euro car parks - parking charge notice

mrdeedee

Hi All,
A bit long winded, please bear with me...

I was pointed in this direction by some friends. I received a letter through the post from the above recently, which came as a total surprise. There are 2 black and white pitcures(although the copy quality looks that of a photocopy) of my registration plate and a fine of £70, being reduced to £50 if I pay within 14 days.

I havent copied the letter but the format doesnt appear to be the same as the others which have been uploaded from euro car parks, it's simply a formal letter advising of the times parked and the amount of the fine is and that it must be paid within 28 days.

It also states things like "We are using cameras to capture images of vehicles entering and leaving the car park to calculate their length of stay" and state they have signs which clearly show the free parking period as well as the terms and conditions(i didnt know there were such a thing). I went to have a look at the car park today and there are dozens of signs all over but I never even noticed them before, only now that my attention has been drawn to them do I notice them, I am usually looking for free spaces, cars and people walking in front of the car.

Is this the usual thing I am safe to ignore? For being 30 odd minites over the free time, £70 is a bloody cheek.

Oh one more thing, they also stated that a parking charge notice was issued(and included the number)but there was no such thing on my car, no tickets etc.

We remained within the grounds the whole time, we went to the cinema and had a meal afterwards, both establishments were within the same grounds, we never wandred outside and left as soon as we finished our meal.

taffy056

They can capture all they like, its not a fine, the invoice is not enforceable, this can be completely ignored, read a few other threads about euro and others, and by the way its NOT a fine!

mrdeedee

Thanks, I have read a few oters through the course of the dsay, its just the letter was a little different to what I was expecting as this doesnt look like an invoice or anything, its just a letter, so being paranoid I just wanted to clarify this is the same as the others

taffy056

They like to be all official like, so they look at proper council letters and copy them very closely, so people think that they have some kind of authority , if it was me I would report them to trading standards , with a copy of their scam letters.

But no matter what the wording is from Euro they are invoices, they are not enforceable, they will not take you to court I can guarantee you, the reason I know is because they were interviewed on the Sunday Times a few months ago where they admitted that they have never ever taken people to court, and have no intention of ever doing so as they would lose!

mrdeedee

brilliant, ill need to dig that out. thanks taffy you have put my mind at ease

RENEGADE_2

It's as Taffy says: designed to look official but that is the limit.

They can decorate their literature with chequered borders and can even add a few "glow in the dark" orange and yellow chevrons to immitate police, but if they take you to court they will need to prove that you drove the car and that the amount they seek constitutes actual losses and does not amount to a de facto penalty.

The task, as you can see, is insurmountable which is why they will not sue. Ignore and relax.

HO87

@mrdeedee

To save you hunting out the copy yourself click on this link to read the whole Sunday Times article.

Kite2010

Those signs of Camera controlled car-parks shouldn't free "90 minutes Free Parking" they should read "90 minutes allowed in car-park including time spent looking for spaces, or else we will invoice you a contractually penalty for breaching a made-believe contract"

Kite2010

Off-topic, but when in a Euro controlled car-park, they couldn't even agree what they were going to put on an invoice if you accidently broke one of the rules, some signs said £40, some £50 and a couple said £60.

Maybe they ran out of stickers

RENEGADE_2

Kite2010 wrote: »

Off-topic, but when in a Euro controlled car-park, they couldn't even agree what they were going to put on an invoice if you accidently broke one of the rules, some signs said £40, some £50 and a couple said £60.

Maybe they ran out of stickers

Truth:
MAXIMUM STAY - 90 MINS

BREACH OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN A £0 PARKING CHARGE NOTICE WHICH IS REDUCED TO £0 IF PAID WITHIN 14 DAYS. IF THE FEE REMAINS UNPAID AFTER 28 DAYS, WE WILL REQUEST DRIVER DETAILS FROM THE D.V.L.A WHICH WHILL COST US MONEY, BUT YOUR DEMAND WILL REMAIN £0.

WHY?

YES NOW THAT WE WILL HAVE PAID FOR YOUR DETAILS WE CAN SEEK THE COST, BUT BEING ROGUES WHO OPERATE ILLEGALLY, WE DEMAND A FAR GREATER AMOUNT WHICH FOR THOSE OF YOU FAMILIAR WITH CONTRACT LAW, YOU KNOW TO BE £0.

AFTER WE HAVE EXHAUSTED OURSELVES THROUGH SOLICITORS AND DEBT COLLECTOR AGENCIES ALL OF WHICH YOU MAY HAPPILY IGNORE. WE SETTLE FOR THE FINAL SUM OF £0 AND LEAVE YOU ALONE.

THIS IS DESPITE OF APPEALS WHICH WE WILL REFUSE.

educational

If you get a second letter which states you need to pay full amount in28 days otherwise they will send your fine to a debt collection agency, should i be worried?