Private Parking Tickets discussion

domsta

Hello all..I wonder if you can help.

I overstayed my welcome at a service station. There was no ticket left on my car..so I thought I had `escaped`. This morning the postie delivered a Parking Charge Notice asking for payment of an £80 charge or reduced figure of £50 by the 31st. They say they have photographic evidence...I have looked at the link they provided..it shows timed entry and leaving....the photos don`t clearly show the driver.

Couple of points really ...

1. The notice is addressed to me..but under my `shortened` middle name. Ive had the car for years and the garage knew me by my `shortened` middle name so must have registered the new driver with the DVLA in his way. I did notice...but as per...too busy to change it.
My drivering licence etc all have my full name on them. Sooooo if I ignore the notice....and they want to take things further....could this now help me??
2. Can they blow up the photos to provide a clearer view of the driver?

And lastly, I honestly didn`t notice and advice re parking...but sure it would be there somewhere...it was raining as I entered..had a coffee and it was chucking it down when I left with a colleague in their car...think it was clear when I returned and left with my car. I dont visit service stations normally..this was a one off. Mitigating circumstances?? What do you think/advise? Thanks in advance for any guidance...

Coblcris

domsta wrote: »

Hello all..I wonder if you can help.

I overstayed my welcome at a service station. There was no ticket left on my car..so I thought I had `escaped`. This morning the postie delivered a Parking Charge Notice asking for payment of an £80 charge or reduced figure of £50 by the 31st. They say they have photographic evidence...I have looked at the link they provided..it shows timed entry and leaving....the photos don`t clearly show the driver.

Couple of points really ...

1. The notice is addressed to me..but under my `shortened` middle name. Ive had the car for years and the garage knew me by my `shortened` middle name so must have registered the new driver with the DVLA in his way. I did notice...but as per...too busy to change it.
My drivering licence etc all have my full name on them. Sooooo if I ignore the notice....and they want to take things further....could this now help me??
2. Can they blow up the photos to provide a clearer view of the driver?

And lastly, I honestly didn`t notice and advice re parking...but sure it would be there somewhere...it was raining as I entered..had a coffee and it was chucking it down when I left with a colleague in their car...think it was clear when I returned and left with my car. I dont visit service stations normally..this was a one off. Mitigating circumstances?? What do you think/advise? Thanks in advance for any guidance...

Most interesting. This indicates to me that the Private Parking Company (whom you should ignore) may have obtained your details from a different source than the DVLA.
There are several possible ramification to this.
May I suggest that you send a written Subject Access Request (SAC) to the DVLA to obtain the names of the whosoever requested the Registered Keeper's details. To avoid a simple clerical error at the DVLA I would run the request from a start date of about a week before the 'incident'. There are no forms to fill in, A simple letter will suffice. There should not be a fee.
Contact me if you want assistance with formulating the text of the SAC letter.

Sir_Roger_deLodger

domsta wrote: »

2. Can they blow up the photos to provide a clearer view of the driver?

If they do, so what? They will have a photo of someone driving a car, but they still won't know who it is.

domsta wrote: »

And lastly, I honestly didn`t notice and advice re parking...but sure it would be there somewhere...it was raining as I entered..had a coffee and it was chucking it down when I left with a colleague in their car...think it was clear when I returned and left with my car. I dont visit service stations normally..this was a one off. Mitigating circumstances?? What do you think/advise? Thanks in advance for any guidance...

There are no "mitigating circumstances" with these clowns. They just want your money. Do not contact them and ignore all their letters, they will eventually give up.

If the letter is indeed addressed to a different name than the DVLA has for you, then follow Coblcris's advice in the above post.

BlondeChicka

Hi

I received a private parking charge just under a week ago and was starting to write a letter of appeal but after looking at this forum I'm not sure what to do....

I was in my local Lidl car park, using the store. The ticket says the free parking duration is 1hour and 30mins, my stay was 1hour and 53mins and they are trying to charge me £90!! There was a sign in the car park but I am sure it said it was a 2hour free stay.

Has anyone heard of Athena ANPR Ltd?? They have offered me the chance to appeal within 14 days by either post or email(!?!?) and their address is a PO Box. Has anyone had any dealings with this company??

