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Hello, I am hoping someone can help.
I received a PCN from a private car park managed by Civil Enforcement Ltd. in May. I listened to the various rumours going round about the company and ignored it as it was an unfair ticket and from what I read I understood I should not accept liability. The ticket was unfair because in the particular car park you get 1.5hrs free parking and you then pay £1 per hour after that. I had never previously stayed longer than the free time, so when I came to pay at the station I typed in my reg code and the balance to pay came up as 0.00. I was confused, thought about it a bit and then decided that as I had been roughly an hour I would put a pound in anyway, so keyed in the reg again and paid, then left. I still have the ticket, which says I paid until 12.26. On the PCN the time stated was 09.44.28 to 12.28.54. So essentially I was 10 minutes out. The fact that the machine left it up to me to monitor the length of my stay and wasted time in confusing me with its nil balance and limited instructions on usage, plus the elapsed time between driving though the barrier and parking (it was a multi storey) and getting back to the car from the ticket machine and then exiting, leads me to believe it was an unfair ticket. I have since received numerous intimidating letters from Debt Recovery Plus, with the price escalating to £140. The latest letter offers me a reduced payment to avoid court proceedings of £112, to be paid no later than 5.12.13. My husband tells me to hold my nerve and ignore it, but I wrote asking for advice to AOS who advised me that I should have appealed within 28 days, and they suggest appealing (though not with much hope) or paying. I don't want to pay but I also don't want to be taken to court or have it hanging over my credit rating.
Any advice would be really appreciated. (sorry for the essay)
I received a PCN from a private car park managed by Civil Enforcement Ltd. in May. I listened to the various rumours going round about the company and ignored it as it was an unfair ticket and from what I read I understood I should not accept liability. The ticket was unfair because in the particular car park you get 1.5hrs free parking and you then pay £1 per hour after that. I had never previously stayed longer than the free time, so when I came to pay at the station I typed in my reg code and the balance to pay came up as 0.00. I was confused, thought about it a bit and then decided that as I had been roughly an hour I would put a pound in anyway, so keyed in the reg again and paid, then left. I still have the ticket, which says I paid until 12.26. On the PCN the time stated was 09.44.28 to 12.28.54. So essentially I was 10 minutes out. The fact that the machine left it up to me to monitor the length of my stay and wasted time in confusing me with its nil balance and limited instructions on usage, plus the elapsed time between driving though the barrier and parking (it was a multi storey) and getting back to the car from the ticket machine and then exiting, leads me to believe it was an unfair ticket. I have since received numerous intimidating letters from Debt Recovery Plus, with the price escalating to £140. The latest letter offers me a reduced payment to avoid court proceedings of £112, to be paid no later than 5.12.13. My husband tells me to hold my nerve and ignore it, but I wrote asking for advice to AOS who advised me that I should have appealed within 28 days, and they suggest appealing (though not with much hope) or paying. I don't want to pay but I also don't want to be taken to court or have it hanging over my credit rating.
Any advice would be really appreciated. (sorry for the essay)
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