ParkingEye - Weymouth

toxophilite72

Hi

I don't often post in forums, so forgive me if this is a tad clumsy. I've read the Newbies thread, but am not certain where my story fits in, so have decided to ask for help. It's also been am fair while since I received the first PCN, so I may not have a leg to stand on.

On 31st Aug last year, my car was parked in the Weymouth Old Town (East) car park, operated by ParkingEye. I'm the registered keeper, but wasn't the driver that day. We paid for 2 hours parking and went to find an evening meal. We came back well within the purchased time (1 hour 25 mins), but found that, with the heat of the sun, the ticket had fallen off the windscreen where it had been stuck. We thought nothing more and left to continue our holiday.

To my surprise I received a PCN for £100 a week later through the post. I ignored it, knowing we'd paid for parking. I searched for the original ticket, but can only surmise that it got chucked out at the end of our camping trip (could kick myself). I then received another on 15/9/16, and another letter on 10/10/16, and then a Letter Before County Court Claim on 25/10/16. Probably should have appealed way before this point, but didn't.

The next missive I received was from Debt Recovery Plus on 16/3/17, asking nicely for payment (which has now increased to £160). At this point I made an appeal statement on the ParkingEye website, stating simply that they were mistaken: 2 hours were paid for, despite the online details of the PCN stating we hadn't paid at all. Then a slightly stronger one from DRP stating Notice of Intended Court Action on 30/3/17.

My last letter received on the matter was again from DRP on 18/4/17, stating that they will be reporting back to ParkingEye with a recommendation to refer my case to their solicitor, to consider commencing court proceedings against me, but nothing else since so far.

What do I need to do now? (Given that the gate has fallen off its hinges with corrision, and the horse is now a steak pie in a supermarket freezer section). Any advice is warmly appreciated.

Thanks

Redx

its either pay up in full or await an MCOL from PE via Northampton Bulk Centre

PE are likely to issue a court claim as they issue about 25 to 30 thousand per annum , google BARRY BEAVIS to see why

so its your choice and PE are in the driving seat , with you locked in the boot

toxophilite72

Drat. But thanks for the info Redx

I take it this is because I've missed the appeal period?

Coupon-mad

my car was parked in the Weymouth Old Town (East) car park.

We paid for 2 hours parking and went to find an evening meal. We came back well within the purchased time (1 hour 25 mins), but found that, with the heat of the sun, the ticket had fallen off the windscreen where it had been stuck. We thought nothing more and left to continue our holiday.

To my surprise I received a PCN for £100 a week later through the post...

I think you are concentrating on the wrong thing entirely and that you need to email PE:

enforcement@parkingeye.co.uk

I say that because the PCN was NOT due to any ticket falling off the windscreen, nothing about that at all because this is a charge as a result of ANPR cameras which don't look at parked cars/displayed tickets, at all (impossible).

The PCN would be due to a keypad error or typo in the VRN which might have been you or might be due to a faded keypad/sun shining on the keys. Probably a very similar VRN is in the system proving you paid...or if you have two cars, could you have put in the wrong one?

Email PE saying that you are the keeper (not saying who parked!). Ask for a copy of the original PCN - if you binned it, don't tell them that - and ask if they are contending it was issued under Schedule 4 of the POFA, because if not then you are not liable and the driver will NOT be identified.

However, in the interests of resolving the dispute and cancelling the PCN, you will state that you were an occupant of the car and you know for a fact that the driver DID pay and display. You can only think that as it was so sunny and their keypad/machines are old and faded at that site, the keypad failed to accept a digit of the VRN, or possibly the driver could have made a typo due to the faded keys on the old machine.

Therefore, you call upon them to check their records again for a similar VRN matching a payment of 2 hours which WAS made some 5-10 minutes after arrival (and the car left with half an hour to spare so there was no question of overstay either). Finish by suggesting the machines need replacing and that their 19-point check has clearly failed on this occasion so they need to revisit their VRN records and cancel.

No please and thankyou, NOT a polite 'begging/appeal' email. Write assertively and criticising them, like I've written above. You are not emailing the appeals team, you are emailing the legal team so get in there NOW and get them to cancel it.

I am telling you from experience, that they WILL cancel this if they find a similar VRN.

I am also telling you that if you do not do this NOW, this weekend, you will get a court claim (defendable on the above basis, but stressful).

DO NOT PAY. This one should be cancelled.

My last letter received on the matter was again from DRP on 18/4/17, stating that they will be reporting back to ParkingEye with a recommendation to refer my case to their solicitor, to consider commencing court proceedings against me, but nothing else since so far.

Ignore DRPlus. But email PE and get them to check for a similar VRN, & cancel.

Redx

toxophilite72 wrote: »

Drat. But thanks for the info Redx

I take it this is because I've missed the appeal period?

no problem

yes

do as mentioned above , because you need to understand the scenario that actually happened and not assume there were CEO officers present on the day , PE use ANPR and so the likely causes for the pcn are maybe not what you as keeper think they were

the above advice is the best free advice you will receive, so follow it exactly

I too fear you as keeper (or the keeper if different) will receive an MCOL in the post if you dont do as stated above

many people tend to focus on the wrong thing in disputes like these, many think that court wont happen and the apocalypse wont arrive

it can and does to thousands of people every year with PE invoices that remain unpaid , some win , others lose (those who are unprepared usually lose)

toxophilite72

Thanks Coupon-mad

Will email them this evening.
The driver and I have spoken about this since, and he's adamant that the machine did not require a VRN to be entered.

The only evidence PE have shown me (on the original PCN) are photos of my car entering and leaving the car-park, and the times. These are correct, but I don't understand why they've assumed we didn't pay. Am beginning to wonder if the driver didn't use the machine correctly, but we definitely got a ticket from it.

Anyway, will fire off an email this evening. Thanks for your support and assistance.

Coupon-mad

he's adamant that the machine did not require a VRN to be entered.

Yes it did. ParkingEye can't operate otherwise, it certainly did:

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/9234597.Parking_fines__200_complaints_over_Weymouth_car_park_operators/

http://i64.tinypic.com/ioe007.jpg

HTH

Redx

the driver is wrong , simple as that

PE will operate a pay and display car park (if its not free) and the ANPR cameras capture entry and exit times on 99% of their car parks, then their computers look for a paid for ticket with a VRM that matches the anpr captures

no ticket triggers a pcn

no VRM triggers a pcn

an incorrect VRM triggers a pcn

overstaying triggers a pcn

a great many private parking companies use ANPR in conjunction with VRM ticket machines in this way , like Parking Eye , Highview , Smart , EXCEL , V.C.S. etc

Coupon-mad

Even if the driver didn't input a VRN, the argument is that payment was made and PE need to check for a 2 hour payment made in that period of minutes after arrival, with either a partial or no VRN, and to explain WHY their machine even prints a ticket with no VRN, if it is an obligation that causes potential loss to a consumer?

toxophilite72

Thanks both.
Fired up now (well, it's about time)