Athena ANPR ltd - royal stitch up

krazyhorse

Hi Guys

I received a letter from Athena ANPR ltd showing pic of me entering car park at around 9am and leaving about 5.30pm.

They want £45 from me if I pay within 14 days.

Now the funny thing is - they didnt show me the pics of me exiting the car park at about 9.15am, and re-entering at probably around 5.15pm again on the same day.

It's a Lidl car park, a few mins from where I work. I must have gone there to get my breakfast (I got the letter today, and the offence was on Thursday 1st Sep - so they expect me to remember what I got for breakfast and have the receipt???), drove to work where parking is FREE - then after work, I must have gone back to Lidl to pick up some more groceries. Why would I park there all day when I parked at work for FREE?

I will appeal - but if this escalates, can I ask the council, or the police or SOMEONE that controls CCTV in the borough, to disprove the quite frankly - ROYAL STITCH up, Athena are trying to accuse me of?

I am absolutely Livid that they think they can get away with this - but just wanted to vent, to see if anyone else has been stitched up like this and how did they get help to resolve?

Thanks all.

waamo

Try reading this in the dedicated parking section

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822

krazyhorse

Hi There Waamo, thanks for the thread, but that covers:

"I believe that your signs fail the test of 'large lettering' and prominence, as established in ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis. Your unremarkable and obscure signs were not seen by the driver, are in very small print and the terms are not readable to drivers before they park."

My issue is the STITCH UP described initially - but still, thank you for pointing this out to me, I can still pinch bits from the template, thanks.

soolin

Moved to the sub board for better responses

Redx

its called double dipping and parking prankster has blogged about it many times and yes these PPC,s try it on hundreds of times

that thread you were pointed to tells you how to appeal it

no the police and council wont get involved , almost nobody will

complain LOUDLY to LIDL and get it cancelled asap

Coupon-mad

krazyhorse wrote: »

Hi There Waamo, thanks for the thread, but that covers:

"I believe that your signs fail the test of 'large lettering' and prominence, as established in ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis. Your unremarkable and obscure signs were not seen by the driver, are in very small print and the terms are not readable to drivers before they park."

My issue is the STITCH UP described initially...

We know. But the NEWBIES thread tells you what to do, and this forum has threads like this all the time!

Here's yesterday's version, a carbon copy of your issue:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5522806

Complain to Lidl, as anyone would. Presumably you've already thought of that first, it is the obvious first step as a customer of a retailer. If the store security guard or cashier demanded £70 from you, then your first thought would be to complain to Lidl. This is no different. They cancel these all the time and should be ashamed of allowing the scam to happen.

Read that advice as if it was for you. DO NOT imply who was driving but this will get cancelled by Lidl anyway.

Grimble

Write nasty things on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

beamerguy

krazyhorse wrote: »

Hi Guys

I received a letter from Athena ANPR ltd showing pic of me entering car park at around 9am and leaving about 5.30pm.

They want £45 from me if I pay within 14 days.

Now the funny thing is - they didnt show me the pics of me exiting the car park at about 9.15am, and re-entering at probably around 5.15pm again on the same day.

It's a Lidl car park, a few mins from where I work. I must have gone there to get my breakfast (I got the letter today, and the offence was on Thursday 1st Sep - so they expect me to remember what I got for breakfast and have the receipt???), drove to work where parking is FREE - then after work, I must have gone back to Lidl to pick up some more groceries. Why would I park there all day when I parked at work for FREE?

I will appeal - but if this escalates, can I ask the council, or the police or SOMEONE that controls CCTV in the borough, to disprove the quite frankly - ROYAL STITCH up, Athena are trying to accuse me of?

I am absolutely Livid that they think they can get away with this - but just wanted to vent, to see if anyone else has been stitched up like this and how did they get help to resolve?

Thanks all.

As said it's called Double Dipping and it's ANPR cameras not CCTV

Lidl HO is the best start to explain what is happening (they already know about double dipping) and ask they cancel it.

Before that, if your car was parked in a FREE car park where you work, can you get witness statements as to the time period you were in the free car park.

You need to prove that their ANPR camera produces fake results as we know they do.

System

Have you read the BPA Guide to Double Dipping

https://app.box.com/files/0/f/1143421335/1/f_46727019953

See the phrase "Operators are aware of this and are now checking all ANPR transactions to ensure that this does not occur"

And a hat tip to Albert Ross over on Pepipoo

From the Guiding Principles contained in the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice issued by the Home Office pursuant to Section 29 of the Protection of freedoms Act 2012

12. Any information used to support a surveillance camera system which matches against a reference database for matching purposes should be accurate and kept up to date.

4.12.1 Any use of technologies such as ANPR or facial recognition systems which may rely on the accuracy of information generated elsewhere such as databases provided by others should not be introduced without regular assessment to ensure the underlying data is fit for purpose.

Ask them when they checked and how they checked, as they have failed to follow the BPA guidance as well as that of the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice .

krazyhorse

Guys - all I can say is a big fat THANK YOU so far for all your help and advice.

I shall now complain to BOTH Lidl and raise dispute with Athena crooks.
I'll let you know my progress and process....

again guys, thank you.

krazyhorse

IamEmanresu wrote: »

Have you read the BPA Guide to Double Dipping

https://app.box.com/files/0/f/1143421335/1/f_46727019953

See the phrase "Operators are aware of this and are now checking all ANPR transactions to ensure that this does not occur"

And a hat tip to Albert Ross over on Pepipoo



Ask them when they checked and how they checked, as they have failed to follow the BPA guidance as well as that of the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice .

Had no idea about this - thank you kindly.