UKPC parking fine for leaving a site

Mister_Carson

I have read the rules and conditions etc and unfortunately seem to have broken a few of the major ones in regards to a recently received parking ticket/invoice although I am really pleased with the way this site has given me a sense of justice and well being in regards to the ticket received.

I recently received a ticket from a (insert name here) for leaving the site where I was parked. I was outraged at the time and did actually ask the ticket placer why i had received the ticket seeing as how I had not left the site and was still within my parking time. I had used the facilities of the site once to browse a sports shop and the second time to complain about said ticket placer. I have pictures of my car, before the placing of the ticket so as I had a time, date and (with the iphone facility) location stamp because of my wariness of such companies sites. I have also photos of the sign and of the person who placed the ticket (much to his reluctance and annoyance).

i did appeal this ticket and in accordance with their requirements provided all the evidence mentioned above. Unfortunately this incriminates me as the driver and being there as well as acknowledging them. Something thanks to here I have now realised is a mistake.

Their reply was I needed to provide receipts of the shops I attended and having bought nothing (pointing out to them their ticket placer had prevented this) I also sent them copies of the letters I had sent to the manger of the sports shop, to whom I had also complained. i also complained about the aggressive nature of their employee, the fact their signs say "the site" with no definition of what the said "site" is and congratulating them (subtly) that they had found a true oracle i the man that could tell you where every single person who visited the "site" was at any given time more in anger than anything else. Obviously again the appeal failed.

My concerns are the obvious, I appealed, I told them I was the driver on the other hand my annoyance is the flat refusal to acknowledge my points and after demanding information from me themselves supplied nothing. I am also concerned with something in a another topic which is a private companies ability to get my information from the DVLA. this was more than highlighted by their ticket placers reluctance to have his photograph taken. My theory on this being if he can do it why cant I?


Any advice from here on in would be more than welcome. Do I just pay them before it gets higher or sit it out even though I have broken a few cardinal rules?

Tilt

Clearly you now realise that by contacting them and furnishing your details to them was a big mistake. However, I'm assuming that we are talking about free parking on a retail site car park which means that their 'charge' is obviously a penalty. It would be for them to prove to a judge that the 'charge' dosn't represent a penalty in any form as a PC (private company) cannot issue penalties of fines. They would be irrecoverable under English law. Their charge, therfore can only represent losses or damages and my guess that the charge is around £80 making it disproportionate to their losses and they know it.

Yes, you have given them an avenue to persue but they will need to chance their luck in court which I doubt that they will. So you can expect a trail of threat-o-grams followed by a debt collector or solicitor's letter which you should ignore. Only concern yourself in the unlikely event of an official court stamped document dropping through your letter box in which case, come back for further advice. In the meantime, do not enter into any further correspondence with them what-so-ever.

pogofish

Never mind the meaningless T&Cs - The bottom line is that they have no right to fine you in the first place.

UKPC are a well known bunch of scamming jokers. Cease contact now and ignore all further letters from them or their fake "debt collectors"/solicitors.

See the letter chain thread for examples of what to expect, then file and forget.

trisontana

From now on just ignore them. As for breaking their "rules", I might as well ask someone for £500 for looking at me in a funny way. That's how meaningless their so-called rules are. You seem to be taking these people much too seriously. They are not the council or the police. They are just a bunch of private citizens with no more power than you or me to demand money off people.

Mister_Carson

Thanks guys for all the advice. Would it be wrong of me to post pictures of the ticket placer around the site saying parker beware? lol only kidding consider it closed I will ignore them.

pogofish

Mister_Carson wrote: »

Thanks guys for all the advice. Would it be wrong of me to post pictures of the ticket placer around the site saying parker beware? lol only kidding consider it closed I will ignore them.

Some people do things like this but personally I'd steer clear of anything involving an individual - that could be considered harassment or incitement in some circumstances.

peter_the_piper

It seems they have now given themselves the title of buying police as well as scrap paper issuers.

Mister_Carson

I think in the long run this can only go two ways.

1. They install pay as you park machines or
2. They start trying to get CCJ's on people.

is there another thread for the pay machines that do not give change (another bug bear)

peter_the_piper

Mister_Carson wrote: »

I think in the long run this can only go two ways.

1. They install pay as you park machines or
2. They start trying to get CCJ's on people.

is there another thread for the pay machines that do not give change (another bug bear)

Agree with 1)
2) can only get a ccj if they take the driver to court(not likely) win the case(even less likely) and then you refuse to pay what the judge orders then you get a ccj but that's not going to happen.

AlexisV

You'd have grounds for suing THEM for harassment.

antrobus

Mister_Carson wrote: »

I think in the long run this can only go two ways.

1. They install pay as you park machines or
2. They start trying to get CCJ's on people.

is there another thread for the pay machines that do not give change (another bug bear)

I doubt it really. It costs money to run any kind of ticketing system.

I imagine that the reason that retailers go along with the PCN lark is because it doesn't cost them much. The BIG SIGNS are enough to frighten most people into obedience, whilst ticketing the odd transgressor will frighten a few more into obedience - which is all the retailers really care about. The parking control companies operate on the basis that they're onto a winner as long as 1 in 4 people take them seriously and cough up the required £80 or whatever.

There was an ASDA in a central urban location in my neck of the woods that many years ago used to run a ticketing system complete with barriers, where you had to part with a couple of quid for parking unless you'd actually bought something from them. They abandoned that years ago in favour of big signs and threats of PCNs. As long as that fools enough people for a long enough time they're not going to change anything.