parking ticket issued today

superteach38

This morning, both village car parks were full and so I parked for a short time on the pub car park. I have been issued with a £60 EPN parking charge notice.

Apparently, there are signs around the car park saying it is for patrons only and because the pub does not open until 11:30, I was not, obviously, a patron. I am so angry with myself because it is the pub we go in and so it never occurred to me that it would be a problem.

Is this classed as an unfair charge or are they justified in issuing it? And do I have to pay it?!

Thanks.

McKneff

No, you dont have to pay it, it is an unenforceable invoice.

Just absolutely ignore anything they send you.

It really is as simple as that, so stop stressing:D

Come back for more reassurance if you want

superteach38

Thank you for answering but...are you sure?!!

There are signs up in the car park - is that irrelevant?

give_them_FA

Completely irrelevant. No private company or person has the right to issue fines. This is the sole province of council, police, and courts. They can put up whatever notices they like, it does not give them powers which the Law denies them.

It is all a confidence trick perpetrated by impersonation of authority, when actually they have no authority at all.

Besides, if it's your "local" then you ARE a patron, even if you weren't drinking at that time. Doubtless they won't want to lose you as a customer so a word with the landlord will probably suffice.

However, bottom line, it is totally unenforceable so don't even contemplate giving them a penny. Scammers.

trisontana

superteach38 wrote: »

Thank you for answering but...are you sure?!!

There are signs up in the car park - is that irrelevant?

They can only claim for the actual loss suffered by the land owner. As this was a free car park that amounts to a big fat zero. Just ignore.

superteach38

Thank you so much!

Apparently, their deliver wagons sometimes struggle to turn because people park there in the mornings so they "have had to start issuing fixed-penalty fines".

My 21 year old son and all his friends spend a FORTUNE in the pub so I think a family boycott could be in order!

I shall keep my nerve & ignore the slip.

Thanks again.

give_them_FA

Don't forget the ticket isn't issued by the pub, but by a third party parasitic company which aims to put the proceeds in its own pocket. So I don't think the landlord will have too much trouble telling them to cancel it if he thinks he's going to lose custom on it. Do not accept any "nothing to do with me" excuses, though. The scammers are their agents and this makes the pub the controller of the situation!

HO87

Who is the issuing company? We believe in naming and shaming.

What exactly do they call the ticket? You've used the initals EPN, what do these stand for?

Most pub-based PPC operations are self-ticketing. You pay a fixed fee for a pack containing a number of signs (in the name of the PPC) and a pack of tickets and wallets. You issue the tickets yourself, put them in a wallet and attach it to the vehicle(s) in question, take a digital camera shot or two and send off the ticket counterfoil. The PPC then collect the charge and give you a cut.

I'd just bet that this is what has happened in the OP's case. The profit margin for the PPC is even greater than normal even though they're giving a proportion away to the landowner.

superteach38

It says at the top:

EPN PARKING CHARGE NOTICE (£60)

The company to send it to is EPN in Woking, addressed to 'Notice Processing Office I Bennett EPN'.

The pub is in Cheshire and the ticket was written out by someone at the pub.

Does this change anything?

superteach38

I'm thinking EPN is Extortionate Parking Notice?!

vax2002

Nothing changes anything.
Treat it no differently to any flyer left on your car and you will be OK.
This is a complicated scam bordering legality that asks for payment to an invoice by invitation.
The characters in the impersonation change from parking authority (fake) to fake solicitors to fake debt collectors.
Ignore the lot.
Ignore the pub as well, they have made it quite clear they do not want your custom.