Armtrac - Camborne

Puglove_2

Help Wanted!

Today I used the car park in Camborne by Argos. I'm sure this car park used to be council owned but recently some new signs have appeared advertising 2 hours free parking.

Was in town for 30 mins and when returned to the car park there was 6 cars including ours with a 'parking notice enclosed' stuck to our windscreen. We would never park without paying so this really annoyed me! My partner spoke to the patrol officer who advised him that although there was 2 hours free parking we should have read the small print which states a ticket should still be purchased - they do not put up the signs it would be down to the landowner! As it was advertised as free parking there was no reason for us to go to the machine so wouldn't have seen this light grey print!

We noticed that there was an Armtrac white van parked in the car park so I can only assume they wait around to pounce on people.

We now have a charge of £80 and have read several forums where people say to ignore the charge however have read a couple where people have been taken to court and have lost and had to pay the fines.

They advertise on the ticket that the are an approved operator of BPA however when I've checked the list they don't seem to be a member - help please xx

taffy056

Ignore it they have no legal right to issue a penalty which this is, it's highly unlikely they will take you to court, and if they did they would have a hell of a task on how their loss is £80 in a car park that has 2 hours free parking advertised. They are just a private company impersonating authority.

Coupon-mad

It means diddly squat but they are members of the BPA, listed under 'KBT Cornwall t/as Armtrac Security Services'. It means nothing because that's just like you being a member of your local neighbourhood watch or summat (just a group of PPCs in a members' club). The BPA are not a regulator.

Like all the other posters on this board, you have a fake PCN. Ignore it.

When dealing with "tickets" from private parking companies (PPCs) our advice for tickets received up until the end of September is to ignore them as long as it's your car (not a company, hire or lease car). The registered keeper will just receive the usual threatograms and can play a nice game of snap with them.

Tick off the threatening letters here.

Watchdog clip with expert Solicitor's opinion here.

Barrister's opinion here.

Show your friends & family the links and make sure the registered keeper is ready to play their game of snap!

fil_cad

They are scammers so just ignore them you will get some loo paper in the post from them so if you ever run out of toilet tissue this stuff will sure do in an emergency ignore and they will give up and go away :money:

cajef

Armtrac have been issuing dubious tickets in various places in Cornwall for several years, the parking bays near Argos in Camborne being one of them, there have been complaints in the local press about them.

http://www.squidoo.com/armtrac-security-services

RENEGADE_2

BPA Membership = Mickey Mouse Club

£80 charge = To be paid by February 30th.

It's not the few cases that go to court, it is the fewer still that go in the favour of the PPC. Only when the case is badly judged or poorly defended does the PPC emerge triumphant. So long as you know that the signage was not prominently displayed and that the amount Armtrac seek exceeds actual losses, you would have nothing to fear in court as you would win hands down.

But they won't go there, they are notorious. Ignore them and the threats will fade within a few months.

taffy056

As I mentioned in the PM response to you OP , they initiated a small claim 28 times in the entire 2011, I would hazard a guess of maybe none being in front of a judge, as a majority who went there were devere apparently, an dthey have nothing to do with this operation.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4070423