Parking Charge Notice rec'd - any advice should I ignore it?

playaz

Hi everyone,

I recently got a Parking Charge Notice for £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within two weeks). The reason stated was 'Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space' – That day I was late for work and rushed to park and didn't take the usual care to check I was within the bay.

I parked upto to the car next to me (so I presume he was also not within the bay) as I used this car as a 'guide' to position my car. The Bay markings are not the most clear as they only appear at one bay 'end' as illustrated in this picture I took. The image is in the day as I went up the following morning to take a photo to illustrate the bay markings they use. I admit that I was at fault but I haven't spoke to the parking company and if there was any way around paying the £60 fine that would be most appreciated.

http://postimg.org/image/94qnmnu95/

It is annoying as since I started my new job on 4th Jan I have been semi-regularly using this car park which is to be fair most days empty, so if I have to pay I feel they we both lose a) me for paying for a £3 ticket & subsequently the fine and b) the car parking operator for losing for £3 semi-regular parking fee.

What advice can you give me, I can afford the £60 but it isn't ideal as i've got more important bills to pay (like my mortgage).

Any advice is much appreciated.
Pete

beamerguy

playaz wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I recently got a Parking Charge Notice from a company called 'Euro Parking Services' for £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within two weeks). The reason stated was 'Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space' – That day I was late for work and rushed to park and didn't take the usual care to check I was within the bay.

I parked upto to the car next to me (so I presume he was also not within the bay) as I used this car as a 'guide' to position my car. The Bay markings are not the most clear as they only appear at one bay 'end' as illustrated in this picture I took. The image is in the day as I went up the following morning to take a photo to illustrate the bay markings they use. I admit that I was at fault but I haven't spoke to the parking company and if there was any way around paying the £60 fine that would be most appreciated.

http://postimg.org/image/94qnmnu95/

It is annoying as since I started my new job on 4th Jan I have been semi-regularly using this car park which is to be fair most days empty, so if I have to pay I feel they we both lose a) me for paying for a £3 ticket & subsequently the fine and b) the car parking operator for losing for £3 semi-regular parking fee.

What advice can you give me, I can afford the £60 but it isn't ideal as i've got more important bills to pay (like my mortgage).

Any advice is much appreciated.
Pete

Hi, well the very first thing is the parking bay, your picture clearly shows that the bay is not properly marked as they are badly faded
and clearly not maintained

Others will be along shortly to assist but please ensure you read the NEWBIES read first

The_Deep

I am sure that, were this a Council ticket, it would be cancelled on appeal.

Quentin

[QUOTE=playaz;69973660Parking Charge Notice rec'd - any advice should I ignore it?][/QUOTE]
No.


Go to the newbies faq thread at the top of the forum and read up on how to go about dealing with this

Fruitcake

Quentin wrote: »

No.


Go to the newbies faq thread at the top of the forum and read up on how to go about dealing with this

That is the correct advice. Starting reading and learning. Euro Parking Dis-services are IPC members so you should be sending the IPC letter, not the BPA appeal.


It is not a fine. It won't say that word on the paperwork you received.


Do not pay, do not ignore , do not reveal who was driving, do not miss the appeal deadline, although with IPC you are not appealing but asking for clarification.

Guys_Dad

I would take another photo that argues your case more to your advantage. The end "T" markings are clear(ish) but the side bay markings are not.

You don't have to be David Bailey to take some photos that concentrate on the side markings and not the end marking.

Your argument is as follows. You were charged with "'Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space'". You can not be in contravention if there were none or they were not properly visible. Clearly the car park management was non-existent.

System

Have been known to set up "pop-up" car parks i.e. putting up signs where they have no agreement to operate.

Check with whoever owns the car park they have a written contract with them

playaz

I'll certainly take some more photos - and maybe look to use the basis of the 'lack of bay markings' that are clearly not visible on the sides (and not just the back line marking)

playaz

Hi guys - quick update I got some photo/video footage of the whole car park which shows all of the badly maintained bays, which i'll be editing shortly. I have read the 'newbie' section in full, would I be correct in saying I should send a letter to the IPC letter withn 28 days of the PCN being received. Also based on my argument that the bay markings aren't perfectly legible what would people expect the outcome to be based on prior/similar complaints to mine. I'm going to do a 'dummy' letter and post it here to see what everyone thinks.

I read the back of the ticket, and this is what their appeals process states below is (it is quite lengthy so I apologise up front). Does any of the info below change anything?

# Appeals info on the back of the ticket #
Please note: Photographic evidence may have been taken of the vehicle for evidential value and will be stored in accordance with the company's data protection procedure. If you wish to dispute liability for this parking charge then you may appeal in writing to the Creditor named above. Appeals must be received within 21 days beginning with the day after that on which this notice is given.
You must provide your full name and address, the vehicle registration number and the Parking Reference at the top of this Notice and your full reasons for contesting liability otherwise your appeal will not be processed.

Appeal decisions should be provided within 28 days. In the event that your appeal is unsuccessful then we will provide you with the appropriate details enabling you to lodge an appeal to the Independent Appeals Service. The Independent Appeals Service (www.theIAS.org) provides an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme for disputes of this type. We will engage with the IAS Standard Appeals Service providing you comply with our internal appeals procedure detailed herein and the thereafter you lodge an appeal to the IAS within 21 days of rejection. Details of the appeals procedure can be found at www.theIAS.
If you do appeal and do not hear from us within 28 days then please contact us, do not assume that your appeal has been successful. To appeal please go to www.europarkingsolutions.com and follow the online instructions.

Complaints
Please note : If you wish to challenge the validity of this charge then you must use the appeals procedure detailed above. Other issues can be dealt with under the complaints procedure.
If you wish to complain, you must complain directly to us in the first instance by writing to us at the address at the top of this letter. If you are not satisfied with our response then you may refer your complaint to the IPC.

Ralph-y

you are getting there ..... nearly

re read the newbies thread and put to one side all / most of the BPA stuff and just use the IPC bits ........

you need to understand that this is not a level playing field :eek:

so any PPC with the IPC can make up the rules as they go along ..... far more that the BPA gang ....

so EPS have decided to make the appeal deadline 21 days .....

the 28 days appeal time is ........ yup the BPA (in general)

you are not going to write a nice letter to them .... you are not going to appeal ... per say .........

use the IPC template ..... AS IS ..... no alterations ..... it was set up that way by 'learned people '

you will not win any appeal with them ........

you will not any further appeals to the IAS ..... excepting the monthly lottery to let some off ......

please keep going .... it can be a step learning curve .......

good luck

Ralph:cool:

playaz

Hi Ralph - I didn't see your post originally before.

Just to confirm at this stage am I right in saying that I should send the letter off to the IPC with the exact same format as the one found in the newbies thread.

Also - should I be sending an appeal letter to the car parking company? Is their a 'common template' for this also? If so, should I wait for the response from the IPC first before sending an 'appeal letter' directly to the car parking company?

Sorry for the questions, I just want to get this right if possible first time