[Moderator David@stives]

http://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/appeal-letter/

I got a ticket 6 weeks ago, and I am fighting it due to the fact that we were working, there own photograph shows a reel on the road at the back of our van with the hose leading to the window cleaner.

I argued i wasn't parked, but stopped and was unloading.

I have told them not to contact me again unless it is through the courts

[Michael Peterson]

well in dave

[koop]

Just ignore them,  I get 1 every month and just bin them.  also ignore the red warning letters.  and NEVER write to them or they will hound you forever....

[Bay View WCS]

I'll say it again in case anybody is listening, I took the advice of faceless random strangers on internet forums and ignored all the demands for payment, I am now waiting on a court hearing to be set by northampton county court for £150 plus additional costs if I lose, which may or may not happen, the only real advice I would give is research as much as you can in to MET and whether they have in fact taken anybody to court/successfully won. Ultimately you will have to face the consequences of your decision.
 Some private parking firms are bigger than others, the bigger ones are now taking some non payers to court because they can afford to, if they are seen to win some cases it will open the flood gates to more claims from other parking firms. Their revenues must be down because more people were getting more savvy to it and ignoring the threats of legal action.
The advice I was given last october at the time of my pcn was to ignor, it only came to light this march that all of a sudden they dished out a bulk of 600+ court claims from northampton county court in one week alone, upping their game - I am sure many people folded there and then and coughed up £150 on the spot. Now I have submitted a defense questioning the legality of their charge and no financial loss whatsoever for overstaying a free parking limit, I can only wait to hear from them , they may well give up but I don't know yet as this is current and ongoing.
Just trying to give you a bit more informed advice that may help you to decide.
good luck with it
Simon

It's all in the numbers. They are issuing bulk claims because the figures stack up in their favour:

600 x £35.00 (court fee for claim less than £300.00) = £21,000.00.  So you might think 'wow, they must be sure of their case if they are forking out all that money'.  But if only 140 of those issued with court papers cough up they have already got their outlay back (140 x £150.00 = £21,000.00).  I'm willing to bet at least half of the 600 would be on the phone immediately wanting to pay the £150 once they got sight of the 'official court papers'; not to mention the many judgements they would get because Joe Public didn't bother turning up.  Half settling would net them £45,000.00 - a pretty penny for a few letters!

As Poshgravie said the choice is yours

One thing to consider - if you write to them to object/appeal etc they know they have got the right person and can keep hounding you.

Cheers, Tom

[PoleKing]

I'll say it again in case anybody is listening, I took the advice of faceless random strangers on internet forums and ignored all the demands for payment, I am now waiting on a court hearing to be set by northampton county court for £150 plus additional costs if I lose, which may or may not happen, the only real advice I would give is research as much as you can in to MET and whether they have in fact taken anybody to court/successfully won. Ultimately you will have to face the consequences of your decision.
 Some private parking firms are bigger than others, the bigger ones are now taking some non payers to court because they can afford to, if they are seen to win some cases it will open the flood gates to more claims from other parking firms. Their revenues must be down because more people were getting more savvy to it and ignoring the threats of legal action.
The advice I was given last october at the time of my pcn was to ignor, it only came to light this march that all of a sudden they dished out a bulk of 600+ court claims from northampton county court in one week alone, upping their game - I am sure many people folded there and then and coughed up £150 on the spot. Now I have submitted a defense questioning the legality of their charge and no financial loss whatsoever for overstaying a free parking limit, I can only wait to hear from them , they may well give up but I don't know yet as this is current and ongoing.
Just trying to give you a bit more informed advice that may help you to decide.
good luck with it
Simon

Not finger pointing it anything Simon but I think the error was when you replied.
Just my personal opinion but I think it's like a spam email-once you open one they keep coming...
I've ignored a fair few. They have all threatened CCJ's and started at £30odd gone Upto £200odd and then just stopped.
Each to their own but I won't pay. If there's no barrier it's fair game.

[SPE]

I'll say it again in case anybody is listening, I took the advice of faceless random strangers on internet forums and ignored all the demands for payment, I am now waiting on a court hearing to be set by northampton county court for £150 plus additional costs if I lose, which may or may not happen, the only real advice I would give is research as much as you can in to MET and whether they have in fact taken anybody to court/successfully won. Ultimately you will have to face the consequences of your decision.
 Some private parking firms are bigger than others, the bigger ones are now taking some non payers to court because they can afford to, if they are seen to win some cases it will open the flood gates to more claims from other parking firms. Their revenues must be down because more people were getting more savvy to it and ignoring the threats of legal action.
The advice I was given last october at the time of my pcn was to ignor, it only came to light this march that all of a sudden they dished out a bulk of 600+ court claims from northampton county court in one week alone, upping their game - I am sure many people folded there and then and coughed up £150 on the spot. Now I have submitted a defense questioning the legality of their charge and no financial loss whatsoever for overstaying a free parking limit, I can only wait to hear from them , they may well give up but I don't know yet as this is current and ongoing.
Just trying to give you a bit more informed advice that may help you to decide.
good luck with it
Simon

Not finger pointing it anything Simon but I think the error was when you replied.
Just my personal opinion but I think it's like a spam email-once you open one they keep coming...
I've ignored a fair few. They have all threatened CCJ's and started at £30odd gone Upto £200odd and then just stopped.
Each to their own but I won't pay. If there's no barrier it's fair game.

