A woman has been hit with a letter from debt collectors after she was accused of parking in a FREE car park for more than the time acceptable - but she claims she was never there.
Alison Boyle returned home from a holiday last weekend (January 13) to find a letter from debt collectors DCBL on her doorstep, for a parking fine of £170 at Tower Retail Car Park in Crayford.
After feeling blissfully unaware as to why she had received a letter, she called the debt collectors phoneline, but to her dismay, they were not open at the weekend.
Alison told the News Shopper: “You can imagine how angry I was, I couldn’t even sleep.
“So, I rang on Monday and asked where the parking fines were, and the man said that they were sent to my previous address.
“I will hold my hands up, we moved here last year, and I'd forgotten to change my address.
“It was amazing how the company did not contact me when the parking fine was returned to sender.
“I asked what the fine was for, and he said, ‘well obviously, you outstayed your welcome’.”
Tower Retail Car Park, looked after by Group Nexus, offers free parking for customers for a maximum of three hours, with no returns within two hours.
A spokesperson for Group Nexus says that the payment was referred to the DCBL because it had not received any “correspondence or payments”.
The spokesperson added: “To date we have not received any correspondence or payments, so this was referred to DCBL for collection”.
Although Alison could not contest it, she went onto the Group Nexus website, and it said she was parked at car park in Crayford for three hours and eighteen minutes on October 16, 2023.
The notice claimed that Alison arrived at the car park at 4.18pm and left at 7.40pm, but Alison claims she was never there for that duration of time.
Alison explained: “What happened was, my partner parked there to pick up a birthday card for my son at 4.18pm.
“Then I went back to the McDonalds drive through at 7.40pm.
“So, the cameras have recorded my partner going into the car park, but not out, and its recording me leaving the drive through, but not entering.”
Alison claims that she can prove that she was working during those hours, and says she has proof of the two separate transactions on hers and her partners bank accounts.
Alison added: “You’re not allowed to return in two hours, but the drive thru shouldn’t be linked?
“But we didn't breach either the stated rule of no return in two hours or the accusation of having been in the car park.”
A spokesperson at Group Nexus says they cannot find a record of a “multi-visit”, and the parking charge reportedly does not relate to this particular visit.
Just last year, the Daily Mail spoke with a driver who received a £100 parking ticket for a 22-hour stay at the same car park in June 2020, but he claims his stay was actually two half-hour stays on two consecutive days.
Private parking firm Group Nexus issued the fine and offered to cancel it as a gesture of goodwill after The Daily Mail contacted them.
However, Lawrence believes that cancelling the charge is not an act of goodwill but a response to the company knowing the data was wrong.
A spokesperson for Group Nexus said regarding Alison's case: “With regards to chasing up for payment, to date we have not received any correspondence or payments, so this was referred to DCBL for collection.
"In addition, our correspondence was issued to the address provided to us by the DVLA for the registered keeper at the time.
“DCBL has traced Mrs Boyle's to a new address, so it appears her details were not kept up to date with the DVLA.
“Regarding Mrs Boyle's claim, we have checked the movements and cannot find a record of a multi visit.
“She has, however, stated that "my partner parked there to pick up a birthday card for my son at 4.18pm." but this Parking Charge does not relate to this visit.”
Alison added: “Because I am being threatened with legal action and a CCJ, I nearly paid the £170 fine.
“I then thought no, that is bullying and making you pay for something you haven't done.
“This has caused me many sleepless nights and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.
“It’s going to break my heart if I have to pay it.”
The DCBL has been approached for a comment.
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