Featured in...
Dashboard
Debt Info
Debt Collectors

ZZPS Debt Collection for Parking Fines – Should You Pay?

Scott Nelson MoneyNerd Janine Marsh MoneyNerd
By
Scott
Scott Nelson MoneyNerd

Scott Nelson

Debt Expert

Scott Nelson is a renowned debt expert who supports people in debt with debt management and debt solution resources.

Learn more about Scott
&
Janine
Janine Marsh MoneyNerd

Janine Marsh

Financial Expert

Janine is a financial expert who supports individuals with debt management, cost-saving resources, and navigating parking tickets.

Learn more about Janine
· Feb 27th, 2024
Could you legally write off some debt? Answer below to get started.

Total amount of debt?

This isn’t a full fact find, MoneyNerd doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options.

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

Featured in...
ZZPS Debt Collection

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

Have you received a surprising letter from ZZPS Debt Collection about a parking fine? You might be asking yourself, ‘Should I pay?’

You’ve come to the right place. Every month, over 170,000 people visit our website for help with debt questions, just like yours.

In this article, we’ll guide you on:

  •  Who ZZPS are and why they are contacting you.
  •  Checking if the debt they claim is truly yours.
  •  The steps to take if you can’t afford to pay.
  •  The effects of ZZPS debt collection on your credit score.
  •  Ways to deal with ZZPS, including how to set up payment plans or even write off your debt.

We understand how confusing and scary it can be to get a debt collection letter. After all, nearly half of individuals who deal with debt collection agencies have experienced harassment or aggression1.

But don’t worry; you’re not alone. Let’s work through this together and help you understand your options.

Could you legally write off some debt?

There are several debt solutions in the UK, choosing the right one for you could write off some of your unaffordable debt, but the wrong one may be expensive and drawn out.

Answer below to get started.

How much debt do you have?

This isn’t a full fact find. MoneyNerd doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options.

Why are they contacting you? 

You’ve probably never heard of ZZPS before unless you’ve already had a parking fine chased by them.

They don’t own any parking lots or similar. Instead, they try to collect money on behalf of parking companies. This usually means that they’ll take a fee if they’re successful, so it’s in their interests to hound people to pay. 

If ZZPS have written to you, it’s likely that you’ve got an unpaid parking fine with another company. On the letter, it should give details or where and when the fine originates from, as well as how much you owe.

Often, such companies often have vague (or obvious) threats of legal action if you don’t pay. 

If you are feeling confused like this person, we recommend contacting a reputable source for advice. We recommend contacting a debt charity if needed – they will be able to offer you free and specific advice for dealing with ZZPS.

Typical Debt Collection Process

If you have received a letter from ZZPS, you might be panicking. But don’t worry; it’s the first step in their debt collection process.

Here’s a simple table to help you better understand the debt collection timeline. For more information on how debt collectors may contact you, don’t forget to read our detailed guide.

Stage Actions What you should do:
Missing one or two small payments Calls and letters from the debt collector asking for payment. They may enquire about reasons for missing payments. Contact the debt collector and offer to pay what you can. If you are struggling to pay the debt, get in touch with us to explore your options.
Missing large or multiple payments Their contact will become more frequent, urgent, and threatening. Contact the debt collection agency and offer to pay what you can. You may also make a complaint if you think the letters are a form of harassment.
Debt collector visit After a few months, if the debt is significant (£200+) you will receive notice of a debt collector visit. They have to notify you before arriving. Debt collectors cannot take anything from your home – they may only ask for payment. If a debt collector shows up at your home, ask them to show proof of the debt and their ID through a window. Do not open your door or let them in. You can arrange a payment plan with the debt collector, but make sure to get a receipt of this.
Court If you still do not pay your debts to the original lender/debt collector agency, they will take you to court and either attempt to:
– File a CCJ against you.
– File an attachment of earnings order.
– File a lawsuit against you.
You must show up to your court date. From here, you can either dispute the debt, or the judge will likely suggest a manageable repayment plan for you.

How should You deal with ZZPS debt collection? 

So, you’ve received a ZZPS debt collection letter. What should you do? There are several steps you can take to resolve the situation: 

Follow our ‘prove it’ guide with letter templates and get them to prove that you owe the money.

Pay up 

If you think that you were in the wrong when it comes to the parking fine, you might want to simply pay what you owe. This is often the quickest way of resolving issues with ZZPS and putting an end to any potential harassment.

Again, if they’ve added fees, you might want to dispute these and agree to pay the original amount instead. 

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Appeal to the parking company 

ZZPS won’t listen to any appeals when it comes to parking fines. However, the original parking company might. You can contact them and provide specific information about your case and why the fee should be waived.

Of course, they’re not obliged to cancel your parking fine, but they might call off ZZPS from chasing you. 

How a debt solution could help

Some debt solutions can:

  1. Stop nasty calls from creditors
  2. Freeze interest and charges
  3. Reduce your monthly payments

A few debt solutions can even result in writing off some of your debt.

Here’s an example:


Situation

Monthly income £2,504
Monthly expenses £2,345
Total debt £32,049

Monthly debt repayments

Before £587
After £158

£429 reduction in monthly payments

If you want to learn what debt solutions are available to you, click the button below to get started.

