Author Topic: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR  (Read 1295 times)

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Hello,

I received the below debt recovery plus letter stating met parking services issued a PCN on a rental vehicle to the driver of the reg listed which is a hire vehicle. I am not the registered keeper, the registered keeper is the rental company and I was the hirer for a period.

They are demanding £170 for an overstay and threatening court action as they have apparently contacted 8 times, though this may or may not be the case. However, I have not live at the property in which the letter has been addressed to for the last 18 months.

Please let me know what to do next, as I remember if my mind serves me well receiving a letter from the redirected from the rental company but it was at the £170 already a few months after the alleged contravention.

Thanks in advance

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Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #1 on: »
Did you receive a Notice to Hirer from Met Parking and did it contain attachments such as your rental agreement?
I expect you didn’t, but what exactly did you get from Met addressed to you (not forwarded from the rental company)?

Do you think that you probably missed this because it went to your old address?

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #2 on: »
OP, this is procedural at present.

This has nothing to do with you directly unless MET have received notice from 'the rental company' that they may not be held liable because the vehicle was subject to a hire agreement and satisfied further conditions in order to relieve themselves of liability and then complied with legislative procedure to hold you liable instead.

Pl do not reveal who was driving but deal with the procedural issues only.

So:
Is the vehicle hired or leased? In either case, the length of the agreement?
The 'rental company' name;
To whom is the debt letter addressed?
What previous documents have you received from MET and from the 'rental company' - you have to differentiate between correspondence addressed to you and that forwarded by the addressee?


Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #3 on: »
Did you receive a Notice to Hirer from Met Parking and did it contain attachments such as your rental agreement?
I expect you didn’t, but what exactly did you get from Met addressed to you (not forwarded from the rental company)?

Do you think that you probably missed this because it went to your old address?

Hi,

I may have received a notice from Met parking at some point when checking letters, but this was already at a higher value than inital parking ticket prices (likely because the hiring company took a long time to forward the information to the parking company, but i'm sure this should have been sent at a reduced rate as that was the first notification if i'm correct)

This didn't include any rental agreement.

I may have missed any subsequent communication as I do not reside at the property

Sorry, it's hard to recall as it's been a long time since the alleged contravention but vaguely trying to remember.

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #4 on: »
OP, this is procedural at present.

This has nothing to do with you directly unless MET have received notice from 'the rental company' that they may not be held liable because the vehicle was subject to a hire agreement and satisfied further conditions in order to relieve themselves of liability and then complied with legislative procedure to hold you liable instead.

Pl do not reveal who was driving but deal with the procedural issues only.

So:
Is the vehicle hired or leased? In either case, the length of the agreement?
The 'rental company' name;
To whom is the debt letter addressed?
What previous documents have you received from MET and from the 'rental company' - you have to differentiate between correspondence addressed to you and that forwarded by the addressee?

The vehicle was hired, this was an interim agreement whilst the original vehicle was in for repairs. Held said temporary car maybe for 2 months or less as had A/C issues.

This current debt letter is addressed to myself, the hirer but to my old address.

I received one letter from MET which was at a higher figure around 3 months past the alleged contravention. I didn't receive any communication related to this from the rental company.

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #5 on: »
Who is the rental company?
Is the agreement a lease or hire agreement?
When did the rental/lease begin and end(if it has)?
What address is on your driver's licence i.e. the one to which you suggest other notices and letters have been sent(A) or where you reside(B)?
What correspondence whether emails or letters (not forwarded letters addressed to the rental company but addressed to you) have you had with the rental company on this issue?

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #6 on: »
Who is the rental company?
Is the agreement a lease or hire agreement?
When did the rental/lease begin and end(if it has)?
What address is on your driver's licence i.e. the one to which you suggest other notices and letters have been sent(A) or where you reside(B)?
What correspondence whether emails or letters (not forwarded letters addressed to the rental company but addressed to you) have you had with the rental company on this issue?

Hello,

It is a hire agreement (this was an interim car whilst another car under hire was in for repairs)

The rental period began around 3rd August for a month or so

My driver's licence has my new address on it (Where I reside B)

I have had no emails or messages from the rental company on this having checked.

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #7 on: »
Do the following without delay...

Send a Data Rectification Notice (DRN) to the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of Met Parking. You can find their email address in their privacy statement on their website.

In the DRN, you inform them that you were the Hirer of the vehicle in question (DO NOT mention who was driving) and you instruct them to update their records with your current address for service and to erase the old address. The highlighted words are there for a reason, so use them.

Before this goes FUBAR, get that done.

Ignore everything from Debt Recovery Plus. They are powerless to do anything except to try and make you pay up or do something stupid out of ignorance and fear. Never, EVER, communicate with a useless and powerless debt recovery/ debt collection company. Ignore them!!!

