PCN doesn't clearly show what the offence is

tallgareth

I have a PCN letter from ParkDirectUK which states;

"We believe that the parking charge payable with respect to the above vehicle for the following alleged contravention: Stopping or waiting where stopping or waiting restrictions are in force at a location that had the terms of parking are clearly displayed on the warning signs"

There are two photos on the letter, neither of which show any warning signage. Can I contact them asking for further proof of the alleged contravention?

Also, the two photos were taken 10 minutes apart and show the car in two different positions along the same road (one in a parking space, one round the corner in a side road further up from the parking space). Can I ask them for clarification of what exectly the photos are showing?

It is not the I necessarily dispute the PCN and wish to appeal it, but I require more information to confirm the contravention happened. But the only way I can see of contacting them and locking in at the reduced payment of £60 is to lodge an appeal.

Many thanks.

Coupon-mad

You are thinking of PAYING this thing and not appealing or ignoring it? It's not a real fine! Stop thinking the £60 is a bargain worth 'locking in'!

http://www.bmpa.eu/companydata/Park_Direct_UK.html

BMPA says: ''Our recommendation for this operator: Ignore but keep paperwork''.

This is because they are IPC members and there is no appeal worth trying because it all considered a sham, a kangaroo court (allegedly). However as you can see from that link, they've never sued anyone and rely on victims thinking they 'have' to pay any parking ticket.

Have you read the sticky thread here 'NEWBIES PLEASE READ THESE FAQS FIRST'? Please do, and be ready for the daft debt collector letters and demands using a splash of RED ink! Hilarious when you know it's all rubbish. They cannot affect your credit rating unless you ignore court papers and PDUK have zero track record, not even ONE case.

Finally, if you ignore everything we say, reckon you owe them £60 for a few minutes then you either have more money than sense (sorry) or you are joining them and funding the scam against the next family or little old lady who also thinks they have to pay...and so the entire rip-off goes on.

These are not local authority PCNs. DO NOT phone them up, this is not a fair/normal industry, believe us. They want to know who was driving. DO NOT tell them. You could send the single challenge suggested in the NEWBIES thread, then sit tight.

I should add the caveat not to ignore every private PCN, because some do sue (e.g. ParkingEye) and plenty of them are so easy to appeal and cancel that it's laughable. So always look them up on the BMPA website or ask on here about each firm.

The_Deep

Or you could appeal and cost them money.

tallgareth

Thanks Coupon_mad.

Yes I've been reading up a lot since I got the PCN, and see a lot of people advising that they're crooks who use shady practices to issue tickets.

However I'm intrigued by your comment that "it's not a real fine" and it's a "scam". If there are valid signs up (approved by land-owner) and Park Direct UK are responsible for it, and the car was parked/stopped there, how is it not a real fine?

beamerguy

tallgareth wrote: »

Thanks Coupon_mad.

Yes I've been reading up a lot since I got the PCN, and see a lot of people advising that they're crooks who use shady practices to issue tickets.

However I'm intrigued by your comment that "it's not a real fine" and it's a "scam". If there are valid signs up (approved by land-owner) and Park Direct UK are responsible for it, and the car was parked/stopped there, how is it not a real fine?

Only those with authority like the police, councils can issue fines.
These are just "try on invoices" and nothing else.
The scammer has no authority to issue fines, especially Park Direct UK

They are speculative invoices hoping that motorists will think they are fines and pay up, in a word ... scammers

Coupon-mad

tallgareth wrote: »

Thanks Coupon_mad.

Yes I've been reading up a lot since I got the PCN, and see a lot of people advising that they're crooks who use shady practices to issue tickets.

However I'm intrigued by your comment that "it's not a real fine" and it's a "scam". If there are valid signs up (approved by land-owner) and Park Direct UK are responsible for it, and the car was parked/stopped there, how is it not a real fine?

As above, private companies can't issue penalties unless under bylaws (e.g. railway or Airport car parks).

This is a charge under contract law, they use the signs as the excuse to issue the charge but it doesn't make it legit in any way and certainly not a fine. Like any other situation where a company alleges a person owes them money their only recourse is small claims - and they don't do that.

They rely on people thinking:

- oh no I've got a parking ticket!

- must be legit, there are signs up and all...

