Another question about NCP Parking Tickets!!

Mumamia

Hi all, this is the first time I've posted on here and I apologise if I'm repeating anything that has been previously posted.

Just over two weeks' ago I returned to my car, which was parked in an NCP station car park in Hertfordshire, to find a ticket on my windscreen!:mad:
I was livid as I had carefully stuck the ticket to the dashboard using a sticky from a previous ticket to prevent it from being blown off when I closed the door. I had paid for the ticket with my credit card.

I came home and checked the internet for information and found that these 'so called fines' are unenforceable and these issues have been featured on Watchdog more than once. This forum recommended just ignoring it - so that is what I decided to do!

However, a few days ago I was showing a friend the ticket and, horror, I realised that the ticket I had stuck to my dashboard was, in fact, the credit card slip that was issued, and that I had forgotten to take the actual pay and display ticket!! Embarrassing! But I'm sure I'm not the first!! Technically I suppose I had not displayed a 'valid ticket' but I did pay for it and thought I had displayed a valid ticket! Honestly!

So my question now is - do I still ignore the charge asking for £50 and rising? Or do I appeal? I can prove I had paid for parking and the time I bought the ticket etc. but don't have a valid ticket in my possession!

Look forward to your response. Thanks guys!

Coupon-mad

Well I am glad you posted because the advice to 'ignore' is NOT current advice if you just read the first page of threads!

You must have searched and read old threads (always dodgy!).

But the good news is you've played it right so far because you have to appeal, but ONLY when you get the first letter in the post (in October probably), if you are the registered keeper:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/63033637#Comment_63033637

While you are waiting, read the first few pages of threads around your own thread, cases about any PPC where the person is sending an appeal or is at POPLA stage (read up on it please as POPLA is mentioned everywhere nowadays). You'll just need to learn how to write a winning POPLA appeal like everyone here does - we have 100% success rate against NCP and others.

Do NOT read old threads about NCP - so please, no random searching without checking the date on the results you find!

Umkomaas

I came home and checked the internet for information and found that these 'so called fines' are unenforceable and these issues have been featured on Watchdog more than once. This forum recommended just ignoring it - so that is what I decided to do!

I'm always amazed that anyone doing a search, and as the OP says, in the last 2 weeks, can find ancient threads, probably 70+ pages and 5 months back, advising to 'ignore', yet actually disregard all the post-Easter, current threads that say quite the opposite, and then point the finger at the forum for the dilemma they now face!

Unbelievable. :mad:

Sorry, I'm a cumpy old grunt tonight :rotfl:.

Guys_Dad

Yes, Please come back when you have the Notice to Keeper. When you do appeal to the PPC, you should ask for the photographic evidence saying that the driver purchased a ticket, (card receipt copy enclosed) and put the ticket on display.

Please supply the photographic evidence to the contrary.

Mumamia

Thanks very much Coupon-mad and Guy's Dad for your useful replies. Yes, I must have looked at some old threads and am glad I now have the latest advice, but was looking for similar situations to my own. I found one which was at end of April and thought that was not so long ago and it would be OK.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I will wait until I receive their correspondence and then use your up-to-date advice on the correct way to proceed.

As for Umkomaas - yes you are a ...whatever you called yourself! I thought people were supposed to be polite and inoffensive on this forum. I did not in anyway 'point a finger at the forum!! I'm very grateful to it!! You could learn some manners!!

Thanks again!

zzzLazyDaisy

Mumamia wrote: »

As for Umkomaas - yes you are a ...whatever you called yourself! You could learn some manners!!

To be fair, Umkomaas, Coupon-mad, Guy's Dad and others give their time freely, day after day, helping people on these boards, with amazing results - their success rates are truly astonishing, all the more so because the PPCs constantly twist and turn and morph their procedures, which they are constantly adapting and responding to.

