Retailer Not Interested!!

ManxRed

There isn't one, that's the point.

Lines on the Public Highway are governed by TROs (Traffic Regulation Orders) drawn up by the councils as part of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. This gives them legal status, and the council can enforce on them accordingly.

No such traffic regulation orders exist for private land, hence there is no legal backing to any lines anyone chooses to paint on the ground.

Tiddlywinks

nouwen wrote: »

what the letter actually said from the retailer was:

..........I would like to explain that the company which operates the retail site is not employed by Comet.

The management agency which is responsible for the running of the retail area employs the parking services company to moniter the site. This is to ensure that genuine store customers may park the vehciles in the allotted spaces.

The monitoring may inlcude the processing of fines or clamping, shoul the terms and conditions of parking be broken; this will inlcude car owners leaving their vehicles in the car park to undertake business elsewhere.

---

The problem with the above isthat we never left the shop to go anywhere else .....
Further advice would be welcome as we intend taking these !!!!!!s on as well as the parking agent who is UKCPS.

But a Comet representative has now told you that they do not employ the company - so why do you think they are responsible for this penalty?

trisontana wrote: »

All line marking on private property are just graffiti. They have no basis in law. Very naughty of Comet for calling them "fines".

The letter from Comet will have been written by someone in Customer Services or Retail - they won't know (nor should they be expected to know) the ins and outs of the law in this area. They just used the wrong word, a word that most un-informed people would use to describe a penalty - it's not naughty, it's just a lack of knowledge shown by someone who shouldn't be expected to be an expert.

Half_way

If its not commets car park then i can understand the we dont care aspect.
You should try and find out who contracted the parking company, usualy whoever owns and or manages the land.

As for commet, did your letter come from that store, or a head office somewhere? regardless you should write back informing them that private companys can not issue fines or penaltys, and point them at the various youtube links, BBC watchdog articles, as well as the links in my previous posts, and of course this ( and other ) website, if you word it carefuly to make it sound like you are doing them a favour ( ie please pass this information on to all your collegues freinds and family )
They say knowledge is power, and the more people that get to know the facts behind these extortionate parking charge notices the better.

nouwen

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

But a Comet representative has now told you that they do not employ the company - so why do you think they are responsible for this penalty?


I don't think they are responsible as such, rather if as a customer I am having to run the gauntlet to access their shop then I think they need to be aware of this. As a result of shopping in their store, I am now being bullied by letters from UKCPS telling me that I 'may' be taken to court. The vehicle we were driving didn't fit in the parking bay's provided but there was nothing any larger. They are, in my opinion guilty by association and it simply not good enough just to say - sorry it's nowt to do with us.

Half_way

you could say that they need to be aware of the issue, and then pass it on to their landlord, but it does look like to put a real complain in you will need to find who ever is responsable for the car park ( ie the landlord)

esmerobbo

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

But a Comet representative has now told you that they do not employ the company - so why do you think they are responsible for this penalty?

They may change their mind when enough customers are scared away by the PPC, the store closes due to lack of custom, and they have a P45 in their mitt!

It an easy cop-out to say its the landlord who employ them, I bet Comet pay rent!!!!!

taffy056

Ask who the landlord is and write to them about the harassment you are having from their agents, point out that you hold them jointly liable together with UKCPS and the next step is to issue a letter before action to sue them for the harassment being handed out to you.

Also as UKCPS don't own the land, they will have a very difficult task to take you to court in light of the hmrc v vcs case.

Coupon-mad

nouwen wrote: »

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

But a Comet representative has now told you that they do not employ the company - so why do you think they are responsible for this penalty?


I don't think they are responsible as such, rather if as a customer I am having to run the gauntlet to access their shop then I think they need to be aware of this. As a result of shopping in their store, I am now being bullied by letters from UKCPS telling me that I 'may' be taken to court. The vehicle we were driving didn't fit in the parking bay's provided but there was nothing any larger. They are, in my opinion guilty by association and it simply not good enough just to say - sorry it's nowt to do with us.

Totally agree with you - it's outrageous but typical of Comet IMHO.

I would be complaining to the CEO of Comet in writing or by email. I would strongly 'require' them to give you the details of the landowner responsible so that you can follow it up accordingly, or alternatively confirm to you that they have actually taken steps to make the contact needed to get the charge cancelled themselves.

Express how outraged you are as a customer that this can happen and then your experience has been made worse by Comet's 'couldn't-care-less-wasn't-our-fault' response.

Whatever happened to customer service? Ahhh...but then again this is COMET...

27col

Comet may say that they are not interested but a few lost customers might help concentrate their mind. Spread the word, and tell Comet why you are doing it.

Stephen_Leak

27col wrote: »

Comet may say that they are not interested but a few lost customers might help concentrate their mind. Spread the word, and tell Comet why you are doing it.

A reminder that they are "jointly and severally liable" for the actions of their agents, the PPC, and that any further actions by them would be regarded as harassment under the terms of The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 might help as well.