Another Parking Eye incident

Sammywr

Anyway rewind to the day, Friday 13th May - we popped to our local Asda Living store. When I parked I saw that it was 2hr limit parking. Went in and up to the cafe for some lunch which was nice, spent money, then did the bit of shopping we needed to do, spending more money, and then popped over to TK Maxx which is on the same retail park. Whilst in there I looked at my 3yr old son and realised he was having a poo (Sorry if tmi). So out we came and rushed back across the car park to ASDA (which was, in truth a fair distance for a 3yr old) and up to their toilets - the only toilets in the entire retail park. Had to wait 10/15mins for the toilet to be free, then cleaned him up. I then thought, while I'm here, i'll change my 15month olds nappy. Well that was a disaster too as he had leaked all over his clothes, and the buggy.

By the time I'd cleaned them up (it took over 40mins, incl. the initial wait for the toilet), I knew I was over the 2hr parking limit and was dreading going back to the car. But thankfully there was no ticket on the car so I thought I was ok. OH NO I received a parking ticket in the post for £90. It said £60 if you pay before the 1st June, but I didn't receive it till 2nd June. On looking at the templates of letters this is letter 2, but I never received Letter 1.

They took a picture of the car going into the car park and a picture leaving. It was clocked at 2hrs 26mins, but those 26mins would have also included finding a parking space (which took at least 5mins) and getting buggy/kids out the car which I think is very unfair cos it means you actually get less than the two hours it says, especially as the car park is quite busy and often hard to find a space. The car park notice actually says PARKING is limited to 2hrs, not time spent in the car park.

I have read all the other threads saying to ignore it, and saw the watchdog clip to which has reassured me, but I still can't help worrying about it. I use this retail park alot and am worried about going there again if I ignore the letters. Is it worth me writing to Asda to complain about this?

ETA: this morning I received a copy of Letter 4 which is what has prompted us to search on here about it.

esmerobbo

Complain to Asda certainly, however completely ignore Parking Spy and all their mumbo jumbo.

Two hour limit on a retail park with more then one shop is a nonsense.

Driver8

PRIVATE PARKING TICKETS - DON'T PAY!
IT IS NOT A FINE! YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL!

This is an information page for the thousands of people who receive "tickets" from private companies in the UK ever day at supermarkets, retail parks, and in any other privately-owned carpark.

We are NOT encouraging anybody to openly flout parking restrictions on private land, or to refuse to pay reasonable charges for parking. Landowners have a right to make reasonable charges for the use of their land.

For advice specific to your case, you should visit the forums at http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences.

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

1. What you should know about these companies

It is important to remember that private parking companies (or PPCs as they are often called) have NO OFFICIAL POWERS - that's right, none at all! They give out their "tickets" on the basis that you have seen the signs in their car park and that you have therefore agreed to a contract obliging you to pay a certain sum of money.


2. What happens to people who don't pay?

In 99.9% of cases, absolutely NOTHING! The company pays the DVLA £2.50 to get your address, and then sends lots of threatening letters. In the main, these letters can be safely IGNORED. The only way the company can actually force you to pay is by taking you to the small claims court, which costs them even more money. And they are by no means guaranteed to win! And they practically never do.

The two main reasons for this (among others) are the following:

- Only the person DRIVING the car could ever have agreed to any such parking contract. The company can only get the Registered Keeper's address from the DVLA: you don't have to tell them who was driving.

-Many of these charges are so extortionately high that they constitute a penalty, which is unenforceable in a consumer contract.


3. Can they affect my credit rating?

NO! The only way your credit rating could be affected by ignoring private parking companies is if you were taken to court, lost, and then still refused to pay. But they will not take you to court.


IN SHORT

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE tickets from private parking companies, they are not official fines.

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE the threatening letters, including those from debt collection agencies.

You DO NOT have to pay a penny of your hard-earned money to these companies. Remember that the chances of being taken to court are very slim indeed.

DO NOT IGNORE COURT PAPERS!
If you receive real court papers from a private parking company (very rare) then you should go to http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences for help defending the claim. Do not be afraid to sign up and ask questions regarding any paperwork you are not sure about.

Don’t believe the above? Watch a solicitor on Watchdog advising you what to do with the scam invoices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIcdi9niHA

THEY ARE NOT FINES

Only the Police, Courts or Council’s can fine you. NOT a private company, please remember that.

halibut2209

What esmerobbo says. Certainly complain to Asda Head Office, but ignore parking scum

susangregory

Hi like a lot of people have received a parking fine from Parking Eye

On the 26/05/11 after having a nice day out in Whalley (Lancashire) with my friend. My husband came and picked us up when he arrived which was
(according to the letter) 18 : 29:27 we had not finished our meal so he waited in the car park. The departure from the car park was (again
according to the letter) 18:47:04.


Yesterday 17/06/11 my husband received a letter informing him of a parking fine from parking eye for £90 but if he paid by the said
date there would be a reduction and he would only need to pay £60.

The letter states that you can appeal however, the fine has got to be paid by the 20/06/11 or else the fine goes up to £90 this does not
give us time to appeal. The letter also states Further to recent correspondence the Parking Charge remains outstanding. Yet this is the
first letter we have received.

As the fine was quite extreme I searched the internet and found quite a lot of people have been caught out by this so called company. I like many others are afraid that they may pass this fine on to other money chasers. could these people knock on my door and demand the money. Please can someone advice


Susan

vax2002

Anyone can knock on your door and demand money, you did not leave the bullies behind at the school gates.
Either learn to stand up to bullies and crooks or get ready to have everything you worked for taken.
You fight these bullies back by ignoring them.

halibut2209

They will threaten you with courts and bailiffs and CCJs and debt collectors and the like. But it's all poppycock. Ignore them!

notts_phil

Ignore any rubbish they send u

Coupon-mad

susangregory wrote: »

Hi like a lot of people have received a parking fine from Parking Eye...

I like many others are afraid that they may pass this fine on to other money chasers. could these people knock on my door and demand the money. Please can someone advise.

Susan

I don't know what makes people think that someone can allege you owe them money, then if you don't pay just send the boys round. No! They can't!

Debt collectors DO send some letters - because some people are dumb enough to pay up when they get a letter on headed notepaper, even so-called solicitors' headed notepaper. None of it means anything because there is no debt, they are trying it on. You have not signed a credit agreement to Parking Eye have you?!

All you will get is letters (maybe a phone call or three) from the usual suspects shown in our top thread 'PPC letters, what to expect'. Ignore all the letter-chain, just play snap as each matching threat arrives as shown in our info thread. That thread also has a link telling you what to do to have fun with the chancers if you get phone calls, it's nothing.

You also need to see the Watchdog clip with the paper aeroplane on 'Welcome, please read before posting'.

Tell your family & friends as well, spread the word about this scam and laugh at each letter.

Kite2010

notts_phil wrote: »

Ignore any rubbish they send u

Unless it's the very very very very rare event that they send you proper court-papers as they try to scare you into paying by saying "look we're taking you to court hehehe"

JOKEV_2

Please HELP someone,
I to have been sent a parking ticket for staying on a Aldi carpark for longer than the 1 1/2 hour stated on the signs, from Parking eye, im really worried that this will end up costing me loads dont no what to do, do i pay or like most people on here say ignore the letters?????????? ;-/