Bluewater disabled parking

dax

in June i went to bluewater with my husband and my daughter. We both have disabled badges. We parked in a disabled bay, but my daughter was really unwell having a hypoglycaemic episode (she is a type 1 diabetic), so we left the car urgently to seek some glucose to remedy the situation. unfortunately my husband has suffered a stroke and forgot to put the stickers up. We were fined, i wrote and explained the extenuating circumstances - they said we had to pay. I went to IAS and adjudicator dismissed the appeal and said i had to pay. This seems incredibly unfair, as we could park anywhere for free.

any advice grateful received.

Coupon-mad

You should never have tried IAS.

Which PPC is it? If they sue, we can help you win this. We see 99% of claims beaten.

What happened when you wrote to Bluewater Management telling them that their parking firm had breached the Equality Act 2010 by harassing disabled patrons who are entitled to 'reasonable adjustments' and who have proved their Blue Badge entitlement at appeal?

If you haven't, do it this week. They are breaking the law by demanding money under 'contract' for use a disabled bay by disabled people. Bluewater are liable.

You should NOT have tried IAS, instead you should have complained to the landowner first as this was never going to be cancelled by the (well-documented) 'kangaroo court' operated by the IPC/IAS.

You were sucked into an 'appeal' that would NEVER have worked. An outrageous scam.

System

Which PPC is it

This is PCM. The Management Office at Bluewater will sort it if you call them.

The signs there make little or no reference to "fines" so this is a managed site by the landowner with PCM on a short leash.

dax

Would you happen to know the address to write to bluewater?
I have only written to the PCN address, and then online to IAS.

dax

sorry forgot to say thanks to both of you. I am struggling to sort this out at the moment but I do feel strongly that we should not have to pay.

nosferatu1001

https://bluewater.co.uk/your-visit/contact-us

If in doubt, google

Coupon-mad

IamEmanresu told you to call Bluewater (not PCM of course) - he knows his stuff.

Ralph-y

and please write to your MP after watching/reading the below....




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

and slightly longer, the committee stage

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/d5550515-cce9-4185-83ec-754dadb7524a

''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.

and some quotes from the committe stage

"The other area is hospital parking, and I want to single out one company for some pretty shady practices. That is ParkingEye"
" is very clear to me that there is collusion between parking companies and solicitors’ firms—so-called roboclaims companies. "
"They are often set up adjacently and involve the same directors and personnel. Incidentally, the same personnel get involved in the so-called appeals bodies."
"Essentially, it is a money-making enterprise that takes advantage of motorists up and down the country. They operate in a very business-like fashion, which is why I call them roboclaims companies."
"The companies are jamming up parts of our legal system."
“I now pretty much know exactly how the parking companies and in particular the IPC have been running this scam for the past 5 years. Basically both of the appeals processes are a complete and utter sham, (and part of that sham is Gladstones Solicitors itself)”
"The appeals process at Excel/VCS is run by a team of minimum wage office workers with no legal knowledge or experience whatsoever,"
" It is claimed by the head of the appeals service (retired Judge Bryn Holloway) that this is a completely independent fair process, it is not”
"The letter mentions two individuals—Will Hurley and Bryn Holloway—and concludes this is a typical example of the clear collusion between the IPC, their members and the IAS"
"what we can do about roboclaims companies and solicitors firms that profit, often in shady ways"
" the very large amounts of money that can be involved in such scams—a company called Smart Parking was involved in one such scam on my patch"
"tightening up the rules regarding the unfair use of automatic number plate recognition" "BW Legal, regularly issues 10,000 county court judgments a month, and is known to have issued 28,000 in one month"
"They are jamming up our court system, and are often totally unjustified."
" because the lifeblood of trying to extort money from people is having access to their details."

All from Parking (Code of Practice) Bill (First sitting) Hansard





Ralph:cool:

dax

Thanks for advice. I don't feel able to call the management so I'll have to write to them.

My MP has been unwilling to do anything for me on a matter that is very dire and simply passes it to a councillor who does nothing.

I have no inclination to waste any more time on him.

i'll post when I get a response.


Thanks everyone.

dax

Hello again
An update to the parking fine. I did as suggested on Friday and called Bluewater management. Spoke to a really helpful woman who said she would pass it to a coordinator. Within 2 or 3 hours another woman called to say the fine had been cancelled.
Thank you to all with suggestions. My only regret is that I bothered to contact the fine people, trying to be honest and straightforward. The first letter I sent explaining the situation and when they replied they said they could not put it to appeal until i filled out details of the registered keeper, which I then did and returned to them. Then they wrote to say they would not cancel it, regardless of the evidence. They obviously knew that from the first letter and had no intention of cancelling. So it cost me the price of 2 recorded deliveries to communicate with -well I can't write what they are without being very rude. Anyway, good result and thanks again.

Redx

you should not have used the "signed for" service as a recipient can refuse to sign, or it may go to a PO BOX number (no signatory) - or a postman may sign it instead (which they definitely do)

you should have posted using ordinary post, at the P O Counter, and obtained a free certificate of posting from the counterstaff

well done for persisting with it and getting the site to cancel it