Short version: Bristol council did not respond to my partner's appeal, and instead passed the fine onto debt collectors and now we're being harassed. Is there anything we can do at this stage? Debt collectors are (unsurprisingly) not helpful on the phone, and Bristol council are just unobtainable.
Here's the full story:
In December 2017 my partner parked illegally outside our home in Bristol and received a parking ticket, which she paid immediately. About a month later, she received a reminder for a different PCN (but same date) which she had never received. However, she knew for a fact she had only parked illegally once, so this had to be a repeat penalty for the same offence. Common thing: one of the tickets must've blown away or been removed by someone else.
She emailed Bristol City Council explaining the situation and attached proof of payment of the other PCN. She received an automated response and, about a month later, an email saying she would need to wait for an 'Order of Recovery' before appealing the fine. She did this, appealed, and then received a letter saying the recovery/escalation of the fine had been cancelled but this didn't necessarily mean the original PCN had.
A few more weeks went by and she received the original PCN, the one she'd never got in the first place, with the option of paying the reduced £35 or appealing. Again she filled out the forms and appealed. She never got a response to this appeal.
Cut to December 2018, when she received a letter from the debt collectors saying they had been asked by Bristol City Council to recover the fine, and now she owes £188. She called, explained the situation, and was told by them to email them proof of the original PCN and to call them back on December 31st. She received an automated reply to this email, but no actual response. When she called on the 31st their lines were closed.
Today, she received a second letter from debt collectors and called them again, this time getting through. She was told the case has now been escalated to enforcement and was given the mobile number of someone who presumably is going to turn up and take her possessions, at a further fee of £235. She called this number and received no reply.
What do we do at this point? Just cancelling the fine at this point seems the bare minimum; she really needs compensation for the stress and wasted time.