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

Coupon-mad

Good work @dawn403 and we hope you've seen the update today from the DLUHC, publishing their long awaited Draft Impact Assessment and Call for Evidence.

RissyMcG

Recently been issued a parking charge from UKPC after parking at Fountain Park in Edinburgh.

The "violation" claimed against me was utter ridiculous and lacked any level of common sense.

I initially appealed my ticket through the UKPC website mechanism, which I'm convinced they were going to refute.  They broke the BPA guidelines by issuing me with a "Final Notice" within 17 days of the "offence" (BPA rules state a minimum of 28 days).

At this point I considered this harrassment and decided to write directly to the Fountain Park centre management email advertised on the Fountain Park retail park webpage (fountainparkenquiries@gmail.com) and explained to them what had happened to me, and blagged my common sense point of view over to them, along with a suggestion that if they didn't intervene, then I probably wouldn't be back.

I explained that if necessary, I was prepared to take the issue to court, but also advised that I was hoping it wouldn't be blown out of proportion to be taken that far either.

I attached a copy of one of the UKPC photographs they attached to my parking charge (showing my registration number plate) and also quoted the UKPC parking charge reference number.

Fountain Park management were superb with this matter, and did indeed get involved, and requested UKPC to quash the ticket, and also advised them to use "better reasonable judgement" when issuing tickets in the future.

I checked the status of my parking charge at www.paycharge.co.uk within 48hrs of all of these proceedings, and confirmed that indeed, my charge had been cancelled.

I'm very please with the results.  It was a bit worrying for a while, and not a nice experience receiving letters through the post from UKPC, but i'm glad that's as far as it went in the end.

To give further background to the personal circumstances:

Fountain Park is located in Scotland, but I live in England and that is also where my car is registered.

I'd advise anyone feeling that they might be in similar circumstances as I was, and they feel that they have good and reasonable grounds to appeal, that they should also do as I did and bring your case to the management of Fountain Park as they have proven to be very fair and full of common sense in view of what was a thnkly valid at best excuse to charge someone where there was no impact what so ever on any other patrons of the parking facility with how my vehicle was left parked.

I'm very pleased with the end result indeed.

This was my first ever parking "violation" experience, and what it has taught me is that these parking companies (using UKPC as my example) are extremely petty, and need very little excuse to charge you for leaving your vehicle on their policed private land.  From now on, i'll be extremely anal about how I park inside their little white boxes, no matter how ludicrous it seems to do so, because I want to avoid any other entanglements with companies like that again in the future.

Good luck to anyone who's read through all of this, and well done for reaching the end!

Pebrey1993

I was able to win a dispute with Britannia Parking Group over a Parking Charge Notice that I received for using a pub car park for 12 minutes. I had parked there to answer an urgent phone call and I did not notice any signs that said it was only for customers. I did not get out of my car or go to any other place, but BPG rejected my appeal and sent me some legal documents that said they had the right to charge me for breaking the rules.

I followed the advice on the article and contacted the pub owner group. I had never been to that pub before, but I had been to some of their other pubs a few times. They first asked me for a receipt from the pub, which I did not have, so I was not very optimistic. However, I replied with all the details and then I got an email from BPG saying "Following a request from our client, the above Parking Charge Notice has now been cancelled. As we received an appeal from yourself, this has now been closed and no further action is required.".

Jessi_12345

Another Success;

I received a parking fine for £70 for parking in aldi for 2.4 hours and was informed they had a limit of 1.5 hours.

I didn't realise this, and was shopping for multiple people and was in store the entire time.

I called customer services following the advice here and explained I had multiple reciepts and that I wasn't in the city to go in store to speak to a manager, they took my details and cancelled it over the phone giving me a reference number for my call to them.

Coupon-mad

I am adding this case here as evidence that parking operators should not race to court but should engage with motorists and onsite retailers/hospitals sooner:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80292594/#Comment_80292594

After receiving a ParkingEye claim for legitimate parking at work (stupid unreliable VRM exemption keypad failed) they got a court claim and this OP's workplace has helped secure an offer to settle of £70.

This is a successful complaint - but look at the cost to:

(a). the motorist who has been fighting this for months and was worrying about getting a CCJ, and will now pay £70 as agreed with PEye, despite the fact they were parked properly for work (hopefully their work is reimbursing this);

(b). ParkingEye, who will end up receiving only £70 (probably LESS than the original PCN) but have paid out a £35 court fee and spent well in excess of the rest on their Litigation team unnecessarily sending a LBCCC, then a claim form, then reading the defence, hearing from the employer and finally backing down.