Darren, I think you have misunderstood me,
I have ignored every letter they have sent me since last October (4 in total I think) and never once acknowledged the charge, replied, appealed or accepted responsibility for it, I also thought that acknowledging it would highlight me on their database for "special attention". My point to the thread, whilst with good intention others advice was to ignore and they will go away, did not work in my experience as I have received a county court claim direct from northampton court. I had to reply to that or else judgement would be entered in my absence in favour of the private parking firm plus added legal costs.
Was just trying to add balance to the replies to this thread for Scott , its not necessarily so anymore that if you ignore the demands they go away, new tactics maybe and as Tom points out very lucrative for the scumbag companies applying these alleged claims through the courts.
Simon

[MATT BATEMAN (OWC)]

Sue them, for harassment. Inform them every communication from you to them is chargeable. £35.00 a letter.

[robertphil]

a guy in Ipswich kicked up a real stink about a similar fine, i cant remember the details but he got the fine struck off . he had just started up a business with a transit van after a long time on benefits .
 these parking firms and Macd hate bad publicity,in fact the one in Ipswich lost its contract over the transit guy . i happened on him and he was telling me how much extra work he got from the publicity, so you could really rake it in,if you kick off now .

 sit with your horn blaring at Macd front door  , with a placard warning others of the fines , you will be off the hook in no time

[MATT BATEMAN (OWC)]

No he'll get arrested for being a public nuisance if he does that.

[Moderator David@stives]

If you don't dispute the fee in the first place, it is though you have accepted it, then the parking company has got a case.

Write to dispute the charge using the template letter in my previous link.

I am prepared to go to court as I was working out of the van at the time, and I am relishing the publicity, Win or Lose, it will make the front page of the local papers.

In fact I might contact the newspapers now

[Sean Dyer]

Daves right don't ignore it

in my experience if you have a half decent case / excuse you normally get away with it or just pay the lowest amount after they say no ... but it drags out for ages

but if you ignore it you will get a summons , only way round that is to lie in court and say you never got the fine or any letter and you never knew anytrhing about it until the summons - id rather pay £30 something quid than risk being done for perjury though

[PoleKing]

I'll say it again in case anybody is listening, I took the advice of faceless random strangers on internet forums and ignored all the demands for payment, I am now waiting on a court hearing to be set by northampton county court for £150 plus additional costs if I lose, which may or may not happen, the only real advice I would give is research as much as you can in to MET and whether they have in fact taken anybody to court/successfully won. Ultimately you will have to face the consequences of your decision.
 Some private parking firms are bigger than others, the bigger ones are now taking some non payers to court because they can afford to, if they are seen to win some cases it will open the flood gates to more claims from other parking firms. Their revenues must be down because more people were getting more savvy to it and ignoring the threats of legal action.
The advice I was given last october at the time of my pcn was to ignor, it only came to light this march that all of a sudden they dished out a bulk of 600+ court claims from northampton county court in one week alone, upping their game - I am sure many people folded there and then and coughed up £150 on the spot. Now I have submitted a defense questioning the legality of their charge and no financial loss whatsoever for overstaying a free parking limit, I can only wait to hear from them , they may well give up but I don't know yet as this is current and ongoing.
Just trying to give you a bit more informed advice that may help you to decide.
good luck with it
Simon

Not finger pointing it anything Simon but I think the error was when you replied.
Just my personal opinion but I think it's like a spam email-once you open one they keep coming...
I've ignored a fair few. They have all threatened CCJ's and started at £30odd gone Upto £200odd and then just stopped.
Each to their own but I won't pay. If there's no barrier it's fair game.

Darren, I think you have misunderstood me,
I have ignored every letter they have sent me since last October (4 in total I think) and never once acknowledged the charge, replied, appealed or accepted responsibility for it, I also thought that acknowledging it would highlight me on their database for "special attention". My point to the thread, whilst with good intention others advice was to ignore and they will go away, did not work in my experience as I have received a county court claim direct from northampton court. I had to reply to that or else judgement would be entered in my absence in favour of the private parking firm plus added legal costs.
Was just trying to add balance to the replies to this thread for Scott , its not necessarily so anymore that if you ignore the demands they go away, new tactics maybe and as Tom points out very lucrative for the scumbag companies applying these alleged claims through the courts.
Simon

Fair enough.
Wasn't trying to contradict you or anything.
Just saying what had happened to me.
If the County Court had contacted me I would of course acted on it, just (for me) they didn't. Guess its just my good fortune.
All the best with yours though.
Keep us posted?