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

90Ninety

ECP ANPR  at Sainsburys Watford caught me 37 minutes over their 2 Hours free . After reading the newbie thread and this thread, as advised I wrote an email to the CEO of Sainsburys . My letter went as : 


Dear Mr Roberts  

I am writing regarding a Parking charge notice received whilst parking at the Sainsburys Store in Watford on 14th  of  January2023  See attached this ‘notice’ was issued by Euro Car Parks on 19th January 2023.

I have been a customer of Sainsburys and have visited this store many, many times before over 10+ years . However on this day it was particularly more difficult to park, find a space, shop and exit within two hours . This may be due to the  Watford championship football match that day , there were longer queues for parking spaces and human traffic within and around the store . Furthermore my car had a weak battery (due to freezing cold) and required a bump by passers-by to start .

By the time I had got parked, done the finished shopping and got the car going I had overstayed – my arrival was 13:32 and I departed at 16:09 – a total time of 2 hours and 37 minutes.    For this additional time taken I have been charged £85, or reduced to £50 if I accept liability and pay – which I do not, and will not do. To say the least, this is an inordinate charge for parking 37 minutes after a free period. 

In this occurrence, where there is unprecedented traffic and motor vehicle problems, I do not see it unreasonable to extend parking times to allow such circumstances.

I know you will say that Euro Car Parks are independent operators of your car park, but your name and reputation are why I visited your supermarket that day.
I have no intention of paying the ‘notice’, but as a goodwill gesture I would appreciate it if you could contact Euro car parks and request on my behalf that this ‘fine’ is quashed.  
I would have also contacted your Store Manager at the Watford store direct but no email address is available.  I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes

I got the following response from Sainsburys , one working day later 





 

Haslandbloke

Hi folks. Hope this is the right place for my post. I received a PCN whilst I visited Sports Direct in Keighley. The car resides in Cavendish Retail Park. I tried contacting Sports Direct in an attempt to get them to cancel my ticket only to receive a response stating that as they do not own the land they cannot assist with my request. I asked them to provide me with the land owner's contact details so I could complain to them. They responded stating that they could not provide the requested information as "this does not have anything to do with us". Is there anything I can do here in terms of complaining? Should I press further with Sports Direct, or is there a way I can find who the land owner is? Thanks in advance. 

Le_Kirk

You need to start a new discussion of your own, where you will receive help but you could start with the NEWBIE sticky

Valkyrien

Just wanted to thank this forum for getting me through a PCN I got from Tesco.

I got a PCN from Horizon (just within the time limit they have to send it - assume they did that to panic me into paying the lower fine quickly) for £70/35. This was for spending 3 1/2 hours in Tesco rather than the apparent 3 hours. I spent that long as I got petrol (Tesco), had breakfast as a treat (Tesco Cafe - the first time we've ever used it), bought a couple of hundred pounds worth of clothing (Tesco) and then had a drink (Tesco Cafe) and then did food shopping. Total was ~£500 and I had all receipts and club card records to prove the items and timings. 

I read the newbie guide and contacted Tesco customer services, who told me that they couldn't help me. I said, that wasn't the case as I'd read online and I'd genuinely spent a lot of money there and felt I was being penalised for the length of time it took to spend £500. I told them I had proof of timings and spending. They were not interested at all and told me I was wrong to say they could help and that what I had read was incorrect. I told them I had read this in a lot of places and it was quite recent as well and they again told me the information was false (so they lied to me). I then contacted the Club Card helpline to see if they could help me and was told they couldn't (they were at least nice about it) and they passed me through to customer services who again told me they couldn't help. Each time I was told that they couldn't do anything and I had to appeal to the parking firm. Each time I told them that the parking firm worked for them and that they could help if they wanted to and each time was rebuffed. 

I decided to use Resolver after reading a post a couple of pages back. I got rebuffed again and told they couldn't help me, despite posting a detailed breakdown of just what I'd spent in Tesco and when. I had also pointed out that my wife was registered disabled, but they did not change their view. I then went back to the PCN and thankfully noted that it said that if you were registered disabled and if you felt you needed more time to do your shopping then you should contact customer services. I pointed this out to Tesco in my reply and said that the parking firm themselves were (in effect) saying I should speak to Tesco. Tesco then waived the fine. 

I have decided as a consequence of how disinterested Tesco were in helping a customer who spent a lot of money and genuinely didn't know there was a time limit, that I will never be using them again. They repeatedly lied to me when they told me there was nothing they could do. 

Again, thanks for the information here. In my case, I think it was the disability that swung it as that allowed me to use the "the parking firm say to speak to customer services" line. They were adamant that they could not help all the way through until that point and that I needed to appeal. I also pointed out to them that I suffer from anxiety and that I'm receiving treatment currently from the NHS for this, but again they ignored this. I'm pretty disgusted that such a huge company who I (up until now) spent so much with were so disinterested. 

Coupon-mad

Especially since they've known this is breaking the law, since before the Equality Act replaced the old DDA back in 2010!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8488737.stm

It is illegal not to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons and that includes relaxing 'fixed' time limits to do stuff.

Valkyrien

Thanks. I didn't know that, but just reinforces my decision to never shop with them again. I told them right at the start that was the case and they just fobbed me off with the "Appeal to the parking firm, there's nothing we can do" line. 

Coupon-mad

Send the CEO of Tesco that link and summarise the hoops you were made to jump through (and that no-one knew this was illegal) and ask what their risk team is doing to address this illegality being played out at every store with an arbitrary time limit.

Valkyrien

I think I will do. I'm also intending getting all my personal information removed and verified as such from Tesco as I know what a faff that is for them to have to do. 

Boat_to_Bolivia

Valkyrien said:

I think I will do. I'm also intending getting all my personal information removed and verified as such from Tesco as I know what a faff that is for them to have to do. 

Let us know how you get on. 

b06hengu

SUCCESSFUL CANCELLATION OF PCN FROM PARKINGEYE AT NHS CLINIC, ALMOST A YEAR LATER!

Got a PE PCN in June 2022, almost 2 months after my appointment. Implemented Plan A - contacted the clinic but they kept fobbing me off. Fluffed up the appeals process by posting a letter to POPLA without getting a code from PE first, so it was as if I ignored the PCN altogether Was mid-moving house at the time so left it at that. DCBL start their letter bombing, I ignore as I know it’s safe to do so.

Fast forward to now (January 2023) where I receive the ‘notice of intended legal action’ from DCBL(imited), I know it’s safe to ignore but am a bit rattled. Post on the forum, encouraged to go BACK to Plan A and really turn the screw this time - initially get pushed back by the property manager at the clinic saying it’s been 8 months and now it’s ‘too late’, so I escalate it further - and success! 2 days later I’m CC’d into the emails between an NHS property manager (not the chocolate teapot at the clinic) and a PE account manager cancelling the PCN!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6422116/please-help-with-parkingeye-ticket-at-loxford-clinic-read-newbies-popla-appeal-now-dcbl-notice/p1