Get Started

Is ZZPS debt collection the same as bailiffs? 

There are several important distinctions between a debt collection agency and a bailiff. The first thing to mention is that ZZPS are not a bailiff, which means that their powers are limited. Let’s have a look at some of the important differences: 

  • Debt collection agencies have no greater powers than the company that issued the original fine, and they’re not allowed to pretend otherwise.
     
  • Bailiffs (known as enforcement agents) can come to your home and seize your belongings to cover the cost of your debt. Debt collectors can’t. 
  • Debt collection agencies can visit your home, but they have no right to enter your property. 

Main Differences Between Debt Collectors and Bailiffs

Here’s a simple table that will help you better understand the main differences between debt collectors and bailiffs. If you want to learn more about your rights when dealing with debt collectors, make sure to check out our specialized guide.

Category Debt Collectors Bailiffs
Bank Account Access Access your bank account – but only after a CCJ has been secured and not complied with.
After the creditor has taken you to court over missed payments, bailiffs/creditors can apply for a third-party debt order to freeze and take control of a bank account.
Leniency Negotiate a debt settlement. Tip: make sure to get this new arrangement in writing. If you tell them immediately that you are a vulnerable person, they must treat you with greater consideration and give you more time to respond to any contact.
Re-Selling Debt Sell your debt if they are unable to collect payment from you. Call and visit multiple times – there isn’t a set limit on how often they may contact you. If they can’t take any goods to sell or enter your property, they might return with a warrant and force entry to your property.
Visiting Your Home Conduct home visits (on rare occasions) and knock on your door. Conduct home visits and can enter without your permission as long as all of the correct legal steps have been taken.
Contact Hours Contact you by phone or mail. They’re allowed to call whenever they see reasonable without constituting harassment, usually between 8 am and 9 pm. Can visit your home anytime between 6 am and 9 pm (unless they have a court order that states otherwise).
Permission To Take Belongings They cannot take anything from your home. They may only ask you to make a payment. Take goods from inside and outside of your home once all legal steps have been taken. However, they cannot take essential items for domestic living or work purposes.
Court Actions Threaten to take you to court by suing you for payment on a debt. Can apply to the court to get permission to use ‘reasonable force’ to enter a home, which could mean breaking in. They have to give details to the court about how they will secure the property afterwards.

The distinction between these two types of organisation is important, especially if you’re dealing with ZZPS. They don’t have any powers to enter your home or take your belongings.

Can they increase your debt? 

Yes and no.

You’ll often find that debt collection agencies will try and add additional costs to your debt. This is to account for recovery costs in debt collection.

So, yes, you could end up owing ZZPS more, but not because they’ve increased your fine. Instead, they have added more fees on top of what you already owed.

Another thing to consider is that they may settle for less than the original amount. If you contact ZZPS, they may accept a lower level of payment than they originally demanded. 

Thousands have already tackled their debt

Every day our partners, The Debt Advice Service, help people find out whether they can lower their repayments and finally tackle or write off some of their debt.

Natasha

I’d recommend this firm to anyone struggling with debt – my mind has been put to rest, all is getting sorted.

Get started

Reviews shown are for The Debt Advice Service.

Can You Complain About ZZPS Debt Collectors?

Janine, our financial expert, explained that while debt collectors can visit your home for payments, they cannot come to your workplace, act threateningly, force payment, or discuss your finances with others.

If they violate these rules, you can complain.

If you think that ZZPS has behaved unreasonably and you want to make a complaint, you can have a look at their complaints procedure.

It is essential that you let ZZPS know about your problem before you go any further – they need to opportunity to sort it out themselves!

ZZPS are members of the Credit Services Association (CSA). This means that you can escalate your complaint if you feel that ZZPS has not dealt with your issues properly. You can also complain to the CSA if you think that their code of practices has been breached.

The CSA will investigate your issue and then write to you to let you know the outcome.

ZZPS Contact Information

Address: ZZPS Limited Bacchus House 1 Station Road
Addlestone Surrey, KT15 2AG
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.zzps.co.uk/
Phone: +441932918916

Contact the retailer 

If you received your parking fine while parking in a retailer’s car park, you might want to contact them to discuss the matter. They might be willing to contact the parking company on your behalf to get them to drop the charge.

Again, there’s no obligation for them to do so, but if you’re a regular customer, they might consider it. 

Could you legally write off some debt?

There are several debt solutions in the UK, choosing the right one for you could write off some of your unaffordable debt, but the wrong one may be expensive and drawn out.

Answer below to get started.

How much debt do you have?

This isn’t a full fact find. MoneyNerd doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options.

References

  1. Indebted Debt Collection Survey
Did you like this article?
Show your support ❤️
We're glad you liked the article! As a small team, your support means everything to us. If you could rate us on Google, it would be amazing. Thank you!
We are so sorry...

Is there something missing? We’re all ears and eager to improve. Send us a message and let us know how we can make our article more useful for you.

You can email us directly at [email protected] to share your feedback.

The authors
Scott Nelson MoneyNerd
Author
Scott Nelson is a renowned debt expert who supports people in debt with debt management and debt solution resources.
Janine Marsh MoneyNerd
Debt Expert
Janine is a financial expert who supports individuals with debt management, cost-saving resources, and navigating parking tickets.