PCN from Alliance parking recieved after 14 days

[Oilybitz]

I've just recieved today a 'Letter before claim' advising I owe £170 from a company called Moorside legal services, the letter was dated the 31st of July. Should I contact them?

[des8]

Please post up a copy of the letter (first remove your name & address and any reference numbers

[SillyBanana]

I suspect it will be the same as the one I received...
https://legalbeagles.info/forums/for...69#post1709969

[Oilybitz]

[Oilybitz]

Exactly the same as yours, sillybanana

[des8]

Well I'm glad Sillybanana has posted a copy of that letter on his thread.
Assuming you posted that letter on post 19, all I have is a tiny unreadable thumbnail.

Anyway you could reply to Moorside Legal along the following lines:

Dear Sirs

I am in receipt of your Letter before Claim of dd/mm/2025 which seems to be a warning of court action regarding an alleged unpaid parking charge.

I am amazed and perturbed that a firm of solicitors, who are regulated by the SRA could so blatantly issue such a letter which has completely ignored the CPR regulations regarding the contents of a Letter before Claim.
I would refer you to CPR Practice Direction - Pre-action Protocol and Conduct.
In particular the section headed "Steps before issuing a claim at court , where at section 6 it states ..... " The steps will usually include—
(a) the claimant writing to the defendant with concise details of the claim. The letter should include the basis on which the claim is made, a summary of the facts, what the claimant wants from the defendant, and if money, how the amount is calculated;

Before I engage further with you on this matter I request you send a letter in accordance with the above CPR Practice Direction, so I can identify the issue.

Failure to comply with this reasonable request will, if the matter proceeds to court, be drawn to the court's attention and a report lodged with the SRA.

Yours etc.

Their letter is just not sufficient for you to identify for what incident they are pursuing you.
You may guess it is to do with a PCN issued on such and such a date, but there is no way of knowing if your guess is correct ... it may be some subsequent alleged parking event of which you are unaware.

[Oilybitz]

Thank you Des8, sorry about the picture but it is the same letter. I will send your reply to them, thanks again.

[Oilybitz]

Good morning,

Today, I have received the following email from Moorside legal along with attachments showing the original letter and photos. Any advice gratefully accepted!




We write in relation to the above matter.

An explanation of the cause of action

Our client has instructed us to collect the outstanding balance of £170.00 in relation to an unpaid Parking Charge Notice.

What the details of the claim are; for how long it is claimed the vehicle was parked, how the monies being claimed arose and have been calculated

The PCN was issued for "present without payment having been made for the duration of the vehicles stay" on the 114/07/2024.

If the claim is for a contractual breach, photographs showing the vehicle was parked in contravention of said contract.

Please see the attached images.

Is the claim for trespass? If so, provide details.

N/A

Provide details of the original charge, and detail any interest and administrative or other charges added.

Please be advised that the original amount of the PCN was £100.00. As outlined in the notice, a reduced amount of £60.00 would have been accepted as full and final settlement if payment had been received within 14 days from the date of issue.

Unfortunately, as no payment was received within that time frame, the opportunity to pay the reduced amount has now expired. As a result of continued non-payment and additional charges, the balance has increased and now stands at £170.00.

Am I to understand that the additional £70 represents what is dressed up as a 'Debt Recovery' fee, and if so, is this net or inclusive of VAT? If the latter, would you kindly explain why I am being asked to pay the operator’s VAT?


The additional charge which has been levied on your Parking Charge of £70 is the amount set out in both the British Parking Association and International Parking Community Codes of Practice as the amount which may be added to a Parking Charge when a Parking Charge remains unpaid and when further recovery is required. Our Client is a member of the International Parking Community which is a government approved Accredited Trade Association (ATA) for Private Parking. Our Client adheres to the ATA’s Code of Practice. The £70 does not represent the cost of recovery but is a reasonable amount in relation to the Parking Charge amount, in order to encourage early payment of the Parking Charge without the need for debt recovery. It is a fair amount set by our Client’s government-approved Accredited Trade Association Code of Practice. There are however also costs incurred by our client in relation to debt recovery services.


We ask that you make the full payment of £170.00 within 7 days of receipt of this email.


You can make payment in the following ways:

• Contact us on 0330 822 9950 (our opening times are Monday- Friday 9:00- 17:00);
• portal.moorsidelegal.co.uk - Login to our portal
• https://pay.moorside.legal - Quick Pay

If you fail to respond or make payment, we may be instructed by our client to issue legal proceedings against you. This will incur further costs and fees that will be added to the outstanding balance. You may wish to seek independent legal advice.


Yours sincerely,
Moorside Legal