Fine from Uk parking ltd for being 6 minutes late.

eemma

Hi,

Last friday my boyfriend and I parked in the castle car park in Windsor and received a £100 (reduced to £60 if we pay in 14 days) PCN after returning to our car 6 minutes late. The ticket was put on after being 6 minutes late and we did see, and attempt to speak to the man who had given the fine; all he said was to appeal it. Then he scurried away, removing his high vis jacket implying he was finished working for the day (we actually sat in the car reading the ticket and saw him come back out after).

I feel like the charge is unfair because 6 minutes really isn't a very long grace period, and it's so incredibly high. I've been looking it up online and it seems like they should only be allowed to charge you for any losses they may have made in the time you were late? something to do with contract breaches?

I've also looked at previous threads on these forums and feel like the advice will be to compeltely ignore them.. but this is a prospect that does scare me a little and I don't really want to be harrassed by them. Also the threads I looked at regarding this company were older, mainly before the new law about them contacting the registered keeper. Does this have any impact?

We were technically in the wrong, staying 1 minute over their 5minute grace period.. but I still feel this charge is excessive and wanted to see if anyone had any advice?

If we ignore them, and it did go to court, would having ignored them damage our case? Would we be likely to lose?

Not sure what to do for the best

The_Slithy_Tove

Who fabricated the grace period of 5 minutes? It's entirely made up.

I don't know if these chancers are the same as the bunch of clampers who used to infest some Windsor car parks.

As long as it's your car, i.e. not a company/leased/hire car, wait for them to send you the Notice to Keeper through the post. This gives them the opportunity to mess things up and make their ticket even more unenforceable than it is already. Only when you receive the NtK do you then appeal, while not admitting who was driving. Challenge the whole premise of the ticket, don't ask for mitigation.

While you wait for the NtK (will take >28 days), do some research on this forum around strong appeals.

Coupon-mad

Ignore is the old advice. Don't do that but don't pay either and don't appeal yet!

As The Slithy Tove rightly said, the advice now in England/Wales with any fake PCN on the car windscreen is always to WAIT for the Notice to Keeper (unless the registered keeper is a company, such as with a hire car or company vehicle where you'd have to appeal sooner to stop the company being daft enough to fall for this fake PCN).

YOU WILL WIN IF YOU FOLLOW OUR ADVICE ABOUT THE WORDING FOR THE TWO APPEAL STAGES.

peter_the_piper

Consider using on whether they can prove you overstayed, did watch match pay machine? may be useful to add to all other points you get.

eemma

Yes, it is the same company and car park that used to clamp people. We usually avoid this carpark but were meeting someone who had parked there.

I also just noticed the attendants name is printed incorrectly -the initial is printed as one letter, and we noted it as another from his badge. I read somewhere that mistakes like this could invalidate the ticket?

My worry with ignoring is that the fee goes up -but I guess that's their intention, to scare me into paying.

Coupon-mad

eemma wrote: »

Yes, it is the same company and car park that used to clamp people. We usually avoid this carpark but were meeting someone who had parked there.

I also just noticed the attendants name is printed incorrectly -the initial is printed as one letter, and we noted it as another from his badge. I read somewhere that mistakes like this could invalidate the ticket?

My worry with ignoring is that the fee goes up -but I guess that's their intention, to scare me into paying.

Nope that doesn't 'invalidate' it as it's already rubbish, that ticket was never 'valid'!

For goodness' sake relax, you will not be paying a single penny.

edward123

eemma wrote: »

Yes, it is the same company and car park that used to clamp people. We usually avoid this carpark but were meeting someone who had parked there.

I also just noticed the attendants name is printed incorrectly -the initial is printed as one letter, and we noted it as another from his badge. I read somewhere that mistakes like this could invalidate the ticket?

My worry with ignoring is that the fee goes up -but I guess that's their intention, to scare me into paying.

There is absolutely no need to worry! Of course if you ignore the NTK the sum of their fake ticket will go up when they threaten you with increased sums,[toothless] debt collectors and court. This is to scare you. What kind of company would do that? A company that wishes to scam you out of your money. Its that simple. Do not pay such companies anything nor be worried you will be forced to. You won't. In fact if you strictly pay heed to the advice on here you will not only end their scam fairly quickly you will cost them some £34 into the bargain.

nigelbb

Actually if the PPC is holding the registered keeper liable by virtue of POFA 2012 then the amount can never be increased beyond what is on the NTK. So even if they start a threatogram chain when the NTK is ignored they cannot increase the sum demanded (well they can but it would not be backed up by the law). Here is the relevant part of Schedule 4 of POFA 2012

4.
(5) The maximum sum which may be recovered from the
keeper by virtue of the right conferred by this paragraph
is the amount specified in the notice to keeper under
paragraph 8(2)(c) or (d) or, as the case may be, 9(2)(d)

Coupon-mad

Well well well, hadn't spotted that! Thanks Nigelbb!

nigelbb

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Well well well, hadn't spotted that! Thanks Nigelbb!

I rather enjoy deciphering the exact meaning & requirements of POFA & the CoP & I can be so nit-pickingly pedantic that I think I must have been a lawyer in another life:)

edward123

nigelbb wrote: »

Actually if the PPC is holding the registered keeper liable by virtue of POFA 2012 then the amount can never be increased beyond what is on the NTK. So even if they start a threatogram chain when the NTK is ignored they cannot increase the sum demanded (well they can but it would not be backed up by the law). Here is the relevant part of Schedule 4 of POFA 2012

Does this effect what a debt collector 'asks' on behalf of the client, a PPC?