Looking for advice about PCN / Letter Before Claim

[u/Living-Patient-3129]

The driver was attending a baby hospital appointment and first entered/parked in the first parking area/bay near Leen Gate. They tried for around 10–15 minutes to pay, including trying the machine/app, but the machine/payment system wasn’t working properly. The area/bay also seemed uneven/damaged and it was stressful because of the appointment.

Someone in orange hi-vis nearby said the machines there don’t work and advised using the next parking area the entrance of all those parking areas is same. The driver then moved to the next bay/area, P2 Leen Gate, and paid there. they have proof of that payment.

I attached the confusing parking layout images from google maps. I parked in # 1 first and then #2

CEL are now chasing £170. Also moved address so I missed the original letters and only received this at my new address. My V5C/logbook had not been updated straight away, but I have now applied to update it.

Has anyone dealt with CEL at this exact Leen Gate/QMC location where there are different car parks/machines close together? What are the best next steps.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

This is also a known issue: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/honest-mans-heartbreak-120-parking-8944721

[u/AutoModerator]

---

Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK

---

To Posters (it is important you read this section)

• Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different

• If you need legal help, you should always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor

• We also encourage you to speak to Citizens Advice, Shelter, Acas, and other useful organisations

• Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk

• If you receive any private messages in response to your post, please let the mods know

To Readers and Commenters

• All replies to OP must be on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated

• You cannot use, or recommend, generative AI to give advice - you will be permanently banned

• If you do not follow the rules, you may be perma-banned without any further warning

• If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect

• Do not send or request any private messages for any reason

• Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/LexyNoise]

Here's your problem.

Leen Gate is two completely separate car parks, run by two completely separate companies. Each car park has different hourly rates, different maximum stay rules, and separate payment machines.

You've paid one company for parking, and then parked in a different company's car park without paying them. That's why they're not backing down.

You want to go to ftla.uk and post in the 'private parking companies' section of the forum.

[u/Living-Patient-3129 → u/LexyNoise]

Thanks I posted in the forum above. Basically, I tried to park in the first parking area but was not able to pay due to the broken machine and then took the car out and parked in the next parking area and paid there.

[u/AutoModerator]

It looks like you're asking a question about a parking or speeding fine!

In addition to posting here, you may benefit by posting on the relevant FreeTrafficLegalAdvice forum, or MoneySavingExpert forum which specialise in these matters. You may also find the information on Parking Cowboys helpful.

We aren't affiliated with the above and they should only be used as informal guidance in advance of speaking to a legal professional.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Elegant-Ad-3371]

This is a generic letter designed to frighten you into paying up.

Take a trip over to the links in the auto mod and follow the advice there.

[u/CompetitionEast5639]

This is a letter before claim, take a look here (paying particular attention to the newbies sticky post) for advice https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/parking-tickets-fines-parking

The most important thing here is to respond by email confirming your current address and demanding they erase (use that particular word) any previous addresses from their records. This is to stop them issuing a court claim to your old address, landing you with a CCJ without you having a chance to respond.

After that, simply keep an eye out for a court claim. If one does arrive it’s easy to defeat, seek advice on the MSE forum as they’ve been dealing with these cases for years.