Aylesbury Shopping Park - Parking Charge

Set_me_free

My husband, myself and baby visited the park last Sunday, we were totally unware of needing a ticket, we actually always thought it was only one side of the car park, anyway, my husband was on the phone and I was dealing with our daughter, when we came out of Wickes there was a parking charge on our windscreen, it says the vehicle was first seen at 11:58 and a ticket was issued at 12:07 I thought it was two hours free parking, so don't understand this charge, from what you are all saying, we should ignore it? they have no details other than our registration.

What should we do?

Thanks for any advice

Coupon-mad

TMS1977 wrote: »

My husband, myself and baby visited the park last Sunday, we were totally unware of needing a ticket, we actually always thought it was only one side of the car park, anyway, my husband was on the phone and I was dealing with our daughter, when we came out of Wickes there was a parking charge on our windscreen, it says the vehicle was first seen at 11:58 and a ticket was issued at 12:07 I thought it was two hours free parking, so don't understand this charge, from what you are all saying, we should ignore it? they have no details other than our registration.

What should we do?

Thanks for any advice

First of all, welcome to MSE!

Secondly, do now take time to read the current forum, not a random old thread from 2012 where the only option (then) was to ignore fake PCNs.

Thirdly, if you need further advice after reading today's threads instead (about any private parking company - PPC for short on here - at all) please start your own thread so we can help you through the appeal with your own case. It's irrelevant that this old thread is similar to your case, you need to read ANY thread about ANY PPC.

That's because the advice now in 2013 is usually to appeal and then use POPLA (which was not around when this old thread was started).

See the advice here which I gave to someone this week, with links, so you can see the sort of legal challenge appeal we recommend:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4564539

If you just read that, the links and advice given, and the current forum, instead of this out of date thread you will understand what POPLA is and why we think that's better than ignoring nowadays.

However the bottom line is not much has changed, it's still a fake PCN and you still won't be paying it!

This is just a newer approach to the scam for 2013, which you will learn about from today's threads. To see the current forum you only ever have to click on the breadcrumb trail above (see my signature underneath this post, for where to click to read current threads). If ever you search Google and find a forum thread it's always best to click on the forum's breadcrumb trail as an old thread is often out of date, like this one, and the just the tip of the iceberg as far as threads are concerned.

nigelbb

Don't ignore it. You need to appeal to the Private Parking Company & then when that is refused to the "independent" appeals body POPLA. You are all but guaranteed a win at POPLA if you present a proper case. You will need to do some work reading up on this forum & on PePiPoo http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=60

You need to double check what signs there are in the car park itself. I just checked on the Aylesbury Shopping Park website & it says "2 hours Free Car Parking when valid parking ticket displayed" !!!!!! does that mean? Is it possible they changed the system? http://www.aylesburyshoppingpark.co.uk/index.php/parking

Go & complain to Wickes & insist that they get the charge cancelled.

Set_me_free

Thank you guys, I will work my way through this information

Stroma

nigelbb wrote: »

Don't ignore it. You need to appeal to the Private Parking Company & then when that is refused to the "independent" appeals body POPLA. You are all but guaranteed a win at POPLA if you present a proper case. You will need to do some work reading up on this forum & on PePiPoo http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=60

You need to double check what signs there are in the car park itself. I just checked on the Aylesbury Shopping Park website & it says "2 hours Free Car Parking when valid parking ticket displayed" !!!!!! does that mean? Is it possible they changed the system? http://www.aylesburyshoppingpark.co.uk/index.php/parking

Go & complain to Wickes & insist that they get the charge cancelled.

Ignore is an option, please don't advise that there is only one option here, especially when you don't know what part of the UK this user is in, there are three options and they must be given to people so they can decide on an informed decision. These are the choices.

1) pay them
2) appeal if England or Wales, if refused appeal through popla. If Scotland NI then ignore
3) ignore the scam completely

First option shouldn't be done otherwise why come to a money saving website ? Second option is a possibility if you have time to deal with this, and has already been put forward. Third option is really the default option, as parking companies make claims in a minute number of times (even now!) far less than 1% will ever go that route.

nigelbb

Aylesbury has always been in England as far as I am aware.

