavingexpert.com

[gordonbennet]

Going to let 'em stew for a while whatever happens, like the idea of billing 'em when i eventually respond.

 

These companies are bullies, and the debt collectors they use are worse, trying to intimidate people, usually those who've got no money.

 

We've had experience of debt collectors, thanks to the bunch of twats that used to be NTL, tossers one and all, who when they fucked my termination bill up, thanks to a lying call centre toerag, put the matter in the hands of debt collectors, who even hassled us by phone as we enjoying horses douvres on the piggin orient express...told 'em we'd see 'em in court, they backed off too.

 

A bit of pay back for the many poor buggers that they cause misery for id the minimum here.

 

edit...Doctormop, thanks, thats a plan.

[hairnet]

ignore

 

i got one from the supermarket i worked at at the time

 

i got one for parking on the station on the bike at preston - on the platform with the bicycles the station were asked if it was ok and they said yes (it says bicycle on the tax disc innit )

 

if you dont pay for being on the site they have absolutely no right to fine you - simple as

[michael1703]

Could it be a scam where they pap a number plate and fine every fucker one digit different,you could fine 6 people every reg plate and if they see the reg isn't theirs they say sorry and say there's an error, meanwhile people with shit eyesight or ditsy blondes who don't know their car reg, cough up

[Alexg]

I bet this isn't even a fine, it'll be a 'parking charge notice' or some other shit where you'd have no obligation to pay even if you spent a fortnight camping there. I'd just ignore it so the wankers can waste their time chasing the wrong guy.

[gordonbennet]

Could it be a scam where they pap a number plate and fine every fucker one digit different,you could fine 6 people every reg plate and if they see the reg isn't theirs they say sorry and say there's an error, meanwhile people with shit eyesight or ditsy blondes who don't know their car reg, cough up

 

We did wonder that, these companies scare the crap out of some people, i bet if this is a deliberate mistake that enough innocents would just pay up, especially oldies.

 

 

 

Bloody funny though, the driver of the 307...i ask you...is getting away scot free, good for him/her...i don't suppose the bloody car park was overflowing at 08.40ish on a weekday morning.

[mercrocker]

This happened to our daughter.  She went to ASDA on her way to our house, spent the day here and called in to ASDA again on her way home.   Then she got a letter from Reptile Parking Cnuts or something similar saying she had been there 9 hours or something.   Apparently they clocked her coming in on trip 1 and again going out after trip 2, but funnily enough, not the exit and subsequent re-entry.   She got it overturned (a "mistake" they said).   Well, my attitude now is fuck ASDA unfortunately its the only bloody shop in town after their Walmart-led blitz on every retailer in town but I will never take a single vehicle of mine in there again so they can only sell me what I can carry home in one hand.  Gits.

[hairnet]

said previoously on forums

 

if its council or police dont ignore

 

everything else

- tell to FRO

[castros_bro]

Upload a copy, minus any personal information, for our edification.

 

Note: it is not a requirement to display registration plates on private land.  Yes Guv there were 37 vehicles displaying your registration in the car park which overstayed their welcome und all hasd " your motoring is our concern" stickers in the back windows, well the six which had back windows did.

[gordonbennet]

Upload a copy, minus any personal information, for our edification.

 

Note: it is not a requirement to display registration plates on private land.  Yes Guv there were 37 vehicles displaying your registration in the car park which overstayed their welcome und all hasd " your motoring is our concern" stickers in the back windows, well the six which had back windows did.

 

Tempting, but i don't want the company to spot their own mistake just yet, we'll feel terrible when their grovelling apology arrives and the voucher for a bottle of champers for our trouble...yeah right.

 

Will keep the thread updated when they start acting tough.

[dollywobbler]

Are you sure Castros_bros? I thought all that changed when the anti-boy-racer rules came in. ie if the public can access it - ie a car park - then rules of the road apply. This is why the DVLA will merrily fine folk for declaring SORN but having the car in a car park, off the road. 

 

Doesn't apply to this case though. This has FRO all over it. How much fun you have with it is up to you. If it's Tesco, I suggest a rant in the local paper is in order. Put on your best angry face and complain about how the company is rotten all the way to the top. (topical)

[castros_bro]

Are you sure Castros_bros? I thought all that changed when the anti-boy-racer rules came in. ie if the public can access it - ie a car park - then rules of the road apply. This is why the DVLA will merrily fine folk for declaring SORN but having the car in a car park, off the road. 

 

Doesn't apply to this case though. This has FRO all over it. How much fun you have with it is up to you. If it's Tesco, I suggest a rant in the local paper is in order. Put on your best angry face and complain about how the company is rotten all the way to the top. (topical)

 

Oui monsour. yer drive is "private land" so ich  parking me caravan there is a civil case not criminal so yer can't touch me van or I'll call the police for the criminal damage you may do my van n you'll be slammed up like the crim yer obviously* are. 

[dollywobbler]

Ah, but you're right. My driveway IS private land. A car park is not, even though it might be on private land.

[Matt]

Either point out their mistake in simple terms or ignore ignore ignore (and post everything that they send you).

[Bobthebeard]

said previoously on forums

 

if its council or police dont ignore

 

everything else

- tell to FRO

Sound advice and wise words...

