Parking Eye - Help, I contacted them before reading all of the info!!!

cm2758

Hi all

I am hoping that someone can help me...(please :A)

This morning I received a "penalty notice" from Parking Eye - as so many people have stated, the letter looks very official, and it made me panic!

Don't worry I haven't paid them (there is no way that I would do that straight away), but I did send a mail to their appeal e-mail address as I was completely shocked by it. Not only was I completely unaware that there was a time limit on the car park in question, but the amount they are charging is completely horrendous! :mad:

It wasn't until I sat there stewing over it at work that I thought that there must be something about them on the internet, and low and behold there were hundreds of disgruntled people.

I am now really concerned, as if I had read all of the posts first then there is no way that I would have contacted them; I would have just ridden out the storm. However, I am now concerned that I will end up paying as I have contacted them and by doing so I have confirmed that I got their letter/invoice.:eek:

They have also left me very little time to appeal anyway as the "offence" occured on 25.09.10, but I didn't get the letter until today (05.10.10) and they want the "reduced rate" payment by 12.10.10. The gits have also not provided a contact number (unless I want to pay them) and they send an automatic response to e-mails stating that they will only respond by post....I get the feeling that won't be sent out first class tomorrow morning! So as I know that I won't hear from them in time I have prepared another mail using parts of the template provided on this site to send then and try again.... do you think that this is worth it?

Has anyone got any advice for what I should do next....there is no way that I want to line their pockets with my hard earned cash!

Thanks

Sput2001

Don't pay. Don't contact them again. Ignore everything that arrives. They'll eventually give up and hassle someone else instead. It won't go to court.

trisontana

And the so-called "appeals" process is a sham. It's done "in-house", so it's in the companies interest to refuse all appeals.

bromsgrovebarry

Parking Eye are pathetic scammers. They have NEVER taken anybody to court even though I have goaded them to. Expect scary letters from debt collectors and 'solicitors'. They WILL go back under their stone in the hope of catching a more gullible victim.

Coupon-mad

Just ignore them now, as other posts on this thread have said.

It doesn't matter that you've contacted them as they may just send you one extra letter 'declining' the 'appeal' (LOL!) but6 then they will revert to their usual threatogram letter-chain.

For a pictorial preview of the letters that Parking Eye will send do look at our sticky thread at the top of the board here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...play.php?f=163

Then read other sticky thread and info and as many current threads about private parking co's (PPCs) as it takes until you understand that this is just a scam. They never take anyone to court, not ever. Relax and ignore this con just as you would ignore a series of phishing emails telling you that you've won the Nigerian Lottery.

If you read the threads I have linked above you'll also find a link to a Watchdog programme earlier this year which had a legal expert tell viewers to make a paper aeroplane out of any private parking tickets. Enough to reassure you completely I hope?

And according to a recent post by trisontana, Watchdog are preparing another programme about PPC scammers next week as well!

HTH

landmark

Did you leave them your phone number?

cm2758

Well I sent the mail from work, which had my standard signature on it, which has my work number on....I know I should have removed it, but I just sent the mail without really thinking.

Damn company - I have a psychology degree, you would think that I would be able to see thorugh their mind games.

BTW, I just want to thank everyone for their posts - I'm going to check out the Watch Dog program tonight just to make me feel that little bit better and then I'm going to go and spend the money that they have sent me their og so kind request for!!! I may even contact Watch Dog and see whether they want yet more information for their upcoming program!!! :T

landmark

cm2758 wrote: »

Well I sent the mail from work, which had my standard signature on it, which has my work number on....I know I should have removed it, but I just sent the mail without really thinking.

We hope they don't phone you at work, however, if they do, give them a warning that you will have them for harassment.

We wish you peace of mind;)

steve1500

I know a lot of us just throw them in the bin, put them on the fire etc. Heres a good one I heard the other day the person driving the car was Joe Bloggs a friend and they have now gone back to Spain where they live

Coupon-mad

steve1500 wrote: »

I know a lot of us just throw them in the bin, put them on the fire etc. Heres a good one I heard the other day the person driving the car was Joe Bloggs a friend and they have now gone back to Spain where they live

Yes I keep all my letters to show people about this scam and funnily enough IIRC the person who was driving my car now lives in New Zealand...;)

anewman

cm2758 wrote: »

Damn company - I have a psychology degree, you would think that I would be able to see thorugh their mind games.

If only that's what they did teach on the Psychology degree courses. My A level Psychology tutor always said if people ask if you can tell what they're thinking, to reply something along the lines of "yes you dirty thing you". There's clearly mind games going on in the attempt to get people to hand over money and purport a level of authority in giving out these unenforceable invoices disguised as fines. All scammers use similar tried and tested methods.

I wouldn't be surprised if perhaps some of the Private Parking Companies have hired Psychologists to help use theories, for example Theory of Planned Behaviour and Framing Effects, to write letters to help make people more inclined to pay up. Fortunately such letters could not overcome the information provided within these forums when people are shown how they are a scam :j