Can they not sell the debt on to bailiffs though as another option which could be damaging to your credit score?
Someone been watching too much reality TV? Listening to unsubstantiated rumours on social media?
The "debt" cannot be "sold" to "bailiffs". There is no "debt" until a judge says there is.
Where to start with this? The debt collectors cannot "buy" the "alleged debt". What they do is offer a no-win, no-fee service to the PPC. They tag on a fake £70 to the original charge and use scary words to try and pluck the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree into pooping their pants out of ignorance of the process and the law to capitulate and pay up.
What most people don't understand is that the debt collector is not a party to the contract that the driver is alleged to have breached with the PPC. As they are not a party to that contract, they cannot do anything. However, the gullible see the words "bailiff" and "CCJ" and cave in and pay up when there is absolutely no reason to do so.
Debt collectors can be safely ignored. They cannot send round "bailiffs" and they cannot get a "CCJ". They cannot do anything. Never, ever, ever, ever, communicate with a useless debt collector. Just ignore them. They will eventually give up.
Another fallacy is the concept that because you have received a PCN (mistakenly thought of as a "fine" when all it is, is a speculative invoice from a private company) that your credit record will be affected. Utter rubbish.
The only way your credit record can be affected is if a debt claim was made against you in the county court, you lost the claim and then didn't pay the judgment amount within 28 days. That is a CCJ. Even if you lost in court, as long as the CCJ is paid in full within 28 days of judgment, there is no record of it on your credit history. It is completely expunged from the record. If it is paid after 28 days, then it remains on your credit record but marked as "satisfied" for 6 years. That is about 1 degree less painful than an "unsatisfied" CCJ.
So, even if you were sued in court for the alleged debt and a judge decided you do owe it, as long as it is paid in full within 28 days of that judgment, there its no record of it and no damage to your credit score. No one here would advise anything that could get you a CCJ.
As for bailiffs... A court approved bailiff cannot simply turn up at your doorstep. A bailiff can only show up if a CCJ was made against you in court, it was for over £600 and a warrant/writ for it has been issued. For CCJs under £600, there would not be any bailiffs.
So, can we put this nonsense to bed about selling debts, bailiffs knocking at your door and damaged credit records?