Not going too well for Parking Eye is it?

bromsgrovebarry

I really should not laugh but I cannot help it. This on top of being investigated by a TS department in Wales and Consumer Focus Wales.
Just as well they have their dodgy 'cutting edge technology' to back up their silly invoices!

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/08/11/parking-fine-anger-grows-in-llandudno-55243-292

Sirdan

bromsgrovebarry wrote: »

I really should not laugh but I cannot help it. This on top of being investigated by a TS department in Wales and Consumer Focus Wales.
Just as well they have their dodgy 'cutting edge technology' to back up their silly invoices!

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/08/11/parking-fine-anger-grows-in-llandudno-55243-292

Isn't it time someone took these cowboys to Court for fraud. I mean it's not like they haven't done this before at several sites i.e using the entry time on first visit and exit time of a subsequent visit.
If it is a technical glitch why have they clearly not done ANYTHING to fix it ..perhaps testing the equipment before going live ??
T &C had this same problem at my ASDA and ended up on the front page of the local paper...they got it fixed in a matter of 2 days !!

Still come the revolution all these camera based systems will be defunct and yet I saw T&C installing one for another ASDA only last week ...do they know something we don't ?????

Coupon-mad

That link didn't work for me, it was this one I think (if it works):

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/08/11/parking-fine-anger-grows-in-llandudno-55243-29213551/

I do hope the clueless saps who have 'appealed unsuccessfully' and are now 'going to seek legal advice' don't go to the CAB...

Let's hope they Google it!

GOT A FAKE PARKING TICKET FROM PARKING EYE AT MOSTYN CHAMPNEYS IN LLANDUDNO? Obviously ignore it and the letters they send you because Parking Charge Notices are a scam. YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FINED!

bromsgrovebarry

Sorry about the link. I think that Parking Eye will have to answer a few questions very soon. What a pity!

peter_the_piper

Sorry if I seem paranoid but I'm convinced the equipment is working just as PE want it. I still believe it only records the 1st time in and the last time out and generates the income.

Sirdan

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Sorry if I seem paranoid but I'm convinced the equipment is working just as PE want it. I still believe it only records the 1st time in and the last time out and generates the income.

Exactly,which if proven is most certainly fraud worthy of a substantial sentence from a criminal court ..but how to prove it ???
Cases like this should be a matter for the Police not Trading Standards.

bromsgrovebarry

I think you are right Peter. I think this is desperation tactics by this disreputable outfit. At least they are being investigated.

trisontana

You've got it all wrong folks. This is what their website says:-

ParkingEye was established in 2002, bringing technology-centred car park management solutions to an antiquated industry. ParkingEye has rapidly become the number one technical solutions parking operator in the industry, through the quality of its product, service delivery and system integrity.

They talk about an "ANPR" system on that website. Of course it's no such thing. The clue lies in the words "automatic number plate recognition". That means the cameras are linked directly to the DVLA database, and can give instant information regarding the car details. The only people who have that actual capability are the police. What Parking Eye have is a bog-standard CCTV system, where a PE goon looks at the screen, notes down the number plate, and then applies to the DVLA in the usual way.

Could PE get done under the Trades Descriptions Act?

Coblcris

Such unresolved 'misreads' are very common with these companies.

Sirdan

trisontana wrote: »

You've got it all wrong folks. This is what their website says:-

ParkingEye was established in 2002, bringing technology-centred car park management solutions to an antiquated industry. ParkingEye has rapidly become the number one technical solutions parking operator in the industry, through the quality of its product, service delivery and system integrity.

They talk about an "ANPR" system on that website. Of course it's no such thing. The clue lies in the words "automatic number plate recognition". That means the cameras are linked directly to the DVLA database, and can give instant information regarding the car details. The only people who have that actual capability are the police. What Parking Eye have is a bog-standard CCTV system, where a PE goon looks at the screen, notes down the number plate, and then applies to the DVLA in the usual way.

Could PE get done under the Trades Descriptions Act?

I rather think not, no way is a goon noting down all the numbers from CCTV and then cross checking footage to see how long each numbered vehicle stayed.
The system they are using is capable of "reading" the number plate i.e converting the optical camera image into a data format that can be processed through software that is supposed to be able to identify which vehicles have exceeded a pre programmed time limit.
Then the software produces a list which PE feed into their AOS link with DVLA.

So not fully automated but still an ANPR of sorts.

HO87

trisontana wrote: »

They talk about an "ANPR" system on that website. Of course it's no such thing. The clue lies in the words "automatic number plate recognition". That means the cameras are linked directly to the DVLA database, and can give instant information regarding the car details. The only people who have that actual capability are the police. What Parking Eye have is a bog-standard CCTV system, where a PE goon looks at the screen, notes down the number plate, and then applies to the DVLA in the usual way.

Could PE get done under the Trades Descriptions Act?

As I've posted before this description contains elements that are correct and some that are incorrect (Sorry). True enough PE do not have ANPR if by that term you mean a system equivalent to that the police have.

What they have is what is marketed as VNPR - Vehicle Number Plate Recognition. This is essentially infra-red illuminated CCTV cameras linked through the VNPR software that "reads" number plates recording these (through OCR) in a rolling text log file together with the stills of the number plates. Such systems are readily commercially available.

The logs can be used to produce a variety of standard format reports including one that produces a first in/last out report. They then use this report to scoop up those who have overstayed and apply to the DVLA.

What they are not doing is using a journal report that details all of the movements of each vehicle. If they were to use this report they would be able to eliminate most false positives. This type of report is just as available to them as the one they are using unless they have a really really basic package which I suppose is likely. Even then there would be nothing to stop them running the data (they can export it in a csv file) through Excel to produce a more accurate report.