Euro car parks - Parking fine, do you think i could get away with...

mccristo · 8 March 2008 at 3:23PM

Hey guys,

A car park I've been using for the past 6 years which doesn't charge for parking (its outside a small set of shops Curries, Pets at home, PC world etc) has recently changed to Max stay 1 hour no return within 3 hours.

I had to accompany some pupils I have for exams so I parked in there then walked into the town centre, I was gone for 2hr 30 mins, nipped into pets at home, where I parked, for some guinnea pig food then went back to my car. Had a bloody parking ticket on the windscreen. I saw the sign its very clearly marked but I thought i could get away with it as a one off. The car park was nearly empty afterall its hardly as if I was an obstruction.

I feel like i've been stolen from to be honest, cant think of anyway to describe this aside from theft.

I read that as "Euro car parks" are a company not council I might be able to just get away with it? I can pay £30 as a settlement fee if I pay within 14 days but I thought I'd put it to you guys first

Careful_with_that_Axe · 8 March 2008 at 3:34PM

You thought you could get away with and were caught.
Answer is simple. Pay up.

chuckles1066 · 8 March 2008 at 3:38PM

mccristo wrote: »

I read that as "Euro car parks" are a company not council I might be able to just get away with it? I can pay £30 as a settlement fee if I pay within 14 days but I thought I'd put it to you guys first

It's unenforceable as Euro Car Parks aren't a statutory authority.

HERE is the definitive guide to dealing with private parking enforcers.....

peter_the_piper · 8 March 2008 at 3:56PM

Have you noticed that the times on the notices, when visible, are always a bit shorter than the time you would take if you visited all the shops? Anyway, do as Chuckles suggests or visit Pepipoo, both are mines of information.

mrs_scrooge · 8 March 2008 at 5:05PM

mccristo wrote: »

I saw the sign its very clearly marked but I thought i could get away with it as a one off.

Why? The fact that the car park is empty will make no difference to a parking warden.

I managed to appeal against a fine in a private car park last year but I genuinely had not seen the new signs and was actually in the shop concerned for the whole time. I'd have never dreamed of appealing otherwise. You chanced it knowingly and was unlucky.

There are however pages of posts on the thread just below yours
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=269814

Brooker_Dave · 8 March 2008 at 5:10PM

mccristo wrote: »

I feel like i've been stolen from to be honest, cant think of anyway to describe this aside from theft.

"I thought i could get away with it"

mccristo · 8 March 2008 at 5:11PM

Thanks Chuckles, I'll have a read through that.

If I was ordering a PC from PC world...not that I would lol but if I did I'd spend around 40/50 mins finding a pc I liked, 5 mins negotiating a slightly better deal, 10 to 15 mins sorting out paperwork and being asked for extended warrenties, 10 mins lag time when they cant find the pc I requested. The PC I wanted cost 1000 + VAT and then + my £30 parking fine as I spent 1hr 30 shopping. It stinks.

I'm just a little worried what will proceed, for £30 and my own peace of mind maybe i should just pay?

If I dont pay and I'm totally guessing here, they request my details from the DVLA, send me a reminder which will be £50 plus their admin fee. If I still dont pay do they then take me to court? Which could cost me thousands?

It gripes me to pay for something that I dont think I should but I'm thinking; write a mail merge to all the surrounding businesses saying I will never be shopping there again after getting a parking ticket, pay my £30 and hope for some vouchers

Brooker_Dave · 8 March 2008 at 5:15PM

mccristo wrote: »

pay my £30 and hope for some vouchers

You want someone else to pay your fine and you want compensation too???

chuckles1066 · 8 March 2008 at 5:15PM

mccristo wrote: »

I'm just a little worried what will proceed, for £30 and my own peace of mind maybe i should just pay?

If I dont pay and I'm totally guessing here, they request my details from the DVLA, send me a reminder which will be £50 plus their admin fee. If I still dont pay do they then take me to court? Which could cost me thousands?

No; DVLA will provide them details of the Registered Keeper.

Which isn't necessarily the driver. The Registered Keeper won't know who was driving the vehicle at the time, of course, so will be unable to help them with their enquiries

Don't pay under any circumstances!

custardy · 8 March 2008 at 5:15PM

the whole idea of these 1 hour car parks is so people can get in and do some shopping and then go.
how many times have you not bothered going ot a shop because you couldnt get parked?
this is why places need to enforce parking regulations.by your own admission you werent even shopping untilyou got back.
if you 'get away with it' then fine but this is why places need to bring in these measures.
i assume you walked into town to save paying for parking?

mccristo · 8 March 2008 at 5:18PM

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

"I thought i could get away with it"

Its not like I've robbed a bank is it? Parked in a near enough empty car park, it was also a fine example of parking skill I might add, perfectly straight. I was in a rush, as I said i've parked in there a million times, as I was running into town I saw the sign and thought !!!!!! it. I can understand that people are probably parking in there to walk up to the town centre, but to be honest doing that is a ball ache its far easier to park in a NCP. The car park to my knowledge was never full, always busy but never full. I dont see the justification apart from to steal peoples money? I thought I'd get away with it as far as not getting a ticket not as getting away with a crime.

Euro car parks - Parking fine, do you think i could get away with...

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