Parking Eye

WeepingWillow

I have received a Parking Charge Notice from Parking Eye. It's for £80, though they'll reduce it to £50 if I pay in a couple of days time. I have been stressing over writing an appeal letter and only stumbled upon advice about companies like Parking Eye today, so I think I know what response I'm going to get, however I'm feeling a bit nervous about it all so would like to run it past those in the know...

I parked on a weekend afternoon in a Retail Park which has free parking for 2 hours. The signs clearly state: '2 hour max stay. Customer only car park. 4 hour maximum stay for Fitness Centre Members. Failure to comply with the following will result in a Parking Charge of £80. Parking limited to 2 hours (no return within 1 hour). Park only within marked bays.'

I went across the road to take my daughter swimming (not at the Fitness Centre within the retail park), and returned to my car within the two hours. I, wrongly, assumed that the car park would be patrolled by a traffic warden, and so moved my car across the car park and took my daughter in to a fast food restaurant for something to eat - I parked very close to the restaurant and we ate watching the car, so I could run out if it looked like I was going to get a ticket.

I have altered the truth just slightly for my appeal, and have emailed them (not sure if i should post my appeal here in case they somehow find it and see that I'm lying...) Nowhere states that time allowed is from entrance to / exit from the car park, so if we were sitting in the car to eat, rather than in the restaurant, then surely we weren't parked...

Anyway, I've seen a whole lot of advice about ignoring these 'fines', however most of these seem to be from people who have a genuine reason why they shouldn't pay. I'd love some advice on my situation. Has anyone over parked like I did and not paid and got away with it???

Please help to put my mind at rest... or let me know now if something bad will happen if I ignore the letters, so at least I can pay the £50 before it gets more expensive!!

Thank you

Oh, I forgot to mention, I sent the appeal off to them by email. My email is set up with my first and last name, but I didn't include any information about me - I only put the PCN and car reg (forgot to put anything else!) They emailed (auto response) back to say if name and address details weren't included 'your appeal may not be dealt with'. I know all the advice is to not respond, or to say you weren't driving, but it's too late for that now... any idea what the situation is with this???

Kite2010

Ignore Parking Eye, all the landowner can sue you for is the damages suffered, which will be zero as it was a free car-park.

All you will get back will be a "after careful consideration, we have decided to reject your appeal on the grounds that accepting the appeal might cost us money". Whatever you do don't pay the £50 as they will come back with some excuse to why it arrived late and demand even more money off you.

Have a look at this thread to see what letters you will be getting
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2214803

Sir_Roger_deLodger

Everyone who has ignored an invoice from Parking Eye has "got away with it". Don't even think about paying, it is nothing more than a scam. Your "appeal" will be rejected, there is no such thing as an appeal with these cowboys. Just ignore their stupid letters and do not contact them again.

HO87

Without being funny what makes you think you haven't got a genuine reason for not paying? ParkingEye have absolutely no authority in statute law to levy any sort of penalty. None. What they can do is to offer you an opportunity to settle a breach of the contract they will allege you have committed. If they actually took proceedings they would be entitled to recover their reasonable losses but this is a free car park and so their losses amount to £0. So guess what? You owe them £0.

Its a shame that you have contacted them and have been economical <ahem> with the truth. Just read as far as you can bear with the threads here and you will find the universal advice is to ignore them.

bondy_lad

paking spy/lie are well known on here,,scammers of the first degree,,from now on ignore absolutely everything from these cowboys, no matter what they or others on behalf of them threaten, all you have recieved is an unenforceable invoice, do not contact/engage in correspondance or enter dialogue, if they happen to find your phone number tell them,,the debt is denied, do not say anything else other than ,,the debt is denied keep repeating this or better still,,,IGNORE.nothing can/will happen to you no crime commited, now relax, chill, feet up and do not worry.

angel_islington

Anyway, I've seen a whole lot of advice about ignoring these 'fines', however most of these seem to be from people who have a genuine reason why they shouldn't pay.

They all have a genuine reason not to pay. They have no legal obligation to do so, regardless of how much Parking Eye (or whatever PPC is involved) will try to persuade you otherwise. They are experienced scammers and know every trick in the book to make you think you have to pay, to frighten you and to intimidate you. It's all fluff and the only thing that matters, and what it all boils down to, is that they are a private company and have no legal right to 'fine' you. You have to be strong, not wilt and ignore it. There is nothing they can do.