[Hendry]

Similar thing happened to me in a shopping centre/retail park car park, I admit I did contravene the rules (parked in a disabled bay, it was 10 to 5 on a Sunday afternoon and there were another 100 empty disabled ones) and came back to a penalty charge notice on the window, binned it straight off, then started getting letters through, one even had a photo of my car in the disabled bay, because those dirty scumfuckers at the DVLA sold them my details. Anyway got yet another, this time saying if I didn't pay this time they'd get debt collectors involved, a letter from a so called debt collector turned up (with a bit at the bottom saying the debt collections firm was a trading name of the parking company and with the same address so I knew it was bullshit) then got another saying they were going to take me to court, ignored that and heard nothing since.

 

Seemingly if you don't respond they just give up, whereas if you even contact them once to dispute the charge they hound you constantly, they just hope enough people shit themselves and pay up. Apparently also if they take you to court they are normally certain to win the case BUT the court only awards them their losses due to your actions so basically a few quid for sending letters, taking a photo and the cost of obtaining your details from doovla, which is far less than it'd cost them to go to court, so they don't bother.

[Parky]

If you decide to ignore and they do end up sending nasty men around or taking you to court, let them. It's not your car! It will be the shortest case in history and cost them a packet. See the attached:

 

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3648411

 

I had all this mullarkey a few years back for overstaying in an ice rink car park for 3 minutes over the limit. I had spent a fair old wedge on my kids birthday party there and wasn't happy about being charged 60 quid for three minutes. The rink wouldn't help as it wasn't them charging the fee, but as I pointed out they employ these monkeys so they have control - they claimed it was out of their control.

 

Ignored everything, letters, increased fines, solicitors letter, court threats, debt collection letters, the whole shebang. Nothing happened. The last letter even said "pay the original 60 and we'll forget about court, etc" which showed the desperation. It's an unforceable invoice, not a fine. I might as well charge you a tenner for reading this, it's just as legit as a PCN from these companies.

 

And if they do decide to seize your car, it's the wrong one!! Think of the compensation.......

 

Oh, and I never went back to the rink because of all that. The rink is now out of business and I wonder if the threat of parking fines was a small contributor to that

[Taff]

personally, I would avoid winding them up unnecessarily. Even if they are in the wrong, mistaken identity, whatever, I wouldn't want the hassle of debt collectors turning up and hassling the family.

 

These private parking firms will issue a notice, followed a fortnight later with a final notice, then sell your "debt" onto a recovery agent. Even if you are completely in the right, they will start to hassle you, and it's not fun, however tempting the "revenge" idea might seem.

 

Sensible head says write to them, informing them of their error and ask that they respond clearly stating the matter is ended with no comeback on yourself. dull but painless

[barefoot]

I partially disagree.

 

You have all the proof you need to make a mockery of the pcn but you are under no obligation to provide that proof YET.

I wouldn't specifically wind them up, but I would be more than happy to start a file of all of their correspondence and wait 

and wait 

and see if they do eventually take you to court.

Turn up with your humungous file, turn back to page 2

Produce the pic of a different car and your defence?

 

'They never asked me if they could have a look at the picture'.

[Parky]

Exactly, just wait. No need to contact them at all. If asked why you ignored the notices, explain that it wasn't your car ( as it isn't) so assumed it was their error (which it is). But you won't be asked as it won't go that far.

 

In the minute chance they take you to court and the judge asks if you are the owner of D701 SWL or whatever, tell the truth - no your honour, that's not my car. Because it isn't.

 

If the parking company want to take you to court and cover costs of solicitors and barristers without getting their facts straight you will be doing us all a favour. The more court time is wasted by these shysters, the sooner the legal profession will stop dealing with them

[carlo]

I'm with the ignoring them for maximum enjoyment route, but make sure you make screenprints of the site with the wrong car pictured, in case they take it down for whatever reason.

[Lankytim]

The longer you string them along, the more chance the true car parking villain will get away with their dastardly parking transgression, thereby denying the parking wankers the opportunity to get their "fine"

[gordonbennet]

Cheers all, SWMBO saved the screenshots yesterday for all the fun of the fair when it kicks off.

 

I suspect their server will have shot its load in ectasy as i had to enter the reg and invoice reference number on their site to view the pic of some other buggers car, so hopefully they'll be busy rubbing their fingers together scrooge style dreaming up the next invoice as they probably think they have a bite.

 

Whats the betting, next one £120ish?

 

I understand people saying not to antagonise them, but these are bloody gangsters in suits, who prey on the fears of ordinary people to fund their greedy needs, well the little bloke has an opportunity to put one up 'em and he's gonna milk it.

Can't wait for the threats from big Vern the debt collector and his bull massive, then lurid warnings about credit rating, CCJ's, impotence and the bogeyman.

 

edit, SWMBO hopes they find our phone number, she's looking forward to giving them some GBH of the ear 'ole as she puts it, she's had Jehovas mates backing off the drive before now, when in full rant they won't get a word in edgeways.

[Pillock]

Chances are they'll only have the information that DVLA hand over, phone numbers are harder to get. That's why usually these firms make it very difficult to contact them by email or post, once you phone they have your number - even if it's blocked, you get the "Oh, we can check on whatever it is you asked, can we call you back?"

 

If you wanted the fun, you could accidentally and carelessly call them off a non-withheld number.