Vehicle Control Services - help needed!

ega05th

I need some help...
Basically I moved into a new flat in Sheffield last month. Over the past week I have received two parking tickets from Vehicle Control Services, as they claim this is a private car park (it's a road round the rear of my flat). On both occasions I thought I was in the right, as I had a visitors parking permit from the council displayed in the vehicle.
Before I'd read any of these forum topics, I had already appealed to both parking tickets - giving them my email address and phone number. Now I've seen lots of posts saying not to contact them etc - so what shall I do? That's £160 worth of parking tickets I currently have and I don't know whether to just pay them and get rid of them, or to stick it out.
Any help/advice would be great... Thank you in advance!

ManxRed

They are unenforceable, so you can ignore them, however it would be an idea to try and nip this in the bud if there is a likelihood of you picking up lots of these over time.

Are there any signs displayed which make it clear what you've done to 'earn' these tickets? It might be useful to find out what the PPC thinks you've done wrong so you can make a point to the Management Company (or whoever it is who's hired these idiots).

ega05th

So I can just ignore them? Even if they come chasing for more money?

Basically, when I moved in I went on the council's website and looked at the parking schemes in my area. The council website clearly shows that my street is within one of these schemes. So I paid for visitor parking permits, if I ever had anyone come to stay. But then this morning I rang the council and they told me it's a private street/parking area and that the visitor permits are not valid. So I've complained to the council about their website and the misleading information.

But now I'm a bit worried I've got these cowboys chasing me for £160 worth of parking charges.

The_Slithy_Tove

You need to demand a refund from the council for the permits, as it seems that you have been misinformed.

Then you need to find out what the status of the land you are parking on is. Does it belong to the flats? Does your lease have anything about rights to park anywhere? If the land is someone else's and you are essentially sqautting there, then, while the tickets themselves are unenforceable, it could lead to worse things, such as being clamped (if the signs posted there say this).

Check out what, if any, signage there is, and report back.

ManxRed

The cowboys can only come after you for actual losses they have incurred as a result of you parking where you did. Which won't be £160, so don't worry too much about that.

However, if you are going to be parking there regularly, it would be useful to know what the parking company think you have done to earn one of their 'tickets'. There ought to be signs somewhere (supposedly prominently displayed!) which will give an indication of what they might think you have done wrong.

If we could see what is on the signs it would help. What we need to avoid is you running up dozens of tickets - this might encourage the PPC to actually take real court action - two tickets are insignificant in this regard but if you run up dozens they might feel more inclined to take a punt in court, regardless of the weakness of their case.

ega05th

I checked the signage this morning and it just said that a relevant permit/ticket must be displayed. So I believed that my visitor permit would be sufficient.

I have just messaged my landlord to find out the regulations regarding the parking.

I have a valid residential parking permit for my car. It's just when a visitor is there, I though the visitor permits would be valid. So it's not a case of squatting etc. And I can find a nearby area to park in which is council owned and does fall under the permit boundaries.

It's just the charges, and this VCS company, that I am worried about.

ManxRed

Don't worry about them, legally they can claim no more than the financial losses they have incurred (damages) under trespass. This isn't £160, its nearer zero. In fact it is zero.

They will simply send threatening letters that are all bluff, and designed to scare you, They'd be insane to initiate actual court action.

give_them_FA

Whatever you do, don't pay VCS one penny. They are simply chancers and have no means of enforcing their ridiculous demands.

Unfortunately you have given them the impression that you are taking them seriously, so they think they have hooked a sucker.. most people just file their tickets "BIN".

Not to worry, just make up for lost time by ignoring all their garbage from here on in. They will go away when they realise that, hey, you weren't actually a mug after all!

These parasites always prey on residents. A complaint to the managing company that hired the scammers is all the correspondence you actually need, warning them that if you suffer any more harassment you will hold them liable for the actions of their agents..

These scammers have NO AUTHORITY. They try to persuade you they have by pretending to be something they are not. See through that, and just laugh at their pathetic letters.

vax2002

They are fake tickets that impersonate authority from private companies.
There is very little they can do other than send lots of silly letters and impersonate other types of authority if you ignore the first such as debt collectors and solicitors.
Again, all fake.
Relax, sit back and ignore the threats.
They can not effect credit ratings and have no legal substance despite the twaddle they will write.

ega05th

Thank you for all your help! Feel like a bit of an idiot for even replying to them now, will teach me to do a bit of research first.

Looks like I'll have some nice letters to look forward to!

ManxRed

As regards being a bit of an idiot, you're not in the same league as the 65% or so of people who actually pay up without researching it!!

Spread the word, the more people that know about the private parking scam the better!!!