PCN - Retail Park UKPC

N1xus

Hi All,

A windowscreen PCN was placed on my car on Friday for "parking in a permit area without a permit", in a retail park car park. The usual rubbish - £100/£60 if paid within 2 weeks. Of course the bay the car was parked in was unmarked and illegible signage that actually makes no mention of permits. The retail park website states the car park may be used for patrons of the retail park for up to 4h and makes no mention of permits either. The photo "evidence" provided in fact does nothing but show that the car was legally parked...

I have been reading the newbies thread and a few others, I have yet to contact UKPC as RK. I have however sent a firmly worded complaint to the retail park and condemned them for throwing their lot in with these scum. I of course made no mention of who the driver was at the time and merely stated that I am the RK.

I made multiple mentions of UKPC's history and reputation including their 'wardens' hiding behind bins (The ticket was issued within 1 minute of driver leaving the car...), and their more recent DVLA suspension which has since been lifted. I commented on how this reflects on their organisation for associating with them. I also informed them I intend to appeal at POPLA and invited the retail park to cancel the ticket before things get to that stage.

Retail park manager has responded to my complaint asking for a phone number to call me on to discuss. I am loathe to do this, in that there will be no evidence of whatever conversation we have on the phone. I'd much rather keep to written correspondence. What are your thoughts on this?

I am waiting to use the appeal template on the newbies post on day 26 but seeing if retail park will cancel in the meantime - worth a shot I guess.

Honestly I wish I had found this forum/threads a while ago as previously had trouble with residential parking/management company, ended up paying £120 (2 tickets) to P4Parking to park in a space that as leaseholder I have the right to park in because management company never issued a permit - Not getting fooled by that again...

TIA!:)

Umkomaas

Retail park manager has responded to my complaint asking for a phone number to call me on to discuss. I am loathe to do this, in that there will be no evidence of whatever conversation we have on the phone. I'd much rather keep to written correspondence. What are your thoughts on this?

The door seems to be ajar, go through it. Ask for written confirmation of any agreed action after your conversation. Keep it polite, don't go off on a rant.

The_Deep

In these circumstance I always send the other party a record of the call and ask them to tell me if they disagree with anything said.

N1xus

Umkomaas wrote: »

The door seems to be ajar, go through it. Ask for written confirmation of any agreed action after your conversation. Keep it polite, don't go off on a rant.

The_Deep wrote: »

In these circumstance I always send the other party a record of the call and ask them to tell me if they disagree with anything said.

Thanks both for replying

Call me skeptical but with the previous example of management company, they said they would tell P4P to cancel and would send me written confirmation, never did. I then had no record of them ever saying anything of the sort and (naively) ended up paying out.

Do you think recording the call (of course informing RP that I will be doing so) and requesting written confirmation be sent to me after the call would be a suitable approach? I'd then have the recording to fall back on if they didn't follow up in writing...

nosferatu1001

Yes, I see no harm in that. Being recorded shouldnt give them issues.

Quentin

Irrespective of the outcome of your complaint to the retail park manager you should proceed with the appeals process

If your complaint is successful still don't miss any deadlines until you get confirmation in writing from the PPC

N1xus

Quentin wrote: »

Irrespective of the outcome of your complaint to the retail park manager you should proceed with the appeals process

If your complaint is successful still don't miss any deadlines until you get confirmation in writing from the PPC

Yep understood, just a possibility of RP nipping it in the bud sooner but not counting on it!

I make Day 26 5/12 since issued 09/11 and count starts 10/11 correct?

Will keep this post updated.

Thanks again so far, everyone!

N1xus

Hi again,

So after getting nothing from the RP, I sent the newbies template appeal on day 26.

I received the following letter in an attachment to an email yesterday:

Thank you for your recent correspondence in relation to the above parking charge.

In order to make a final decision regarding your appeal, please confirm the full name and address of the driver to
our Appeals Department within fourteen days of the date of this letter.

This information may be confirmed by submitting another appeal on our website at [website], or by
post to the address overleaf. Please ensure that if writing to us by post that you include the parking charge
reference number and vehicle registration.

Failure to provide this information will give us no alternative other than to make our final decision based on the
previous information received. At this stage a POPLA verification code will be provided.

The parking charge has been on hold whilst under appeal and may be settled in full at the reduced rate of £60.

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS LETTER. UKPC REGULARLY TAKES MOTORISTS TO COURT WHO IGNORE
THEIR PARKING

Gave me a good laugh :rotfl: as if anyone would fall for that...

I received no further correspondence apart from this and we're past day 56, so they have failed to send NTK!

What should I do next? Appeal with same template? Now or should I wait 14 days? We're still just after POPLA code I assume?

Cheers!

The_Deep

Complain to your MP and send copies of these to the retail park

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11858473/Parking-firm-UKPC-admits-faking-tickets-to-fine-drivers.html

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/

It is the will of Parliament that these scammers be put out of business.

Hopefully that will take place in the near future. The Bill has passed through the HOC without hitch, and goes to the Lords soon. In the meantime involve your MP, the poor dears are buckling under the weight of complaints about these scammers.

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of alleged contracts for alleged parking offences, aided and abetted by a handful of low-rent solicitors. Is has been suggested by an MP that some of these companies may have connections to organised crime.

Parking Eye, CPM, Smart, (especially Smart}, and others have already been named and shamed in the House of Commons as have Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (these two law firms take hundreds of these cases to court each week), hospital car parks and residential complex tickets have been especially mentioned. They lose most of them, and have been reported to the regulatory authority by an M.P. for unprofessional conduct

The problem has become so widespread that MPs have agreed to enact a Bill to regulate these scammers.

Sir Greg Knight's Private Members Bill to curb the excesses, and perhaps close down, some of these companies passed its Third Reading in late November, and, with a fair wind, will become Law next year.

All three readings are available to watch on the internet, (some 6-7 hours), and published in Hansard. MPs have an extremely low opinion of the industry. Many are complaining that they are becoming overwhelmed by complaints from members of the public. Add to their burden, complain in the most robust terms about the scammers.

nosferatu1001

Has it been 35 days since you appealed?
If YES then you could, if you can be bothered, tell them they have failed to rjeect or accept it, so you are treating it as accpeted. If they wish to complain, tough, your time to process their PCN has expired ( )

Or you say - where is my POPLA code?

N1xus

nosferatu1001 wrote: »

Has it been 35 days since you appealed?
If YES then you could, if you can be bothered, tell them they have failed to rjeect or accept it, so you are treating it as accpeted. If they wish to complain, tough, your time to process their PCN has expired ( )

Or you say - where is my POPLA code?

Appeal was on 5/12 and response was on 7/1, which by my count is 34 days. They haven't made a decision by day 35 (today) so I suppose I could say that - but what are the odds they will actually drop it? I would guess if not they'd end up rejecting and providing a POPLA code anyway?

I might just directly ask for the POPLA code - they don't have a leg to stand on there anyway... No NTK, no proof of driver, poor signage and No landowner authority.