The title of this thread tells you the real story here.
Ultimately ignoring the charges is what these people should have done.
The fact that they didn't is why they're now being ordered to pay.
Don't acknowledge them and there's nothing they can do. Respond to them and they can take action.
My missus works there and every single person she works with doesn't pay. Some days they get tickets, some days they don't. The tickets go in the bin, as do the letters they send 'asking' for payment. This has gone on for years and not one of the tickets has been chased through further action.
The reason they took these people through the civil court system was because the people tried to get the charges ruled as invalid. Technically they shot themselves in the foot by getting involved as a collective group - the parking company pursued it because collectively the fines amounted to such a large amount. If they'd just ignored the charges on an individual basis then they would have been fine.
Before anyone replies with the 'why should people think they can get away without paying' line, I'll just add this:
About ten years ago it was announced that parking charges were to be abolished at Welsh NHS hospitals. However staff were told that any private parking firms that had contracts would be allowed to see out the contracts so people might still have to pay at some hospitals 'for a few years' - ten years later these cowboys are still fleecing people and nobody seems to know why these people are still allowed to charge (surely it can't be a money making scheme can it?
)