Successful complaints about private parking tickets - how to get them cancelled!

Coupon-mad

Very good, thanks for posting this!

JanusDavies

Success! ParkingEye Parking Charge Notice cancelled by site operator after I sent the following email (South Mimms Welcome Break). Thanks to everyone on this forum who helped me out. Please spread the word to friends and family: PARKING Charge Notices (just a letter asking for you to pay an amount to a private company) are NOT the same as PENALTY Charge Notices (issued by an actual local authority e.g. police). Even if you contest the former and it goes to the small claims court and you lose, you are only on the hook for about 200 quid! With the latter, you may be liable to pay thousands of pounds in legal bills!

My PCN thread where forum members advised me about what to include and what to omit.

__________________________

Site Manager's Email:  mimms.siteoperationsmanager@welcomebreak.co.uk

Dear Mr XXXX,

I'm writing as the driver of vehicle XXXXXXX after having received a 'Parking Charge Notice' letter from the site parking operator ParkingEye regarding an overstay of 51 minutes on 4th October 2021.

I attach proof that purchases (on two separate visits within the time window) were made at Waitrose Potters Bar inside the Welcome Break on this date, leaving no room for doubt the facilities were being used by a genuine customer for rest and recovery, as the public understands they are intended. As I was exhausted, following road safety advice from the government and Highways England, I used the motorway service area for approx. 90 minutes of sleep in addition to consuming refreshments before being in control of a vehicle again.

The presentation of the document which closely resembles 'Penalty Charge Notices' issued by local authorities has caused significant distress. I consider this letter harassment by ParkingEye and request the use of discretion to see this charge be cancelled. Myself and my family are regular guests and patrons at Welcome Breaks nationwide and this event threatens to seriously harm our feeling towards the brand, which has previously been most positive.

Yours sincerely,

XXXXXX XXXXXX

Coupon-mad

Nice!

This is not correct with any type of PCN though, not even Police penalties nor Local Authority decriminalised ones:

With the latter, you may be liable to pay thousands of pounds in legal bills!

JanusDavies

I browsed pepipoo last season and thought the consensus was that if you take on a Penalty Charge Notice and lose, you can see figures like GBP1,800   I was researching after receiving a speeding ticket. I may be mistaken though!

Coupon-mad

You might be right about a speeding ticket, now you come to mention that.  But you also rightly say, there's no high costs risk with challenging a private PCN.  The costs that some of them (not ParkingEye) add are false anyway because 'debt recovery' is operated on a no win no fee basis.  And it's not 'debt recovery at letter chain stage, that's a standard business overhead of a parking charge regime.

Anyway. a nice encouraging successful result.  Many thanks for the info, to help other people see how to cancel a private PCN.

cecider

Just had a PCN dropped by care parking regarding Festival leisure Park, Blackpool.

Overstay, after going to Odeon. 

Contacted landowner Savills Property Management Manchester they sorted it out for me.

Coupon-mad

That's useful info for others, thanks!

Here is your thread about it:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6305925/care-parking-pcn#latest

Nuddmann

As requested, a summary and link to my successful overturning of a NCP PCN at Shenfield station:

Briefly, the car was parked in an unremarkable bay, parking paid for. Driver returned to find a PCN in the windscreen alleging parking in a restricted area. It appears that the driver parked in a premier parking bay, which was not signed or marked in any way so as to indicate this. 

Plan A followed while waiting for day 26 to appeal windscreen PCN. Initial complaint to Greater Anglia was refused on the basis they can't get involved. Google to find CEO email, email sent to CEO and email received the following day cancelling the charge and an undertaking that the bays would be redone and properly marked to avoid this happening again. 

Link to thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6306458/shenfield-station-pcn-success-of-plan-a-title-change#latest

patient_dream

The perfect result from PLAN A

Let us hope that the CEO realises that his customer services need re-training in the fine art called ...

"RETENTION OF CUSTOMERS"

ForTheDee

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