What to do next - Premier Park Ltd

sunflower4321

Ok, I've read the 'NEWBIES', however after I'd sent my appeal to Premier Park Ltd, I panicked like I expect many others do. The back ground is, I drove into a car park to pick up a friend. At no time did I park in a bay, I stayed on the road part with engine running. Friend was having issues with the ticket machine (he needed ticket for his own car that was to remain in the car park), I went over to assist. Once sorted friend got into my car and we drove off. A week letter I get a Notice with a picture of my car and VRN informing me that the car park wanted £100 from me £60 if I pay within 14 days. The minutes I spent in the car park was claimed to have been 13 minutes. At no time did I realise that there were cameras, i did not notice any cameras or signs when entering or leaving.

In my appeal I claimed i was the registered owner and did not input anything in my appeal that referred to me as being the driver.

After I had sent my appeal off I took a trip down to the car park to check if there was signage, and there was, but I genually did not see it. One sign did say 'no waiting'

I have now had an email back from the company stating the following:

"We write to acknowledge receipt of your recent online appeal, on behalf of the driver, appealing against the issuing of a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) to the vehicle.

We note your comments and must refer you to the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA) 2012, Schedule 4 - Recovery of unpaid Parking Charges. This is available to view online at:
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 - Legislation.gov.uk
Changes to legislation: There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, SCHEDULE 4.
We must therefore request that the details of the driver of the vehicle at the time of the contravention are supplied; this must include their full name and serviceable UK postal address. If you are unwilling or unable to provide these details the registered keeper of this vehicle will remain liable for this PCN. This information should be provided by 29th June 2018. Please note, Premier Park Limited will not reply to any correspondence until after the above date, if the requested information is not provided.
If we do not receive this information by the date given, the registered keeper of the vehicle at the date of event will be held liable.
If you would like to view our photographic evidence, please visit xxxxxxxxxxx
Please respond by return or by filling in the Transfer of Liability form on the reverse of the PCN and posting it to Premier Park, PO Box 624, Exeter, EX1 9JG."

I was going to follow this email up with, that i was the 'keeper' of the vehicle and that the fee they required was unrealistic etc etc compared to the charge of £2 for hours parking. What they are asking for us more than what I earn in a day. I really don't want to take it to the next stage as the whole situation is stressing me out, I am hoping they will just reduce the fee to a realistic amount. I have read the 'NEWBIEs' but so confused by it all, grateful for any advice on what I should do next.

fisherjim

sunflower4321 wrote: »

Ok, I

I was going to follow this email up with, that i was the 'keeper' of the vehicle and that the fee they required was unrealistic etc etc compared to the charge of £2 for hours parking. What they are asking for us more than what I earn in a day. I really don't want to take it to the next stage as the whole situation is stressing me out, I am hoping they will just reduce the fee to a realistic amount. I have read the 'NEWBIEs' but so confused by it all, grateful for any advice on what I should do next.

You do not stand an earthly with that one, they will just smell sucker on the wobble, and turn on the screws.


The process is designed by them and their trade body to be laborious and involved to make people give in to their outrageous scam.


Follow the advice on here, these aren't particularly litigious and don't get bullied by the muppets!

Umkomaas

I really don't want to take it to the next stage as the whole situation is stressing me out,

You have two choices then, pay what they want, or ignore them. But, they can be litigious with the possibility of you facing court proceedings. To extricate yourself from those will be considerably more difficult and onerous than tackling them now - but you say you don't want to do that.

I am hoping they will just reduce the fee to a realistic amount.

Not a snowball's chance in hell.

I have read the 'NEWBIEs' but so confused by it all, grateful for any advice on what I should do next.

The sticky needs detailed reading. This isn't a simple game you've got yourself tangled up in. You either use the info in the sticky - the first appeal is already written for you, and subsequent stages have templates - to tackle this directly, or follow the two other options highlighted above.

Have you tried contacting the landowner and putting the case you've outlined above to them and ask them to get the ticket cancelled? No guarantee it will work, but we've seen many successes following this route. If you don't ask, you don't get.

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.

sunflower4321

Thanks everyone, I guess I will have to learn from this very expensive error and just pay up. I have just tried to reply to the email they sent me regarding the drivers details however its a NOREPLY, to inform them that I was the driver. From reading their email again it sounds like I will have to pay the full £100 if I do not confirm who the driver is?

KeithP

sunflower4321 wrote: »

Thanks everyone, I guess I will have to learn from this very expensive error and just pay up. I have just tried to reply to the email they sent me regarding the drivers details however its a NOREPLY, to inform them that I was the driver. From reading their email again it sounds like I will have to pay the full £100 if I do not confirm who the driver is?

Do not pay.

Do not tell them who the driver was.

Wait patiently for them to refuse your appeal and supply a PoPLA appeal code.

sunflower4321

Thanks Keith, but I don't think I stand a chance anyway. There was a sign saying 'no waiting', I just didn't see it.

KeithP

I don't understand.

Why did you start this thread?

sunflower4321

'I was going to follow this email up with, that i was the 'keeper' of the vehicle and that the fee they required was unrealistic etc etc compared to the charge of £2 for hours parking. What they are asking for us more than what I earn in a day. I really don't want to take it to the next stage as the whole situation is stressing me out, I am hoping they will just reduce the fee to a realistic amount. I have read the 'NEWBIEs' but so confused by it all, grateful for any advice on what I should do next.'

The reason for the thread as above. Asking the question if I should follow up their email with requesting the unrealistic fee is lowered and if I'm not going to take it any further after the appeal should it be rejected the reason as to why should I not say I'm the driver.

KeithP

Can I suggest you re-read Umkomaas's post again?

It spells out all your options.

Have you been in touch with the landowner?
At least try for a landowner cancellation before paying anything.

sunflower4321

The Landowner is not interested. He was in the newspapers not so long ago after receiving many letters, he made it clear that he is not interested. That said, I will still write just to bug him.