Private Parking Tickets discussion

Coupon-mad

elzncarlos wrote: »

can they not send the baliffs round though if we dont pay? I am worried about that.

elzncarlos wrote: »

I know how you feel, I am worried about the same thing.

Errrr...you would be, you're the same person!

Are you just a forum virgin or did you mean to post as xxxchristinexxx the second time? If you are genuine and were actually replying to two different people (not yourself!) then you'd be better quoting people using the 'quote button' rather than 'reply'.

Oh, and like you, I am a hard working married Mum and I have 4 young kids but PPC tickets don't bother me one jot. Everyone has given you the right advice, nothing will happen! See what Alexis says above and see the links previously posted. Watch and learn then laugh when the pathetic debt collector begging letters arrive.



P.S. I also notice we've had a lot of first posts typed in a particular unusual font then pasted into a new thread this week. Strange.

Driver8

Loads of new posters asking for reassurance, it just showes the word is getting out about the PPC scammers. Lovely jubly.

To the new posters and watchers of these forums please print this out and pass to everyone you know, family, friends, friends of friends infact pass it on to everyone.

Print this;

PRIVATE PARKING TICKETS - DON'T PAY!
IT IS NOT A FINE! YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL!

This is an information page for the thousands of people who receive "tickets" from private companies in the UK ever day at supermarkets, retail parks, and in any other privately-owned carpark.

We are NOT encouraging anybody to openly flout parking restrictions on private land, or to refuse to pay reasonable charges for parking. Landowners have a right to make reasonable charges for the use of their land.

For advice specific to your case, you should visit the forums at http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...affic-offences.

1. What you should know about these companies

It is important to remember that private parking companies (or PPCs as they are often called) have NO OFFICIAL POWERS - that's right, none at all! They give out their "tickets" on the basis that you have seen the signs in their car park and that you have therefore agreed to a contract obliging you to pay a certain sum of money.


2. What happens to people who don't pay?

In 99.9% of cases, absolutely NOTHING! The company pays the DVLA £2.50 to get your address, and then sends lots of threatening letters. In the main, these letters can be safely IGNORED. The only way the company can actually force you to pay is by taking you to the small claims court, which costs them even more money. And they are by no means guaranteed to win! And they practically never do.

The two main reasons for this (among others) are the following:

- Only the person DRIVING the car could ever have agreed to any such parking contract. The company can only get the Registered Keeper's address from the DVLA: you don't have to tell them who was driving.

-Many of these charges are so extortionately high that they constitute a penalty, which is unenforceable in a consumer contract.


3. Can they affect my credit rating?

NO! The only way your credit rating could be affected by ignoring private parking companies is if you were taken to court, lost, and then still refused to pay. But they will not take you to court.


IN SHORT

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE tickets from private parking companies, they are not official fines.

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE the threatening letters, including those from debt collection agencies.

You DO NOT have to pay a penny of your hard-earned money to these companies. Remember that the chances of being taken to court are very slim indeed.

DO NOT IGNORE COURT PAPERS!
If you receive real court papers from a private parking company (very rare) then you should go to http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...affic-offences for help defending the claim. Do not be afraid to sign up and ask questions regarding any paperwork you are not sure about.

Do not pay a penny, you have done nothing wrong. They will NOT take you to court as they know they will lose and their scam operation will be legally exposed. The so called journalists who write these pieces need to get an education. They are NOT fines.
No private company can "fine" a private citizen.

Do not worry and do not pay them a penny.

Driver8

Driver8 wrote: »

Loads of new posters asking for reassurance, it just shows the word is getting out about the PPC scammers. Lovely jubbly.

To the new posters and watchers of these forums please print this out and pass to everyone you know, family, friends, friends of friends infact pass it on to everyone.

Print this;

PRIVATE PARKING TICKETS - DON'T PAY!
IT IS NOT A FINE! YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL!

This is an information page for the thousands of people who receive "tickets" from private companies in the UK ever day at supermarkets, retail parks, and in any other privately-owned carpark.

We are NOT encouraging anybody to openly flout parking restrictions on private land, or to refuse to pay reasonable charges for parking. Landowners have a right to make reasonable charges for the use of their land.

For advice specific to your case, you should visit the forums at http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...affic-offences.