Once MET have acknowledged your current address for service, you can then deal with the PCN itself. No one but you, the Hirer of the vehicle, knows who was the driver on the day. You, as the Hirer, are under no legal obligation to identify the driver to an unregulated private parking company. You only ever refer to the driver in the third person. No "I did this or that". Only "the driver did this or that".

Receiving a PCN in a leased or hired vehicle is a "Golden Ticket" as long as the drivers identity is not blabbed by the Hirer, inadvertently or otherwise. The reason is because only the unknown (to the parking company) driver can be liable due to their stupidity and inability to follow all the requirements of PoFA to be able to transfer the liability from the unknown driver to the known Hirer.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2025, 03:21:27 pm by b789 »
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience” - Mark Twain

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #8 on: »
Do the following without delay...

Send a Data Rectification Notice (DRN) to the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of Met Parking. You can find their email address in their privacy statement on their website.

In the DRN, you inform them that you were the Hirer of the vehicle in question (DO NOT mention who was driving) and you instruct them to update their records with your current address for service and to erase the old address. The highlighted words are there for a reason, so use them.

Before this goes FUBAR, get that done.

Ignore everything from Debt Recovery Plus. They are powerless to do anything except to try and make you pay up or do something stupid out of ignorance and fear. Never, EVER, communicate with a useless and powerless debt recovery/ debt collection company. Ignore them!!!

Once MET have acknowledged your current address for service, you can then deal with the PCN itself. No one but you, the Hirer of the vehicle, knows who was the driver on the day. You, as the Hirer, are under no legal obligation to identify the driver to an unregulated private parking company. You only ever refer to the driver in the third person. No "I did this or that". Only "the driver did this or that".

Receiving a PCN in a leased or hired vehicle is a "Golden Ticket" as long as the drivers identity is not blabbed by the Hirer, inadvertently or otherwise. The reason is because only the unknown (to the parking company) driver can be liable due to their stupidity and inability to follow all the requirements of PoFA to be able to transfer the liability from the unknown driver to the known Hirer.

Thank you, much appreciated for your guidance, will let you know how goes!

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #9 on: »
Do the following without delay...

Send a Data Rectification Notice (DRN) to the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of Met Parking. You can find their email address in their privacy statement on their website.

In the DRN, you inform them that you were the Hirer of the vehicle in question (DO NOT mention who was driving) and you instruct them to update their records with your current address for service and to erase the old address. The highlighted words are there for a reason, so use them.

Before this goes FUBAR, get that done.

Ignore everything from Debt Recovery Plus. They are powerless to do anything except to try and make you pay up or do something stupid out of ignorance and fear. Never, EVER, communicate with a useless and powerless debt recovery/ debt collection company. Ignore them!!!

Once MET have acknowledged your current address for service, you can then deal with the PCN itself. No one but you, the Hirer of the vehicle, knows who was the driver on the day. You, as the Hirer, are under no legal obligation to identify the driver to an unregulated private parking company. You only ever refer to the driver in the third person. No "I did this or that". Only "the driver did this or that".

Receiving a PCN in a leased or hired vehicle is a "Golden Ticket" as long as the drivers identity is not blabbed by the Hirer, inadvertently or otherwise. The reason is because only the unknown (to the parking company) driver can be liable due to their stupidity and inability to follow all the requirements of PoFA to be able to transfer the liability from the unknown driver to the known Hirer.

Having sent the above to Met, they responded with the below:

Good afternoon,

 

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the above parking charge. We note your comments however the above case is currently with our debt resolution agents, Debt Recovery Plus, all correspondence and questions must be addressed to them, their contact details are below.

 

They can be contacted via the following methods:

 

Telephone: 020 8234 6775

Online: www.debtrecoveryplus.co.uk

 

By law we are required to inform you that Ombudsman Services (www.ombudsman-services.org) provides an alternative dispute resolution service that would be competent to deal with your appeal. However, we have not chosen to participate in their alternative dispute resolution service.

 

Further correspondence sent to us regarding this parking charge may go unanswered.

 

Kind regards

Customer Services

MET Parking Services Ltd

PO Box 64168, London, WC1A 9BE

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #10 on: »
Did you send it to the Data Protection Officer?

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #11 on: »
Your DRN should have been emailed to dpo@metparking.com

They cannot just shrug you off and tell you to chase a third party that they, as the data controller, they are obliged, in law, to update their records.

If you didn't send your DRN to the email address above, I suggest you do so now, CC in yourself, and be prepared to follow up with a formal complaint to the ICO and the BPA and the DVLA.
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience” - Mark Twain

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #12 on: »
Did you send it to the Data Protection Officer?

