Stop private parking companies charging disproportionate penalties in car parks

prowla

The real issue is a lack of parking; we're in a society where people need cars to get about.

If shops want to penalise people for visiting them, then the answer is to not go there.

RichardD1970

londonTiger wrote: »

they usually spell out their no return policy. Even council onstreet parking have no return hours.

Yes, usually a couple of hours.

My reply was with regards someone who had visited early in the day, spent the day out then returned in the evening. I can't think of any car parking which would prohibit that.

These companies DON'T manage car parks. How can they with ANPR?

They are just out to make as much money as possible from whoever they can, regardless of any mitigating circumstances or failures of their systems.

They often break planing rules, arbitrarily change the permitted time from what the landowner has previously set and, as stated earlier by another poster, to say they use sharp practice is a massive understatement.

Edwood_Woodwood

ultimatefighter wrote: »

Private parking companies get to set the amount they charge as a penalty if you overstay in a car park, park outside the markings of a bay or otherwise contravene the T&C's of the car park. The charges need to be capped to stop unscrupulous operators. No regulator exists to oversee the sector.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE!

No, why should I?

Parking fines are not an issue for me and never have been, yet I have been driving for 30 years.

Why is that not an issue for me?

bowlhead99

Edwood_Woodwood wrote: »

No, why should I?

Parking fines are not an issue for me and never have been, yet I have been driving for 30 years.

Why is that not an issue for me?

Exactly

ultimatefighter wrote: »

Private parking companies get to set the amount they charge as a penalty if you overstay in a car park

N.S., Sherlock. Perhaps make sure you don't stay in someone else's property for longer than you have paid?

, park outside the markings of a bay

Have you considered parking within the markings of the bay and not taking up more space than that for which you've paid to use?

or otherwise contravene the T&C's of the car park.

The clue is in the first word of your post: PRIVATE parking. Not your land, not your rules. Their land, their rules. So, follow the conditions that they set when allowing you to use their property (well, either their property or the property that they've been engaged to administer by the holders of the rights).

Just a thought, HTH.

These are the companies that charge £90
Via invoice for staying in lidl or McDonald's for 1 minute too long

Presumably the McDonald's location has agreed with them how long is too long, to ensure that genuine wanted customers get to use that parking location for an adequate time.

Oh look, this is what McDonalds have to say:
http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/whatmakesmcdonalds/questions/running-the-business/parking/i-would-like-to-understand-your-2-hour-limit-car-parking-policy.html

I would like to understand your car parking policy regarding eating and drinking at McDonalds and exceeding the 2 hour time limit. Thank you. David Clark, Email

In an effort to make sure there are always parking spaces available for our customers, we have parking restrictions in place at just over 100 of our restaurants. These parking restrictions are managed by one of two industry-approved operators, MET Parking Ltd and UKPC.
The restrictions were put in place following problems ranging from minicab drivers using our car parks as waiting bays between fares, to people leaving their cars for several hours while using nearby amenities. In each of our restaurants where parking restrictions are necessary, we work with our approved contractors to make the parking policy as fair and as clearly communicated as possible. If you are visiting one of our restaurants for a special occasion like a children's birthday party and expect to exceed the 90 minute parking limit we would ask that you make yourself and your car registration known to the restaurant manager upon arrival.

dannyrst

pvt wrote: »

So Danny, where do you propose we might go with this idea of citizens being able to punish each other?

You happy if your local supermarket makes a rule the food isles are one-way-only and slaps you with a £100 fine if you accidentally push your shopping trolley the wrong way along one?

On private land, I'm happy to abide by the rules the owner of that land puts in place. For example, shops that do not allow dogs or food to be consumed on the premises.

If a shop decided to make people go up and down isles the correct way, either abide by that rule or shop elsewhere.

RichardD1970 wrote: »

And that is where a lot of the problems with these private parking companies lie.

You are in the right, but your appeal to the PPC WILL be rejected, so then you have to appeal to the "independent" appeals service POPLA which, unless you know exactly the points to appeal on (no mitigation is considered), then you will lose that as well.

Then depending on the PPC in question you will either end up with a stream of threatening, official looking letters demanding money, or worse case, at court.

Good luck if it ever happens to you!

So your problem with private parking companies isn't anything to do with the parking companies? If the systems and frameworks they work within are wrong, that's nothing to do with the companies. They can only work within the guidelines they are given.

RichardD1970

dannyrst wrote: »

So your problem with private parking companies isn't anything to do with the parking companies? If the systems and frameworks they work within are wrong, that's nothing to do with the companies. They can only work within the guidelines they are given.

And who made/regulates these systems, frameworks and guidelines? :think:

dannyrst

RichardD1970 wrote: »

And who made/regulates these systems, frameworks and guidelines? :think:

After a quick Google, the BPA.

If you want to be angry, be angry at them. Not the companies that make money from a system that isn't fit for purpose.

I can give you other examples: Mortgage lenders giving 110% LTV's and allowing people to self certify that they can afford to pay it back. Is it the banks fault? No, it's the FCA who allowed them to do it.

Companies moving money around to avoid paying high tax bills. Again, they can do it because they aren't stopped.

You can argue that the company bosses should have morals and ethics about the way they use these systems to the extents that they do, but it is entirely legal.

RichardD1970

And who are the BPA?

Keep going you'll get there in the end.

dannyrst

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic synthetic compound with the chemical formula (CH3)2C(C6H4OH)2 belonging to the group of diphenylmethane derivatives and bisphenols, with two hydroxyphenyl groups. It is a colorless solid that is soluble in organic solvents, but poorly soluble in water. It has been in commercial use since 1957.