- I'd better rush to pay it or it will go up. £60 looks like a bargain compared to if it 'escalates'.

or later, after ignoring at first:

- oh no, I've got a debt collector letter, I'm scared now it will affect my credit rating!*

- oh no, even more letters, this is scary, maybe bailiffs will come knocking**. I'll pay £160 to DebtCollectorsRUs.


Dum dum dum dum dum...



*it won't

** they won't

tallgareth

Sorry, bad use of the word fine.

Let me re-phrase; land-owners are entitled to charge for and police parking on their land, and as such Park Direct UK are entitled to issue me with a PCN if I have breached the contract set out in the signs at the location, and the appeals process is for when a PCN is considered unfair.

What is not "legit" about it?

I'm not trying to be awkward here, I'm just interested in exactly what these companies do.

Fruitcake

tallgareth wrote: »

Thanks Coupon_mad.

Yes I've been reading up a lot since I got the PCN, and see a lot of people advising that they're crooks who use shady practices to issue tickets.

However I'm intrigued by your comment that "it's not a real fine" and it's a "scam". If there are valid signs up (approved by land-owner) and Park Direct UK are responsible for it, and the car was parked/stopped there, how is it not a real fine?

Valid signs? Like the ones that don't exist at the entrance or are turned inwards so you can't see them when you drive in, have very small print, add illegal charges if you want to pay by debit card, have illegal premium rate 'phone numbers on them, don't name the creditor, are sparse and high up on poles or hidden behind bushes, and don't have the excess charge written in large prominent font, and breach the Equality Act 2010.

A fine can only be given by the courts, a penalty can only be given by a council or the police. You will not find the work "fine" on their signs or any paperwork you receive from the parking scumpany. In other words, it is not a fine at all.
The private parking industry is unregulated and parking scumanies have been caught telling lies in court, failed to get advertising consent for their signs (which is illegal) and failed to get planning permission for ANPR cameras, to name but a few of their dubious tactics.

Coupon-mad

Because it is a despicable bunch of ex-clampers using predatory tactics (only without the clamps these days) and we do not agree that the appeals situation is only for 'unfair ones'. We would say ALL private parking tickets are unfair.

You said yourself:

the two photos were taken 10 minutes apart and show the car in two different positions along the same road (one in a parking space, one round the corner in a side road further up from the parking space).

Your case seems to fit with the sort of unfair and threatening practice the DCLG is meant to be looking at, in order to regulate the scumbags, once the Govt ministers stop choking on their Waitrose Cornflakes over Brexit!

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/parking-reform-tackling-unfair-practices

Also, if you got a PCN on street from a Council it would be £50, reduced to £25 so what on earth makes it right that a private firm whose sole income is derived from these stealth charges should charge £100, discounted to an huge £60, based on a couple of snaps from Mrs ex-clamper's mobile phone, as she hides round a corner just as she used to do when this firm (one of the same/similar name...) used to clamp cars within 25 seconds.

Is this Uxbridge? There is a car park there where they have 'now you see it now you don't' signs...there's a thread here about them allegedly photoshopping or providing old, misleading pictures to an appeal. Pretending there are signs up, apparently, where there are in fact, none at the entrance.

PD UK are among the worst bunches I have helped people fight. Their evidence packs to POPLA when they were in the BPA took the Michael for mendacity. Absolute scum, many of these firms.

beamerguy

tallgareth wrote: »

Sorry, bad use of the word fine.

Let me re-phrase; land-owners are entitled to charge for and police parking on their land, and as such Park Direct UK are entitled to issue me with a PCN if I have breached the contract set out in the signs at the location, and the appeals process is for when a PCN is considered unfair.

What is not "legit" about it?

I'm not trying to be awkward here, I'm just interested in exactly what these companies do.

Of course landowners can employ PPC's to monitor their car parks.

So, if you think that your ticket is fair, I am not certain why you are on here, this whole forum is about unfair tickets.

Again, if you think the parking ticket is unfair, then point us in the right direction so you can be helped

tallgareth

Fruitcake, Coupon_mad - thanks for the explanation. I understand now that the whole practise is considered unfair, hence why all PCNs like this should be appealed/ignored.

beamerguy - In my original post I was trying to ascertain if it was fair or not, since the pictures they provided do not make it clear and I wanted to know if I could ask for further evidence.