Yes correct

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #13 on: »
Your DRN should have been emailed to dpo@metparking.com

They cannot just shrug you off and tell you to chase a third party that they, as the data controller, they are obliged, in law, to update their records.

If you didn't send your DRN to the email address above, I suggest you do so now, CC in yourself, and be prepared to follow up with a formal complaint to the ICO and the BPA and the DVLA.

Correct, I emailed the email you have mentioned

The response I sent above then came from their customer.services@metparking.com email address interestingly?

Thoughts on what to do next? I haven't responded to them

Re: DEBT RECOVERY PLUS - OVERSTAY MCDONALDS COLINDALE - RENTAL CAR
« Reply #14 on: »
Use this form another thread with the same issue:

1. Duty to Update Personal Data (Article 5(1)(d))

Under UK GDPR Article 5(1)(d), data must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. You have now informed them of a new address for service, and they are obliged to update their records accordingly. Their obligation to retain a historical address for audit or evidential purposes (e.g. why the PCN was sent there) does not override your right to have your current address used for ongoing or future correspondence.

2. Right to Rectification (Article 16)

Article 16 gives you the right to have inaccurate personal data rectified and, where applicable, to have incomplete data completed. Their refusal to update your address on the basis that they used the V5C address at the time of the event is irrelevant to ongoing or future processing. They are now processing the data for debt recovery, and must use your up-to-date address.

3. Erasure of Old Address (Article 17)

You requested erasure of the old address, which can be justified under Article 17(1)(c) where the data is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. If they argue it is still necessary (e.g. for evidential purposes), they must retain it securely but must not use it for service or further correspondence. That would be a misuse of out-of-date personal data.

4. Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f))

While they may rely on legitimate interests for processing, this does not negate your rights under Articles 16 and 17, nor does it excuse them from complying with your rectification request.

5. Misuse of Address for Service

Continuing to send letters or legal proceedings to the outdated address, despite being notified of the current one, would constitute unreasonable behaviour under the Civil Procedure Rules and also has Data Protection implications.

Respond to that letter/email you received with the following:

Quote
Subject: Data Rectification Under UK GDPR – Notice of Formal Non-Compliance

Dear Data Compliance Team,

I write further to your response regarding my data rectification request, and I must express serious concern at your apparent failure to understand your legal obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Your refusal to update your records with my current address, or to mark my previous address as obsolete, is both legally and procedurally unacceptable.

Let me be clear: you have now been formally notified of my current address for service. Continuing to process my personal data using an outdated address – including passing it to third parties – is a breach of your obligation under Article 5(1)(d) and Article 16 of the UK GDPR, which require personal data to be accurate, kept up to date, and rectified without delay. Continued use of an outdated address, despite formal notice, may constitute a misuse of my personal data and could be deemed unreasonable behaviour under the Civil Procedure Rules in the event of any legal proceedings.

Your reference to Article 6(1)(b) and (f) is entirely misplaced. The lawful basis for processing personal data does not exempt you from compliance with the data subject’s right to rectification or erasure where applicable. The fact that you obtained my previous address via the DVLA does not give you a perpetual right to rely on it once you have been notified it is no longer valid for service.

Your refusal to erase or mark the old address as obsolete also breaches Article 17(1)(c), as that data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was originally collected. While you may retain the historic address internally for evidential purposes, it must not be used for further correspondence or shared with third parties.

If this letter is received by someone who still cannot grasp your obligations under data protection law, I insist it be immediately passed to someone within your organisation who has the required competence and authority to respond appropriately. This is not a matter of discretion or internal policy – it is a matter of statutory compliance.

I also take this opportunity to make my position regarding DRP or any other so-called ‘debt recovery’ agent entirely clear. I will not be engaging with them under any circumstances. I am well aware that they are not a party to any alleged contract, have no lawful authority in this matter, and serve merely as data processors acting under your instruction. As the data controller, you remain uniquely and solely responsible for the processing of my personal data, including any transmission to third parties.

Accordingly, you are now formally required to:

1. Update your records with my current address for service and confirm in writing that this will be used for all future correspondence, including communications issued by your agents or legal representatives.

2. Confirm that the previous address has been erased or permanently marked as obsolete, and that it will not be used again for any form of contact or processing.

3. Acknowledge your full accountability as data controller for all data sharing to date and confirm that my current address has been provided to any third parties who were previously given the outdated information.

If you fail to act on this request within 14 days, I will escalate the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). I also reserve the right to pursue all available legal remedies, including seeking damages or costs where misuse of data or procedural abuse occurs.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience” - Mark Twain