Success: Valley Centertainment Sheffield (UKPCS)

[Deleted User]

I just wanted to let fellow moneysavers know about my recent success with this.

We were visiting the cinema at Valley Centertainment in Sheffield and as per usual the car park was absolutely packed (probably because Jurassic World had just come out). We'd pre-booked tickets and there were absolutely no empty spaces. So we (along with many many others) parked on a part of the car park adjacent to a paved area not marked with parking bays. We weren't blocking anything or anyone or any of the pavement.

After our visit to Nando's and Cineworld we returned to the car to find a "PCN" (albeit an invoice posing as a PCN) on the windscreen along with quite a few other cars around us.

I initially ignored it for a few days, but after trawling through the massive amount of advice (in the stickies on this forum) and lots postings from, shall we say, enthusiastic (almost vigilante like) anti PPC people (respect to them) along with a lot of what appear to be undercover private parking company employees scare mongering by posting horror stories/experiences, I decided to send the MSE template letter to the PPC (UKCPS).

I very quickly afterward received a refusal letter from UKCPS saying they would continue to pursue the keeper of the vehicle for the full £100 (which is an absolutely preposterous amount IMO :eek:). I was fully prepared to ignore all correspondence and debt collection letters. I was absolutely NOT going to pay this without a court order.

I then decided to try and circumvent the potential hassle by going direct to Cineworld to ask if they could help in getting the ticket cancelled. I got through to a customer complaints department in a call centre who were clueless and unable to help. :mad:

I suppose my next step could have been Nando's but I decided to try and get in touch with the management company of the complex itself and after a bit of googling and a few phone calls later, I spoke to a nice lady who agreed to try and sort this out for me. A few days later, she called me back to let me know that she had gotten UKCPS to cancel the ticket. :T

My advice to anyone else who gets a ticket at this (or any other similar establishment) FWIW:

Don't panic, don't worry, don't get upset and don't let it ruin your evening (it's really not worth it). And what ever you do, don't just pay it.

Don't vent your anger or frustration online in forums or on social media as you might inadvertently give away information to the unscrupulous PPC's that will come back to bite you in the you-know-what.

Don't be an inconsiderate numpty when parking your car. Whereas I strongly dislike the PPC's, their business model and highly unethical practices, I can understand them ticketing people who block people in, park in disabled or mother and baby spaces and parking in their free car park when you are not a customer.

Do read the stickies on this site carefully.

Do send the template letter to the PPC as per the instructions on the forum stickies.

Do keep receipts (be extra careful not to give away personal information with these if sending copies to the PPC along with your letter).

Do try and get in touch to complain to the retailer(s)/land owner/property management company and see if they will cancel the ticket for you.

Do be nice to whoever you speak to at the retailer/property management company when complaining. Be very brief. The property management people are busy and don't want to listen to your story of how you've had a terrible year and the cat died last week and your wife has just had triplets and... you get the message. Remember, they're trying to do their job and they don't work for the nasty PPC people. You want them to like you and want to help you.

Anyway... this was my experience and I hope it may be of some help to others who may find themselves in the same position.

Redx

well done for doing the work and research

one minor point, your PPC above is incorrect, so I suggest you edit it to the correct one

its UKCPS

Quentin

wrongmark wrote: »

...... I spoke to a nice lady who agreed to try and sort this out for me. A few days later, she called me back to let me know that she had gotten UKCPS to cancel the ticket.....

Definitely not raining on your parade, but the time for complete jubilation is when you get this confirmed back to you by the PPC, not the "nice lady" from the complex managers.

[Deleted User]

Quentin wrote: »

Definitely not raining on your parade, but the time for complete jubilation is when you get this confirmed back to you by the PPC, not the "nice lady" from the complex managers.

This crossed my mind but I don't expect to receive any such confirmation from the PPC. I expect they will probably go quietly and concentrate on their next victim.

Quentin

wrongmark wrote: »

..... I don't expect to receive any such confirmation from the PPC. I expect they will probably go quietly and concentrate on their next victim.

You have high expectations.


At the very least get the "nice lady" to confirm in writing to you her phone call that "the ticket is cancelled" and that the PPC have agreed this.

Fruitcake

Well done but as others have said, it isn't over until the PPC says it's over.


Please don't take this the wrong way, but you should read up on information about disabled or mother and baby parking bays before advising people not to park in them.


That is a whole different scam area that parking companies use to extract money from the uneducated.


Please also amend the title of your original post to the correct name of the parking company.