G24 Ltd using debt recovery agency

A question about : G24 Ltd using debt recovery agency

I have just received a PCN from G24 Ltd for overstaying a free car park for 5 minutes. The charge is Ј95 payable in 28 days (Ј75 if paid within 14 days). After this period they say they will forward the debt to a debt recovery agent.

After reading the article on this website and other people's experiences on this forum, I have decided to ignore the letter.

HOWEVER - I am a bit concerned about them passng this to a debt recovery agent -does this mean we could have a bailiff at the door to take away our TV, or tow away our car on the drive? Would they have to give any notice to us before they can do this?

I'm probably being paranoid, but any advice you can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Best answers:

• THanks Orford - I'll sleep easy now!
• Do not confuse the words "bailiff" with "debt collector" . The two are entirety different animals. A debt collector is just a private citizen with no special powers. They cannot enter your house , they cannot seize goods and they cannot blacken your credit record. If they do turn up at your door, just tell them to "go away". What exact phrase you use is entirely up to you!. If they refuse to leave then call the police.
  Bailiffs on the other hand are "officers of the court". They only come on the scene in the unlikely event the case goes to court, the even more unlikely event that you lose the case, and you fail to pay whatever the judge orders.
  So just relax and ignore any more correspondence and do not contact them.
• Thanks for the advice.
• Important distinction:
  "Debt recovery agents" are completely powerless individuals who can't do a thing. In the incredibly rare event that one should turn up at your door (and they won't in this case, as G24's business model is 100% mail based and relies only on scaring and misleading people by letter) you tell them to scarper and if they don't budge you call the police and have them nicked.
  Bailiffs, on the other hand, work for courts, and will only execute a warrant in the scenario identified by Orford above. Again, that isn't going to happen because there is not a single known instance of G24 suing anyone. (They don't sue because civil penalties are unenforceable. As I have said, their business model consists solely of sending out misleading threat-o-grams and waiting for the cheques to roll in.)
  You will almost certainly get a couple of threat-o-grams from CCS Collect over the next couple of months. CCS Collect are a trading name of G24. It's all part of the same scam.
  All you have to do is ignore them and they'll give up on you.
  Post back on here if/when you get any further letters, if you need any more reassurance.
  EDIT - trisontana beat me to it!
• Thanks Taxiphil - looks like I've just saved myself Ј95!
  I just wonder how many unfortunate people don't have access to this great source of info, and simply pay up... probably vulnerable people like my grandparents, who can afford it even less than myself.
• firsttimebuyers- looks like we got letters from G24 at the same sort of time saing exactly the same thing, we too have decided to ignore. Recieved the 'final notice to pay' this morning, I'm worrying again now but feel a little reassured after coming back on here, have you had any more letters?
• HMMMMM...DID YOU NOT NOTICE THIS THREAD DATES FROM 2010??
  HMMMMM...DID YOU NOT NOTICE THIS THREAD DATES FROM 2010??
  WHY ARE YOU READING IT NOW AND PICKING UP OLD ADVICE?!
  EDITED IN 2014 - THE ADVICE CHANGED OVER A YEAR AGO!!!!!
  WHY OH WHY OH WHY ARE PEOPLE GOOGLING, READING AND BELIEVING OLD ADVICE???
  IF YOU HAVE COME THIS FAR THEN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ ADVICE FROM THE CURRENT WEEK/MONTH!
  
  YOU ONLY HAVE TO CLICK ONE CLICK FROM HERE TO GET TO PAGE ONE OF THIS FORUM AND ALL THE NEW ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO WIN AT APPEAL.
  
  
  Please...newbies, stop reading old 'ignore' advice and not thinking to actually find page one of the same forum!
  My signature even tells you where to click to get to page one and CURRENT advice.
• reallytinyamy - I'm at the same stage as you I think.... received our second letter, a 'final notice' saying that the initial 14 days have passed so the fine increases from Ј75 to Ј95. I'm still going to ignore it, I'm confident the advice on here is right!!! And besides, I don't have a spare Ј95 for them to pinch off me!!
  Keep me posted on how you get on!!
  My scanner is knackered at the moment, so as soon as I get it sorted I'll scan the letters on.
• firsttimebuyer- out 'final notice' was out 3rd letter. i've just a had a look and the 1st and 3rd letters have the same format, red bold writing at top and blue boxes, but the 2nd is just a sheet of white paper with a tiny address at the bottom.....?
  they have also got the dates wrong, our 'fine' was issued on 7/1/10 and the 2nd letter dated 22/1/10 they are now saying the 'fine' was issued on 22/1/10!!!!
• I've just checked and our second letter isn't a final reminder, so I guess that will be next. Sounds like you're a letter ahead of us... so you can be the guinea pig!!! Like yours, our second letter is just a basic letter saying that the initial 14 days are up and the charge has gone up to Ј95. I'm looking forward to the colourfull final reminder!!!
• There have been plenty more guinea pigs before you, and no evidence of G24 ever doing anything more than sending out silly letters.
  Here's one of my letterchains off G24 (my scanner is bust at the moment or I'd upload them):
  1. "CHARGE CERTIFICATE - Civil Traffic Enforcement Notice"
  
  16 days later
  2. "Notice to Owner/Keeper/Hirer/Driver FINAL REMINDER"
  
  25 days later
  3. "Formal notice of intended court action" from CCS Collect Debt Collectors (just a trading name of G24)
  20 days later
  4. "NOTICE OF INTENDED LEGAL ACTION" - no letterhead this time - just an instruction to pay CCS. The layout and design of this one is trying to mimic an official court-type document.
  25 days later
  5. "72 HOUR NOTICE OF HOME VISIT" from CCS Collect (but what about the legal action you promised me in your last letter? And I thought the letter you sent me 70 days ago was a Final Reminder? Not very final, was it?)
  
  That final letter in that particular letterchain was 8 months ago. Needless to say there was no home visit and no court action, and I've heard nothing further since. Apart from when I purposely overstayed in the same car park again, triggering the same letterchain all over again.
• 5. "72 HOUR NOTICE OF HOME VISIT" from CCS Collect
  That should be cause for a serious complaint to the CSA, it is outwith their code.
• That particular letter goes on to say:
  "The purpose of this visit is to obtain payment or to investigate your home situation"
  Excuse me? "Investigate your home situation"? Investigate it how, exactly? And under what authority?
  G24 are pure scum for trying to terrorise the more vulnerable and less knowledgeable people in the world.
  The irony is that G24's director Adrian King has opted to have his home address omitted from the Companies House register. He thinks that he is entitled to know your home address, but doesn't believe that you are entitled to know his home address.
  His home address is Somerset Cottage, Dukes Wood Drive, Gerrards Cross SL9 7LL.
  Now we're all even, Adrian. It seems only fair.
• I know this isn't my thread but it has really helped me with my G24 situation!! Just wanted to say thank you for all the advice and information given, it really has put my mind at rest, I have been so worried, to the point of not sleeping about this, we don't have the money to pay, now let them bring it on, I am reassurred that I will be fine and, almost, looking forward to the next letter to see what they come up with.
  I'm sure I wil have a little worry when the next ne comes, but I will just pop back here and reind myself that those scumbags are in the wrong and not me.....thank you everybody