Private Parking Tickets discussion

molerat

jwmagee wrote: »

I'd like to add to this discussion from the point of view of a land owner. We are one of three in a small block of flats on the south coast, next to a number of shops, we have 6 parking slots. We have signs on the walls, in the entrance on the floor, yet still people think they can park there, I find it wuite unbelievable that when you point out to people that they are parking on private property you are verbally (and in one case physically) attacked. I have returned back to MY HOME many times to find that I can't even pull into our car park.

This whole discussion is based on escaping what is seen as an unfair fine... many of the posts on here also state quite clearly that they as the drivers were in the wrong. Please don't always pressume that parking problems don't effect anyone other than businesses.

Then prevent the spaces from being used. Fit locking bollards. I know some people are disrespectful of your property but do you leave your front door open for all and sundry to enter ?

molerat

rswo wrote: »

I have just been given a parking ticket what should I do to contest it. Was parked at home in my own private parking bay however i didn't display my permit. I have just moved into the flat that has a under ground parking are with a key entry system and never thought it would be a big deal considering these points. The company is 14 Services who work out of Bristol.

Help pse,

RSWO

You cannot contest it, it is not the way they work. As has been said over and over IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE. If they get shirty complain to your management company that you are being harrassed by their contractors.

stavros1812

Have just recieved a final notice to pay 60 pound for being over 8 minutes in a retail park very late at night! Did send a template letter from Martin Lewis site! Now they are threatening to send in debt collectors! D they have to take me to court first or are they within their right! Thank you all Graham.

sarahg1969

stavros1812 wrote: »

Have just recieved a final notice to pay 60 pound for being over 8 minutes in a retail park very late at night! Did send a template letter from Martin Lewis site! Now they are threatening to send in debt collectors! D they have to take me to court first or are they within their right! Thank you all Graham.

Just read some of the hundreds of other posts on here for your aswer. Debt collectors have no rights over and above anyone else. And anyway, they are, more often than not, just another desk in the same office as the parking company. Just ignore the letter.

Unfortunately, having sent Martin's template letter (which I don't personally think is a good idea), they have you hooked and will bother you for that little bit longer.

simonaskham

This maybe helpful you can find the Pdf on the Citizens Advice Bureau Site:

Parking fines on private land
If you park on private land without permission (or stay longer than you paid for, for example, in a shop car park), you might get sent a notice telling you to pay a parking fine. This might look like an official fixed penalty but it isn't one. It's a notice that they intend to take you to court for trespassing, and will offer to let you pay some money to settle the case out of court. This isn't a criminal matter. If you get one of these notices, get advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau.

sarahg1969

simonaskham wrote: »

This maybe helpful you can find the Pdf on the Citizens Advice Bureau Site:

Whatever you do, do not ask the CAB for advice about private parking tickets. Or TS. They just tell you to pay them because they have no idea what they are on about.

simonaskham

Hi Sarah

Well the above was on an official pdf from there site and the bit I quoted is enoth for me to just ignore the letters...

bargepole

MSE_Wendy wrote: »

Just want to say a quick thanks to the regulars helping answer questions in the thread. Ta guys

We've been slaving away over hot laptops non-stop ever since Martin's email, answering question after question (usually the same question and same answer).

I'll be sending my invoice to MSE for all this work, which has to be paid within 14 days after which the amount doubles, then I'll be getting my Debt Collection Agency (Legbreak Finance) to enforce payment, and if that doesn't work messrs. Sue, Grabbit & Runne may issue court proceedings (or maybe not). :rotfl:

Coblcris

bargepole wrote: »

The BPA are a trade organisation for private parking companies, funded by their ill-gotten profits.

Bargepole, please forgive me for this. Your posts are excellent but I have to pick up on the quoted point as there is more to the BPA than that. I make this post for the general reader as I suspect that you know this already.

Over two hundred councils are also members of the BPA. In fact they have a a sub group called the Local Authority Special Interest Group (LASIG) where they swap thoughts and tactics and so on.

Which raises several questions not least why are councils spending our money on the non-trivial membership fees for a trade association. Council employees are not tradesmen they are in fact public servants despite their normal attitude.

A second interesting question it raises is - should the LASIG area of the BPA be subject to Freeom of Information requests ? I believe it should be.

bargepole

Coblcris wrote: »

Over two hundred councils are also members of the BPA. In fact they have a a sub group called the Local Authority Special Interest Group (LASIG) where they swap thoughts and tactics and so on.

Yes I am aware of this, although I think you'll find that the main funding for the BPA comes from the likes of Simon Renshaw-Smith (Excel Parking), NCP, etc., and they invite Councils and other public bodies to join in an attempt to create a veneer of legitimacy.

The BPA do have a "code of practice" for private members, which states amongst other things that they should attempt to identify the driver, and not harrass the registered keeper. Nearly all PPCs fail to observe the code, but the BPA does nothing.

I agree that public money should not be spent on hobnobbing with a private trade association, but most Councils are such greedy grabbers when it comes to getting revenue from parking fines they probably won't care.