Advice needed: Letter of claim by BWlegal for SMART Parking, Oakland Quay, Canary Wharf, London

Hi,

Please find
MCOL status:
MCOL details page:

Yes, I did post the defense before 30 June 2026.


Here's the sequence of events related to this:

1. 22 Jan 2023: Alleged date of contravention
2. 8 Feb 2023: Date of PCN,
3. April 2025: Letter of claim sent by BW LEGAL
4. 4 April 2025 Additional evidence requested
5. June 2025: Evidence provided
5. 4 July 2025: Response provided to BW LEGAL as noted in reply#1 in this post
6. 22 Sep 2025: BW LEGAL closes case and confirms in email as noted in reply #5
7. 2 Apr 2026: LoC by DCB legal for the same contravention,
8. 16 April 2026: response to DCB legal through email,
9. 22 Apr 2026: DCB email for personal details and my subsequent response to DCB legal, https://imgpile.com/p/80M8jRI#4rNjABX & https://imgpile.com/p/h6vTzE6#xwa57ma
10. 28 May 2026: claim letter from HM Courts & Tribunals Service, https://imgpile.com/p/zTEne1x
11. 5 June 2026: AoS filed, https://imgpile.com/p/uCh0lNk#motAjJc
12. 24 June 2026, Defense filed, https://imgpile.com/p/8SiPKXf#5f4NV1n
13. 20 July 2026: DCB intends to proceed with claim and sends email with Directions Questionnaire, https://imgpile.com/p/5mFdwKH


Any advice would be welcome, thank you

After receiving the country court claim, I filed the AoS and Defence within the stipulated time
(5 June 2026: AoS filed, ,
24 June 2026, Defense filed, )

Post that, I received a email response from DCB legal that they are going to proceed with the claim - please find email :

I cannot see a specific status in MCOL, it shows Latest Document as "Defense" 
MCOL status:

The BW legal claim has been closed and I have received email confirmation of that. Status of case in BW Legal poral


Q: Is there anyway of finding out there 2 separate claims by DCB Legal and how would i take necessary action against it?

I have provided the entire sequence of events, starting from 2023 in the earlier post  (Reply #15)

What did you do, and when, following the N1SDT county court claim against you filed by DCB Legal at the end of May.
It’s unlikely to have just disappeared.
When you log on to MCOL with the credentials appropriate to this claim, what is the status?
We need to be sure that there aren’t two separate claims here, one of which has been sent to the court  system and one of which hasn’t.
Did you file a defence by 30 June to the original one you posted here.


There is a danger that there are live claims still floating around, one from BW Legal and two from DCB Legal. These companies file claims in the hope that they’re ignored and they can then obtain a default judgment. So it’s important to try and unscramble this.

That’s useful clarification.

It appears that you have a single live claim, from DCB Legal, for which you have filed a defence.

If you really want to find out if there is a second claim, then you should contact the court.

But from what you’ve said, there does not appear to be.

You already informed DCB Legal that this is a repeat claim in your response to their Letter of Claim.

The normal process is that you’ll get a N180 form from DCB Legal, then you need to complete your own N180. Search the forum now for advice on this form so you’re ready in due course. There will be a mediation session at which you offer £0. The case will be allocated to your local court, there will be a court date and deadlines for DCB Legal to pay the court fee and for both parties to submit Witness Statements.

It’s usual that DCB Legal will discontinue the case prior to having to pay the fee.

Thank you, yes I can confirm that DCB legal has provided the N180 form.

Will use the forum to get info on filling N180 - appreciate your help in this.

That’s useful clarification.

It appears that you have a single live claim, from DCB Legal, for which you have filed a defence.

If you really want to find out if there is a second claim, then you should contact the court.

But from what you’ve said, there does not appear to be.

You already informed DCB Legal that this is a repeat claim in your response to their Letter of Claim.

The normal process is that you’ll get a N180 form from DCB Legal, then you need to complete your own N180. Search the forum now for advice on this form so you’re ready in due course. There will be a mediation session at which you offer £0. The case will be allocated to your local court, there will be a court date and deadlines for DCB Legal to pay the court fee and for both parties to submit Witness Statements.

It’s usual that DCB Legal will discontinue the case prior to having to pay the fee.

Hello,

As noted above, I received and have submitted the N180 form and the court appointed mediation date (through telephone) has been set at 17 Sep 2026 


DCB legal reached out to me last week (I couldn't attend to the call) and I called them back today and they discussed the possibility of settling the claim:

I did not agree to the settlement offer and retorted (probably a bit emotionally) saying that I was not in a mind to settle as DCB legal did not respond to any of the questions I raised (noted in reply #8) to which they said that they were not legally entitled to provide that information or respond to those questions.

I also mentioned that this claim was bought forward by the same client through a different legal firm and closed to which they replied that the client (SMART Parking) could try and get the money through more than 1 legal firm any time within six years of the infringement.

What does the forum recommend as next steps?

What does the forum recommend as next steps?

To neither answer calls from, nor make calls to, DCB Legal.

Attend the mediation, advice for which jfollows has provided further up in this thread.

ok - will do thank you.

Their original PCN is not POFA compliant and they know it.

There is no legal means by which they can hold you liable - you can clearly point that out to them through the mediation process.

Your offer is £0 because that is exactly what you own them.

Do not take any more calls from them.

They will discontinue in due course.

Their original PCN is not POFA compliant and they know it.

There is no legal means by which they can hold you liable - you can clearly point that out to them through the mediation process.

Your offer is £0 because that is exactly what you own them.

Do not take any more calls from them.

They will discontinue in due course.

thank you for the clarification, I will do this.