1. What you should know about these companies

It is important to remember that private parking companies (or PPCs as they are often called) have NO OFFICIAL POWERS - that's right, none at all! They give out their "tickets" on the basis that you have seen the signs in their car park and that you have therefore agreed to a contract obliging you to pay a certain sum of money.


2. What happens to people who don't pay?

In 99.9% of cases, absolutely NOTHING! The company pays the DVLA £2.50 to get your address, and then sends lots of threatening letters. In the main, these letters can be safely IGNORED. The only way the company can actually force you to pay is by taking you to the small claims court, which costs them even more money. And they are by no means guaranteed to win! And they practically never do.

The two main reasons for this (among others) are the following:

- Only the person DRIVING the car could ever have agreed to any such parking contract. The company can only get the Registered Keeper's address from the DVLA: you don't have to tell them who was driving.

-Many of these charges are so extortionately high that they constitute a penalty, which is unenforceable in a consumer contract.


3. Can they affect my credit rating?

NO! The only way your credit rating could be affected by ignoring private parking companies is if you were taken to court, lost, and then still refused to pay. But they will not take you to court.


IN SHORT

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE tickets from private parking companies, they are not official fines.

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE the threatening letters, including those from debt collection agencies.

You DO NOT have to pay a penny of your hard-earned money to these companies. Remember that the chances of being taken to court are very slim indeed.

DO NOT IGNORE COURT PAPERS!
If you receive real court papers from a private parking company (very rare) then you should go to http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...affic-offences for help defending the claim. Do not be afraid to sign up and ask questions regarding any paperwork you are not sure about.

Do not pay a penny, you have done nothing wrong. They will NOT take you to court as they know they will lose and their scam operation will be legally exposed. The so called journalists who write these pieces need to get an education. They are NOT fines.
No private company can "fine" a private citizen.

Do not worry and do not pay them a penny.

It's working too. I posted this before on here;

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2010/08/12/angry-driver-s-great-northern-retail-park-ticket-protest-blockade-86081-27046002/

Just look at the comments at the bottom but especially the last one (i'm delboy on there) from Yetig.

Just shows the tide is changing rapidly because he is not going to pay and neither are the new posters.

Love it.

denled

Hi Just had a ticket at Fort Kinnaird Edinburgh from Town and City Parking I had parked on a cobbled verge
my partner has crutches just now and I couldnt get a place close to the shop she wanted to visit
the Contravention Code is E (Obstructive Parking) I really dont know what I was obstructing as it certainly was NOT
a pavement.
Reading some of the previous posts I see the advice is to ignore it completely. Does this advice
also apply to Scotland?
Thanks

adouglasmhor

doubly so, make sure you ignore them twice as hard.

Oopsadaisy

denled wrote: »

Does this advice also apply to Scotland?

No this forum only deals with England.

Scotland has its own devolved forum which costs us all a fortune, has no real powers and is full of idiots with ideas above their station and intellect. Whenever they want something answering they come trotting on over to this forum where things actually get done rather than the talking shop that is the Scottish Parking forum.

denled

Oopsadaisy wrote: »

No this forum only deals with England.

Scotland has its own devolved forum which costs us all a fortune, has no real powers and is full of idiots with ideas above their station and intellect. Whenever they want something answering they come trotting on over to this forum where things actually get done rather than the talking shop that is the Scottish Parking forum.

Thanks for the info mate

adouglasmhor

Oopsadaisy wrote: »

No this forum only deals with England.

Scotland has its own devolved forum which costs us all a fortune, has no real powers and is full of idiots with ideas above their station and intellect. Whenever they want something answering they come trotting on over to this forum where things actually get done rather than the talking shop that is the Scottish Parking forum.

That's the funniest post on this forum for a good while :T

Perfectmess_2

Also forgot to mention I don't know if they have me on CCTV getting out my car would this make a difference??

Kite2010

I spread the advise to not pay Private Parking Tickets at work today to someone whom was silly enough to park in a private car-park for a 'couple' hours ('90 minute limit') in the evening [the shop the car-park belonged to was closed] instead of parking in the council car-park (no limit at night) and got called by Euro Car-Parks. Should save them £50

Total damages shop had for car being parked there when closed - pretty much zero, although they were lucky not to get shut in with the barriers.