Park Direct Ltd -

MsLocks

I'm new to this forum so I'm not sure if this is relevant or not.
I've just received a Parking Charge Notice from Park Direct Ltd. It all looks very convincing with a photo of my car etc and I did actually park where they said I parked, although didn't get out of the car I was waiting.
I have a few questions which I am hoping can be answered:
The first is they say the land on which I parked is Private land and that I am in contravention of stopping or waiting on private land, and yet these parking bays and road are outside a main line train station. This is absolutely rediculous, cars are stopping all the time, waiting and picking people up.
So can this be enforced? Also, how can I find out if this is private land or not?
Also the offence was committed on the 18/9/2009! why have they taken so long to send me a notice, and can this still be enforced some 5 months later?
They are asking for £150 within 28 days or £60 if paid within 14 days, what shall I do?
Very worried!
Ms Locks.

trisontana

MsLocks wrote: »

I'm new to this forum so I'm not sure if this is relevant or not.
I've just received a Parking Charge Notice from Park Direct Ltd. It all looks very convincing with a photo of my car etc and I did actually park where they said I parked, although didn't get out of the car I was waiting.
I have a few questions which I am hoping can be answered:
The first is they say the land on which I parked is Private land and that I am in contravention of stopping or waiting on private land, and yet these parking bays and road are outside a main line train station. This is absolutely rediculous, cars are stopping all the time, waiting and picking people up.
So can this be enforced? Also, how can I find out if this is private land or not?
Also the offence was committed on the 18/9/2009! why have they taken so long to send me a notice, and can this still be enforced some 5 months later?
They are asking for £150 within 28 days or £60 if paid within 14 days, what shall I do?
Very worried!



Ms Locks.

To briefly answer a couple of points. You haven't committed any "offence" and this certainly looks like a private parking ticket.

Crabman

Hello MsLocks - welcome to MSE :hello:

Does the paperwork you've received make reference to any railway byelaws? If not then it probably falls into the category of all the other PPC stuff we see on here - i.e. ignore them and they'll go away.

(I've split these posts into a new thread - thanks trisontana )

dacouch

Do you have a son called Beau?

Coupon-mad

Thanks to MsLocks' thread on pepipoo.com, their poster 'Decker' posted copies of his letters from Park Direct Limited.

I have copied them, with Decker's permission, onto our Hall of Shame sticky now! :T

chrisspectre

Most people on this forum would be up in arms if someone was to squat in their house. They would be screaming about their rights and how disgusting it is that squatters should have rights.
Yet most of you here think it's ok to park your car on private property.
Park Direct has more than enough signage at Ealing broadway, and all larger than the BPA requirements.
Nearly every appeal they receive for clamping, towing or ticketting mentions an assumption.
"I was only 5 minutes" Assuming they have 5 minutes.
"I was just dropping someone off" Assuming it's a drop off or pick up point.
The list of excuses is endless and there is nothing they haven't heard.
The bottom line is this: You would not approach a traffic light and assume it was green.
The ample signage at Ealing broadway ensures that the only way a driver could park there and not see them is because he/she did not look.
It is fair for park direct to assume someone in charge of a vehicle operate it with due care and attention.
The bays at Ealing broadway are NOT public property, they are private parking spaces.
On most forums where i read about park direct, i notice that it's never made quite clear that park direct are the appointed contractor for that site. They have worked hard to meet trading standards and health and safety requirements and the special requirements that apply to Ealing broadway.
The bottom line is if you don't want a ticket, clamp or tow, pay attention to where you park your car.

bargepole

chrisspectre wrote: »

... The bottom line is if you don't want a ticket, clamp or tow, pay attention to where you park your car.

Most here would not advocate deliberately parking on private property. However, we take issue with the "tickets" given out by firms such as Park Direct, demanding sums of money which bear no relation to any loss suffered by the landowner, and the subsequent follow-up letters threatening dire consequences which are full of lies and half-truths, designed to scare people into paying money which they don't owe.

