is this an unfair ticket?

rachelralph

ive read the best way to dispute a parking ticket and im aware that the company who issued this ticket are a private company but im unsure if i have a case.
my husband an i parked at ikea retail park in nottingham and parked in a disabled bay. whilst i dont have a disabled ticket i am currently 35 weeks pregnant and am wheelchair bound due to a fractured pelvis. this is only a temporary disability until i give birth so i dont have a disabled badge. whilst im aware that the guy issuing the ticket would not have know this and therefore issued the ticket because we didnt display a badge, when i went to ask at the parking office whether we could be 'let off' we were quite rudely told it had already gone through the system and couldnt be taken off unless we paid the fine or appealed. the guy then laughed and said 'its basicly your word against us though and you dont have a badge so we're in the right'
i was a little upset and just walked (lol got husband to wheel me) away and decided to email the compnay with my appeal. i have heard nothing back even though i sent a copy of the sheet from my pregnancy notes cleary stating a wheelchair was advised for any walking more then a few minutes.
should i just wait it out and hope theyve backed off, or am i going to get another notice for the higher fine having not paid within the 14 days?
confused now

nigelbb

First step is to contact IKEA & get them to cancel the ticket. I will be amazed if they don't but if they don't be sure to use 'its basicly your word against us though and you dont have a badge so we're in the right' when you contact IKEA when you challenge the PPC (who will reject it) & when you appeal to POPLA (where with our help you will win).

nigelbb

Here is a recent post from one the regulars here who explains the ins & outs of what to do if IKEA won't play ball. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=61660729&postcount=8

BTW If necessary return to IKEA in your wheelchair & create a scene at customer services.

rachelralph

the first thing we did was go to IKEA customer services with me in wheelchair and we got told it was nothing to do with them, they didnt own the carpark and they wouldnt be able to help. silly us just accpeted this. might be worth another visit with the ticket.

nigelbb

Which IKEA store is this? All the ones that I have visited have their own car park.

Guys_Dad

rachelralph wrote: »

the first thing we did was go to IKEA customer services with me in wheelchair and we got told it was nothing to do with them, they didnt own the carpark and they wouldnt be able to help. silly us just accpeted this. might be worth another visit with the ticket.

Next time ask to see the manager, get his name as well. If he is not on duty, get the duty manager. Tell them that they do own the land and to sort it out or you will contact IKEA head office.

Coupon-mad

nigelbb wrote: »

Which IKEA store is this? All the ones that I have visited have their own car park.

I have been to Nottingham IKEA and seem to recall there are several retailers there so the Retail Park Management would have got the scammers in that car park, not IKEA.

A complaint should be sent to the Retail Park managers, they are easily found usually by Googling the Park and looking at newspaper articles about it - local papers always say who the owners/Managing Agents are when gloating in a press release about new shops opening, etc.!

You are protected against harassment by virtue of the Equality Act 2010 which certainly covers you from a maternity perspective:

http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/eo/PregnancyMaternity.htm

...but may even cover you from the 'definition of disability' perspective as well because the after-effects of your current condition may well last a few months (I don't mean you'll be in a wheelchair all that time by the way, I just mean some of the symptoms may well span a few months!).

Personally I think your SPD medical condition is easily long-term and debilitating enough to lawfully allow you to use the 'reasonable adjustment' of a private disabled bay under the circumstances. The effects of your condition are not short-term or very 'temporary' by any stretch of imagination.

I would complain and if you have a POPLA code use it to appeal STRONGLY like this:

BLUE BADGE NOT DISPLAYED BUT YOU ARE DISABLED?

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=79656 post no 2

or, DISABLED PERSON ACCUSED OF CAR OVERSTAYING A TIME LIMIT?

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=79515 post no 13

One is a POPLA appeal and one is a suggested COMPLAINT letter suitable for a shop or retail park Manager, which I recently suggested - when posting as SchoolRunMum on pepipoo - with my 'ex-Disability Advice Manager' hat on as well as my 'I hate private parking scumbags' hat too!


HTH

rachelralph

thank you all for your wonderful advise. i have emailed parking eye and am waiting for a reply. will i definately recieve a reply and if so what should i expect? do they always reply or do they try to persue it further?
your advise was really helpful x