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Parking Eye fine - Chelmsford

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Hi there

A couple of weeks ago myself and my husband parked in the riverside retail park in chelmsford to do some browsing, shopping and have lunch. Genuinely lost track of time, and today received a parking charge notice from Parking Eye, demanding payments of £85 - £50 if paid within 14 days.
The car park is free for 2 hours, there are no ticket machines to give you the option of exteding your stay, and with the size of the place and number of shops, it would take anyone more than 2 hours to get round. On the day we visited it wasnt that busy.

I've never really had a parking charge before, and read alot about people contesting these kind of tickets. So wondered how i should best approach it?
Any advice would be really appreciated
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Comments

  • Redx
    Redx Posts: 38,084 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    its not a fine , its a speculative invoice

    now please read the sticky thread you missed or ignored at the top of this forum with the title NEWBIES in it

    tells you everything you need to know about this topic , including an appeal template and links to various info
  • Crys5806
    Crys5806 Posts: 14 Forumite
    Thanks, i did see the thread and read it, but was so much info in it found it abit confusing to be honest. I have pulled out what i think is the template and will send it off.
    thanks for your help
  • Redx
    Redx Posts: 38,084 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    takes a while to get up to speed on this topic, but take your time and read it more carefully when you can , try to understand the points it gets across

    also try to read and follow the flow chart as well

    think how hard it would be if that information wasnt there too, its been well put together albeit daunting at first glance

    nobody said it was easy , but you did ask ! ;)
  • Coupon-mad
    Coupon-mad Posts: 151,694 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 22 June 2014 at 12:18AM
    Crys5806 wrote: »
    Thanks, i did see the thread and read it, but was so much info in it found it abit confusing to be honest. I have pulled out what i think is the template and will send it off.
    thanks for your help

    myself and my husband parked in the riverside retail park in chelmsford to do some browsing, shopping and have lunch.
    You had better get up to speed, not being funny but this was the infamous Riverside Retail Park in Chelmsford where Parking Eye pay their clients the landowners, £1000 PER WEEK as a 'fishing licence' to catch people like you. This is not a normal arrangement - it is highly unusual - and it is not geared towards any kind of customer service ethic as you can imagine. Yes, it is shocking and you need to deal robustly with your own PCN.

    And it's the exact car park about which a court case was won by ParkingEye against a customer (who didn't appeal) last month. It's going to the Court of Appeal because the victim, Mr Beavis, quite rightly wants to fight it. As a local - even if you appeal and win at POPLA like we all do - you would do well to get up to date and follow the progress of the ParkingEye v Beavis case because if ParkingEye win that case at the Court of Appeal they will IMHO totally ruin the Riverside Retail park for future customers (IMHO there won't be any customers once the publicity gets out, if the decision goes the wrong way for consumers).

    However, we have seen LOADS of cases cancelled by Store Managers when people complain quickly. Matalan Store managers have a particularly good reputation on this forum as cancelling Parking Eye charges even if the customer was only browsing & has no receipt. So get yourselves back down to the Godforsaken place tomorrow armed with a COPY of the offending fake parking ticket (keep the original for your own records in case you have to do the POPLA appeal).

    COMPLAIN. THEN COMPLAIN AGAIN. TELL THEM HOW ANGRY YOU ARE, UPSET AND PUT OFF RETURNING/SHOPPING THERE EVER AGAIN. TELL THEM TOO, ABOUT THE BAD PUBLICITY OF THE 'PARKING EYE V BEAVIS' CASE TOO, MAINLY CAUSED BY THE TIME WHEN THE 3 HOURS WAS REDUCED TO 2 HOURS:
    http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/parkingeye-win-cambridge-test-case.html

    By the way, if you do get to have a decent conversation with any Store Managers, ask them, please (Or email them or their Head Office):

    (a) What do they think about the 3 hours reducing to 2 hours?
    (b) when did that happen? Who instigated it? ParkingEye/the Retail Management? Why?
    (c) did they - the Store Manager - object/are they objecting? Who to?
    (d) would they please help your appeal by putting their position in writing about this by email to PE and/or a copy to you for your appeal?
    (e) are they aware of the terrible publicity of the Parking Eye court case about this car park? Tell them to Google 'ParkingEye v Beavis' and read forum results as this whole retail park is embroiled in a Court of Appeal case about a genuine innocent customer who would have been OK if the time limit was still 3 hours.
    (f) Did they know the Parking firm are paying £1000 a WEEK to catch people - and the people they are catching are the customers who take longer and spend money?!
    PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
    CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
    Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD
  • HO87
    HO87 Posts: 4,296 Forumite
    +1 to C_M's advice

    To clarify to readers who are scan reading - the situation at this site is reasonably unique and does not - currently - apply to any other location "managed" by Parking Eye.
    My very sincere apologies for those hoping to request off-board assistance but I am now so inundated with requests that in order to do justice to those "already in the system" I am no longer accepting PM's and am unlikely to do so for the foreseeable future (August 2016). :(

    For those seeking more detailed advice and guidance regarding small claims cases arising from private parking issues I recommend that you visit the Private Parking forum on PePiPoo.com
  • The_Deep
    The_Deep Posts: 16,830 Forumite
    Two hours is far too short a time to do a bit of shopping and have a meal. Many people therefore will decide to eat elsewhere and PEs T&C must have an adverse effect on the restaurants' profits.

    Complain therefore al all the restaurants, and also to EVERY retail ial outlet in the park, there are a lot of big names there and if you can get someone ;like Matalan on side the management my decide that their needs override the daft T&C that PE are foisting on their customers.
    You never know how far you can go until you go too far.
  • Crys5806
    Crys5806 Posts: 14 Forumite
    Thank you for all your advice. I will endeavour to get to some of the shops this weekend, as unfortunately having 3 young children, being a part time nurse, studying for my diploma and running my local neighbourhood watch my time is extremely stretched and its a 50minute drive to chelmsford.
    But i will definately put my point across to them. I thought it used to be 3 hours parking not 2, does anyone know when this changed? If not ill have to do abit of research.
    I'm sending off my appeal letter today, and i have 1 receipt for shopping that i did their that day, so i will keep hold of that.

    thank you for all your help everyone
  • Dizzywife
    Dizzywife Posts: 10 Forumite
    I have recently had a similar PCN from PE for an overstay in a retail car park. I would read the Newbies thread first and then take a look at my post for what I have done so far with mine.
    Put a soft appeal into PE, then read all about POPLA appeals ready for when your appeal with the company is rejected.
  • Crys5806
    Crys5806 Posts: 14 Forumite
    Thanksi have had a read through your thread :)

    I'm sending off my first appeal this morning. So will await my rejection letter.
    Have to say i am quite nervous now though, knowing that this is a more unique case seeing as they pay the land owner.
  • Crys5806
    Crys5806 Posts: 14 Forumite
    Blimey...after reading all the court information for the Beavis case do i even stand a chance?!?!
    What actually happens if i lose all my appeals and end up having to pay anyway? Will they bump the price right up, as we barely scrape by as it is and cant afford the reduced £50 let alone if it goes up to something silly! :(
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