Parking notice complicated help Scotland

HelloHi

Hi wondering if anyone can help. I received a parking fine from parking eye for overstaying in a small retail park by 11 min for a 2h limit. I visited the two stores there Aldi and B&M stores having spent over £100 between two. The reason it took longer is that as well as doing my shopping I was also shopping for a grocery hamper for a colleague who recently had an operation. As well as that the car park is quite awkward and it can take a while to get out. They used the camera pic to show me arriving and leaving. Having read the advice on another site at the time I unfortunately didn't realise that was only valid for England and Wales and that the advice re Scotland is to ignore the ticket!

I wrote to them stating that I was a genuine customer and sent the copies of receipts and also quoted the bit about BPA stating minimum 10 min to exit the space (which should also be applied to allowing time to find the space too). I also pointed out that as they used cameras at the entrance that didn't show the parking time as such eg if you are stuck exiting but out of your space. Didn't mention the bit about the colleague shopping. Didn't hear back but then got a letter from Debt recovery for £160 (up from £60) so at that point used online form to resubmit what I sent already (second letter for DRP arrived yesterday). I only read the Scottish advice yesterday on this forum in regards to the driver and not keeper of the car and feel so so so annoyed with myself and very upset for having replied!!! It is really stressing me out! I phoned Aldi customer services when i got first letter who said it is not one of their car parks but retail park one (only contains three shops and most people are there for Aldi) and told me to go back to parking eye.

Not sure what my next step is. No reply from parking eye yet. Should I make sure now that I have stated to reply to DRP as some suggest or email store manager and Ceo of Aldi? Or just ignore (bearing in mind that i told them I was the driver/in store :eek: ) Do Aldi have the power to cancel tickets if it is not their car park? I spend £70 on average there nearly every week! Have been trawling the forums reading stickies etc so please do not tell me off But I can't find a definitive answer on this as it is in Scotland.

Tia

Coupon-mad

OK I reckon if you 'wrote' snail mail that was your error. Maybe no PCN number quoted? You should have appealed online and PE would almost certainly have cancelled it due to the receipts. This one should have been cancelled at the outset.

So email them now (obviously with the full PCN number xxxxxx/xxxxxx in the subject line):

info@parkingeye.co.uk

...and say that you did appeal and did send your receipts and assume they were overlooked, so here they are again because the Store Manager suggested* you contact ParkingEye when you went in and complained, because your family shops there every week and are horrified by this harassment. You can add the detail if you like but say 'we' and 'us' not 'me' to avoid suggesting who was driving (I reckon they have lost your letter if you wrote...why do people write to a parking firm with instant online appeal available?

If that doesn't work then contact the overall management firm or owner of the retail park (Google it). But I think PE will cancel.


* I made that up but just say it.

Fruitcake

As this happened in Scotland I can't understand why you didn't ignore the PCN.

HelloHi

Thanks Coupon-mad I did do an instant online appeal to PE last week once i realized that they didn't reply and I got the first DRA letter. Unfortunately as I just copied my original letter I did say I and not we . I didn't come across this great forum until this week and the site I looked at originally didn't make the Scottish distinction. Therefore I assumed their advice to reply was applicable to me. Interestingly the Citizens advice Scotland page does advise to write to them and contest the ticket if valid reasons and does not say to ignore it. Very confusing!

I will email them again I think and Aldi for good measure! Should I respond to DRA too (by email)? So far I have managed to find the landowner but will keep looking!

Grimble

Never contact Debt Collectors, they are powerless scum who will lie to get your money.

Coupon-mad

So far I have managed to find the landowner but will keep looking!

Are you saying you have Googled the name of the retail park and NOT found on the first two pages of search results, a managing agent offering units for rent by retailers, giving an email address? No newspaper articles?

HelloHi

I have maybe found something last night on one of the further along pages however once I looked at their site it is not listed as one of their current properties on the site (but they are probably only showing the properties they have for let just now rather than their full portfolio). There are only 4 units in the small retail park and they are all let out just now. I have worked out I have spent £1130 in Aldi since January! Not happy!

Coupon-mad

So you email PE and show them you've spent over £1000...do it now. I gave you their email.