Private Parking Tickets discussion

peter_the_piper

Surely they would not be so devious would they?

esmerobbo

Check for Velcro on the back of the sign!:p

Kite2010

In the current issue of Auto Express, there is a piece in the "advice" bit where a motorist got an invoice from APCOA at Swindon Railway Station for not-displaying a ticket as it blow off into the foot-well, and the magazine managed to get it cancelled. What's naughty is that they called it a fine.

Naughty Auto Express, giving more weighing to those worthless invoices than they actually are.

esmerobbo

Kite2010 wrote: »

In the current issue of Auto Express, there is a piece in the "advice" bit where a motorist got an invoice from APCOA at Swindon Railway Station for not-displaying a ticket as it blow off into the foot-well, and the magazine managed to get it cancelled. What's naughty is that they called it a fine.

Naughty Auto Express, giving more weighing to those worthless invoices than they actually are.

Its strange how they are willing to cancel the "[STRIKE]Fine"[/STRIKE] invoice after the press get involved. Then we hear so many "appeals" refused giving the same reason for not displaying!

NeverAgain_2

I would love to know what the strike rate of the PPCs is.

This is quite a busy forum, but it's read by a tiny number of people compared to the number of cars on the road.

There has been other publicity, of course, but I suspect the majority of motorists believe the scam tickets are genuine and pay up.

Orford

According to ppc_guy (which you can believe or not):

About 40% pay "off-screen"
About 10% pay after NTO
A Further 15% will pay when snet last chance for decreased amount
the other 35% probably wont pay ever.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=39676664&postcount=43

torontoboy45

NeverAgain wrote: »

I would love to know what the strike rate of the PPCs is.

This is quite a busy forum, but it's read by a tiny number of people compared to the number of cars on the road.

There has been other publicity, of course, but I suspect the majority of motorists believe the scam tickets are genuine and pay up.

IIRC: 30% of all issued 'tickets' are settled. approx. 500 000 issued in 2009 (still waiting for my MP to get back to me on the no. of dvla 'divulgences').
assuming 150 000 settlements at a conservative £50 gives us a £7.5m p.a 'industry' excluding the proceeds of clamping.

no wonder the PPC's are squealing like stuck pigs; the freedom bill gets ever closer and they're lobbying like billy-o.

NeverAgain_2

Orford,

Thanks for that.

Those figures show 65 per cent pay and 35 per cent do not.

As you say, we have no way of checking, but for what it's worth my gut feeling is that's about right.

BFem

Coupon-mad wrote: »

I wouldn't waste time worrying.

I take great pleasure in parking again to the car park where my car got a fake PCN 2 years ago. Lots of people on here have collected LOTS of repeat bogus PCNs at the same site every time - and all the company ever do is issue their standard threatogram letters in duplicate. Easy to ignore.

They cannot legally clamp or tow it away without clamping/towing warning signs. And even with signs up about clamping they cannot clamp/tow legally for the reason of 'unpaid invoice'. And most PPCs are not clampers, don't have the right SIA licence, don't have clamps & tow trucks, etc.

No-one here can promise they won't damage your vehicle - but it's highly unlikely for a pathetic parking invoice, and wouldn't there be CCTV at that site?

The way I see it, most PPCs just employ goons in car parks to issue tickets for any old reason - and those goons are never going to know if the same car is there that had a fake ticket on it which remains unpaid. If they did know, how on earth would they know which driver got the fake PCN and which driver they now have on site?

There's nothing they can legally do, the fake PCN is only an alleged breach of contract against one person and they don;t even know who that person is!

I hope the girl at work didn't pay? Did she believe it was a fine? It's not, of course. If she paid up she has been had, please show her the info here so she never falls for it again

The whole parking industry is based around a practice akin to a protection racket IMHO. See my signature for what Martin Lewis said in the National Press about PPCs and click on the whole board view to see the stickies which include a Watchdog clip and pictures of the letters these companies send.

I LOVE your enthusiasm couponmad, makes me chuckle and I make a little fist and say in my head 'YEA GO ON, woo!!!' :T

Kite2010

I have an exclusive picture of the person on the appeals desk at any typical PPC

The question is "reject appeal"



*gets coat*