Urgent help/advice needed please

harrassedmum

I could really do with some good advice asap. On the 20/12/11, the day after coming home from hospital due to liver/pancreas failure, I had to go to the pharmacy at Boots on Aintree Retail Park to pick up an urgent prescription taking my young daughter with me, that I needed for the next day for a full CT and MRI scan. Obviously with it being xmas the car park was very busy. I waited for a disabled bay (I have spinal injuries after being hit in a ‘hit and run’ accident). After nearly half an hour none were available, so as per Blue Badge Policy I parked on double yellow lines and displayed my badge in the legal manner. There were other cars parked on the same double yellows with no blue badge. I was literally 9mins in the store. As I exited the store I was greeted by a lady telling me I had been given a parking ticket and said she had told the warden that she also had been in the same position as myself and had watched my attempts to try and get a parking bay close by.
I then asked the warden why I had a ticket as I had displayed my badge correctly and why the other cars hadn’t. His response was “ this is a UK Parking Control LTD car park,the other cars had passengers (children on their own) and that normal blue badge rules do not apply here”. I pointed out a car on the same yellow lines was also blocking a pedestrian crossing and asked what the difference was. His response was that it was up to his discretion and that he didn’t have to explain to me. I have appealed in writing and am waiting for a response. The ticket will cost me £90, which is more than I have to feed myself and my children for a month. Any help or advice please, I am really worried about this.

AltheHibby

The blue badge doesn't apply, but neither do the yellow lines on private property, which the cretin should/would know. The appeal will fail, as they always do. Ignore any further demands for money completely.

Others will give you more information, but for now, stop worrying as you have done nothing wrong. I hope your health improves and 2012 is a better year for you.

HO87

UKPC are a private parking company and have no authority at law to levy any sort of penalty. What you have been issued is simply an invitation to settle a breach of contract they will allege you committed by parking on otherwise unenforceable yellow lines. Undoubtedly they will also allege that you entered into a contract with them by parking and in so doing tacitly accepted the terms and conditions set out on their notices.

To be clear. You have not been fined and the ticket you have received is in no way supported by statute law. It is, as I have stated, simply an invitation to settle and as such is nothing more than a speculative invoice. You can decline their invitation and ignore all of their threats and blandishments to pay - which will become increasingly threatening and shrill. And in all probability they will then stop. I would recommend that that is your course of action.

In the extremely unlikely event that they actually issued proceedings in the small claims court then they would only be entitled to seek recovery of their reasonable losses and in a free car park those losses would amount to precisely zero. At £90 it would be clear to everyone that their ticket was intended as a penalty which is not permitted at law.

Have a good look around this forum. There are plenty of cases relating to UKPC - and others - and I would urge you to watch the BBC Watchdog videos. Although these deal with tickets from MET Parking (as opposed to UKPC) the same principle applies. You need to follow closely the advice given by the solicitor in relation to what you do with your ticket and the letters that follows. Its quite simple when you get the hang of it.

Make sure you also have a look at the "stickies" which include the copies of letter chains you are likely to receive.

The_Slithy_Tove

In the same way as it's up to the warden's discretion whether or not he issues a ticket, it's up to your own discretion whether you pay it or not. The overwhealming advice you'll receive here is not to. The ticket is unenforceable and has no legal force. Just ignore any correspondence you receive on the matter from whoever (the parking company, or the fake debt collectors and fake solicitors that will follow). The only thing not to ignore are genuine stamped court papers (which won't happen). Everything else is bluster that attempts to impersonate authority, authority which they do not have.

vax2002

Ignore them, they will send a series of silly letters full of silly threats, all fake !]
This is a very simple scam based upon impersonation of Authority.
Treat it no differently to any other Flyer left on your windscreen.

P.S Your appeal has failed !

esmerobbo

Is it "U K Parking control" or is it "UKCPS" As far as I am aware its was UKCPS who prowled this car park.

Makes no difference to the ignore them advice!

bondy_lad

quick lesson,,if you recieve a ticket from police or traffic warden it is called ,,a PENALTY charge notice,,that is legal you have to pay and can appeal if you wish,,,now these private parking companys have no power and cannot do this,, so they try to scam you and issue,,read carefully now,, a PARKING charge notice,( which no doubt you have recieved) which equates to purely an unenforceable invoice, not legally enforced and no matter what its not legally backed and certainly NOT a legal parking ticket,,its not a even a ticket or fine, just an invoice,,you will however recieve lots of threat o grams threatening you,,from them or debt collectors, fake solicitors,,just simply ignore,,its a scam,now relax, feet up , chill, do not worry as nothing can/will hapen to you as a result of this, you have NOT committed a criminal offence, come back here as often as you like for reassurance,remember this is a scam,not legal, do not take it serious and do not let it make you ill.do not under any circumstances contact them or enter into any conversation/correspondance,,IGNORE EVERYTHING.

trisontana

esmerobbo wrote: »

Is it "U K Parking control" or is it "UKCPS" As far as I am aware its was UKCPS who prowled this car park.

Makes no difference to the ignore them advice!

Except that if it is UKCPS then the usual warning applies about not disclosing any information on here that Mr Hasbeen can use to try and identify the driver.

Oopsadaisy

Private = ignore, ignore, ignore some more.

Really, truly nothing else about your case is relevant ...simply ignore everything from them.

Yes...I mean it.

Seriously...ignore it all.

McKneff

Agree entirely, ignore it completely.

Your state of health is not relevant here.

TrickyWicky

UKPC = private company. Private company = no legal rights to 'fine' you. They'll try to claim that this is a 'contractual issue' however they'll have to take you to court first and in general PPCs don't.

That said, here is some advice for you: Look things up first. You've done two really silly things - first to assume that your badge has any legal meaning in a PRIVATE car park and second to write and appeal thus acknowledging who you are which could now be used as evidence instead of coming here first.

What you should have done was read your booklet and understand that it has no legal meaning in a private car park, only public highways and council car parks. Even in council car parks double yellows can get you a ticket for parking outside of a marked bay. Secondly you should always seek advice BEFORE doing anything about a ticket - you've shot yourself in the foot a bit by appealing.