Stick on window parking charge...GONE?

DRCUK

Hi All


Unfortunately I find myself once again at the receiving end of a private parking company. And like most am in need of some advice and pointers. (ParkingEye was my last opponent, so im aware of how not to ignore this issues!)



So I parked on a hospital grounds as a student on placement, This was beyond the painted bays on a 'waste' unmarked piece of land along with multiple other veichcles, where I had parked for several weeks.



One particular day my friend informed me we had all received tickets, sure enough on walking back to my car lots of surrounding cars all had tickets on the windows, yet when I got to mine there was no ticket and no ticket on the immediate floor surrounding my car, I text my friend saying somehow I didnt have one...he must have run out of paper in his printer! And off I drove. (I have used screen shots of this message inmy appeal letters, which is dated and timed)



Weeks later I received (well my wife did as registered keeper) a charge for £62 (initial charge £40 - but £20 if paid within two weeks). I couldnt beleive it, I logged on and sure enough there was photographic proof that the ticket was indeed on my car. I clicked appeal and stated it was not there once I returned to my car, I attached proof of text message sent at that time stating such and that I was more than happy to pay the origional charge but not the extortionate £62 for a charge I didnt even know I had.


Needless to say their responce was very generic and just said we have been tasked to retreive the money in full and you are out of the appeal window, to which I replied how can I appeal a ticket if I never knew I had the bloody thing (id also like to point out, I dont want to appeal the ticket, Im happy to pay the initial £20 but obviously I didnt have the opportunity to do so.)


Weeks went on and another letter and now a £110 charge, I found a formal appeal letter online and sent that in, again a generic responce totally dismissing everything I was trying to say...We are tasked to retreive the money blah blah blah, you are out of the appeal window and we will not discuss this any further!


SO what can I do? I refuse to pay this extortionately elevated fee for a ticket:

I) I was happy to pay initially at £20, which I didnt even know about

II) Being out of an appeal window I never even knew was counting down


I was thinking maybe im best letting this ride out till court where hopefully a magistrate will actually listen to my story..but then im worried about the impact on my credit history etc if this happens and I lose! oh and obviously landing a hefty charge for my troubles??


Any advice would be greatly helpful...

The_Deep

have you read this

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

It would not be unheard of for the PPC to place a ticket on the windscreen, photograph it, then remove it. Watch this video

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/video-parking-attendant-filmed-ghost-ticketing/

As uou no doubt now realise, it is a scam, get your MP on board

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. Read this one which I wrote earlier

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.

MistyZ

Hello there,

You need to provide some key details: date of alleged contravention, date NTK was sent / arrived, name of parking company and of the hospital.

As I understand it there can be no impact on credit history whatsoever (contrary to what debt collector letters etc. may imply) unless a court order to pay is ignored.

Very important not to identify the driver so you also need to edit your post to conceal their identity.

As a matter of interest, did all the other people receive NTKs? Just wondering.

Has a letter of complaint been sent to the hospital demanding that they cancel the charge? PALS so often seem worse than useless but I'd test those waters first and then take it to the hospital board if necessary. Students turn up all bright eyed & bushy tailed, park in what would appear to be a safe place, get scammed en masse, parking company so incompetent they can't even make a windscreen ticket stick (if indeed they really did leave it on the car) ....... great isn't it? But of course students can afford it LOL!! Definitely go down that route with all guns blazing.

And also read the Newbies' thread / search for similar examples to get up to speed on how to fight back.

Fruitcake

What is the name of the PPC please?

Have you given away the driver's identity to the scammers like you have revealed in your opening post? Unfortunately it sounds like you have.
If not, then edit your post to remove information about who parked. Only ever refer to The Driver and The Keeper who are two different people.
It will be a shame if you have given them an easy pass by blabbing about who was driving.

What happened when you complained to the hospital management/CEO?

Have you read the sticky thread for NEWBIES?

Please do complain to your MP as advised above. It really is the only way to get this unregulated scam stopped.

You are now in ignore mode unless you get real court papers. You can of course ignore debt crawlers. Post 4 of the NEWBIES explains why it is safe to do so.

twhitehousescat

£20 - hospital trust , no scams r us on site , probably no POFa and definitely no PALS

OP is there a parking co involved , if so who?

Redx

DRCUK wrote: »

I was thinking maybe im best letting this ride out till court where hopefully a magistrate will actually listen to my story..but then im worried about the impact on my credit history etc if this happens and I lose! oh and obviously landing a hefty charge for my troubles??

it will be a JUDGE in civil court, not a magistrate

if you lose , pay up , IN FULL , within one month , to avoid any issues with your credit rating

its ignoring the judgment by the court that leads to a live CCJ which leads to your credit rating being trashed

DRCUK

Thanks for the advice and pointers folks.
Yes indeed I did state I was the driver (school boy error) but I had no qualms in paying the bloody ticket as I really dont need all this additional stress and letter writing when im trying to prep for national exams and attend interviews.


So the first letter came from INDIGO - demanding £67
The second letter came from ZZPS Ltd - demanding £110


Both companies have different emails, contact numbers etc but run out of the same business address - weird?


The initial parking incident occured at The Royal Preston Hospital back on 2 Oct 2018. First letter dated 06/11/18, and second letter 17/12/18.


So I think im happy to let it ride out and hopefully get to tell my tale to a judge, should that happen, and deal with the concequences then. Unless they accept my £20 and leave me the frig alone! but I think not.

twhitehousescat

Weeks later I received (well my wife did as registered keeper) a charge for £62 (initial charge £40 - but £20 if paid within two weeks). I couldnt beleive it, I logged on and sure enough there was photographic proof that the ticket was indeed on my car. I clicked appeal and stated it was not there once I returned to my car,

whos website did you log onto , address or link please ?






I was under the impression that preston hospital was hospital run not INDIGO

in fact there is a big hoo haa at the moment as PE have taken over

https://www.lep.co.uk/news/health/new-year-brings-hospital-parking-chaos-to-preston-and-chorley-hospitals-1-9517780


earlier reports as they were doing install stated that they (the hospital) were struggling , so brought in PE

DRCUK

So I logged on to:

www.iPayMYPcn.net


Does anyone know how the appeal window works with window PCNs, It seems unfair that once that time has passed you have no say in the matter, irrespective of whether you where aware of the ticket or not??

This is exactly why I would have paid the initial £20 and had done with this entire thing

Many thanks

DRCUK

I have since further appealed to ZZPS Ltd and again to INDIGO, stating my points about never receiving the origional ticket but that I was happy to pay the origional charge, failing an amicable resolution I shall be willing to let this continue to court where I can have my argument heard without impunity..

Coupon-mad

Does anyone know how the appeal window works with window PCNs, It seems unfair that once that time has passed you have no say in the matter, irrespective of whether you where aware of the ticket or not?

Your wife was given the chance to appeal as keeper. The wrong person appealed.

Your big mistake was taking HER letter and trying to appeal it as driver, in your name (even though it was at Notice to Keeper stage - NOT 'DRIVER APPEAL'). Your appeal blew the entire case that would have been easy to win at POPLA for a keeper, like we do all the time. The wrong person appealed and it can't be undone as you admitted to driving.

All wrong, sorry to say.

But your stance now is correct:

I have since further appealed to ZZPS Ltd and again to INDIGO, stating my points about never receiving the origional ticket but that I was happy to pay the origional charge, failing an amicable resolution I shall be willing to let this continue to court where I can have my argument heard without impunity..