So you've received a letter of demand from Mettam Legal?
Mettam Legal are a Western Australia based legal firm that specialises in Debt Collection. They are known to send out letters of demand for private parking companies such as Parking Enforcement Services.
Mettam Legal's website says "we act primarily for companies and businesses but we also act for debt collection agencies whose clients require court proceedings and enforcement action". So it is not clear if Mettam Legal are enaged directly by Parking Enforcement Services, or via a debt collection agency.
Greg Mettam is the principal of Mettam Legal. The "About" page of Mettam Legal's website says "Greg Mettam has been practicing law in Western Australia for more than 25 years and has extensive experience in civil litigation with a particular emphasis on debt recovery, bankruptcy and insolvency case".
If you have received a letter of demand from Mettam Legal, please refer to the FAQ pages of this site, especially FAQ05 which explains what your options are if you receive a letter of demand.
In this sample letter from Mettam Legal, solicitor Greg Mettam says:
"We act for Parking Enforcement Services in this matter. We are instructed to recover $65.00 from you being the amount due for breach notice ..... TAKE NOTICE: Unless $80.00is paid to Parking Enforcement Services within seven days of the date of this letter Mettam Legal will commence proceedings to reover the Debt from you without further notice". This letter was dated 4th February 2014."
Then on 20th March 2015 (note over one year later), the same person received a another letter from Greg Mettam at Mettam Legal for the exact same parking matter. This letter has the exact wording as the Mettam Legal letter from a year ago, except that this time it is asking for $80.00 instead of $65.00.
The other thing you will note of Greg Mettam's letters, is that he says in the first letter "Mettam Legal will commence proceedings to recover the the Debt from you without further notice". However, Mr Mettam didn't keep that promise because a year has past since the first letter and he's still making the same lame threats (known in the industry as threat-o-grams - fake threats that Mettam Legal have no intention of carrying out.).
Clearly if the person hadn't paid in over a year, then Mettam Legal were wasting their time and money by writing to this person again.
At the bottom of both letters from Mettam Legal it says "All queries must be made direct to our client through its website pesau.com..../appeals". However, the receiver of this letter is entitled, should they desire, to contact Greg Mattam directly and ask him what proof he has that you were the driver.
How to contact Mettam Legal:
(08) 9211 6166 or
(08) 9211 6165 or
(08) 9321 9488
Email: Greg.Mettam@iinet.net.au
Darlene.Carpenter@iinet.net.au