So here's another "bottom line" - How many unpaid tickets have you pursued in court, and how many of those resulted in a judgment in Park Direct's favour? (excluding undefended default wins).

funkycoldribena

chrisspectre wrote: »

Most people on this forum would be up in arms if someone was to squat in their house. They would be screaming about their rights and how disgusting it is that squatters should have rights.
Yet most of you here think it's ok to park your car on private property.
Park Direct has more than enough signage at Ealing broadway, and all larger than the BPA requirements.
Nearly every appeal they receive for clamping, towing or ticketting mentions an assumption.
"I was only 5 minutes" Assuming they have 5 minutes.
"I was just dropping someone off" Assuming it's a drop off or pick up point.
The list of excuses is endless and there is nothing they haven't heard.
The bottom line is this: You would not approach a traffic light and assume it was green.
The ample signage at Ealing broadway ensures that the only way a driver could park there and not see them is because he/she did not look.
It is fair for park direct to assume someone in charge of a vehicle operate it with due care and attention.
The bays at Ealing broadway are NOT public property, they are private parking spaces.
On most forums where i read about park direct, i notice that it's never made quite clear that park direct are the appointed contractor for that site. They have worked hard to meet trading standards and health and safety requirements and the special requirements that apply to Ealing broadway.
The bottom line is if you don't want a ticket, clamp or tow, pay attention to where you park your car.

1.I have no authority to "fine" (invoice) people squatting in my house.
2.Do you really think £50-100 is fair?
3.The trouble is if PPCs hadnt been so greedy in the first place and "fined" (invoiced) for say £10-15 then they probably wouldnt be in the position they are in today with people getting wise to their overpriced scam and they would have flown under the radar so to speak.

esmerobbo

chrisspectre wrote: »

Most people on this forum would be up in arms if someone was to squat in their house. They would be screaming about their rights and how disgusting it is that squatters should have rights.
Yet most of you here think it's ok to park your car on private property.
Park Direct has more than enough signage at Ealing broadway, and all larger than the BPA requirements.
Nearly every appeal they receive for clamping, towing or ticketting mentions an assumption.
"I was only 5 minutes" Assuming they have 5 minutes.
"I was just dropping someone off" Assuming it's a drop off or pick up point.
The list of excuses is endless and there is nothing they haven't heard.
The bottom line is this: You would not approach a traffic light and assume it was green.
The ample signage at Ealing broadway ensures that the only way a driver could park there and not see them is because he/she did not look.
It is fair for park direct to assume someone in charge of a vehicle operate it with due care and attention.
The bays at Ealing broadway are NOT public property, they are private parking spaces.
On most forums where i read about park direct, i notice that it's never made quite clear that park direct are the appointed contractor for that site. They have worked hard to meet trading standards and health and safety requirements and the special requirements that apply to Ealing broadway.
The bottom line is if you don't want a ticket, clamp or tow, pay attention to where you park your car.

Ha Ha this for a company who as of May 2010 had 31 unpaid CCJ's. A lot of people who were wrongly clamped would like their money back!!

chrisspectre

Who said people were wrongfully clamped? From what i see park direct didn't defend the cases so only lost through default.

chrisspectre

Funky Cold Ribena, You are wrong to think that private parking companies are 'under the radar' or even under pressure, because i can assure you they are not. Forums like this one are actually harmful to the pockets of those who follow their advice, as the advice given here is amateur and not well thought out. The result of a forum like this has led to several parking companies now insisting on pursuing charges through the courts, and yes they are winning.
For every excuse for parking on private land given, there is a legal remedy, and those remedies are now being pursued by parking companies at further cost to the tresspasser, and all through wrong advice given on forums like this.
Also, have you never thought that the idea of ticketing is to stop people parking where they shouldn't? The alternative to ticketing is clamping and towing and the more forums like this try to undermine those tickets, the more such companies will rely on clamping and towing.
The simple fact is that if you look where you are parking, you won't get ticketed/clamped/towed.

And to those thinking that clamping and towing will be banned....maybe it will, maybe it won't. What i can tell you is that it hasn't worked in Scotland and councils will be given permission to clamp and tow, but they will soon find out they cannot cope with the demand.
Why is it that every time a parking company gets bad publicity, they get dozens more contracts?