Out of hand parking ticket...can anyone help?
Discussion
Evening all,
I seem to have got myself in a bit of a pickle and before i pay a visit to citizens advice I thought I'd see if anyone here may have found themselves in a similar situation.
I was issued a parking ticket via a smart car some months ago for pulling over somewhere apparently I shouldn't have to wait for the wife when picking her up from work one evening, it was a total accident but one that was going to cost me £60....I was very annoyed with the sneaky camera happy smart car and vented to the driver of said car, due to my anger and pig headed stubbornness I could not bring myself to make the phone call to hand over the £60...I know I'm an idiot but i am a rather hot headed one from time to time...anyway, some time passed and I totally forgot about it.
Skip to a few weeks ago and i get a notice of removal from a certified bailiff (JBW) telling me that I now owe them £221.44....having recently had to pay a LOT of money for 2 broken leg operations for one of my dogs i'm far from flush so had no choice but to stall....Yesterday I called them to try and work out a repayment plan and was told that a bailiff had been to my house that day and as no one was home (I was but certainly heard no one knocking) so I know owe £499.84...this was somewhat disappointing.
I was informed that I had to pay the full balance over the phone there and then, i explained that wasn't going to be possible, the only other option they gave me was to pay half now and half in 4 weeks, again this was not possible, I called again today offering £150 now, the remainder of the half when i get paid on the 21st and then the full balance...they refused.
The only other option they gave was to pay the £150 now and make weekly payments of £116.61 to clear the debt, again i explained that although I could pay the £150 I would not be in a position to pay £116 next week.
I asked to speak with someone else, there was no one available, I said that I understand this debt is my doing and that i need and intend to pay it, i suggested that in leaving me with these few options and refusing my suggestion of a repayment plan that they would be putting me in financial difficulty, they also told me that if i did not set up one of there repayment plans then there was a possibility of a bailiff knocking tomorrow which would add another £210 call out to my fine putting me is further difficulty.
Now I know that I have put myself in this situation, I know that I am an eeejit, and I know that nigh on all of this could have been avoided...I will take it as a very big lesson learnt...but this can not be right, i asked if it was law or company policy, she said it was company policy which gave me some hope.
I want to get this paid but simply can not do it under the repayment plan that they are saying is my only option, has anyone else had this problem? were you able to work out a sensible solution? ideal scenario is that the total fine can be broken into smaller chunks.
Any advice would be great, thanks!
I seem to have got myself in a bit of a pickle and before i pay a visit to citizens advice I thought I'd see if anyone here may have found themselves in a similar situation.
I was issued a parking ticket via a smart car some months ago for pulling over somewhere apparently I shouldn't have to wait for the wife when picking her up from work one evening, it was a total accident but one that was going to cost me £60....I was very annoyed with the sneaky camera happy smart car and vented to the driver of said car, due to my anger and pig headed stubbornness I could not bring myself to make the phone call to hand over the £60...I know I'm an idiot but i am a rather hot headed one from time to time...anyway, some time passed and I totally forgot about it.
Skip to a few weeks ago and i get a notice of removal from a certified bailiff (JBW) telling me that I now owe them £221.44....having recently had to pay a LOT of money for 2 broken leg operations for one of my dogs i'm far from flush so had no choice but to stall....Yesterday I called them to try and work out a repayment plan and was told that a bailiff had been to my house that day and as no one was home (I was but certainly heard no one knocking) so I know owe £499.84...this was somewhat disappointing.
I was informed that I had to pay the full balance over the phone there and then, i explained that wasn't going to be possible, the only other option they gave me was to pay half now and half in 4 weeks, again this was not possible, I called again today offering £150 now, the remainder of the half when i get paid on the 21st and then the full balance...they refused.
The only other option they gave was to pay the £150 now and make weekly payments of £116.61 to clear the debt, again i explained that although I could pay the £150 I would not be in a position to pay £116 next week.
I asked to speak with someone else, there was no one available, I said that I understand this debt is my doing and that i need and intend to pay it, i suggested that in leaving me with these few options and refusing my suggestion of a repayment plan that they would be putting me in financial difficulty, they also told me that if i did not set up one of there repayment plans then there was a possibility of a bailiff knocking tomorrow which would add another £210 call out to my fine putting me is further difficulty.
Now I know that I have put myself in this situation, I know that I am an eeejit, and I know that nigh on all of this could have been avoided...I will take it as a very big lesson learnt...but this can not be right, i asked if it was law or company policy, she said it was company policy which gave me some hope.
I want to get this paid but simply can not do it under the repayment plan that they are saying is my only option, has anyone else had this problem? were you able to work out a sensible solution? ideal scenario is that the total fine can be broken into smaller chunks.
Any advice would be great, thanks!
Edited by dean350z on Tuesday 3rd December 18:50
Jesus, how this is allowed to happen I dont know, ok, a few quid fine but its the fact they keep ramping it up. Is it a private company, I would be lookign to get it to go to court and get a judge to let you pay it at £2 a week or something.
I now avoid a lot of town centre car parks, one in Stockport that insists on your reg number, sorry but f
k off, no, I will shop online instead where I dont have to pay 4 quid to leave my car and then, if you are two minutes late be subject to extortion for hundred of pounds, get a proper job and stop causing misery, I can understand a penalty but it is like they are dying to get their claws into you, like your case.
