Watchdog - This Thursday

landmark

Their biggest failure tonight was they didn't mention the GROSS overcharge of the Parking Charge Notice(s)!

trisontana wrote: »

My Troy you looked a real wally. It's all very well calling for regulation. Why don't you expel all those companies who are misleading the public with these fake notices?

He blamed the government for failing to regulate. Nice excuse Mr Troy.

king100 wrote: »

Oh dear mr troy is going to get an email from me

He never answered my latest letter so don't expect an answer.

landmark

I wrote the following email to watchdog: -

Dear Watchdog Team
Re: Private Parking issue
Thank you for mentioning that they were invoices and not fines.
However Ann Robinson failed to raise the issue of the extremely exessively high charges of these Private Parking Charge Notices with Mr Troy of the British Parking Association.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THESE 'INVOICES' because the charge is from 50 TIMES what is what should be charged according to the following laws listed below: -
The charges are thus unfair under s.140A(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and contrary to the requirement of good faith, having caused a significant imbalance in the relationship and a detriment to the consumer, AND under regulation 5(1) of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.
You solicitor can confirm this.

Regards

anewman

Disappointed with the obvious omission.

Edit: and cop out response at the end of the programme telling people to contact their solicitor or citizens advice to see if they have to pay.

peter_the_piper

What a shame, it was going quite well until the email they read out. "what does my boyfriend do about his private parking tickets?" See a solicitor or CAB.
Could not have asked 2 worse people for advice.

trisontana

Oh no! "consult your solicitor or the CAB". They are the last people you want to consult unless they are up to speed regarding the true nature of private parking tickets

taffy056

Not trading standards but citizens advice, who we know are useless in regards to this as they don't have the knowledge for the most part.

sarahg1969

landmark wrote: »

I wrote the following email to watchdog: -

Dear Watchdog Team
Re: Private Parking issue
Thank you for mentioning that they were invoices and not fines.
However Ann Robinson failed to raise the issue of the extremely exessively high charges of these Private Parking Charge Notices with Mr Troy of the British Parking Association.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THESE 'INVOICES' because the charge is from 50 TIMES what is what should be charged according to the following laws listed below: -
The charges are thus unfair under s.140A(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and contrary to the requirement of good faith, having caused a significant imbalance in the relationship and a detriment to the consumer, AND under regulation 5(1) of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.
You solicitor can confirm this.

Regards

Don't forget S40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970:

S.40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 provides that a person in England and Wales commits an offence if, with the object of coercing another person to pay money claimed from the other as a debt due under contract, he –



(a) harasses the other with demands for payment which by their frequency, or the manner or occasion of their making, or any accompanying threat or publicity are calculated to subject him or his family or household to alarm, distress, or humiliation;


(b) falsely represents, in relation to the money claimed, that criminal proceedings lie for failure to pay it;


(c) falsely represents himself to be authorised in some official capacity to claim or enforce payment;


(d) utters a document falsely represented by him to have some official character or purporting to have some official character which he knows it has not.

landmark

I my gosh thank you for filling in what I overlooked. Do you think that Section 40, A.ofJ.A. 1970 would be more relevant in an email to BBC. If so I would urge others to email or use Watchdog's online comments/complaints form.

fb1969

Like others I was disappoinnted, but not surprised, that the item didn't provide full and correct information and, more so, because Troy wasn't remotely grilled on any of the issues - it is often the case on Watchdog that representatives are let off far too lighty. I did text in to remind them that the BPA is a trade body and not an authority of any kind, but basic research would have told them that anyway.

As for the advice at the end!!! CAB will tell you to pay and whatever "your solicitor" (why do they assume everyone has one) will tell you they will charge you more than the PPC want from you!

Watchdog is not a consumer champion of any sort and I never know why people think they will sort things out. The whole world of PPCs could take at least an entire programme by itself, but they devote too much time to the two comedy geniuses on their motor bike! On a side issue it was interesting to see that the woman complaining about the fuel consumpsion on her Smart car was happily driving around with an illegal number plate on her vehicle

peter_the_piper

I knew there was something wrong but for the life of me could not work it out.