Parking fine whilst vehicle was with Meet and Greet service

[mcfcfan]

Hi
I dropped my car with an MCP meet and greet driver, at Gatwick Airport at 3.30am, I was catching a 5.30am flight.

When I got back from my holiday I received a parking notice fine £80 from Euro Car Parks. My car had been parked at the Shell garage at Gatwick , from 3.51am until 4.45am, which is longer than the "allowed" 20 mins.
I advised my meet and greet company, MCP,and they said they would deal with (and haven't), I sent them the fine notice.
I also sent Euro Car Parks a copy of my confirmed flight at 5.30am, and a copy of the receipt from the meet and greet drives, timed at 3.30am. I asked them to follow up with MCP the meet and greet company
Clearly I could not have been in charge of the vehicle.
Eventually Euro Car Parks sent me another notice and offered that I go to POPLA appeal. I did this, and the outcome was that the car park notice had been "correctly issued".
Now I have DRP (Debt Recovery Plus) chasing me for now £180 and threatening to recommend to their client, Euro Car Parks. Again I have asked them to take the matter up with MCP.
I have contacted MCP several times and each time it is "we are dealing with it".
It looks like like I have 2 options, pay the fine and then issue a small claims for the £180 to MCP.
Or I wait to go to court and fight my case.
Any advice please ?

[ostell]

Re: Parking fine whilst vehicle was with Meet and Greet service

Ignore DRP, they are merely debt collectors and can do nothing. Write a formal letter to Euro Car Parks telling them (again!) that the keeper and driver at the time was MCP, giving the address as well. Get a free proof of posting from a Post Office. Tell them that POFA schedule 4 paragraph 5 (1) (b) no longer applies and they have therefore lost the right to hold you, the registered keeper, liable.

Demand that they stop using your personal data as there is no liability and continued use is contrary to the Data Protection Act and will make them liable for charges.

Rather than pay let them take you to court as you have an excellent defence and can raise a counter claim for the misuse of your personal data.

[Amethyst]

Re: Parking fine whilst vehicle was with Meet and Greet service

Seems like they have history of this kind of thing .... http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=5545732

[MENTION=39331]ostell[/MENTION] - can mcmcfan do anything with MCP to compensate for having to deal with this ( and for them potentially misusing the vehicle - it wasn't in a "dedicated, secure storage compound" for over an hour after they collected it) ?

[ostell]

Re: Parking fine whilst vehicle was with Meet and Greet service

Yes, let them know that compensation is required for the breach of their own terms, but leave till the parking bit is resolved.

[mcfcfan]

Re: Parking fine whilst vehicle was with Meet and Greet service

Many thanks for your advice.
I will write to ECP now.