Armtrac at Falmouth Maritime Museum

GreenLady_2

I parked here (Falmouth) in February, but came back to a 'parking notice' on the windscreen. My purchased, and still in time, ticket had turned upside down on the dashboard. (I still have the said ticket.) The serial number was visible so they could have discovered I had paid had they wanted to. I read many forums in Feb which said 'ignore - and keep ignoring'. Today I have the 'thick paper' 'red ink' threat from Armtrac threatening me with court if I don't pay, and with another £160 on top of the £100 - The thing is, despite them saying I can see it, I have yet to find a way to get to their 'carefully scrutinised and beyond any reasonable doubt' photo without paying the charge first - or so it seems. I gather there could be many discrepancies with the photograph that would let me off the hook easily, but I don't want to ask them for a copy or I will be communicating with them. Do I keep ignoring - and what might happen? (I didn't know about POPLA back in Feb, so unless I pretend I wasn't the driver - I am the reg keeper - and get another chance, but lots of time has passed now.)

Coupon-mad

As I said to you on that thread you added to initially, I think you carry on ignoring Armtrac as you are too late for POPLA and Armtrac are not a reasonable firm so you'll get nowhere with an appeal that isn't supported by the POPLA stage.

BUT!! try writing a complaint to Amy Glover, Visitor Services Manager for the National Maritime Museum (mentioned in the article) or Cath Horton (mentioned by Miranda, a pepipoo poster in the final links below!) :

Newspaper article link

and another unhappy customer in April

Amy is the spokesperson quoted as saying: “On occasions where we feel that there is a grey area concerning the fine we do intervene with Armtrac and request a review of the fine given.”

Tell her this is more than a grey area, it is unfair and has put you off ever returning and you are minded to involve the press - including the Telegraph regarding the car park being 'Family Unfriendly' - as you have seen the previous newspaper articles and letters. Also you will be quoting their responses on TripAdvisor so hey had better think carefully about this complaint - and if the charge is not cancelled you will make official complaints to the Cornish Tourist board and the local council / MP.

Finish by saying it's clear nothing has changed since newspaper articles in 2012 and having a (frankly notorious, Google them!) firm like Armtrac onsite is the antithesis of customer service and will lose business if they are shown to act unreasonably towards paying customers in a car park which is often very windy and yet the P&D tickets are not sticky.

And last but not least, here are some threads about that place from pepipoo forums:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=79367

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=80102

That last poster Miranda says ''The museum is trying to win a family friendly award this year from the Telegraph. They are in the final 20. I would suggest anyone who wants help should contact me and I will try my best to help. Armtrac in my view are contravening signage rules and therefore the majority of car parks are incorrectly signed and therefore tickets invalid.''


So if I were you I would register on pepipoo and send a private message to Miranda and if she gets email alerts she may see your message. If no response from her (as she is not a pepipoo regular so won't see the message if she has no email alerts) just go it alone with your complaint using what you have learned here to your advantage (Telegraph, TripAdvisor etc. because tourist facilities HATE bad TripAdvisor reports and the Telegraph thing is a fantastic bit of info to beat them with!).

HTH

GreenLady_2

Thank you so much - this is so very useful. I am on the case now!

Coupon-mad

GreenLady wrote: »

Thank you so much - this is so very useful. I am on the case now!

Good, stay on the case and let us know when you win!

GreenLady_2

I'm back - with now a Debt Recovery letter. So much for all the things I read in February that said 'do nothing, 3% of people are taken further than a couple of letters'. This one refers to a letter I 'received' from them in early August saying it was now £150 - pay now. I never got this which is likely to be (a) typical? (b) a pain as unprovable so now I have a 'notice of intended court action'.
I am today now sending off a letter to this debt recovery company with photocopies of the tickets showing I had paid. I have asked for the photo proof offered on line (but viewable only after entering payment details - I'm not doing this) and a copy to the Maritime Museum - thank you for the contact names - requesting them to intervene and have the charge dropped. I have mentioned the Telegraph award and Trip Advisor's comments, and the local press.
I can't see that to continue silence now would serve anything? I do NOT want a CCJ against my name! But I am admitting to nothing. I want to see that photo showing CLEARLY where my ticket was. I have asked for this, but only have until the 10th Sept - who knows if they will bother to reply in that time?
I am grateful for any hints. And will keep here posted. Thanks.

