Success at cancellation of Euro Car Parks/Morrisons Parking Charge Notice

sandrew

Just wanted to say thanks to you lovely folk as reading the very helpful threads/posts here helped me put my case together regarding a Parking Charge Notice I received at a town centre car park owned by Morrisons and operated by Euro Car Parks. In summary:


- Disabled Blue Parking spaces were full forcing me to find another space where there was adjacent room to open my car door fully. This was too far from the pay machine for me to walk on my crutches and return with a ticket to display. I displayed my Blue Badge, left a £1 coin on the dashboard with a note to say I would pay car park attendant upon my return. Returned 40 minutes later but no attendant in view (turns out car park is camera operated with no staff on site).
- Parking Charge Notice subsequently arrived in the post.
- Appealed to Euro Car Parks - rejected.
- Wrote again to Euro Car Parks in stronger terms - rejected.
- Appealed to POPLA but by now outside of permitted 28 day period - rejected.
- Letter received from Debt Collection Agency - ignored it.
- Sent letter to David Potts (CEO Morrisons) explaining circumstances and received a very nice letter yesterday saying instructions have been issued to cancel the Parking Charge Notice as a "gesture of goodwill" - YAY!


Lessons learnt -
1. Don't assume Car Park has any staff onsite.
2. If you are rejected first time by the Car Park operator, don't write again, go straight to POPLA.
3. Write SIMULTANEOUSLY to CEO of Retailer.
4. If you are disabled, stress in your Appeal/Letter that Car Park operator and owner have a duty under law to take into account your circumstances.
5. Follow all the good advice on this Forum!


Many thanks!

Fruitcake

Well done, but be aware that this isn't over until you get a cancellation from the parking company in writing.


If you are contacted again by the PPC or debt collectors, get straight back onto the CEO of Morrisons.

Umkomaas

instructions have been issued to cancel the Parking Charge Notice as a "gesture of goodwill"

Err - No! Not as a 'gesture of goodwill' (what a mealy-mouthed get out), but as a need to comply with the LAW! The Equality Act 2010, which imposes a duty on Morrisons to make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities.

I'd be tempted to write back to David Potts and tell him you're not happy about his 'good will gesture', and that you'd be much happier if he accepted his duty imposed on him by the LAW, and confirm that to you in writing, rather than a patronising response suggesting that he was somehow 'doing you a favour'.

trisontana

Time to repeat this definition of a "gesture of goodwill"

"This is a nasty put-down that companies use when they know that they have been caught out and they have no choice but to try and buy you off with some token payment in order to avoid further trouble.
'Gesture of goodwill' means that you have won but the company wants to try and retain control and make you feel grateful."
The fact is that 99 times out of 100, the company is doing no more than they should have done under the contract anyway.
'Gesture of goodwill' is symptomatic of everything that is wrong with Customer Service today.

The reality is that these companies need your goodwill: you don't need theirs.
As long as companies continue to try to compensate their customers as a 'gesture of goodwill', customer service will never improve. Companies will always act defensively against their customers.

It is the customers who should be accepting offers of compensation as a gesture of goodwill towards the company - and the company should be grateful to earn and to retain the goodwill of their customers.

sandrew

Good point about the 'gesture of goodwill'. Have to admit I blew a giant raspberry at Euro Car Parks when I opened Morrisons letter and, was so pleased to have an end to the saga, I didn't really didn't give the wording of their letter much thought. As you say, it is my goodwill they need .... as it transpires, local goodwill was not enough - the store has since closed down.