ParkingEye from this Summer have started adding £20 on top of their claims.  Quite possibly this one was two PCNs plus interest got a DCBLegal claim which slaps on £70 per PCN) because they were trying to get an exorbitant £370.

But PEye has ended up making a loss on it.

DLUHC: ban the added 'fee' outright and it will force operators to engage properly and not use dodgy (hidden) VRM keypads at all, which unfairly puts the burden on employees & genuine patrons to exempt themselves from horrific attack.

The system MUST be stopped from churning cases like this to court.

Banning the add-ons completely will:

1. save operators money and reputation with clients because they won't waste money on court and ruin things with cases like the above;

2.  save victims from CCJs;

3.  Price out 'bulk litigators' like DCBLegal in most cases, sparing victims the horrendous bullying along the way;

4.  Reduce court claim numbers hugely (most would be multi ticket cases which pay for themselves in terms of the small court fee outlay, and don't justify or need inflating);

so that:

5.  Where there is a case with merit, there is nothing to stop an operator suing, but as the LAST RESORT that it should be.

Other traders deal with consumers more fairly and avoid court where possible.

Other traders don't have systems designed to trip a section of the public up, or aggressively blame and charge consumers for "not using a keypad" (the equivalent of not filling in a form!) and would accept retrospective proof in a case like this.

Other traders don't routinely use bulk litigators like it's 'normal'.

Other traders don't add admin fees to debts.

Other traders are often banned from adding money due to CCA agreements and FCA rules (e.g. dentistry debts).

Le_Kirk

Is that the correct link? There was no defence posted (on the forum) and OP hasn't been back to answer any questions or furnish an update.

Coupon-mad

Yes it's just a link to a comment by another poster that she has been offered to settle a £370 claim at £70 after her work intervened.

Rojas909

dawn403 said:

Overstayed whilst shopping at Middlebrook Retail park, in Bolton, which is free to park for 6 hours. Parking fine arrived from smart parking, did not accept my appeal or provide POPLA code. Received debt recovery plus letter so complained to Middlebrook Retail park contact us page on their website. Was very polite and explained that I was not aware of the 6 hour limit as I had asked a member of staff in Next where to pay, and was informed it was free, no mention of length of stay. Signs were as usual not obvious.
Received an apologetic reply and assurance that they would cancel the parking charge. 

Have also just written to our local MP about a parking fine for Rodney Street car park in Wigan (euro car parks) for my mother in law. Who was unable to pay due to a broken machine and couldn't work out how to pay by phone or app. They are charging her for 20mins! Will update once I receive a response. That has also gone to debt recovery plus. 

How did it go? Any update regarding your mother in law's parking charge?

1505grandad

Youngest daughter received Euro Car Parks pcn. I took a view as a concerned father and complained last weekend to PALS which included:-

"My daughter, xxxxxxxxxxxx, had, on advice after ringing 111, to take her young son to the above hospital at approx 2am at night.

It was pitch black, pouring with rain, and the car park signage was not lit and therefore no signs were seen.

She is a single mum with a poorly child. She was on Cowley Road at night-club kicking out time. She was very aware of the recent stabbing in the vicinity, and was therefore taking heightened precautions to avoid anything like this, as well as worrying about her ill young son."

Early next morning received reply which included:-

"Thank you for your email regarding the parking ticket your daughter received at the EOHC. I am very sorry to hear that

she was issued this. I don’t think it will be a  problem for me to get this cancelled and I will email you soon to let you know."

An hour later received from another person:-

"I have liaised with colleagues in the carparking/transport team and can confirm that they will be in touch with you, if they haven’t already made contact, regarding cancelling the parking charge.

I have therefore closed your enquiry with me but please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further concerns."

Waited a few days hoping pcn cancellation shows on ECP website but nothing yet. Will obviously keep checking but if anything received other than cancellation from ECP I will certainly contact as above with my concerns.

Plan A strikes again.

cheltenham_ross

Well, I need to post here, to say thank you for the support of those on the board. Plan A wasn’t viable, as NCP own the car park, but plan B did work. Ticket cancelled today. Thanks all!