Hope no-one trusted POPLA to be independent

MothballsWallet

Umkomaas wrote: »

Surely not, it's London Councils

Same difference, isn't it, just with easier access to the red light districts?

Stroma

MothballsWallet wrote: »

Isn't that the old advice before some of them started issuing court papers?

Another thing that concerns me about this POPLA is that their attitude is "you fail to appeal in our time limit, tough biscuits, that's it".

Sounds like it's run by a bunch of Communists.

I don't mean the small number that came to forums, I mean everyone who is given a fake ticket, all of them.

Orrin

bazster wrote: »

You can see this in the situation whereby PoPLA allows individual appeals on the basis of failure to demonstrate a loss, when PoPLA knows, the BPA knows, the DVLA knows, the DfT knows, the ICO knows and WE know that this fatal flaw applies to every single damn ticket issued. Farcical? it's positively Orwellian.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the future POPLA limits itself to ruling on compliance with the BPA code of practice and leaves the wider legal questions around private parking to the courts.

The comments around contractual charges vs damages for breach were interesting though; I don't think I've ever seen that wording for parking in a disabled bay!

bazster

Orrin wrote: »

I wouldn't be surprised if in the future POPLA limits itself to ruling on compliance with the BPA code of practice and leaves the wider legal questions around private parking to the courts.

The comments around contractual charges vs damages for breach were interesting though; I don't think I've ever seen that wording for parking in a disabled bay!

It's a joke, isn't it? If I saw that wording for a parking bay for disabled customers I would be tempted to park my "spare" car there, and then write to the car park owner and the PPC telling them I'd done so and asking how I can pay the £100 - and, if they told me, cough up the £100 and leave the car there for several months.

Then, the newspapers...

Guys_Dad

It seems to me that it is only a matter of time until the pre-determined estimate of loss is rewritten by the various bodies. The general level of knowledge about these parking "fines" not being fines and how to beat them is spreading and when it does get to a certain level, it will spread exponentially.

The Parking companies, having lost their lucrative clamping income, will have to do something to keep profits up. Lobbying, donations to political parties, you name it will lean on there being a change to private parking penalties (yes I know we shouldn't call them penalties etc).

When it comes, the examples used will be poor freeholders getting bullies parking on their land, to get public opinion on their side, with the gullible seeing the little old pensioners with big Jeremy Kyle neighbours or well-heeled commuters pinching their spaces, or disabled motorists not being able to shop in Lidl/Aldi etc because able bodied are pinching the disabled spaces. No attention will be shone on the fat PPCs making millions from this.

So, how long before POPLA find a way to ignore our standard appeal points.

Custard_Pie

There is nothing that can beat public opinion and bad press. PPC have a bad name in general due to the wheel clamping cowboy practice. ACS Law raked in Millions sending out speculative invoices claiming copyright theft. When they issued a mass litigation as profits started to dry up, the whole scam was revealed and the Solicitor struck-off. The firm went out of business. This scam got national coverage on TV and in Parliament. People lobbied their MPs. This is what needs to happen here. I go for Rogue Traders, Panorama, MPs, the works here. We need a call to arms.

Custard_Pie

Stroma wrote: »

What would bring the whole house of cards down is if everyone ignored the parking companies completely, don't pay anything, don't accept anything.

Won't happen. People are ignorant, scared and lazy. 70% pay up without a fight according to The BBC. It's easy money.

We need a call to arms, similar to The ACS Law scam. Nothing can beat the public moving forward in the same direction. Look at the Poll Tax and how unpopular that was.

It's getting everyone there. Write to the national press, post on social media, write to your local MP. Get the scam out there in the public domain!

Custard_Pie

Stroma wrote: »

I really think that these companies have no legal right to even exist, all of them should be liquidated, and the people running these companies and the bpa should be done for fraud. The proceeds of their crimes should be used to compensate payers. I contend that there is no need for these vermin, or anything that resembles them.

I'm not 100% against landlords and their tenants protecting their own land from trespass. The current system though is corrupt and all about making money, not enforcing a deterrent for most PPCs.

If a shop is losing revenue because their customers can not park then fair enough.

If a company's employees can not park and turn up to work late as they can not park, then fair enough.

Introduce barriers, ticket machines and a process where as genuine drivers can get a refund.

Not screw everyone for an unjustifiable amount.

nigelbb

Custard_Pie wrote: »

IIntroduce barriers, ticket machines and a process where as genuine drivers can get a refund.

& replace all pay & display with pay on exit.

The PPI mis-selling scandal went on for years but the banks were eventually forced to stop & refund their victims.

trisontana

A prime example is PE's so-called "management" of Aldi's car parks. They do not manage the car park at all. By just relying on entry/exit ANPR cameras, they cannot monitor cars parking outside of bays, misuse of special bays or people walking off site.