Parking ticket in Asda car park - Is this legal, can they take me to court?

molerat

marleyboy wrote: »

There will come a time when supermarkets will have enough of having their free parking abused by people who think its acceptable to use their carpark to go to a concert or go to work down the road and will opt to charge customers via a pay n display scheme. Who can blame them, when folk think it perfectly satisfactory to "take the mick".

In the meantime, I would urge you to get advice from legal sources rather than anonymous forums that claim you can just skip it and move on, I am sure should it reach a court, simply saying to the judge "someone on a forum said don't pay it your honour" would not work in your favour very well.

Installing P&D would make no difference. If you do not P&D the supermarkets are in the same position, sweet FA they can do. The only real solution is barrier controlled parking with charges that will deter the mick takers. If you want short term parking you set the charges accordingly. Scan your shop receipt for free exit.

Advice has already been given on Watchdog, make a paper aeroplane with the hollow threats. The advice on here is not to worry until the unlikely instance when you get actual court paperwork and then take further advice from pepipoo and wipe the floor with the ppc.

marleyboy

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

What a stupid generalisation. Have you bothered to look at the level and detail of advice handed out on sites like Pepipoo and this. It is not just a case of do not pay it and if it ever went to court (unlikely) a full defence would be pulled together. The defences I have seen on Pepipoo have been very good indeed.

It depends who is giving the advice. When it is someone like Sarahg1969, Colcbris or peter_the_piper who plainly know what they are talking about and have a proven track record then why not listen to them.

There is nothing stupid about seeking legal advice away from a pubic forum, if anything, I would think it pretty stupid to just accept advice on a public forum (especially when it comes to legal advice) as fact.

Regardless of the advice given, its always far better to double check such advice with somebody certified rather than take any unnecessary risks based on some info you have read on a forum.

adouglasmhor

marleyboy wrote: »

There is nothing stupid about seeking legal advice away from a pubic forum, if anything, I would think it pretty stupid to just accept advice on a public forum (especially when it comes to legal advice) as fact.

Regardless of the advice given, its always far better to double check such advice with somebody certified rather than take any unnecessary risks based on some info you have read on a forum.

You would be as well just paying it then, as solicitors don't work for nothing.

pendulum

marleyboy wrote: »

My advice is not to listen to ANYONE on this thread

Especially you.

marleyboy

Yep Me, You or ANYONE, ESPECIALLY someone who is an anonymous member on a forum, as far as I know I come under the term ANYONE, personally whether I pay a fine or not would depend on whether someone certified could tell me, certainly not on some anonymous posts on a forum.

Quite possibly I would be better off paying the fine, if a solicitors fee costs more, unless I know a certified solicitor as a friend who could advise me, rather than take any risks based on what a stranger has told me.

trisontana

marleyboy wrote: »

Yep Me, You or ANYONE, ESPECIALLY someone who is an anonymous member on a forum, as far as I know I come under the term ANYONE, personally whether I pay a fine or not would depend on whether someone certified could tell me, certainly not on some anonymous posts on a forum.

Quite possibly I would be better off paying the fine, if a solicitors fee costs more, unless I know a certified solicitor as a friend who could advise me, rather than take any risks based on what a stranger has told me.

Except that a parking demand from a private parking company is not a "fine", it's an invoice. This is the game that private parking companies like to play. They rely on the fact that many people don't know the difference between a council fine and a private invoice, and the difference between debt collectors and bailiffs. They word their paperwork to look very official, when in fact they are just worthless bits of paper, suitable only for making model planes.

jimbms

Although in principal I have to condemn you for parking in a disabled space just to save you getting wet, I also feel you should not pay these Town & Country cowboys because they use bullyboy tactics to try and extort monies illegally. It may amuse you to know that the same company keep trying his on here but fail to realise the Isle of Man has completely different laws from the UK and as such the onus is on the parking company to prove behond doubt that a person overstayed the stated time and did not use the store until they can do this they cannot be issued with a cars owner details, they also are not allowed to put any barrier up without planning permission and complying with a nightmare of conditions, plus the fact wheel clamping here is a criminal offence as they once found out to thier cost, one local pub a few months ago had a competition to see who could get the most tickets from them in a week. I believe the winner had 17.

marleyboy

trisontana wrote: »

Except that a parking demand from a private parking company is not a "fine", it's an invoice. This is the game that private parking companies like to play. They rely on the fact that many people don't know the difference between a council fine and a private invoice, and the difference between debt collectors and bailiffs. They word their paperwork to look very official, when in fact they are just worthless bits of paper, suitable only for making model planes.

This may or may not be the case, it is something I would want a certified or qualified legal expert to tell me rather than chance taking your word for it.

This is not to say I doubt your word, as in anything legal, it is something I would not chance risking by taking a forum post at face value.

Indeed the very first rule on the MSE forum rules http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/forum-faqs states;

All info is the opinion of posters – it’s not our view. We have an amazing forum with a huge wealth of helpful info. Yet remember it's open to all, and sometimes messages are posted that are misleading or downright wrong, most users are helpful but there are always a few bad apples. Don't rely on information being accurate or complete. If you do, it's at your own risk. Please do your own research before acting.

There is a perfectly valid reason this has been included.

lucylucky

"This may or may not be the case"

Are you suggesting that the paperwork issued by PPCs may be a "fine"?

If you do a little research you will realise they are not.
PPCs do not have the authority to issue fines.

trisontana

If PPCs can issue "fines", then equally I can "fine" someone for parking on my driveway. As this is clearly not the case and the PPCs have no more powers than any other private citizen, then their "fines" are just empty threats.