3. DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
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elatif

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DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« on: November 02, 2025, 05:42:46 pm »
Hi,

I've just received a letter from the DCBL requesting £170 for an unpaid parking charge from August 2024. I suspect the violation may likely be valid, and the reason I didn't receive it is because my address was out of date with the DVLA for about a year.

I had a similar letter a couple of weeks ago and ended up paying DCBL £120, but this time I am seriously annoyed and unwilling to pay. Is there anything I can do, considering I didn't receive the original fine due to an incorrect address with the DVLA.

Similarly, is there any way to find out if I have any other outstanding fines which may soon be taken to DCBL as well? This has started to really concern me, as I do not know how many charges have been sent to an address that I am no longer at, and have no way of contacting.

Thanks
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b789

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2025, 07:50:19 pm »
You have been conned. DCBL is a powerless debt collector and their only "power" is to try and intimidate the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree into paying out of ignorance and fear.

Why did you waste £120 when you could have paid £0? More importantly, have you since updated your address for the V5C with the DVLA. You risk a real "fine" of up to £1,000 if you haven't.

So, ignore DCBL. Any debt recovery letters can be safely shredded and used as hamster bedding for all anyone cares. What is more important is who are they acting for? What is the name of the unregulated parking firm?

Get out of your head any notion that these are "fines". They are simply speculative invoices from an unregulated parking firm for an alleged breach of contract by the driver. Do you simply pay any old invoice just because it lands on your doorstep?


As whichever parking firm that issued the PCNs has two possible addresses for you, what you must immediately do is email the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the parking firm with a Data Rectification Notice (DRN) and instruct them to update their records with your current address for service and to erase your old address. The highlighted words are there for a reason, so use them.


Once you've told us who the parking firm is, we may be able to give you further advice on how to proceed.
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elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2025, 02:13:58 pm »
Hi,

The parking form is Smart Parking (UK) Ltd.

Sorry, I feel quite bad now for having paid the £120, but naturally I am a little intimated by their threats of taking me to court. How do I know I can ignore them and not risk being taken to court over this?

Thanks for advice r.e. updating the address with Smart Parking, I will take action on this today. Yes, my V5C was updated during the summer and now correct.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2025, 02:33:01 pm by elatif »
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b789

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2025, 03:41:24 pm »
Why are you afraid of court? It's not "Rumpole of the Bailey". This is not a criminal matter. It is a civil contractual dispute that is handled in the county court. There are no wigs and gowns etc. A county court judge is the ultimate independent arbiter of the dispute.

Anyway, this would never reach the point of a hearing in front of a judge because in 99.999% of these cases, DCB Legal will issue an N279 Notice of Discontinuance before they have to pay the £27 trial fee.

If you follow our advice, you will not be paying a penny to (not so) Smart Parking and you will have learnt how to stand up for your rights.
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elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2025, 06:40:18 pm »

Okay thank you. I've just received a call from DCBL and questioned them heavily on how they got my address, to which they started stuttering and avoiding the question, so I am starting to see they're not the scary animal they are presenting themselves as. They still insist that proceedings can be taken against me for not paying the balance. What's my absolute worst case outcome if I refuse to pay?

In the meantime, what's my current play? You mentioned contacting the data protection officer at smart parking? Is there an official form or something I need to fill out and how do I find the correct contact? Thanks so much for your help

Quote from: b789 on November 03, 2025, 03:41:24 pm
Why are you afraid of court? It's not "Rumpole of the Bailey". This is not a criminal matter. It is a civil contractual dispute that is handled in the county court. There are no wigs and gowns etc. A county court judge is the ultimate independent arbiter of the dispute.

Anyway, this would never reach the point of a hearing in front of a judge because in 99.999% of these cases, DCB Legal will issue an N279 Notice of Discontinuance before they have to pay the £27 trial fee.

If you follow our advice, you will not be paying a penny to (not so) Smart Parking and you will have learnt how to stand up for your rights.
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jfollows

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2025, 06:56:48 pm »
I suggest you block DCBL’s number and never talk to them again. They are powerless and not a party to your dispute.

You will eventually get a Letter of Claim from DCB Legal to which you should respond.
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elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2025, 07:01:52 pm »
Sorry to sound totally ignorant, but if I ignore DCBL now and wait for DCB legal, am I just delaying the inevitable. Will I eventually get hit with something I have to respond to, and will I end up having to pay more in this case? What happens when DCB Legal get in contact? Sorry for the questions, I'm totally naive to all this!

