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Driver8
Posts: 743 Forumite
Print off what is written below and stick it on as many car windscreens as you can when going to any private car park such as a supermarket and the like, please do it as it is the only way we can defeat the scum scammers, they are getting desperate now. Park as far away from the main door as you can then stick the note on every car windscreen on the way in Please do it.
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.
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.
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Comments
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Sorry to regular posters but i am going to bump this to the top each time i log on. The word must and will get out.0
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No need to apologise, Driver8!
It would be really helpful if new members to the Parking tickets board, who have any PRIVATE parking 'ticket' (i.e. a fake one from anyone other than a Council, TFL or the Police) could read the above post in full and click on all the links and read them too!
Once they watch the Watchdog clip and check out the letter-chains surely they won't all need to start a new thread saying yet again 'please, help, I got a Parking Charge Notice and want to write an appeal'... NO, NO, NO!
I spent about 2 hours last last catching up here, we can't do that every day.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD0 -
Also encourage people to sign the e-petition calling for a change in the law to prevent DVLA selling your info on to non-governmental organisations without obtaining a letter giving them express permission.
The petition is HERENever Knowingly Understood.
Member #1 of £1,000 challenge - £13.74/ £1000 (that's 1.374%)
3-6 month EF £0/£3600 (that's 0 days worth)0 -
Bump.................................................................................0
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Bump .......................................................0
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I have been the victim of these (sorry to anyone who might find this offensive in anyway) scamming tards, I am sorry but it is completely true! My thread is here. You will see that they repeatedly threatened me with complete nonsense about my credit rating, and one thing, every time I called them (before I was made wise by MSE fans , thanks) they always asked me to "confirm my telephone number", my reply was "errrrrr, nah, I will not give you my phone number so you can harass me on the phone, nice try freak"! After thinking, I should have said "999" to see if he took the bait, but did not. Everything is in the thread above, I am happy I have saved myself £70, I put it towards repairs to my motorcycle that they "fined" me for riding! They are nothing but scamming, stupid leeches and they rarely give a rats behind what they do to people when they cause upset and worry!0
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Coupon-mad wrote: »
Once they watch the Watchdog clip and check out the letter-chains surely they won't all need to start a new thread saying yet again 'please, help, I got a Parking Charge Notice and want to write an appeal'... NO, NO, NO!
I wouldnt hold your breath on that one...Went shoplifting at the Disneystore today.
Got a huge Buzz out of it.0 -
Bump, new posters please read the sticky threads and info provided and linked by Driver8 in the first post.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD0 -
Bump........................................0
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Bump .................................................0
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