Whether you do or you don’t engage with the kangaroo court that is the IAS has absolutely no bearing on anything going forwards. There are no “standard procedures”. You are dealing with an unregulated private parking company.
I can guarantee that if/when they do issue a claim, they will be in breach of CPR 16.4 the moment they issue it. That alone is grounds for strike out, never mind the reasons for the claim in the first place.
Thy really do not want a judge to consider their claim because thy are likely to get a proverbial spanking. They rely on your gullibility and ignorance of the process and the law to actually pay up before the claim goes to a hearing.
Over 41,000 PCNs are issued every single day by these unregulated private parking companies. The majority are paid at the “mugs discount” rate. For those that are challenged through the appeals process, depending on whether through POPLA or the IAS, many recipients think that that is the end of the process and they must pay up. It isn’t and they don’t have to.
Of those that go as far as a claim, the majority (who don’t get the advice given here or on MSE) end up as either default CCJs because the defendant has no idea of the process or deadlines or else the defendant poops their pants and pays up out of fear of litigation.
The rest, when defended properly, end up being discontinued before any hearing. Those that do end up at a hearing, which is very few, are usually successful. Even if it weren’t, there is no danger of a CCJ because as long as the CCJ is fully paid within 28 days of judgment, it is completely expunged from your credit record. Also, the actual CCJ is usually less than the claim amount anyway.
So, the odds are in your favour if you honestly believe that you have been issued the PCN unfairly or unlawfully.
