MSE News: Legality of private parking fines to be tested in court today

nigelbb · 3 March 2015 at 1:12PM

I do have a problem with penalty charges as if declared legal & enforceable they would apply in other circumstances. So the hotel who recently tried to impose charges for a negative report on tripadviser would be able to get away with it. Restaurants could fine you for messing up the table cloth. Hotels could fine you for leaving the room in a mess or checking out late. Bus companies could fine you for putting your feet on the seats. Supermarkets could fine you for not putting back the trolly tidily etc etc etc It's long established law that penalties cannot be enforced except by the state & quite rightly so.

trubster · 3 March 2015 at 4:53PM

enfield_freddy wrote: »

gosh , but don,t forget the long standing statement "without the help of adverts we would not be able to keep this forum going"

hear it all the time on motor forums with ebay ads etc at the top , a laugh when you see they are on free (or minimal cost) web hosts and the pocket the ad moneys

AFAIK the ad's only pay per click/purchase which is one thing I would never do if they are on display or not. So no loss here. Plus the "Bribelinks" on this site and many others, like HUKD, take priority over quidco etc. which is another thing I don't like.

Now the "Commercially Justifiable Penalty" for removing content could be an issue if Beavis loses

MrSink · 3 March 2015 at 9:15PM

I am currently in the process of dealing with UKPC, I intend to take this matter to the bitter conclusion even if it means going to court. There are some very niave people who believe that I should pay. But this is very wrong, all you are doing is accepting the practice that any coporate entity is entitled to request any amount of money on a vague concept that there is a sign somewhere in the vicinity that implies a contract. This notion is unacceptable, no decent person regardless should accept this. If we all fight then this process will fail and these companies will need to find another way of bullying the people of this country in letting go of their hard earnt cash.
When I win, I will include how I did this on this forum.

Umkomaas · 3 March 2015 at 9:29PM

We've been fighting for years. Welcome to the battle!

You do need to start a new thread of your own, as we work on the basis of 'one case, one thread' so advice doesn't become confused and/or we have a complete free for all with any number of random cases being tagged on.

But first of all you do need to read thoroughly the NEWBIES FAQS sticky at the top of the forum index (one page back from here) which will give all of the initial information you need. It was written by Coupon-mad, one of the country's most knowledgeable people in dealing with private parking tickets. You won't find anything more comprehensive than this anywhere online.

The sticky is detailed and you might need a couple of 'passes' to digest it, so bite sized chunks with a cup of tea over a couple days might be the best approach. You do need to make the effort to do some research via the sticky before asking for further help from regulars - we are so busy each day it's impossible to type and constantly repeat basic information - hence the sticky with all that stuff covered. But do come back after reading it if anything isn't clear to you.

BUT - via a new thread of your own please.

Are you sure you're 'up for court'? Are you sure you have all your legal ducks lined up in a row? Are you 'up' for dealing with an adversarial lawyer who is trained in court procedures?

This ain't about ranting to a judge about how unfair this is to you (and all mankind).

If you know your way around all this stuff, my apologies for any doubt. If I'm correct, then the best place to start is by reading and digesting the NEWBIES FAQ sticky to acquaint yourself with all the issues, then come back in a new thread with any queries on points you don't understand.