Free Traffic Legal Advice

As advised, the Keeper submitted the completed Defence (and Draft Order) to claimresponses.cnbc on 16 June at 23.53 - within the deadline - and immediately received an automated acknowledgement.

They have now received notice of Judgment for Claimant(in default) stating that they have not replied to the claim form. This is clearly incorrect, and appears to be an error on the part of the court.

The form notes that the Defendant may apply for the judgment to be set aside, but this procedure appears to incur a significant fee, which does not seem appropriate in this instance.

DCB Legal have now responded to the email sent by the Keeper as you advised. Their reply continues to evade the specific question, although they now state that 'no VAT has ever been applied to the outstanding balance.' This suggests that they believe their own "Debt Recovery" fee to be exempt from VAT.

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From: Alexandria Owens <alexandria@dcblegal.co.uk>
To:
Date: 23/04/2025 12:08 BST
Subject:
 
Dear

We write in response to your correspondence received in our office dated 7th April 2025.

We now respond to the same as follows.

As previously advised, Parking Charges do not fall under the scope of VAT, as such, no VAT has ever been applied to the outstanding balance.

We refer to our communication of 25th March 2025, we confirm that despite your latest correspondence, our position remains as previously advised. As such, should our client instruct us to proceed with further legal action, we reserve the right to do so without any further reference to you.

If you are at all unsure of your legal position, we recommend that you seek your own independent legal advice.

You now have 30 days from the date of this email to make payment of £160.00. Failure to make payment will result in a Claim being issued against you without any further reference.

Payment can be made via bank transfer to our designated client account: -

Account Name: DCB Legal Ltd Client Account 
Sort Code: 20-24-09 
Account Number: 60964441
You must quote the correct case reference (     ) when making payment. If you do not, we may be unable to correctly allocate the payment. If further action is taken by us as a result of an incorrect reference being quoted, you will be liable for any further fees or costs incurred.

We would ask that you kindly furnish us with your most up to date telephone number, this can be emailed to us at info@dcblegal.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can contact DCB Legal Ltd on 0203 838 7038 to make payment over the telephone or online at https://dcblegal.co.uk/response/pay-online/.

Kind Regards, 

Alexandria Owens

DCB Legal Ltd 

Tel: 0203 838 7038 | DX 23457 Runcorn

dcblegal.co.uk | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook

DCB Legal have now responded to the email sent by the Keeper as you advised. Their reply was accompanied by a repeat of the photographs previously provided in the Notice to Keeper, showing the vehicle and registration mark, together with the site address, and arrival and departure times.

It appears that DCB Legal have, at best, only addressed some of the points raised in the previous email.

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From: Archie Kerrigan <ArchieC@dcblegal.co.uk>
To:
Date: 10/02/2025 12:27 GMT
Subject:

Dear

We write in response to your correspondence received in our office dated 28/01/2025.

We now respond to the same as follows.

This Parking charge was issued against you because your vehicle was parkd without a valid pay and display ticket at the location of Beckett ST, Leeds, LS9 7JX on 13/05/2024.

It is our position that the Letter of Claim (“LOC”) is compliant with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (“the Protocol”). The LOC provides adequate information for you to identify the debt that our Client is seeking to recover. We respectfully draw your attention to paragraph 2.1(c) of the Protocol and remind you that both parties are expected to act reasonably and proportionately.

As payment was not made, either within 14 or 28 days, the creditor was entitled to instruct debt recovery agents / Solicitors to pursue payment and is entitled to recover the costs of doing so.  It would have been made clear in the terms and conditions set out in the signs that additional enforcement costs may be incurred in the event of non-payment.

The HMRC ‘VAT Supply and Consideration manual’ (VATSC06140), which was last updated on 02 September 2020, confirmed that parking charges falls out of the scope of VAT. There is no requirement for a VAT invoice to be issued to you.

Please see attached for the relevant evidence.

You now have 30 days from the date of this email to make payment of £160.00. Failure to make payment will result in a Claim being issued against you without any further reference.

Payment can be made via bank transfer to our designated client account: -

Account Name: DCB Legal Ltd Client Account 
Sort Code: 20-24-09 
Account Number: 60964441
You must quote the correct case reference (      ) when making payment. If you do not, we may be unable to correctly allocate the payment. If further action is taken by us as a result of an incorrect reference being quoted, you will be liable for any further fees or costs incurred.

We would ask that you kindly furnish us with your most up to date telephone number and email address, this can be emailed to us at info@dcblegal.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can contact DCB Legal Ltd on 0203 838 7038 to make payment over the telephone or online at https://dcblegal.co.uk/response/pay-online/.

Kind Regards, 

Archie Kerrigan

Litigation Support Associate

DCB Legal Ltd

Tel: 0203 434 0433 | DX 23457 Runcorn

Your proposed robust response received with thanks! One question - you refer to an "unexplained additional £70"; how does this relate to the current demand for £160 in comparison with the previous I Park charge of £100?

I am requesting assistance on behalf of a friend (the Registered Keeper) who is totally unfamiliar with these procedures; I have some understanding of them.

On Beckett Street, Leeds there are three adjacent car parks (see aerial view). The outer two (B & C) are operated by Leeds council whilst the centre one (A) is operated by I Park Services. The letters also indicate the payment meter locations. It is not immediately apparent that these are separately operated areas.

On 13 May 2024 the Driver parked in car park A. Failing to see the meter at A, they paid for their parking at B as the nearest visible meter, believing this to be valid.

The RK received a Notice to Keeper from I Park Services dated 15 May 2024. They attempted to pay the charge online on 31 May at the 'reduced' rate of £60, but the system declined this, stating £100. No payment was made.

The NtK refers to the notice being deemed to be received on the second working day after the Date of Sending, namely 17 May. On this basis, 31 May should have been within fourteen days for the reduced rate.
The RK emailed I Park Services to query this, and may have inferred the identity of the Driver. No reply was received. Subsequently, the RK has received letters from DCB Ltd which have been ignored.

The RK has now received a Letter of Claim from DCB Legal Ltd dated 31 December 2024 for a 'debt' of £160, which has only recently been brought to my attention. This refers to liability as Keeper or Driver, and a 30-day response deadline. No reply has yet been made.

Do the letters and signage appear valid?  I'm aware that DCB Legal are bulk processors who tend to discontinue at a late stage.

I would appreciate advice as to how to proceed; thank you in advance.