Details on Parking Charge Notice

Coupon-mad

Yes, only highview parking, and I'm fine dealing with them, but back to the 1st post, it's the 1st time I have ever had a ticket/charge and I'm in my mid 60's. It's the missus that gets worried and when she gets worried I get agro,

I'm a wife and middle aged myself but I never worry about this twaddle. My husband did, when I used to ignore these (before POPLA) though!
I guess it depends on your personality, I'm a natural cynic and I always research stuff and can smell a scam whereas he probably wouldn't.

I drew from all the advice that they could pursue me for 6 years if I didn't appeal, but is I did they had to respond within 35 to remain within the industry guidelines, even though they are not "law"? correct or not?

Not really correct nor important but as a register keeper appellant, you will win this anyway. The guideline is 35 days to respond but sometimes they take longer and if they do, the BPA Trade Body (who are on their side, not consumers) don't care.

So that's unimportant although you could mention it in passing in your introduction to your POPLA appeal.

Coupon-mad wrote: »

This is EASY for a registered keeper to win, no loophole needed. The keeper is not liable (you will need more words but we have template appeal points for POPLA stage too). Just do not imply the driver!

As I said earlier (quoted above) this would/should be easy to win 'as registered keeper' but I am uncomfortable with your wording in your first appeal here:

When I did visit the car park in question excepting the sign at the entrance all signs were at an oblique angle to the road through the car park and when viewed from my parked position.

I know you are saying there your 'parked position' when you went to visit the site after getting the PCN but POPLA, when skim-reading and rushing to put in a 'yes' or 'no' decision, may view that as an admission of who was driving that day, which won't be great.

But you will still likely win this and it may have been cancelled on the BB issue already. As you have tried to email them again and got no response and you are now at day 38, I would email a complaint to the BPA:

aos@britishparking.co.uk

Even though they will come up with some old excuse for their member not meeting the 35 day timeline the BPA should contact the company to ask about the appeal outcome, to make sure you now get a POPLA code or confirmation the thing is cancelled. Which is what you want to know.

Be careful not to say who was driving in the complaint. Show the BPA the PCN number, name of AOS member (Highview) and a copy of your appeal/proof when it was submitted.

cyclonebri1

superb response and i am so greatful that you have takenthe time to follow up on this, YES i should have said "our" parked position, but if you view it from the fact that we returned to take pictures, i drove, then it , then the statement stands.

PS tried to send a pm of thanks as you have followed this closer than I have and I am very grateful and enlightened, but as you don't accept PM's it's a simple thanks.

Coupon-mad

No probs - you are welcome. Helping is why we regulars post here every day. I have good reason not to accept pm's but that's another story.

cyclonebri1

Email to aos@britishparking.co.uk sent, with all details but no copy of appeal letter. They can have that when they get in touch with me as any correspondence adds to the confusion/evidence and non compliance as I see it at present.


No reply so returned an email to British Parking, intend to make a nuisance of myself if they and their member can't be assed to replay;

Along the lines of;

"Hello, disappointed that you have not acknowledged my complaint against your member Highview Parking regarding their 'charge ref X200000Zbollox2567.

Perhaps you could return my email if you consider it appropriate or deserved?

Yours, the registered keeper involved in the above".


Ralph, did indeed talk to the "duty manager" at Lidl today. No disrespect to the guy, but a waste of time.
"we don't have a manager sir, but I'm in charge today, I can't deal with that it's above my level, they don't tell us anything", words to that effect anyway.

Not being 1 for giving up too easy I tried to find out how Highview Parking pay Lidl and others for the tickets they refund at the till.
Evidently there is an annual figure contractually paid, my words not his, to the stores regardless number of tickets refunded. I'm guessing they don't want to rock the boat as in the last year due to 1/2 the centre closing what used to be an average 90% take up of spaces seems now to be about 25%

cyclonebri1

British parking finally replied, asked for copy of acknowledgement of appeal and copy of charge notice.

I did send them the email but decided to just give the charge number as I feel that should be sufficient to take it up with their member.

Now 46 days and no correspondence from Highview, professional not.

Umkomaas

If you don't provide them with what they ask for (PPCs and BPA alike) they often do not process things further.

cyclonebri1

They will get an email every few days reminding them to "process" if they don't, next 1 due tomorrow, :A:A

Sick of the ignorance of these chancers, followed agreed procedure now intend to make a nuisance of myself regardless.

RedKola

Hi, I used to work for Lidl customer service a while back. I used to hate dealing with customers for the simple reason that most of what we told them was complete lies, especially regarding parking tickets.

If you ever receive a parking fine from a company called Athena then Lidl have full access to their systems from the manager's desk to overturn these fines. In other words, Lidl customer service can cancel any Athena ticket they wish, they just choose not to as it generates income for the car parks.

It was my understanding when I worked there that Lidl don't have to pay these companies to run their car parks for them as long as the car parks get 100% of the generated fine money. So yes Lidl might not profit from the fines themselves, as they will be more than keen to tell you on the phone, but they sure do save a lot of money from not having to pay these companies large sums of money to control their car parks. Their customers do that for them in form of over inflated fines.

The sad thing about it is that I am sure a lot of elderly people will pay these hefty fines without trying to fight them. The threatening letters these companies send are terrible and Lidl do nothing to control them.

Umkomaas

Nice bit of insider info there RK. Thanks.

cyclonebri1

RedKola wrote: »

Hi, I used to work for Lidl customer service a while back. I used to hate dealing with customers for the simple reason that most of what we told them was complete lies, especially regarding parking tickets.





The sad thing about it is that I am sure a lot of elderly people will pay these hefty fines without trying to fight them. The threatening letters these companies send are terrible and Lidl do nothing to control them.[/QUOTE

That was the impression I got, they didn't want to know as in the case of this car park revenue must have halved at least, they simply didn't want to rock the boat.

I'm not quite in the "elderly people" category yet, well not officially until next year but I have an honourary lifetimes award in not wasting money so from me they get a fight.

Just highlighting that point again the disgusting thing from my point of view that might well cause grief to a worried oap is that even after following great advice from here and completing out part of the appeal process they can't even reply and continue to send out escalating charge notices, excuse, Its an automated system response
:mad: my backside.