In the very unlikely event that they try and take it to court, they will probably take four solicitors and try and claim £4.5k in costs Yes, this actually happened recently (see the thread) and they got laughed out of court. I'm not trying to frighten you because the likelihood of it getting that far is so far on the horizon that you can't even see it. It does give you an idea however of the sort of muppets they are.

robredz

Read the sticky's watch the video, and ignore the PPC, then ignore them some more

ric3vic

I had the Parking Eye letters. I ignored. They gave up. End.

hillcats

Same advice here, I've had the PE letters many times now, just ignore the scammers...
Chances are you will only get 3 letters then they will give up and move on to the next person who MAY pay. Ignore them and tell others to ignore any private parking company scam mail be it posted to you or put on your car if it states PARKING CHARGE NOTICE = IGNORE.

bush2102

HELP PLEASE SOMEBODY!!!!!!!

I received a parking charge notice for £80 (or £50 if paid within 13 days) from Parking Eye recently having entered the car park, and driving round trying to find a space on a retail park during the post christmas sales. Unable to park, after frustratingly waiting and drivng around . In my panic i wrote this to them this morning....what should i do now? can i ignore them ...as suggested in the forum......

"DearSirs

May I bring your attention to the details regarding the parking
system at the wharf .

"Instead of barriers, the car park will switch to a pay and
display system where drivers key in their car registration when they
buy a pay and display ticket. As well as using cash, shoppers will be
able to pay by text or a mobile phone call."

- THIS IS FLAWED IN THAT THERE ARE NOW NO CONTROLS IN PLACE TO PREVENT
MORE CARS ENTERING THE CAR PARK THAN IT ACTUALLY HAS CAPACITY FOR,
MEANING THAT IT IS POSSIBLE FOR CARS TO ENTER THE CAR PARK (AND BE
PHOTOGRAPHED DOING SO), THEN TO DRIVE ROUND FOR AGES LOOKING FOR A
SPACE THAT DOESNT EXIST, AS THE CAPACITY HAS BEEN EXCEEDED, THEN AFTER
DRIVING, WAITING, DRIVING ROUND AGAIN, FOR AGES, FINALLY GIVING UP
HAVING NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A SPACE, AND ACTUALLY LEAVING THE CAR PARK
IN FRUSTRATION, (BEING PHOTOGRAPHED ON THE WAY OUT)...AND THEN GETTING
A PARKING TICKET DESPITE NEVER HAVING BEEN ABLE TO PARK IN THE FIRST
PLACE!!!

"The number plates of vehicles entering and leaving the car park will
be automatically scanned to dissuade drivers from parking without
paying correctly or at all."

- NO TICKETS ISSUED ON WINDCREEN OF CARS MEAING THAT DRIVERS ARE
UNAWARE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AS OFFENDING AND GIVING THEM THE
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN TO THE OFFICE AT THE TIME, THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
UNABLE TO FIND A SPACE!



THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME OVER THE CHRISTMAS / NEW YEAR PERIOD AND I AM
SURE WILL HAVE HAPPENEND TO OTHER DRIVERS. i CANNOT SAY FOR SURE
THATTHIS WAS THE CASE ON THE DATE IN QUESTION, BUT AS THERE IS NO
PHOTOGRAPH OF MY VEHICLE ACTUALLY IN A PARKING BAY, WITHOUT DISPLAYING
A VALID TICKET, I CANNOT SEE HOW YOU CAN POSSIBLE SAY FOR 100% CERTAIN
THAT THIS WASN'T THE CASE.



I WILL PAY THE TICKET TODAY, BUT WOULD LIKE SOME EXPLANATION REGARDING
THE QUERIES RAISED ABOVE.


help someone please!!!!!

Sir_Roger_deLodger

bush2102 wrote: »

I WILL PAY THE TICKET TODAY, BUT WOULD LIKE SOME EXPLANATION REGARDING
THE QUERIES RAISED ABOVE.

NO! NO! NO! Do not pay. You are taking this FAR too seriously, it is a well known SCAM! You owe them nothing.

Do not contact them again and ignore all their begging letters.