Last week I mentioned my dispute with Indigo UK who manage the car park at my local train station.
You can read the sorry story here - Taken for a park and ride.
Despite the fact that I have taken the matter up with the Parking On Private Land Appeal service (POPLA), and advised Indigo of that fact, the company has passed the matter on to a debt collection agency and I am now being chased for £170.
This afternoon I spoke to someone at the agency (who was very helpful) and the next stage, if I don't cough up pronto, is a letter from the legal department followed by the threat of court action.
He promised me though that as long as it doesn't go to court it shouldn't cost me more than a few hundred pounds (that I will never get back) to continue my challenge to the original penalty.
So that's good news.
I'll keep you posted.
Update: This gets better and better.
I rang POPLA this morning to check what's happening with my appeal. Incredibly, despite having received an email ten days ago confirming receipt of my appeal, they claimed to have no record of an appeal.
They asked for my verification code (the 10-digit number Indigo gave me when rejecting my original appeal) and my car registration number.
Nope, they said. My registration number doesn't tally with the number associated with the verification code Indigo gave me.
"That's because Indigo have screwed up," I said. "In the letter they sent me rejecting my appeal they referred to my 'motorcycle'.
"You'll probably find that verification number they've given me actually relates to the registration number of a motorcycle that has nothing to do with me!"
The long and the short of it is this. Despite having received and acknowledged my (second) appeal, POPLA has not progressed it one iota.
Instead they have asked me to write to them again and their IT department will look into it.
They also suggested that if I'm dissatisfied with Indigo (I am!) I should write to a third body, the British Parking Association.
My reaction wasn't very polite but can you blame me?