GreenLady_2

*%&%*£*£$&^@&£*^ I can now see the photos and they HAVE managed to show that the ticket is upside down on the dashboard. Clearly. So I am now back to the thought that, because of the serial number, Armtrac could have easily checked that I had paid? I agree that if it had blown onto the floor (as has happened to me expensively in the past) it's a different matter. But I can see that this a futile battle with a heartless company and I might as well pay - what's £150 compared to a heart attack. And I have far better things to do with my life that fight criminals. GOD I HATE THIS COMPANY

Hovite_2

GreenLady wrote: »

I'm back - with now a Debt Recovery letter. So much for all the things I read in February that said 'do nothing, 3% of people are taken further than a couple of letters'. This one refers to a letter I 'received' from them in early August saying it was now £150 - pay now. I never got this which is likely to be (a) typical? (b) a pain as unprovable so now I have a 'notice of intended court action'.
I am today now sending off a letter to this debt recovery company with photocopies of the tickets showing I had paid. I have asked for the photo proof offered on line (but viewable only after entering payment details - I'm not doing this) and a copy to the Maritime Museum - thank you for the contact names - requesting them to intervene and have the charge dropped. I have mentioned the Telegraph award and Trip Advisor's comments, and the local press.
I can't see that to continue silence now would serve anything? I do NOT want a CCJ against my name! But I am admitting to nothing. I want to see that photo showing CLEARLY where my ticket was. I have asked for this, but only have until the 10th Sept - who knows if they will bother to reply in that time?
I am grateful for any hints. And will keep here posted. Thanks.

The advice was different in February.

Firstly you won't get a CCJ unless they take you to court, you lose and then you fail to pay what the court says.

You have ignored the letters so far so why stop now ? Debt collectors have NO power in the eyes of the law. They are bullies - corrupt bullies at that. Continue to ignore and they will go away.

*** TO NEWBIES - THE IGNORE ADVICE IS FOR THIS SPECIFIC CASE ***

Coupon-mad

GreenLady wrote: »

I'm back - with now a Debt Recovery letter. So much for all the things I read in February that said 'do nothing, 3% of people are taken further than a couple of letters'. This one refers to a letter I 'received' from them in early August saying it was now £150 - pay now. I never got this which is likely to be (a) typical? (b) a pain as unprovable so now I have a 'notice of intended court action'.
I am today now sending off a letter to this debt recovery company with photocopies of the tickets showing I had paid. I have asked for the photo proof offered on line (but viewable only after entering payment details - I'm not doing this) and a copy to the Maritime Museum - thank you for the contact names - requesting them to intervene and have the charge dropped. I have mentioned the Telegraph award and Trip Advisor's comments, and the local press.
I can't see that to continue silence now would serve anything? I do NOT want a CCJ against my name! But I am admitting to nothing. I want to see that photo showing CLEARLY where my ticket was. I have asked for this, but only have until the 10th Sept - who knows if they will bother to reply in that time?
I am grateful for any hints. And will keep here posted. Thanks.

Hope you didn't bother to send a copy to the debt collectors? You just IGNORE them because this letter chain is well-known junk mail. You are taking it far too seriously!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2329119

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=78495

It really is just the Maritime Museum you need to lean on. ONLY MUGS PAY - only last year we told everyone to ignore these fake PCNs (before POPLA came into being) and I have ignored 3 myself and have those debt collector letters in my handbag right now to laugh at and to show friends & colleagues so they never fall for such a scam!

Hope your post above about thinking you had to pay was just a blip. A debt collector letter chain is just worthy of shredding for hamster bedding!

GreenLady_2

Thank you! No, I didn't pay - yes, a blip; oh boy, even working with fear I still got caught out!

I've been reading this tonight which I found helpful - http:// jamesm1968.hubpages.com/hub/Private-Parking-Company-PCN-info (paste into browser I guess as I can't post links?)

I am now going to await the next batch of hamster bedding, and then hopefully not get the 'summons' type... If I do, I see this person above says take it to the Court to check it is bone fide and not a template off the web? What do you reckon to that? I will take this absolutely as far as I can go with the time I have - I am not going to let this crooked company take time and energy from my business either.

Another thing re this debt recovery co - the the only building on the 'square' in their address is an old pub; the one building left after huge demolition, and a few modern factory buildings - i can't post the Google maps link of course - which is unconvincing for sure. And I gather this is the same address on the next 'stronger' company's letter heads...hmmm.

I also gather that, as long as the Maritime Museum own the land (and not the Council), I am even 'safer' due to the trespass laws which A might try? Does the MM own that car park land? Do you know?

Thanks for the on-going support!

GreenLady_2

This might work pasted in....? https / maps.google.com/maps?q=Globe+Square,+Dukinfield,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=53.471624,-2.101564&spn=0.009924,0.027874&sll=53.46971,-2.096384&sspn=0.009924,0.027874&oq=globe+&hnear=Globe+Square,+Dukinfield+SK16,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.471557,-2.101567&panoid=0UsGNckTUepOwSRzuslRxg&cbp=12,104.72,,0,3.09

Coupon-mad

http://jamesm1968.hubpages.com/hub/Private-Parking-Company-PCN-info

Looks quite a good website summary (no different to our advice but a lot of info in one place which is nice for newbies). But I would have complained assertively to the Maritime Museum as suggested earlier. You'd have had this cancelled by now and wouldn't be spending years wondering if Armtrac were about to try court...and Armtrac have done so before now...

I wouldn't be ignoring it without complaining assertively to the Museum, even if you have complained before!

Miranda on pepipoo (who also posts on here, as I mentioned above) offered to advise anyone stuck with one of these fake PCNs at this site - but TBH her thread - which I linked already ages ago - gave you more than enough information on how to get it cancelled.