Braintree Freeport - not so FREE!

Scamcharge · 25 February 2012 at 9:48AM

I’ve just been caught by a scam charge - £95 for usingBraintree Freeport shopping and leisure centre in Essex.

I’d spend all day there during half term with my son as atreat. We used the shops, swimming pooland cinema.

However, I didn’t realise that staying more than 6 hoursmeant a penalty car park fee. I’vereceived the notice a week later – with photo’s of my car! And, according to them, by parking I ‘agreedto be bound by the terms and conditions.’

According to their website you need to pay £3 to park allday or, if shopping at Freeport, visit tourist information.

What gets me is the disproportionate and duplicitous waythat Braintree Freeport went about this: no notice on my car asking me toexplain my overstay or giving me the offer of ‘validating’ my stay. No, just a demand for money.

Its typical of the attitude of many businesses to theircustomers nowadays. It reminds me ofother scams like payment surcharges.

Anyway else caught out by something similar? What did you do?

I’ll not be shopping at Braintree Freeport again!

peachyprice · 25 February 2012 at 10:03AM

It's not a penatly charge, it's an invoice you don't need to pay. Get over to the 'parking' board and they'll tell you what to do, which is usually ignore it.

wealdroam · 25 February 2012 at 12:22PM

Yes, do what Peachprice says... ignore it.

Do not get in contact at all. This is important, because as soon as they know someone is prepared to listen, the demanding letters will come thick and fast.

At this stage they have no idea who the driver was, all they know is the name of the registered keeper. Only the driver could possibly be bound to such a contract, and unless you tell them, they have no-one to sue.

I'm sure Squeaky will move this post to the parking board as soon as he sees it.

squeaky · 25 February 2012 at 9:34PM

Hi,

I'll move your query across to the Parking Board. Good luck

Forum_Team wrote:

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL='forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com']forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]

Kite2010 · 25 February 2012 at 9:44PM

You can argue that the landowner has suffered a small loss of £3, if that was made clear at the time of entering the car-park. However ignore the invoices from the PPC (which PPC is it by the way?)

give_them_FA · 25 February 2012 at 9:49PM

Thanks Squeaky! Poster, you summed it up yourself, it IS a scam charge. The guys above have got the idea: Do not contact the scammers in any way, don't write, ophone, protest, appeal.... they will just tell you it has to be paid...

Well, it doesn't. Good news, the charge has absolutely no foundation whatsoever in law and it cannot be enforced through any Court. Though you will be told different by the car park cowboys who sent you the ticket.

And as wealdrom has correctly stated, they could only pursue the driver, not you as registered keeper; and there is no way in which you can be made to say who the driver was- it isn't a real ticket, like police or council- it is a fake.

So you have NOT been fined £95, because it is not legal for private companies to fine anyone. You owe them, the princely sum of... £0. A frog's ransom.

That won't stop the scammers claiming the money and more beside; and getting pathetic debt collectors to try and frighten you; maybe even a solicitor who's as fake as their parking ticket.

But all you need do from here on in, is to completely IGNORE anything that gets sent to you. They go through a set routine of template letters, each one scarier than the last. But if you hold your nerve, they will conclude that you are one of the ever-increasing number of drivers who know their demands are totally baseless... and they will cut their losses and disappear.

Guaranteed. I should know, I've personally seen off over 80 of these scamotickets.

Any questions? No? OK, start ignoring.

taffy056 · 25 February 2012 at 9:52PM

Sound advice given already, basically it's an unenforceable invoice inviting you to pay, don't accept the invitation it's that simple, the RK of the car will receive some junk mail with outlandish threats, when you ignore it all they will crawl back to whence they came, and try and scam some other victim. The advice like in my signature is to - IGNORE

Kite2010 · 25 February 2012 at 9:54PM

I forgot to say I hope that is one retail/leisure park which has lost at least 1 returning customer.

taffy056 · 25 February 2012 at 9:57PM

By the way who are the scammers who gave you an invoice, we like to name and shamelessly deride on here ?

C.FORBES · 21 November 2013 at 5:30PM

I have also just been caught with this charge.
I contacted both the manager at the site and REALM who manage the site. Both of them stated that if I sent proof of purchasing at the site they would have the charge cancelled. They also stated that the full charge for all day parking was £3!!!!.
So you just need to complain, the more people do they will then listen. The real problem is people parking then using the train without shopping.

Scamcharge wrote: »

I’ve just been caught by a scam charge - £95 for usingBraintree Freeport shopping and leisure centre in Essex.

I’d spend all day there during half term with my son as atreat. We used the shops, swimming pooland cinema.

However, I didn’t realise that staying more than 6 hoursmeant a penalty car park fee. I’vereceived the notice a week later – with photo’s of my car! And, according to them, by parking I ‘agreedto be bound by the terms and conditions.’

According to their website you need to pay £3 to park allday or, if shopping at Freeport, visit tourist information.

What gets me is the disproportionate and duplicitous waythat Braintree Freeport went about this: no notice on my car asking me toexplain my overstay or giving me the offer of ‘validating’ my stay. No, just a demand for money.

Its typical of the attitude of many businesses to theircustomers nowadays. It reminds me ofother scams like payment surcharges.

Anyway else caught out by something similar? What did you do?

I’ll not be shopping at Braintree Freeport again!

bod1467 · 21 November 2013 at 5:32PM

The OP is a one-post newbie who has never been back since February. I doubt he/she'll see your post.

Braintree Freeport - not so FREE!

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