Private Parking Industry Hits back blog discussion

Coblcris

juliescot wrote: »

I was interested the initial letter from the trade body - the BPA.

I will also be interested to see if they decide to renew their code of practice.
To assist can I suggest that they remove the wording "Undertaking their activities honestly and with integrity and not knowingly misrepresenting themselves or misleading others."?
I have experience of receiving documents from a BPA member company which contained statements that were misleading and others which were downright lies.
If the above wording was removed it would then mean that members wouldn't be breaking their own code and could carry on lying to people quite happily. I am sure it troubles their collective consciences greatly to know that currently they are breaking their own code.
What punishment do the BPA hand out to companies that flout the code I wonder?

The BPA's Code is there to protect the BPA. Consumer Regulations, inter alia, dictate it. It was drawn up after consultation with Trading Standards over the The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The BPA then fails to enforce the Code resulting in its members just carrying on as if The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations did not exist. But it does exist.
Hence the BPA should be stripped of its ATA status

This also means that despite complaints to local Trading Standards offices often being handled badly or erroneously by that office there is no doubt whatsoever that Trading Standards as a body does fully understand the The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
Why do they fail to act upon them ?
It is within the remit of Trading Standards. Trading Standards is an Enforcement Authority and the Act says:
PART 4 ENFORCEMENT
"19. — (1) It shall be the duty of every enforcement authority to enforce these Regulations."

Trading Standards have a legislated duty to enforce it and they are ignoring it.


These regulations completely destroy the methods used by these companies in my opinion. That alone is enough to show that the industry operates using unlawful methods.

I remind readers once again that there are de facto criminal offences in that Act and that very many Parking Companies commit all of them. Often they violate a whole traft of other legislation as well.
Trading Standards is not doing its job.

DENELEY

"Undertaking their activities honestly and with integrity and not knowingly misrepresenting themselves or misleading others."?????

I used a supermarket car park a few weeks ago entering at 10.49 and exiting at 12.10 and then entering again at 15.15 and exiting at 15.43.

My 'parking charge notice' from Athena contained two photos - the one for entering at 10.49 and the one exiting at 15.43. They completely ignored 12.10 and 15.15 and told me I 'd been in the car park for nearly 5 hours.

Honesty does not come into it. As far as I can tell just raking in the cash is the order of the day and it doesn't matter how it's done.

Antispam

It should be banned I think its high time something is done

I do accept one some occasions some people to take the Mick but so do clampers

What gives them the right to dictate to you or I, £250 to release your car after only only a few minutes being parked for example. What lose has the land owner incurred, very little, most of this is for one thing to extort money from drivers.

We have all seen programs on tv some these thugs do, not showing ID, extortionate fines, what gives them the right to be judge and jury. I have even seen on some programs that they employ convicted criminals. There body is there for one thing to look after its members not motorists

Come on we ought to lobby MP's or get a petition and outlaw this practice as they did in Scotland now.

For the record I have never been caught by them but I do not think its right. The DVLA are a utter disgrace given them your ID.

inicholson

colin324 wrote: »

On another note, there is clamping firm has its offices near where I work in Biggin Hill. Their vans are always obstructing our unit, maybe we should clamp them !

Have you thought of employing a rival firm to do exactly that?

sjohnson57

When I was wheelclamped on a site with inadequate signage (took a photo of the sign saying private parking which was 90% obscured by an advertising hoarding), two large, threatening men demanded £75 in cash to release the clamp. I said I would not hand over any cash until they could provide me with a receipt, on company letterhead, showing business and VAT registration numbers. If they could not give me one (and they came up with many reasons why not including the one that they had run out of letterhead!!) then I was going to phone the police. After more threats I dialled 999. They released the clamp in 30 seconds and made off. I am sure these types of experience are not uncommon. The BPA cannot even begin to change this type of behaviour - it is demanding money with menace which is a criminal offence.

This experience was only surpassed when my sister took my disabled 75 year old mum to the hospital, displayed the blue badge, was watched by the traffic warden as she unloaded her wheelchair and wheeled her in to the hospital for a check up appointment that took 30 mins and was given a ticket because she had set the time on the blue badge incorrectly!!

About time that this issue was aired! Well done!:T

bryonyhines

Actions speak louder than words. When they clamp you, won't take anything but cash and total about is £350, all I can say is that I'm lucky my friends were with me at the time, or they'dve had to keep the car! PS It was outside my house where everyone else parks. I didn't think anything of it.

makki123

dude your amazing!

I-LOV-MONEY

sjohnson57 wrote: »

This experience was only surpassed when my sister took my disabled 75 year old mum to the hospital, displayed the blue badge, was watched by the traffic warden as she unloaded her wheelchair and wheeled her in to the hospital for a check up appointment that took 30 mins and was given a ticket because she had set the time on the blue badge incorrectly!!

Not exactly the same thing, but I took my elderly mother to hospital a couple of years ago. Reversed into a parking space, and displayed the blue badge. When we came back there was a private company parking ticket on the windscreen. I then noticed on the wall behind where I parked was a notice saying that only a certain type of patient (obviously with a special card) can park there.

Having not heard of the forum, reading the instructions on the ticket, it said if you are appealing you should pay first (!). I did, but then wrote to the doctor who we had seen, the Chief Executive of the hospital, the local paper and my MP ! I am not sure which one did it, but I got a letter back from the parking company saying that they are refunding "this time" , and a cheque was enclosed (it didn't even bounce !!).

craigbass

I-LOV-MONEY wrote: »

It does not have to be too sophisticated. Just a machine that takes in money and produces a ticket.

You would not need to clamp those that did not pay, as they would pay on entry.

It would not be too difficult, I would imagine, to build into the accounting software for the guests bills, an entry of 'refund of parking charge'.

i am not being rude...but why should we spend money to fix this problems when people are breaking the law, being rude and lazy AND CHEAP. there is a massive (500/600) car park next to us. Cost very little to park in it for a few hours (very expenisve for long periods, like overnight). (PS it is council owned)

i might also add those machines costs thousands to buy, and thousands to run each year.


this way the people who broke the rules stayed away. our guest did not get penaised, we did not have to spend large amounts of money.

it was a short period of full coverage and only very rare now. but it has stopped people who should not have parked there from doing so. i might also add that most people while annoyed did not complain too much as they knew they should not have parked there. there are about 10 signs. and from anywhere in the carpark you will see at least two signs that can be read. there is a sign on the enterance. sign on the walkways. people did know about the policy

please can someone tell me :mad:WHY :mad:we should have. its our land for our guests. NOT SOME FREE SPACE Because people are too cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

Coblcris

Administer your own land using lawful and legal means and all will be well.

As we have seen this probably precludes every Private Parking Company.