UK Parking Not giving up

The_Deep

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of contracts for alleged parking offences, aided and abetted by a handful of low-rent solicitors.

Parking Eye, CPM, Smart, and another company have already been named and shamed, as has Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (these two law firms take hundreds of these cases to court each year). They lose most of them, and have been reported to the regulatory authority by an M.P. for unprofessional conduct

Hospital car parks and residential complex tickets have been especially mentioned.

The problem has become so rampant that MPs have agreed to enact a Bill to regulate these scammers. Watch the video of the Second Reading in the HofC recently.

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41

and complain in the most robust terms to your MP. With a fair wind they will be out of business by Christmas.

Guys_Dad

I admit to being a hypocrite.

I help people here avoid the swingeing car park charges when they have broken the so-called t&Cs.

But when I visit a busy car park and I find that a car has parked over 2 spaces stopping me from parking, I secretly hope that (a) they get a ticket and (b) they haven't heard of MSE.

I am not suggesting that your wife has done this. However, it would be great if the Private Parking industry took a leaf out of the police system of giving some speeders the opportunity to go on a driver awareness course instead of paying a fine by sending motorists who can't park on parking courses.

Happy Easter.

fattony

haha, no to be fair she was in the wrong, she queued for 20 mins to get round car park no spaces, at the end of the parking bays were white hash lines where she parked for 5 minutes not obstructing anyone or anything (in her opinion) so clearly in the wrong for not being in a parking bay.

Seems a little over the top when its a free car park though

Redx

unfortunately, as an unregulated industry the typical £100 charge (or less) was set in 2012 when POFA2012 came in and the BPA were given the members club option

this was challenged in court by BARRY BEAVIS a few years later and he lost in 3 courts to 11 judges, the last court being the supreme court some 18 months ago

so the charge factor wont wash on a "free" private car park any more , they will just say BEAVIS YOUR HONOUR

when the new PARKING BILL becomes law maybe later this year, we shall have to see what changes come about when the MP,s get involved , but I doubt that any suggested figures would be less than on a council car park , possibly even stay at the BPA suggested figure of £100 set some 6 years ago

we understand what you are saying , BUT its been this way for several years and we have been here fighting back ever since, so although its "new2 to you, its all "old hat" to us

Fruitcake

Five minutes, if that really was the time parked, is well within the two grace periods allowed by the BPA CoP.
What were the times shown on the PCN/NTK? If they were not much more than the five minutes you mention, it wouldn't hurt to tell UKPC this, pointing out that since this was within the two grace periods they have no chance of winning in court.
The driver could have stopped the car, nipped to the signs, decided not to stay, and left within a few minutes.
It is possible that the car next to yours was parked over the line, or was so very close to it that it was necessary to park thusly in order to be able to get out of the car.
Other scenarios are available.

I don't condone bad parking, but there may have been a very good reason for doing this.

Redx

if she had entered and then queued for 20 minutes and parked for less than 5 minutes, UKPC will have monitored the time from entry to exit as the total time and not parking time

if the 20 minutes was outside the car park and only 5 minutes on site then grace periods do apply, but parking on hatched lines may not count whereas a bay would

however, ANPR does not monitor parking bays and the car park is free for one or two hours, so this means a parking chimp has seen the vehicle out of the bays on the hatched markings and so promptly issued a ticket and presumably took pictures of this poor parking event

therefore , grace periods do not apply , as they relate to the times in and out and not the time actually "parked"

Fruitcake

Agreed, except grace periods are supposed to cover parking periods, not driving around looking for a space.

This might however be more relevant.


http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/waiting-for-space-is-not-parking.html

Proof from an iPhone with positional tracking or GPS that the car was moving would help.

Half_way

The landowner/car park owner will be jointly liable for the actions of its agents, ie the parking company.
If the PPc has done something wrong, the landowner , as principal can be held liable for the actions of its agents