UKPC charge not paid now debt recovery letter comes - what do I do?

rattyslane

This has happened to me at Stevenage Leisure Park. They have suddenly put up ambiguous notices and after 2 years of parking there I have received a ticket. The ticket is illegible and the photos they have posted show that I am parked within the lines so I have queried the ticket. However, on looking on another forum I see that a man was charged £90 for walking up the station stairs to collect his sick friend, the charge was issued despite the fact he then ate on the site. The evidence they say is the fact that he was parked near the station stairs.

bazster

You are wasting your time querying it, just ignore it.

What exactly do the ambiguous signs say?

taffy056

bazster wrote: »

You are wasting your time querying it, just ignore it.

What exactly do the ambiguous signs say?

He doesn't know because they are ambiguous :rotfl:

Anyway there is no point querying anything , unless it was given on or after 1st October, in which case you have a different option, though ignoring is as good if you haven't got a thick enough skin to make them jump through hoops and ultimately cost them money.

HardWorker2010_2

rattyslane,

There is no point in contacting them, they already know they are in the wrong as their business model is based on lies and deception.

If you do contact them they will take that as an indication that you are falling for their 'impersonation of authority' scam. They will then single you out for special attention and pressure to convince you to give them money.

If the car is registered to you the easiest option is just to ignore them. You can probably find samples of what to expect from them in the 3rd sticky thread at the top of this forum.

If you need reassurance come back here as each letter arrives.

rattyslane

I will try and get there to take some pictures and post them.

rattyslane

I have now read the new Law regarding this and the part most applicable to Stevenage is:-
New laws

"The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 states (under Schedule 4) that we can charge drivers/registered keepers (as applicable) the amount stated on our car park signage. Our parking charges comply with the guidance issued by the British Parking Association."


As there are no charges shown.

JagDriver

Really, I think they'll find they actually have to own the land to do that, as VCS found out the hard way, and in the process made it a precedent in a court of record.

bazster

rattyslane wrote: »

I have now read the new Law regarding this and the part most applicable to Stevenage is:-
New laws

"The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 states (under Schedule 4) that we can charge drivers/registered keepers (as applicable) the amount stated on our car park signage. Our parking charges comply with the guidance issued by the British Parking Association."


As there are no charges shown.

I suggest you read the actual law instead of UKPC's lying, cheating website:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/schedule/4/enacted

You are correct, though, that if no charges are shown on the signs then that is another (of many) reasons why they don't have a leg to stand on.

Here's what it says on the UKPC web page you have been reading (my comments in bold):

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into force on 1st October 2012. It gives statutory authority to private parking companies, such as UK Parking Control Ltd, to obtain payment of a parking charge from the driver of a vehicle who breached our terms and conditions of parking.

This is a downright lie, POFA Schedule 4 gives no-one the statutory authority to do anything. Private parking is still governed by contract law, not statute, just as it always has been.


If we are not notified by the registered keeper of the name and address of the driver (within 28 days of requesting that information) the registered keeper must pay the parking charge.

Another big, fat porky. The registered keeper must not do anything, the parking company still has to prove the validity of its charge under contract law (fat chance).


The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 states (under Schedule 4) that we can charge drivers/registered keepers (as applicable) the amount stated on our car park signage.

It absolutely does not. As always with contract law any amount charged must be a genuine pre-estimate of loss, anything greater is an unenforceable penalty regardless of what it says on the signage.


Our parking charges comply with the guidance issued by the British Parking Association.

So what? BPA guidance is not the law.


Taffy, have you reported this egregious pack of lies to DVLA? http://www.ukparkingcontrol.com/legal.html

Ratty, we really need a picture of those signs. Between the two of you, you and Taffy really could get UKPC in a lot of trouble.

rattyslane

I will be taking pictures this weekend and I have also found out that the site is owned by Legal and General Property as of January this year - they paid £40m for it. A letter asking me to take out their insurance arrived the same say as I got the ticket!

bazster

What the hell, I'm not that far from Stevenage, I'll nip over there next week, photograph the signs, and get myself a PCN. I gotta go to Welwyn next week anyway.

And I'll pop into Luton Airport on the way back, shoot some more signs, and have a little stop on the infamous roundabout, right in front of the stupid scamera car.