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MET Parking Services - trolls

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Comments

  • spacey2012
    spacey2012 Posts: 5,836
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    Another case of incorrectly operating ANPR cameras.
    And they use this junk for court.
    Can we have a new sticky ?
    ANPR parking camera errors ?
    We need some evidence in one place to start pulling these ho,e made gadgets apart and convince courts not to accept them unless they obtain VCA approved devices.
    Which they wont as they wont be able to scam anyone.
    Be happy...;)
  • bryth65
    bryth65 Posts: 9 Forumite
    Situation so far: I sent an appeal to MET, requesting that they cancel the charge on the basis that I made two visits to the car park, over 4 hours apart.

    I contacted McDonalds via their website, and they passed on my comments to the manager of the franchise in question. He asked for the parking charge notice number and the car registration. He contacted MET requesting them to cancel the charge and advised me that I would need to take no further action. He also said that he had asked MET to review the signage in the car park and check that their ANPR cameras were operating correctly.

    The McDonalds manager made comments about ensuring that the car park was used only by their customers, the signage is prominent, the 'free stay' limit was reasonable, etc. I responded, repeating that seeing the signs and agreeing to the T&Cs is irrelevant when I made two visits of approx 5 and 15 mins, over 4 hours apart. I added that upon my first visit, several minutes before sunrise, the signs would not be visible as they are too high to be picked out by car headlights and there was insufficient illumination in the car park.

    I am expecting MET to ignore the McDonalds manager's request and pursue this. If so, I am toying with the idea of repeating the two visits in similar daylight conditions, ensuring that I record the visits (perhaps usign the McDonalds manager as a witness, if he agrees). If I get another charge notice, I would then make a DPA Subject Access Request to MET. They are screwed either way. If they do find evidence of two trips they have issued a charge notice in error. If they do not, their systems are faulty. I can then complain to BPA, DVLA, local/national papers, BBC Watchdog, my local MP, friends/family, and anyone else prepared to listen :D
  • Umkomaas
    Umkomaas Posts: 41,252
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    bryth65 wrote: »
    Situation so far: I sent an appeal to MET, requesting that they cancel the charge on the basis that I made two visits to the car park, over 4 hours apart.

    I contacted McDonalds via their website, and they passed on my comments to the manager of the franchise in question. He asked for the parking charge notice number and the car registration. He contacted MET requesting them to cancel the charge and advised me that I would need to take no further action. He also said that he had asked MET to review the signage in the car park and check that their ANPR cameras were operating correctly.

    The McDonalds manager made comments about ensuring that the car park was used only by their customers, the signage is prominent, the 'free stay' limit was reasonable, etc. I responded, repeating that seeing the signs and agreeing to the T&Cs is irrelevant when I made two visits of approx 5 and 15 mins, over 4 hours apart. I added that upon my first visit, several minutes before sunrise, the signs would not be visible as they are too high to be picked out by car headlights and there was insufficient illumination in the car park.

    I am expecting MET to ignore the McDonalds manager's request and pursue this. If so, I am toying with the idea of repeating the two visits in similar daylight conditions, ensuring that I record the visits (perhaps usign the McDonalds manager as a witness, if he agrees). If I get another charge notice, I would then make a DPA Subject Access Request to MET. They are screwed either way. If they do find evidence of two trips they have issued a charge notice in error. If they do not, their systems are faulty. I can then complain to BPA, DVLA, local/national papers, BBC Watchdog, my local MP, friends/family, and anyone else prepared to listen :D

    As their Principal (McD's manager) is telling them to cancel, then that's what they are required to do.

    Did you get written confirmation from the manager? If not, express your concerns that cowboy parking firms often ignore these requests, and would he be good enough to confirm in writing, because if MET do take you to court you WILL be calling him up as one of your witnesses!

    That should persuade him to fire up his typewriter :)
    Please note, we are not a legal advice forum. I personally don't get involved in critiquing court case Defences/Witness Statements, so unable to help on that front. Please don't ask. .

    I provide only my personal opinion, it is not a legal opinion, it is simply a personal one. I am not a lawyer.

    Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

    Private Parking Firms - Killing the High Street
  • bryth65
    bryth65 Posts: 9 Forumite
    Thanks Umkomaas, that sounds promising. I should now receive a courtesy letter from MET advising me that the charge has been cancelled (I won't hold my breath ;))

    All correspondence with the McD mgr has been via email. If MET ignore his request, I will ask him to put it in writing.
  • Umkomaas
    Umkomaas Posts: 41,252
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    bryth65 wrote: »
    Thanks Umkomaas, that sounds promising. I should now receive a courtesy letter from MET advising me that the charge has been cancelled (I won't hold my breath ;))

    All correspondence with the McD mgr has been via email. If MET ignore his request, I will ask him to put it in writing.

    If all your contact with the McD manager has been via email and he agreed via email that the charge would be cancelled, then you've already got it in writing. Just hang on to that email.
    Please note, we are not a legal advice forum. I personally don't get involved in critiquing court case Defences/Witness Statements, so unable to help on that front. Please don't ask. .

    I provide only my personal opinion, it is not a legal opinion, it is simply a personal one. I am not a lawyer.

    Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

    Private Parking Firms - Killing the High Street
  • It would be very interesting to learn how this one is progressing.

    Have MET cancelled the PCN, as McDonald's requested?
  • renard wrote: »
    It would be very interesting to learn how this one is progressing.

    Have MET cancelled the PCN, as McDonald's requested?

    Hi,

    I have not received anything further from MET, so I do not know for sure if it has been cancelled or not, but I think that it is safe to assume that I am in the clear now.
This discussion has been closed.
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