parking eye st peters retail park mansfield

westie13

Hi,
I also have received a parking fine today, 1st August 2013 for the same retail park.
I went there for the first time and just assumed I could park as i am registered disabled and have a blue badge in the window. I guess i should never assume any more. I shopped in home bargains and also poundland. Still have my receipts from both shops. I asked someone about parking and they said it was free for an hour. I thought I would be ok, but as I have mobility problems it took me a bit longer than expected to get around. I ended up parking for 1 hour and 18 minutes. I am now worried sick as got a fine for £85 or discounted if i pay sooner. I am on disabilty benefit and pension credit and barely have enough to live on let alone pay for fines. I am worried sick as I just don't have the money to pay this with.
I found this site and have been reading some of the threads here.
I am scared to just ignore it in case they end up making me pay more. It would just be my luck for this to happen.
Please can anyone advise me. It is making me ill worry about how to find the money.
Thank you for any advice.

pogofish

OK, first-up, stop worrying - this is not any kind of fine! So you will not be paying it.

Secondly, the Blue Badge Scheme means absolutely nothing in a private car park - go and check the handbook that comes with you badge or the supporting docs on the issuing website, where it is made very clear. BBs only apply on-road or in public regulated parking.

What applies here is the Equality Act and it requires that "reasonable adjustments" be given to all siutably disabled people under the Act. This includes any kind or number of accessable spaces, marked disabled or not and extra time to complete your tasks.

what you need to do now is write to inform the retailer/s/site operators that you are disabled under that act and that you need them to get this ticket stopped as you have been denied a valid reasonable adjustment. Its up to you if you include a copy of your badge or not, you don't have to but it does help.

Once they know about your disability, they have to act and can be held bang to rights - expensively, if they avoid the issue or fob you off on the predators.

If that fails, then there are other avenues you can pursue - Including a similar challenge to the PPC - demanding a POPLA code if they refuse you and POPLA itself will almost certainly uphold this.

westie13

Hi,
Thank you for the reply.

Do you mean the parking eye people or the shops there. Sorry if I seem thick but probably am lol. It is just that I read that it is best not to appeal so was not sure who you mean for me to write to.

many thanks for the advice.

waamo

Parking Eye often accept appeals for Bona Fide shoppers. Appeal to them stating you are disabled so took longer than average. Include the fact you were a genuine shopper and enclose copies of any receipts.

Also contact the shops as they often have the power to cancel these.

If Parking Eye reject your appeal you will get a code to use for another appeal called POPLA. Come back here and say you have a POPLA code (in this thread, don't start a new on so we can follow whats gone on) and we can help with an appeal. So far we haven't lost a POPLA appeal.

pogofish

I would contact the shops themselves or the centre management (who will be the ones who contract PE) in the first instance.

It will be a waste of time talking to the PE goons on-site. If you must deal with them, a proper written challenge is the next step.

westie13

many thanks to both of you. will let you know how i get on.

Guys_Dad

westie13 wrote: »

many thanks to both of you. will let you know how i get on.

I would also send them a copy of your Blue Badge proving your claim to be disabled.