Ignoring the scam also means ignoring a chain of threatening letters from debt collectors. Possibly telephone calls & possibly court papers. Now that there is an "independent" appeals process that can stop the whole process in its tracks why wouldn't you want to do that. Here is a recent judgement where the appellant declared that the charge was an unenforceable penalty & the PPC didn't even try & justify it so lost by default http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=60845381&postcount=18 Any PPC trying to claim that a £70/£100 charge for not displaying a ticket in a free car park is anything other than a penalty is basically on a hiding to nothing.

Complaining to the store where you were shopping when you got ticketed is also a very good option. Many stores will make the charge go away even if the first line customer service staff deny being able to do anything the manager can (yes, Asda I am looking at you!).

Stroma

Yes but to say there is only one option is not correct, there are three options and we should giving all three for the consideration of the people asking. This company has never done court, unless they were actually taken there, that is not to say they won't in future.

The ignore option is always going to be the first option in a vast majority of cases, and its borne out by the 35% who don't pay. I've said this before and no doubt will do so again, no matter how many claims are made, or popla appeals done, it will take up far less than 1% of tickets ignored.

You realise that popla in 6 months only handled 1000 appeals, and that almost a million tickets would have been handed out, and in that time also far far less claims were made. Yet if past statistics hold out, about 350k tickets were not paid.

Set_me_free

Hi, I posted on the end of another thread but have decided to start a new one, last Saturday my husband, daughter and I visited Wickes at Aylesbury shopping Park, we had an appointment with a kitchen designer, it completely slipped our mind that we needed to display a ticket to validate up to 2 hours free parking, my husband was on his phone and I was getting my baby out of the car, on return to our car, we found a parking charge from UK Parking Control Ltd. £50 if paid within 28 days or £90 there after.

I have since spoken to Wickes and they said we can ask the kitchen designer to put in an appeal for us or do it ourselves, either way we can prove our appointment within Wickes.

My question is, what do we do now? and how should we appeal, there has been mixed advice as to just ignore or go through the appeal process, if we appeal do we do it direct to the parking company or through a different process?

Any advice gratefully received, I have read many of the threads and been to some of the sites, but I am still confused as to what our next move should be.

Coupon-mad

Get a letter from the kitchen designer first. Pre-type it for him/her to sign and use words like 'didn't trepass' and 'had a prior appointment' which means your arrangements take precedence over any allegations made by UKPC. This will help your case at the second stage appeal (POPLA).

I assume this was in England or Wales (POPLA only applies there). See the sticky threads to learn about POPLA.

So I would suggest this for the Kitchen Designer to sign a letter like this, to forward to UKPC:

''I can confirm that at xx o'clock on xx/04/13 Mr and Mrs TMS1977 had a prior appointment with me to discuss the design for their kitchen which is being supplied by Wickes. I can confirm that there was no trespass nor breach of contract as far as Wickes are concerned because these are genuine customers with a kitchen order at Wickes, and as the occupier of the site we would request that this parking ticket is cancelled.''

And then you keep the original if it's a letter, take a copy for UKPC and enclose it with a simple appeal - NOT EVEN ADMITTING to any oversight, no need. Just say that you were surprised to receive a parking ticket, did not notice any signs to remind you that any action was needed in order to park at Wickes. Say that you have already been in to see the Manager at Wickes about it and they have assured you that they support your appeal to get the PCN cancelled. See attached letter from the kitchen designer. Please note that if you should reject this challenge I will take the matter to POPLA.''

This is an invoice not a real parking ticket but the appeal option and POPLA is the best way to get these irritating things cancelled.

nigelbb

Coupon-mad wrote: »

I assume this was in England or Wales (POPLA only applies there).

The clue is in the thread title "Aylesbury Shopping Park - Parking Charge":)

Coupon-mad

nigelbb wrote: »

The clue is in the thread title "Aylesbury Shopping Park - Parking Charge":)

Whooops, missed that in my haste to help out with replies here in my lunch hour.