Parking Charge Notice...

secretstar2014

Hi, I'll keep this short because I know there's a lot online already about this and I'm 90% certain that I'm right in thinking I need to ignore! But I've not come across any cases exactly like mine online so I just thought I'd get some extra opinions before I ignore anything that comes my way!

I visited a friend yesterday at her home and parked in a car-parking space that is unused. I was aware of the sign that said 'All vehicles without a valid permit will be fined £100' but my friend said that 'guest' permits don't exist and no one had been round for ages etc so I should be fine. I parked there at 7pm on a rainy Saturday night! I left at 11pm and sure enough, I had a 'parking charge notice' from 'vehicle control services ltd' attached to my car. It says if I pay in 14 days they'll reduce the 'fine' to £60.

There is no option to pay for a ticket in this carpark and no guest passes. I couldn't park along the side of the road because the whole road and paths all around were clogged up with cars. I almost took a photo of the near empty carpark and the dangerously piled up roads just outside it when I first arrived for comical value!

My boyfriend assures me I can just ignore this charge and so do a lot of other people online it seems, is this right?

Thank you!

Nodding_Donkey

Do not ignore it, wait for the notice to keeper (I'm assuming you or your b/f are the registered keeper) and have a read through the newbies thread here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822 then come back and post in the Parking Charges sub forum listed above.


This is all assuming you are in England or Wales

If you are in Scotland just ignore it

pogofish

secretstar2014 wrote: »

But I've not come across any cases exactly like mine online

There are many thousands of identical cases to yours in the Parking Tickets Forum.

Get in there and read the thread linked above first.

Do not ignore - this has not been the case for a long time now.

secretstar2014

Thanks, I've read through that thread, I'm still confused though! =/ I feel quite dumb!

So the advice is to wait to get another letter through the door then post on here what it says?

Will I end up having to pay the fine do you think? What would happen if I did just ignore it? I can't believe this is allowed to go on... Sorry for all the questions!

pogofish

No, the advice is that when you get the NTK, you submit a challenge to the PPC and that failing (which it will in most cases), you get a POPLA code in England and Wales, then do a proper appeal to them.

And you need to start your thread in the Parking Tickets Forum in order to get the help you need to see these chancers off. A properly worded appeal is highly likely to get the ticket cancelled by POPLA and the vast majority of appeals submitted with out advice will succeed.

You don't say who issued the ticket, or which part of the country, so we can't comment of your chances if you ignore - however, this is not a good strategy as post POFA 2012, the main PPCs are taking far more people to court than ever before and a default judgment from ignoring could cost you dearly as would a poorly defended appeal.

arcon5

secretstar2014 wrote: »

I can't believe this is allowed to go on... Sorry for all the questions!

Can't believe what is allowed to go on? You parking in private car parks you are not entitled to just because you think you'll get away with it?

You knew the car park was managed, knew guest permits wasn't issued, knew it was private and took the risk.... so don't know act all high and mighty about the private companies practices being immoral.

Saying that, follow the advice given and you may get away with it, who knows. And in the meantime, have your BF complain to his LL about guest parking permits or something if he feels strongly about it.

secretstar2014

Wow, do you know what, I give up on this forum. People on here are rude. There are entire forums on here devoted to explaining how to get out of paying ludicrous private company car parking fines, yet when I come here asking for advice I'm either redirected to a complicated thread to try and pick apart or I'm basically told to stop whining and pay up.

I won't be coming back to these forums - I now understand why there are tag lines on new members pictures reminding the regulars to 'be nice'. I will seek advice elsewhere - I get the impression a lot of people here think they're a bit above giving advice yet they log in and reply to people just to start a row. Well it's not for me - I won't be logging back in.

See ya !

arcon5

If people respected other people's land then there really wouldn't be a need for these private companies. Saying that I don't believe the extortionate fees they charge to be fair or to be proportionate and am glad people are fighting against unfair practices.. But that shouldn't deflect from the fact the majority of tickets are issued when land owners open up their land for use by customers and residents etc and its abused.

The kicker in your BFs situation is, had the car park been full of unauthorised cars then they'd soon be looking to the agency to take action. Problem being land owners don't have many rights or options without having to spend loads of money on things like barriers, fobs and consequently maintenance.

This forum is very useful, but being an open forum you get a range of opinions. And just because you don't like an opinion doesn't make it rude. I find it rude to act like this company has done all the wrong, you find it rude I think it's been caused by you gambling parking there.

Nodding_Donkey

secretstar2014 wrote: »

Wow, do you know what, I give up on this forum. People on here are rude. There are entire forums on here devoted to explaining how to get out of paying ludicrous private company car parking fines, yet when I come here asking for advice I'm either redirected to a complicated thread to try and pick apart or I'm basically told to stop whining and pay up.

I won't be coming back to these forums - I now understand why there are tag lines on new members pictures reminding the regulars to 'be nice'. I will seek advice elsewhere - I get the impression a lot of people here think they're a bit above giving advice yet they log in and reply to people just to start a row. Well it's not for me - I won't be logging back in.

See ya !

You were directed to a thread that tells you everything you need to know and directed to a forum where you could get help (after reading the thread mentioned)

How is that "not being nice"?

There are good reasons that newbies are sent to that thread. If you spend a bit of time reading it you have a better chance of understanding what exactly the letters that you will write dealing with this problem mean. This will help you avoid paying out when you don't need to. Of course you could always pay a solicitor to deal with it for you.

4consumerrights

Hi SecretStar2014!

If you send a pm to Crabman or Soolin and request that they move your thread to the parking ticket subforum it will be easier.

With regards to your situation - the advice is to wait until the notice to keeper arrives. Also I do not think that you have abused the parking spaces at your friends flat. It is reasonable and in fact part of the legal rights to peaceful enjoyment and HR that you are able to receive visitors. It is in fact very short sighted that no provision has been made.

It is not wise to ignore parking charges any more - the larger companies are doing small claims (mainly Parking Eye) but Excel is too, and VCS has the same owner.

Do read the newbie thread though - it really does contain a lot of information.

pogofish

secretstar2014 wrote: »

Wow, do you know what, I give up on this forum. People on here are rude. There are entire forums on here devoted to explaining how to get out of paying ludicrous private company car parking fines, yet when I come here asking for advice I'm either redirected to a complicated thread to try and pick apart or I'm basically told to stop whining and pay up.

This is why you were directed to the Parking Tickets Forum instead of the much more general Motoring Forum.

Don't throw your toys out of the pram because you posted in the wrong place.