Private parking ticket for blue badge holders

parklover

Hi all,

As a blue badge holders, we recently receive a parking ticket from a private parking firm.
We thought it was a public parking when we went there and displayed our blue badge.
We did not realize it was a private park until we receive the ticket. The car park is quite large and there is a small print at the bottom of a signboard somewhere to say blue badge holders still have to pay. i think i could argue there is insufficient signboard somewhere.
I asked the Warden immediately to say i can pay double the normal parking fee (8 pounds for 3 hours) to avoid the ticket of 100 pounds. He refused.
Does it stand a good chance to appeal to IPC ( we checked it is an IPC member)?
what reason should I give besides the insufficient sign?

Fruitcake

The blue badge scheme doesn't apply on private land. The booklet that comes with the badge, and the UK Gov BB website tells you this. If you didn't know it was private land then the signage may have been inadequate.

Appeal as keeper using the template from the Sticky thread for NEWBIES. No editing, just copy and paste and send.

Then read up in the NEWBIES what to do if/when it is rejected.

What happened when you complained to the landowner/retail manager?

You should also complain to your MP and Sir Greg Knight MP abut this unregulated scam.

These are some of the comments made by the MPs in Parliament concerning the unregulated parking industry (Feb 2018):

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-02-02/debates/CC84AF5E-AC6E-4E14-81B1-066E6A892807/Parking(CodeOfPractice)Bill

''Rip-offs from car park Cowboys must stop''; unfair treatment; signage deliberately confusing to ensure a PCN is issued; ''years of abuse by rogue parking companies''; bloodsuckers; ''the current system of regulation is hopeless, like putting Dracula in charge of the blood-bank''; extortionate fines; rogue operators; ''sense of injustice''; unfair charges and notices; wilfully misleading; signage is a deliberate act to deceive or mislead; ''confusing signs are often deliberate, to trap innocent drivers''; unreasonable; a curse; harassing; operating in a disgusting way; appeals service is no guarantee of a fair hearing; loathed; outrageous scam; dodgy practice; outrageous abuse; unscrupulous practices; ''the British Parking Association is as much use as a multi-storey car park in the Gobi desert''; and finally, by way of unanimous conclusion: ''we need to crack down on these rogue companies. They are an absolute disgrace to this country. Ordinary motorists and ordinary residents should not have to put up with this''.

These are the exact words used, so you should quote them to your MP in a complaint and ask him/her to contact Sir Greg Knight MP if he wants further information about this scam.

Quentin

Read up in the newbies faq on the futility of appeals to ipc companies. Your appeal will be rejected


After sending the template letter in, you ignore everything except a lbcca or court correspondence


They have 6 years to start legal action


Should it come to this then come back at that time for advice on how to defend a claim in court

The_Deep

As many BB holders are used to being able to park the Bentley for free in Council car parks, IIMO that PPCs deliberately try to trap them in private ones by not making if sufficiently clear that they must pay.

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.

Half_way

who's car park was it?

parklover

The car park is called Castle parking, which is found on IPC as UK Parking LTD.
i searched online and find it is notorious.
some people said they were on BPC initially and l get kicked out. It later moved to IPC

Guys_Dad

Here is a post I made on a similar thread only a few days ago. I hope it helps.

Private land is different from public land. Whereas on public roads, there are concessions for disabled people to park. However, the right to park for free in private car parks when able bodied people have to pay is a totally different matter. Landowners have the right to charge all drivers if they so desire. Even the NEC at Birmingham charge disabled drivers. Free parking on private land for BB holders is not an automatic default.

If you look at the Blue Badge t&c as published by the government BB scheme

11. Places you need to check before parking
11.1 Off-street car parks (such as supermarket, hospital or local authority car parks)
Off-street car park operators should provide parking spaces for disabled people. However, it is up to the car park owner to decide whether badge holders can park free of charge.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england/the-blue-badge-scheme-rights-and-responsibilities-in-england

You and your friend didn't check as advised by the BB t&c, so the onus is on you to see if any concessions apply.

I am not trying to be critical, but do take the above points into consideration when making your appeal to the landowner and PPC.

parklover

Thanks Guys, i am fully aware blue badge cannot park on private land.
Just that this dodgy place does not have a very clear signboard.
e.g there is no signboard above the pay meter but at a different place.

Usually i dun mind paying given that government has already helped disabled a lot. in this case the signboard is not clear and the private parking warden is extremely rude.

Perhaps i will just pay to avoid the hassle. But I do agree private parking needs to be regulated. lots of time and efforts have been lost in all these battles against the parking cowboys.

Coupon-mad

Perhaps i will just pay to avoid the hassle.

Nononono.

No-one is telling you to do that!

Please don't fund and sponsor the scam, or you are joining them.

Umkomaas summed our thoughts up here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/72773978#Comment_72773978

We are passionate about this scam.

Does it stand a good chance to appeal to IPC ( we checked it is an IPC member)?

No, but the NEWBIES thread tells you not to try that kangaroo court. That is not an option.

Guys_Dad

parklover wrote: »

Thanks Guys, i am fully aware blue badge cannot park on private land.
Just that this dodgy place does not have a very clear signboard.
e.g there is no signboard above the pay meter but at a different place.

Usually i dun mind paying given that government has already helped disabled a lot. in this case the signboard is not clear and the private parking warden is extremely rude.

Perhaps i will just pay to avoid the hassle. But I do agree private parking needs to be regulated. lots of time and efforts have been lost in all these battles against the parking cowboys.

We see a number of cases similar to your on here. I think the problem seems to be one of presumption with BB drivers. They approach all parking with the mindset that "it's free for BB holders" whereas, of course, the BB handbook advises that you should approach with the opposite viewpoint and check if any free concession applies.

I remember having such a conversation with my late father-in-law who believed that the BB he had meant free parking wherever and whenever.

I think that it may be worth appealing to the landowner, but you stand virtually no chance with an IPC PPC or the IAS and risk having to pay the higher amount if this went to court.

If you don't get any help from Castle parking landowners, then I do not rate your chances of winning this with an appeal or in court unless you had convincing photos of the signs and a very anti-PPC judge.

Sorry regulars who may disagree, but it's OPs money

Coupon-mad

There is no warden and no fine, and the IPC firm may not even be litigious. Which firm?

DO NOT PAY THEM!

I also drive a relative with a BB and almost never use private car parks with them in the car. No need.

Double/single yellows, or pay & display bays on street, are the place to be (free).