Dispatches: Channel 4 at 8pm Tonight

ManxRed

That can't be true. Patrick Troy has been convincing us for years that there would be anarchy in private car parks without PPCs.

And he never lies. Never.

Hot_Bring

ManxRed wrote: »

That can't be true. Patrick Troy has been convincing us for years that there would be anarchy in private car parks without PPCs.

And he never lies. Never.

I know, it's utterly unbelievable. I pop over for at least a week three times a year and Super U, Inter Marche, Aldi ( WOW !!! ) etc don't have parking problems despite there being no PPCs. I really don't get it - where are all those selfish people trying to hog parking spaces ? Surely our old friend Pat wouldn't take us for a ride would he ???

matttye

I've lived in this city my entire life and regularly go to a retail park on my way home from work. Tonight is the first night I've noticed signs saying UKPC operates there.

The signs aren't obvious at all and I only noticed it because I was deliberately looking to see if there was any sort of restriction.

There's no signs at the entrance to the car park, only dotted around it in various places.

It would take longer to read the sign than it does to do my shopping.

waamo

Hot_Bring wrote: »

The McD's in France are far superior ..... and don't have scum like MET in their car parks. Strangely there is never any issue parking either.

They are painfully slow compared to ours but worth the wait. Driving in France is pleasant too.

Sadly whenever youngest has an exeat or holiday he insists on having a burger as he isn't allowed junk in school.

Herzlos

matttye wrote: »

The signs aren't obvious at all and I only noticed it because I was deliberately looking to see if there was any sort of restriction.

That's certainly not accidental :beer:

bluetoffee1878

UKCPS were booted out of racecourse retail park in Aintree and riverside retail park near john Lennon airport some time ago both of which I visit regularly.

Fortunately they were not replaced by any other PPC and guess what

NO CHAOS!!

Half_way

Just watching this now, and while its a good sort of peice theres too much emphasis on people just rolling over and paying the scumbag parking industry.
Also theres far too much emphasis on the parking companies and not those who employ them/allow the to opperate on their land.

It is these people, the McDonalds franchisees, the Hospital managers, the estate managers and so on who should be lined up and given a (metaphorical ) kicking, and then forced to get in touch with those who have paid their agents and refund them - preferably with their own bottom line/personal bank accounts taking a hit as well.

Cornucopia

I think the media find it quite hard to suggest that people get rebellious, even if it's obvious that an organisation or industry is behaving badly/illegally.

It's a pity, but it would be a brave journalist, I think, that provided advice in case members of the public ended up worse off because of it.

In the case of PPCs, the Beavis case should resolve the fundamental GPEOL issue, and this was mentioned in the programme.

Full marks to Which? for getting involved, although I'm not necessarily convinced by their logic (if left unchecked, the principle of commercial penalty charges would extend to other industries). First sign of an extortionate "charge" from any company I do business with, and I will be an ex-customer.

I'm fortunate never to have received a PPC invoice.

Half_way

To be honest with you its been a long long time since i last had a PPC ticket ( not sure if im somehow immune )
However if I or any other close family member found themselves with a PPC ticket then I would complain like hell and create as much trouble as possible for those responsible for allowing the ppcs to operate.

One advice about faulty P&D machines is to park elsewhere - I have yet to encounter a P&D supermarket car park let alone one with faulty machines however if I did then i woundt hesitate in fetching out a cardboard roadsign stating Car park Closed/Car park full/no Entry to help other motorists find somewhere else to park by making it appear the car park is closed.
I occasionally have access to such signs - usually with the event name on as well ( can be masked out) .

If /when i receive my next ANPR ticket and beat that at popla and IF i had access to a ladder ( which I dont as i would be unable to transport one ) there would be a few ANPR cameras wearing "out of use" bags.

bazster

Cornucopia wrote: »

Full marks to Which? for getting involved, although I'm not necessarily convinced by their logic (if left unchecked, the principle of commercial penalty charges would extend to other industries). First sign of an extortionate "charge" from any company I do business with, and I will be an ex-customer.

The same logic applies to PPC fake fines but that doesn't stop supermarkets et al persecuting their customers in this way. They just don't seem to care that customers, once hit with a fake fine, will never return.

I can see budget hotels etc. being exactly the same. If they think they can get more money from you by trumping up some fake fine than they can from your overnight stay then that's what they will do, if the law permits it.