Quote from: jfollows on November 03, 2025, 06:56:48 pm
I suggest you block DCBL’s number and never talk to them again. They are powerless and not a party to your dispute.

You will eventually get a Letter of Claim from DCB Legal to which you should respond.
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DWMB2

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2025, 07:04:18 pm »
You're not delaying anything. If/when the parking company decide to instruct DCB Legal is their decision to make.

DCBL aren't interested in anything other than making payment. If you plan to fight it, you must ignore DCBL and await a Letter of Claim
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elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2025, 07:10:17 pm »
My concern is that the fine may well be legitimate, and it is totally my fault for not updating my V5C for so long that I wasnt receiving the letters. I'm concerned that if I choose to fight it I'll have no leg to stand on. Will I have to pay more than the current £170 if it comes to that?

Quote from: DWMB2 on November 03, 2025, 07:04:18 pm
You're not delaying anything. If/when the parking company decide to instruct DCB Legal is their decision to make.

DCBL aren't interested in anything other than making payment. If you plan to fight it, you must ignore DCBL and await a Letter of Claim
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b789

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2025, 08:26:26 pm »
You are overthinking this. I can categorically tell you with greater than 99.9% certainty that this WILL escalate up to a county court claim for around £285 which if you follow the advice you are receiving here and it is defended with the template defence we provide, that if it is not actually struck out, it will definitely be discontinued before they have to pay the £27 trial fee, many months down the line.

Or, you can just be one of the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree who is easily intimidated into just paying up out of ignorance and fear. Your choice.
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DWMB2

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #10 on: November 03, 2025, 08:34:08 pm »
To put your mind at ease, have a search around on the forum for other cases conducted by DCB Legal - the number that have actually proceeded to a hearing are 2/3, out of several dozen (probably more than 100 at this stage).

Here's some bedtime reading from our friendly neighbours on MSE: DCB LEGAL RECORD OF PRIVATE PARKING COURT CLAIM DISCONTINUATIONS

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b789

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #11 on: November 03, 2025, 09:03:11 pm »
Quote from: DWMB2 on November 03, 2025, 08:34:08 pm
To put your mind at ease, have a search around on the forum for other cases conducted by DCB Legal - the number that have actually proceeded to a hearing are 2/3, out of several dozen (probably more than 100 at this stage).

Here's some bedtime reading from our friendly neighbours on MSE: DCB LEGAL RECORD OF PRIVATE PARKING COURT CLAIM DISCONTINUATIONS

Approaching 700 as of today.
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Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience” - Mark Twain

Away until at least 10th November. Limited access and there may be delays to any questions with ongoing cases.

elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #12 on: November 03, 2025, 10:42:26 pm »
Thanks, I appreciate it! Just for my peace of mind, where can I find more info regarding the template defence? I know it's civil court not criminal, but I've never had any such dealings so it's all a bit overwhelming to me. I'll be following advice though and *not* paying this.

Quote from: DWMB2 on November 03, 2025, 08:34:08 pm
To put your mind at ease, have a search around on the forum for other cases conducted by DCB Legal - the number that have actually proceeded to a hearing are 2/3, out of several dozen (probably more than 100 at this stage).

Here's some bedtime reading from our friendly neighbours on MSE: DCB LEGAL RECORD OF PRIVATE PARKING COURT CLAIM DISCONTINUATIONS
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elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #13 on: November 03, 2025, 10:43:09 pm »
Brilliant, thanks! That's eased my nerves a bit  :)

Quote from: b789 on November 03, 2025, 09:03:11 pm
Quote from: DWMB2 on November 03, 2025, 08:34:08 pm
To put your mind at ease, have a search around on the forum for other cases conducted by DCB Legal - the number that have actually proceeded to a hearing are 2/3, out of several dozen (probably more than 100 at this stage).

Here's some bedtime reading from our friendly neighbours on MSE: DCB LEGAL RECORD OF PRIVATE PARKING COURT CLAIM DISCONTINUATIONS

Approaching 700 as of today.
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elatif

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Re: DCBL unpaid parking charge NOT received
« Reply #14 on: November 04, 2025, 06:20:21 pm »
Sorry just a bump on this.

I have contacted the DPO at smart parking to update my address. I do believe that the original PCN may have been for a valid violation of the parking rules (either forgot to pay or overstayed allocated time in a car park, by genuine accident). Does this change my circumstances? I read some of the advice on MSE but this seemed to be for *unfair* parking tickets.

Should I be looking to pay the original PCN if possible, and ignore the DCBL claim?
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