Parking Eye - Morrisons

Solvalou

Hello all.

I have been guided here after receiving advice about a car parking fine I recieved way back in September of this year. I parked up in Morrisons of Norwich knowing it was a 2-hour stay free space and since parking elsewhere in the area is usually a nightmare, I thought i'd use them for the first time and wander into town.

I returned to my car just in time only to have a phone call. Long story short, it was a long one since at the time I was starting a course and to top it off, on the vurge from being without a home soon after I applied to it. The good news is that I still have a roof over my head and am a student again, but I digress. The bad news is the phonecall ended up being about an hour long.
It was a good month before I recieved my first fine (or reading here it's an "invoice") for £85 for staying an hour longer than intended, £50 if I coughed up in 14-days.

I was annoyed as at the time I was present with my vehicle at about the 2-hour stay limit when I had the call. To me it was an important one and one I couldn't really hold off for later. Not to metnion it seemed a good place since A: I don't want to drive about on the telephone around the city. B: The car park at the time was barely half full. C: I can't really reliably stop elsewhere near the immediate area.

I had no idea it was an automated CCTV system that only records when you enter and exit the premises. The car park is also split into two areas (one for Morrisons and it's petrol station, and the other side as a retail park). I assumed I would be met by a parking officer and told to move on if I had to, but since I wasn't holding anyone up I continued the phonecall and set off once it was sorted.

When I got the fine, I appealed as soon as I could explaining the above and asked them to check the CCTV to see me at my car by the alotted time (not thinking all it did was just record when you enter and exit the site). I herd nothing and a few weeks later got a snotty reply asking for the full £85. I contacted them and got them to hold it off for a while while I was asked to write a letter insted. Then the same happened again, I assume either it was lost or was just never read. By then I was well on my course and already living on a shoe-string. Called them AGAIN and was FINALLY given the correct route to appeal and about two weeks later, got what looks like a generic automated response which really had no answers to my situation, just saying "sinage was clear, please pay us now" (words to that effect anyway).

My query is, can they "invoice" you for technically being present with your car before the alotted time? I spoke to CAB and they told me I am pretty much -you know what- out of luck if they don't accept the appeal.

My other issue is that basically, I can't afford to pay the sum outright. I tried to look on the website to contact them to see if they will accept me to pay it in installments to make it easier but as luck would have it, the site is down at the time of typing this up. They are aware i'm a student now but time is ticking and I have no idea what to do or where I stand legally. I earn next to nothing and all the support I get, goes into the course, the car and anything left that just about keeps my alive since I can't do it without them.

I understand that I am asking for support after only just dicovering this place for this I apologise. However any advice, help or support I get for this, I will value and be hugely grateful.

Many thanks in advance,
Chris.

pogofish

Stop calling it a fine!

Then have a good read of the Newbies Sticky for a good outline of the situation and your various options for seeing them-off.

Post back here for more detailed advice once you have a challenge/appeal together.

Solvalou

pogofish wrote: »

Stop calling it a fine!

Then have a good read of the Newbies Sticky for a good outline of the situation and your various options for seeing them-off.

Post back here for more detailed advice once you have a challenge/appeal together.

I did mention and see that it is seen as an invoice. As I have already said, I have already appealed though in my own words. Is it possible to appeal again? I saw the copy and paste template when I read the 'newbie' sticky but I fear it's too late to try that tactic. Not to mention all the info is pretty overwhelming and find myself lost in it all.

The only thing I havn't done or got round to doing is looking for the signage they talked about. Trouble is it's a good 30 miles each way just to check...

Solvalou

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Have you ignored a POPLA code in their first reply? Ooops if so!

Or have they now sent you a POPLA code in this reply?

If the latter then you simply win at POPLA as explained in the Newbies thread post #3. You can check the expiry of the POPLA code there too.

POPLA code? I can't see a single mention of it on either the original invoice or the response from the Parking Eye appeal I sent. It does mention on the back that upto 28 days of the issued invoice I can go through POPLA service but only after I have appealed with Parking Eye (which I have done and failed ofcourse).

I could be just going mad and missing crucial info, would it help if I uploaded the documents?

Coupon-mad

It would be in the rejection letter, near the end - if you appealed in time.

Solvalou

Coupon-mad wrote: »

It would be in the rejection letter, near the end - if you appealed in time.

There's definately no code on that letter, I guess with the faff previous, the time ran out. Oh well.

Thanks for the advice anyway, i'l contact them and see if theres a way of making the payments more manageable. Being a student sure does suck!

Coupon-mad

solvalou wrote: »

there's definately no code on that letter, i guess with the faff previous, the time ran out. Oh well.

thanks for the advice anyway, i'l contact them and see if theres a way of making the payments more manageable. Being a student sure does suck!

What are you talking about?! No-one told you to pay this! Wow with this level of research failure, dare I ask what subject you are studying (no need to answer, rhetorical question) because your grasp of this matter is so terrible you have dropped the ball completely. Gawd, for the love of God open your eyes to this, it's not a real parking ticket, you would be mad to pay this! But nor do you ignore it.

Email the BPA and complain you appealed but were never sent a POPLA code. the email addy for the BPA is in a sticky thread near the top - please read them.

cheekyelf

Just recieved a reminder from parking eye from March last year !!!!!!
went through the process appealed,rejected asked for popla code heard nothing and after the 28 days had elapsed received another reminder,this reminder is dated 31/12/14 and includes some forms from popla.....surely they are out of process now???

Redx

suggest you start your own thread using the NEW THREAD blue button, then you will get tailored help applicable to your own problems

Coupon-mad

cheekyelf wrote: »

Just recieved a reminder from parking eye from March last year !!!!!!
went through the process appealed,rejected asked for popla code heard nothing and after the 28 days had elapsed received another reminder,this reminder is dated 31/12/14 and includes some forms from popla.....surely they are out of process now???

So it's a no-brainer! Obviously do a POPLA appeal online. PE are scraping the barrel of old cases and lining up some more victims to sue - people like you who they have previously missed, I expect. They clearly are hoping people will think 'oh that was ages ago, they are too late for a reminder' and not bother with it. Noooo!

You are basically asking 'I have a POPLA code, what do I do?' which is covered in the Newbies thread links in post #3 of that sticky - and we ALWAYS beat PE. Why this isn't clear to you from the Newbies thread I don't know, especially as your alternative is they'll sue you, which is surely enough to focus your mind on the preferred option of costing them £27 for them to lose at POPLA. No need for any question marks IMHO, just do the flippin' POPLA appeal!