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Sir_Roger_deLodger

Do NOT appeal, there is no such thing with these scam artists.
Athena are well known, just ignore everything they send.

Have a good read on this forum about private parking companies and you will understand how the scam works.

Coupon-mad

BlondeChicka wrote: »

Hi

I received a private parking charge just under a week ago and was starting to write a letter of appeal but after looking at this forum I'm not sure what to do....

I was in my local Lidl car park, using the store. The ticket says the free parking duration is 1hour and 30mins, my stay was 1hour and 53mins and they are trying to charge me £90!! There was a sign in the car park but I am sure it said it was a 2hour free stay.

Has anyone heard of Athena ANPR Ltd?? They have offered me the chance to appeal within 14 days by either post or email(!?!?) and their address is a PO Box. Has anyone had any dealings with this company??

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Yes we have heard of Athena.

And to the other poster, yes we have heard of Flashpark.

If you search this forum for that name (make sure the initial is a capital because the search facility on here is very specific). Then you will find other threads about them, but the advice I copied and pasted from a standard response I use applies to you both anyway. See my post above from yesterday, post 1861. Look at the links, read/watch and learn about the con-merchants who call themselves private parking companies (PPCs).

As others have said, it's a scam so ignore it. No matter if they have a pretty pic of your car, no matter if you have already appealed (if so were you declined? - 'quelle surprise' of course you were, it's a protection racket, a money-making scam business!!).

domsta

Coblcris wrote: »

Most interesting. This indicates to me that the Private Parking Company (whom you should ignore) may have obtained your details from a different source than the DVLA.
There are several possible ramification to this.
May I suggest that you send a written Subject Access Request (SAC) to the DVLA to obtain the names of the whosoever requested the Registered Keeper's details. To avoid a simple clerical error at the DVLA I would run the request from a start date of about a week before the 'incident'. There are no forms to fill in, A simple letter will suffice. There should not be a fee.
Contact me if you want assistance with formulating the text of the SAC letter.

Coblcris thanks for your response!

I either misunderstand or I havent been clear in what I said re the DVLA and my name.

My full (as in birth name) is on my driving licence.
My nickname was used by the garage to register a car they owned and then sold to me to register me as the new owner. So on the car `log book` my nickname rather than full name appears.

The DVLA records, if searched, would show my nickname as the registered car owner....and that how my name appears on the Ntice I rec`d today. If searched for driving licence details...a different name would appear.

Maybe I was/am having a `blonde` moment....but I thought maybe if anything `kicked off`...particularly legal proceedings...I might just be able to `escape` because my nickname is not my legal name....

Does any of this make any sense??

domsta

Sir_Roger_deLodger wrote: »

If they do, so what?

They will have a photo of someone driving a car, but they still won't know who it is.

Sir Rodger...thanks for your reply.

I was thinking that the photo, if it could show me clearly as the driver...would provide evidence against me.

I saw one of Martins pro forma letters which could be used to deny being the driver at the time Martin clearly says to be used when you were not the driver and also says it come land one in trouble if you use dishonestly!

Just looking at all avenues at the moment...

Oopsadaisy

domsta wrote: »

Just looking at all avenues at the moment...

The only !!!!!!! avenue that you should be looking at is.......

Ignore Street, Turn left onto Ignore Road, straight on at Ignore Lane, sharp left into Ignore Close, right into Ignore Gardens, pass the Ignore Cinema on your left and then immediatley after The Ignore Arms, turn into Ignore Close and at the end of this is your destination... Ignore Ignore Ignore Avenue.

Coupon-mad

domsta wrote: »

I thought maybe if anything `kicked off`...particularly legal proceedings...I might just be able to `escape` because my nickname is not my legal name....

Does any of this make any sense??

Yes it makes perfect sense - except the use of 'legal proceedings' in relation to threats from a private parking company. Not relevant to use those words in the same paragraph!

Won't happen. Threats only, see the letters you will receive on the links already given.

Don't grace them with any response, no template letters, just ignore the scam and it WILL go away. We have all been there, done that, example debt collector letters are on the forum to show you what happens, there are no other avenues worth exploring, honestly.