I now avoid a lot of town centre car parks, one in Stockport that insists on your reg number, sorry but f
k off, no, I will shop online instead where I dont have to pay 4 quid to leave my car and then, if you are two minutes late be subject to extortion for hundred of pounds, get a proper job and stop causing misery, I can understand a penalty but it is like they are dying to get their claws into you, like your case.radiodanno said:
Seek proper legal counsel, not advice from men on the interweb.
I wish you all the best with it.
That would cost more money I don't have...poor tiny Tim is going to have a rubbish Christmas!I wish you all the best with it.
I am going to CAB in the morning but was hoping for a steer of some sort from the interwebbers..
J4CKO said:
Jesus, how this is allowed to happen I dont know, ok, a few quid fine but its the fact they keep ramping it up. Is it a private company, I would be lookign to get it to go to court and get a judge to let you pay it at £2 a week or something.
I now avoid a lot of town centre car parks, one in Stockport that insists on your reg number, sorry but fk off, no, I will shop online instead where I dont have to pay 4 quid to leave my car and then, if you are two minutes late be subject to extortion for hundred of pounds, get a proper job and stop causing misery, I can understand a penalty but it is like they are dying to get their claws into you, like your case.
Agreed, i know i screwed up and should have dealt with it at the time and with hindsight i would..I now avoid a lot of town centre car parks, one in Stockport that insists on your reg number, sorry but f
k off, no, I will shop online instead where I dont have to pay 4 quid to leave my car and then, if you are two minutes late be subject to extortion for hundred of pounds, get a proper job and stop causing misery, I can understand a penalty but it is like they are dying to get their claws into you, like your case.A near £4k vets bill has however left me rather short, i never usually pick my wife up but she didn't have a car that day so i said i would, i didn't have a clue i was not meant parked where i was but apparently the opposite side of the same road is fine but the section i was in was a coach bay but it was dark, there were other cars there and i simply didn't see a sign.
If you can't afford proper legal help, the CAB are probably your best bet. Just be aware that they are not legal professionals so make sure you are clear on what they are sure of and what's conjecture.
They might also be able to advise you on whether you're eligible for any form of government funded legal aid.
They might also be able to advise you on whether you're eligible for any form of government funded legal aid.
Have the bailiff's got a court order?
Were you served the court papers when they got any judgment?
You may be able to claim non-receipt have it set aside (for a fee) and pay the original amount less the extortion costs...
Recommend Peepipoo or money saving expert forums for advice in these matters also.
Were you served the court papers when they got any judgment?
You may be able to claim non-receipt have it set aside (for a fee) and pay the original amount less the extortion costs...
Recommend Peepipoo or money saving expert forums for advice in these matters also.
dean350z said:
mickk said:
How did it go from £60 to over £220? That's a hell of a jump.
I'm honestly not sure but i will investigate, i can only assume that i must have received and not read further letters but I'm buggered if I remember seeing any.Easy for the fine to escalate like that.
There is no way a parking contravention will go as far as a Notice for Removal without several intermediate steps. How come you have ignored all of these?
Only a Certificated Bailiff can collect PCN debts. Many bailiffs charge fees that are excessive or are not permitted by law. Phantom visits are a good source of illicit income. Most people don't have a clue whether they are being skinned. Have a look here - http://www.dealingwithbailiffs.co.uk/examplepcnfee...
For what bailiff can and can't do see here - http://www.debtwizard.com/debt-help/guides-and-adv...
Do NOT let a bailiff into your home. He has no power to force entry to collect a civil debt (parking is decriminalised in much of E&W). Secure all doors and windows and make sure any car is parked elsewhere.
ETA. OP you might find this useful even if you haven't appealed the ticket - http://www.bailiffhelpforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=...
Only a Certificated Bailiff can collect PCN debts. Many bailiffs charge fees that are excessive or are not permitted by law. Phantom visits are a good source of illicit income. Most people don't have a clue whether they are being skinned. Have a look here - http://www.dealingwithbailiffs.co.uk/examplepcnfee...
For what bailiff can and can't do see here - http://www.debtwizard.com/debt-help/guides-and-adv...
Do NOT let a bailiff into your home. He has no power to force entry to collect a civil debt (parking is decriminalised in much of E&W). Secure all doors and windows and make sure any car is parked elsewhere.
ETA. OP you might find this useful even if you haven't appealed the ticket - http://www.bailiffhelpforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=...
Edited by Red Devil on Tuesday 3rd December 20:55
This is a council ticket right? IF so you need to ring up the TEC and do a statutory out of time declaration. I'm not sure of the procedure but you should have received several documents including things like a order for recovery etc. Its quite complicated but you should be able to get the ticket set back to the original amount if you play your cards right, be deceitful if you have to they would and have done it to you.
kiethton said:
Have the bailiff's got a court order?
Were you served the court papers when they got any judgment?
You may be able to claim non-receipt have it set aside (for a fee) and pay the original amount less the extortion costs...
Recommend Peepipoo or money saving expert forums for advice in these matters also.
They recommend www.bailiffadviceonline.com from memory; it costs a tenner for - by reputation - very good advice.Were you served the court papers when they got any judgment?
You may be able to claim non-receipt have it set aside (for a fee) and pay the original amount less the extortion costs...
Recommend Peepipoo or money saving expert forums for advice in these matters also.
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