PCN - Morrisons, Owner admitted being driver, Euro Car Parks, ANPR, BPA

Alfmutz

Hi, all,
I've been searching through this forum for most of the day and all the advice is not to disclose who was driving. Well, I didn't catch my wife in time to advise her this and she appealed by email, stating the signage was unclear due to works going on in the car park - there were blocked areas and confusing contra-flows in place. We don't have photographic evidence of this and now the works have been completed.

2 hours allowance - alleged 'offence' - staying for an extra 34 minutes.

I intend to write to the store manager but have seen threads saying 'say the right thing and it'll be cancelled, say the wrong thing and you'll rile the manager' - but haven't found the exact wording or tone to use in any examples I've found. Although, whilst looking online for the store manager's name, I found an article in the local online paper about the car park refurb, with a quote from the manager, saying: 'Morrisons Oxted store manager Gary Buckingham said: "Customers told us that the car park layout was confusing and that they found it difficult to find a space at peak times. We listened to their comments and are making a range of changes to simplify the layout for drivers"'. - So it does make the confusion of the car park 'official'!

My wife's appeal was rejected and we now have a POPLA number.
Hoping you can help with what action to take now - and how to word things, both to the store manager and the POPLA appeal.
I have pics / jpgs of the docs sent to her so far but can't seem to post here. The rejection letter has a rather useless, random photo of the signage we're expected to read, taken months before the works on the car park started, presumably to prove there was/is a sign there, so it has no bearing on the reality of the situation, as my wife insists she saw no signs other than the one-way arrows.
Thanks very much in advance and apologies if this has all been covered elsewhere - honestly I've spent hours on this!

Guys_Dad

Go and see the store manager if you can rather than write, but make sure it is him that you speak to. Take him a copy of his words and see if you can reason with him.

If not, you may be up against it as you have no photographic evidence of the chaos and 34 minutes is well over.

Redx

post #3 of the NEWBIES FAQ sticky thread deals with popla appeals, so include the usual points for staters

and also email their CEO David Potts and complain strongly and get it cancelled, this should have been done regardless, as should contacting the store manager direct and doing the same

a landowner complaint is always the best option and should always be done and followed up, I cannot stress this enough

ie:- complain to the CEO

its been done many times before, and the email for their customer service has been published on here many , MANY times before

the person who received the popla code has 28 days to appeal to popla, so do that AS WELL, and do not miss the popla deadline , whatever happens

even better if you get a letter or email from Morrissons backing up the complaint or a cancellation etc

a match and more card or redacted bank statementsd whowing proof of patronage will also aid the complaint to Morrissons

frankly, it makes my blood boil when people do not go direct to the top and get it cancelled

Quentin

Hopefully your complaint to Morrison will succeed in them getting pe to cancel the charge.

But don't stop your poplA appeal until you have it in writing from pe that they have withdrawn the charge

Coupon-mad

AFAIK, Morrisons don't contract with ECP (only ParkingEye) so the complaint should go to the retail park owners/agents as well as to the Store Manager; if he can't cancel these himself then the agents for the owners can.

I found an article in the local online paper about the car park refurb, with a quote from the manager, saying: 'Morrisons Oxted store manager Gary Buckingham said: "Customers told us that the car park layout was confusing and that they found it difficult to find a space at peak times. We listened to their comments and are making a range of changes to simplify the layout for drivers"'.

Good research, use that in your complaint (NOT A LETTER BY POST!).

Email to the Retail Park Management (Google the place to find who runs it), or phone, and/or in person to the Store Manager. Make yourselves a thorn in their side, remember this is a complaint, and not you 'asking of they can please do anything'. Keep it much more assertive, and go in person dressed professionally, like you mean business and come across as a customer they should strive to keep.

have seen threads saying 'say the right thing and it'll be cancelled, say the wrong thing and you'll rile the manager'

I've never seen that. Use your 'planned shopping for all your Christmas/New Year party food' as your leverage - whether you buy lots more food then or not - make it seem like you do, and will take that business elsewhere!

The_Deep

Is two hours sufficient to do a big shop in Morrisons? Probably, for most people, but you can easily spend another 20 minutes waiting at the pumps.

How much did she spend? Have you expessed your displeasure on their Facebook page?

Alfmutz

Thanks, all of you, for your excellent advice. Will keep you posted!!

Umkomaas

The_Deep wrote: »

Is two hours sufficient to do a big shop in Morrisons? Probably, for most people, but you can easily spend another 20 minutes waiting at the pumps.

Or, chance your arm on a Festive special in their [STRIKE]restaurant[/STRIKE] caff, by which time, before your pressed pre-formed turkey slice, frozen roast spuds, soggy veg, Paxo, blanketed porker and a bucketful of [STRIKE]jus[/STRIKE] gravy arrive for your devourment, your parking time has expired!

Alfmutz

Hello, all,
Quick update: Taking Red X and Guys Dad's advice, I went to see the store manager today. Service desk offered for me to talk over the phone with him but I said I'd like to see him in person.
I began by complimenting him on his Christmas jumper, then followed up with: "In the 10 years I have been shopping at this store I must have spent ~£25k...." produced the PCN and, almost before mentioning how much distress this had caused my wife, he told me not to worry - he'll get it cancelled and to tell my wife not to worry. All in all a thoroughly good egg and a gracious and respectful conversation - he told me he didn't want to fall out with me over it, and that was it. Very happy. All the other ammo of Christmas-shop intent, Local news info, car park refurb signage confusion etc., wasn't needed. A F2F conversation certainly worked in this instance.

Have mailed him to ask for confirmation of our conversation.

Coupon-mad - just for info - this particular Morrisons DOES use ECP so doesn't seem to be an exclusive contract with ParkingEye.

Another question, just to put this to bed - as I now have a Unique POPLA Verification Code provided in the rejection letter to my wife, do I still need to write to them or can I just consign this to history? Quentin - you advised not to stop the POPLA appeal, but the manager was so reassuring I wouldn't hear another peep from ECP - do you think it's still necessary?

Finally - as mentioned in my original post - I couldn't find any examples on the forum where anyone had already owned up to being the driver, hence my post, so - apologies if I did indeed go over well-trodden ground, but hope this thread becomes useful for others in the same predicament.

And enormous thanks again to all of you for your support and excellent advice!

Quentin

YES.


Carry on with POPLA if you get close to your deadline for appealing and haven't had confirmation from ECP! You need that final "peep" despite what the manager told you

Alfmutz

Just to tie this up -
- On Quentin's advice, continued with the POPLA appeal system on 14th Dec (thanks, Quentin!).

- In response to my visit and follow-up mail last week I received an email from Morrisons manager on Fri 15th Dec, confirming the PCN had been cancelled and personally resolved by him.

- received mail from POPLA today 18th Dec:
"Euro Car Parks have told us they do not wish to contest the Appeal. This means that your Appeal is successful and you do not need to pay the parking charge."

Phew!
I think the best advice received is to pursue the landowner in person if possible - so HEED Redx's WORDS!
Thanks, again, all of you. Great forum.