Pretty much as above - They can only "try" and sue you for genuine losses - being a private company they cannot issue fines etc. Basically they try it on and see if you buckle and pay them. Sometimes they might take a case to court for a laugh if they are feeling lucky and for whatever reason the other party has put their foot in it (by saying something like "After signing your contract to store the car at £50 a day up to a max of 4 weeks after which you would weight in it, and then leaving it 2 months I decided that this was too expensive so I want my car back plz")
Them picking a vehicle up and storing it for a fortnight hasn't genuinely cost them £480, and even if it did, you never entered into a contract with them agreeing that you would pay this amount. Again, they are just a private company who you never entered any contract with - You don't owe them £480, especially If this is genuinely the first thing you have heard from them!
They will threaten court and use scary legal speak - they will even probably eventually pass it on to some fairy tale"debt collectors". These "debt collectors" might phone you up and send scary letters, but they have no more power than any man off the street - they aren't bailiffs, so all they can do is call and annoy you.
The only way that this could have a genuine affect on your credit rating (or have anyone with authority to remove goods turn up at your house) would be for them to take you to court (quite unlikely) and to win (provided you bother with a defense you'd more than likely win).
You could send them a letter back stating that you never entered into any contract with them with regards to paying recovery fees, and since they have not contacted you you will not entertain responsibility for their storage fees, however you are willing to sign ownership of the vehicle over to them to do as they please. Make sure any contact with them is in writing, and keep a copy of it all, just in case.
I would guess that a good percentage of vehicles they uplift end up in a similar situation, they will be used to it. Don't lose any sleep over it.
If you want some more info off people who are a bit more into this kind of pseudo contract law, go to www.pepipoo.com and stick a thread up - they will probably give you advice more or less along the lines of what I have.
Them picking a vehicle up and storing it for a fortnight hasn't genuinely cost them £480, and even if it did, you never entered into a contract with them agreeing that you would pay this amount. Again, they are just a private company who you never entered any contract with - You don't owe them £480, especially If this is genuinely the first thing you have heard from them!
They will threaten court and use scary legal speak - they will even probably eventually pass it on to some fairy tale"debt collectors". These "debt collectors" might phone you up and send scary letters, but they have no more power than any man off the street - they aren't bailiffs, so all they can do is call and annoy you.
The only way that this could have a genuine affect on your credit rating (or have anyone with authority to remove goods turn up at your house) would be for them to take you to court (quite unlikely) and to win (provided you bother with a defense you'd more than likely win).
You could send them a letter back stating that you never entered into any contract with them with regards to paying recovery fees, and since they have not contacted you you will not entertain responsibility for their storage fees, however you are willing to sign ownership of the vehicle over to them to do as they please. Make sure any contact with them is in writing, and keep a copy of it all, just in case.
I would guess that a good percentage of vehicles they uplift end up in a similar situation, they will be used to it. Don't lose any sleep over it.
If you want some more info off people who are a bit more into this kind of pseudo contract law, go to www.pepipoo.com and stick a thread up - they will probably give you advice more or less along the lines of what I have.