It can often seem like ground-hog day, getting the same references to 'forum advice to ignore' when that has not been the case for several months, and you have to go back quite a long way to find that old advice. Lost of regular posters have dropped off the forums and are no longer helping people, but the regulars keep on trucking.

So I suggest you cut them some slack when one of them occasionally gets grumpy and exhausted, because you might be pleased of their knowledge and stamina by the time you are done with this case.

(I'll get down off my soap box now)
Daisy

Guys_Dad

Mumamia wrote: »

Thanks very much Coupon-mad and Guy's Dad for your useful replies. Yes, I must have looked at some old threads and am glad I now have the latest advice, but was looking for similar situations to my own. I found one which was at end of April and thought that was not so long ago and it would be OK.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I will wait until I receive their correspondence and then use your up-to-date advice on the correct way to proceed.

As for Umkomaas - yes you are a ...whatever you called yourself! I thought people were supposed to be polite and inoffensive on this forum. I did not in anyway 'point a finger at the forum!! I'm very grateful to it!! You could learn some manners!!

Thanks again!

As zzzlazydaisy says. He's a good guy to have in your corner and knows his onions. And this is a problem recently with a number of new members unfortunately quoting from older threads that may no longer be current info. Although by April, unless it was certain toothless PPCs, we had been recommending POPLA and appeals for months.

Look upon the comment as the frustration of seeing so many people who have followed the wrong info to their detriment when if they had come on sooner or followed current threads, there is so much more we could have done to help.

Stroma

Its difficult to advise people when they do a google search and it comes up with a thread from 3 years ago, then they read through it and read post after post not realising that the advice has changed, or more precisely adapted.

When someone posts on an old thread, or hijacks a newer thread I advise always to create a new thread and give a link to the parking forum so they might do that easily.

Can I just say even with Parking Eye and CEL ignore is still an option in England and Wales if you understand fully what that means, and the consequences of doing that. They have six years to make a small claim, if you move house in that time you could have a default judgement against you, if they write to the old address.

The other problem with ignoring is that you may inadvertently ignore a letter before claim, or the small claim itself, those should never be ignored. Personally I would go to popla on a rejection and win there. The problem for people is that popla is waste of space, they make appealing so complex that you almost need a law degree to do so.

Mumamia

Hi zzLazyDaisy and Stroma - yes I see your point but I am new to this and Umkomaas could have cut ME some slack! Having read the other posts I can now understand his frustration.

I am very grateful for the advice given on here by everybody and if I got it wrong - my fault - I apologise. Umkumaas himself said he was a 'cumpy old grunt' not me! I just agreed but he could have been a little more gracious!!

Yes Googling can be dangerous when it throws up old posts and if I ever use the site for any other information I will ensure I go straight to the top!

Is there, perhaps, some way of removing this out-of-date information? Lots of work I expect but could be worth it in the long run?

Cheers!

Stroma

No there is no way to remove the information unless mse does it. We wish they would just close threads with the advice on the last post to post a new thread because the advice has changed. It's possible to do this technically as I run this forum software on websites I own, but they don't do it.

Umkomaas

Mumamia wrote: »

Hi zzLazyDaisy and Stroma - yes I see your point but I am new to this and Umkomaas could have cut ME some slack! Having read the other posts I can now understand his frustration.

I am very grateful for the advice given on here by everybody and if I got it wrong - my fault - I apologise. Umkumaas himself said he was a 'cumpy old grunt' not me! I just agreed but he could have been a little more gracious!!

Yes Googling can be dangerous when it throws up old posts and if I ever use the site for any other information I will ensure I go straight to the top!

Is there, perhaps, some way of removing this out-of-date information? Lots of work I expect but could be worth it in the long run?

Cheers!

I'm still on your side Mumamia and happy to help. It was me that acknowledged my cumpy gruntiness - so no hard feelings I hope

PS - spell my name correctly in future - or you'll get me all cumpy grunty again :rotfl:

Umkomaas