Ncp parking charge - advice please!!

sassybird

Just before Xmas I was in Manchester watching my son perform with his fellow college students as part of his music course. We parked up about 7pm in an unmanned NCP multi storey car park and got the ticket on entry. We returned to the car at 11.00 pm and the exit shutters were down. The car park was locked up. There were loads of cars in there. We had not seen any warning at the entrance letting us know of the closure and we thought it was round the clock parking. The entrance was still open and somebody had already raised the entrance barrier. We did not want to just drive out as there is CCTVs everywhere, so we paid our fee at the machine on the stairs (£7+) and kept the ticket as there was no machine to put it in to raise the barrier (hope I'm making this clear and not confusing things). Several people were doing the same thing and the only signs we saw about the carpark closing at 10.00 pm were actually by the paying machines which seemed pointless as we didn't go to them until we were actually paying!!

Just after Xmas I received a letter from NCP stating we had not paid the parking fee and there was now a £50 fine, which if not paid within 14 days, would become £100 and if not paid would be passed to a debt collecting agency.

I wrote them straight away and enclosed a good photocopy of the ticket which, although did not show any payment printing on it, had a full barcode and presumably something that was printed on it at the time of payment.

I said that I had paid the fee, I enclosed my photocopy and said I had the original ticket if one of their agents needed sight of this (didn't want to send the original as this was my only proof of payment), and that I trusted this now cleared the matter up.

I didn't mention leaving by the entrance at this point as I didn't want to be pulled over the coals for that.

I have, this weekend just received another letter from them stating:

"The CCTV contravention charge notice was issued to your venicle as it was recorded by CCTV that no payment was made on exiting the car park.

Although I appreciate the points raised in your correspondence, this car park is a barrier controlled site. The barrier is in place to ensure that all motorists pay for the parking services they they have used. If a motorist fails to enter a validated ticket into the exit barrier, then we have no proof that payment was made for parking.

As such, I am unable to find sufficient grounds within your appeal to warrant the cancellation of this notice. I therefore request that you make payment of £50 within 14 days from the date of this letter in order to conclude the matter."

:mad:

Any advice please? Just think it is a bit much that I've paid, sent them a copy of the 'validated' ticket and they still cannot see payment made.

TBH I feel bloody foolish for paying the £7+ now for parking - doing the right thing, as it looks like parking there is going to cost me £57.

Thanks peeps.

Mags

arrowsmith

The best advice is to ignore everything they send you and they'll disappear after a few months.

They'll send you lots of letters about courts, bailiffs and ruining your credit history. Which will all be untrue and still ignore everything they send you unless it's actual court papers. They'll also transfer it to solicitors at some point but ignore these too, they're just pre-formed letters.

Do not respond in any way to anything that they do, you cannot reason with them, so don't even try. They won't take you to court because they have no have no chance of winning and you know you've paid already.

rev_henry

Ignore as usual. I'm presuming you mean the RNCM? There's plenty of free on street parking around Rosamond St West and even on Oxford Road itself at that time of the evening, so you know for next time...

muckybutt

Hi Sassy....you posted in the wrong forum, there is a parking forum on here in the motoring section but never mind.

First things first NCP cannot FINE you, there are only a few regulatory bodies that can fine you, they are councils - courts and the police.

Secondly technically you have done nothing wrong, you paid for your parking before you left, you still have that ticket to prove you paid so let them swivel. Private companies like NCP cannot levy "fines" or penalties against a person they dont have the legal powers to do so.
They will send further threatening letters each time the ammount you owe them will go up, then you will get letters saying they'll take you to court - then from bailiffs or debt collectors saying they'll get you a CCJ, that is all bluff and bolloc*s, NCP have never taken anyone to court over unpaid tickets, even if they were to take you to court they would fail straight away because you have a valid ticket.

If you feel inclined to do so write them one letter.

Dear sir / madam.

LETTER BEFORE ACTION

On **/**/** I parked in the ****** car park.

Upon returning to the car park I paid the parking fee due as required and got the ticket to exit the car park, however the barriers to the car park were closed and the only exit was through the entry gate which had already been raised.

I have already contacted you about this matter and provided proof of payment - again see enclosed copy of ticket. ( put another copy in with this letter )

I consider this matter to be closed as I have paid the fee requested to park.

Should you contact myself again or the registered keeper of the car about this matter I shall be forced to take action against your company for Harassment as defined in the Protection from Harassment Act 1977

s_b

its not like they need the money
they took £10.40 off me for parking for 3 hours 5 minutes in leeds at xmas
had to forego the turkey
we had swizzles instead
wont be using them again in a hurry

bengalknights

Best advice is bin any correspondence you receive from them.

They will all be empty threats.

sassybird

Thanks for all your advice. And especially muckybutt - I'm going to go with your advice and send them one further letter, as you say, actually outlining the fact that I did not use the ticket to exit as the exits were closed.

All this aside, I thought it was a bit funny that although all the exits were closed and metal shutters brought down on them, the entrance was still actually up and running (albiet with the barrier raised). Meaning that on a normal evening people could still drive in, but had no hope of getting out - seems a bit iffy.

Thanks once again.

Mags

arrowsmith

sassybird wrote: »

Thanks for all your advice. And especially muckybutt - I'm going to go with your advice and send them one further letter, as you say, actually outlining the fact that I did not use the ticket to exit as the exits were closed.

All this aside, I thought it was a bit funny that although all the exits were closed and metal shutters brought down on them, the entrance was still actually up and running (albiet with the barrier raised). Meaning that on a normal evening people could still drive in, but had no hope of getting out - seems a bit iffy.

Thanks once again.

Mags

The worst thing you can do is to write to them. You're providing them more information that they could possibly use against you.

As I've said above, there is no point in reasoning with them, they're not interested in listening to your argument, it doesn't matter what you write or that that you're in the right. Just ignore everything

worried_jim

sassybird wrote: »

Thanks for all your advice. And especially muckybutt - I'm going to go with your advice and send them one further letter, as you say, actually outlining the fact that I did not use the ticket to exit as the exits were closed.

All this aside, I thought it was a bit funny that although all the exits were closed and metal shutters brought down on them, the entrance was still actually up and running (albiet with the barrier raised). Meaning that on a normal evening people could still drive in, but had no hope of getting out - seems a bit iffy.

Thanks once again.

Mags

You are wasting a stamp. Have no correspondence with this chancers ever again.

muckybutt

arrowsmith wrote: »

The worst thing you can do is to write to them. You're providing them more information that they could possibly use against you.

As I've said above, there is no point in reasoning with them, they're not interested in listening to your argument, it doesn't matter what you write or that that you're in the right. Just ignore everything

They dont have anything they can use on sassy, they dont have a leg to stand on and if it ever did get to court NCP would be laughed out of court.

If sassy writes back and puts them under notice and they persist then that leaves sassy the option to sue them for harassment as she has done nothing wrong.

Another trusted member on the parking forum has actually done just that and won a harassment case.

give_them_FA

Cue that member.....

Visit our friendly parking ticket forum next time, Sassy, but the advice you've had is all good. NCP like all other parking companies, is more full of !!!! than your local sewage farm, so don't worry about the supply of toilet paper they will be sending you, put it in a drawer and ignore it.

Or you could send the Harassment Act warning letter, though BTW, M.B., it is from 1997 not 1977....:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: