POPLA parking charge dispute/CarFlow

avonn1

Hi all,
I need big big help with this issue...I'm trying to fight for the "little person" against this unbelievable case against me...but I'm losing the will to live - and feel I'll have to pay anyway & let these "people" win.
Basically I parked my car in a private car park (based in Leicester - I won't name them!) so that I could urgently take my poorly boy to hospital. I paid for 2 hours parking = £3.00, on the Friday 21st September 2018. I got the ticket and displayed it clearly on the dashboard. And, I returned within the 2 hours.
But...and this is where the problem lies. I distinctly remember trying to get my ticket before I drove off (I keep all my tickets together) but it slipped behind the dashboard. I thought nothing of it & drove off, to try to find it later on. But I DEFINITELY had it on display.
I then received a Parking Charge notice, saying I hadn't paid for the 2 hours!! (the letter shows photos of my registration plate / car) & that I will have to pay £100!!!
Luckily (or unluckily!) I paid with my debit card, so I sent to Carflow Appeals a copy of my bank statement. They have ignored this & said "We have checked our system thoroughly and can find no record of payment for the VRN (Reg. No.) on 21-Sep-18. If you can provide proof of the ticket you purchased or a VRN you may have entered in error we will happily consider this evidence. A bank statement is not sufficient evidence of payment that you paid for this vehicle to park, the payment could have been for another car".
So...I then went to POPLA Appeals. I even obtained the bank Authorisation code showing that the amount of £3 went to the private car park firm on that day. But, POPLA sent me a list of Registration Nos. (from the private car park firm) that have paid, with my Reg. No. not showing on the list for that day!! They said "if there is not a payment located against the correct vehicle registration, a PCN is issued. The evidence of payment is not sufficient to show it was for the appellant’s vehicle on the relevant date to cover the period of parking. If the driver had made a valid payment, this would show against the vehicle registration details on the operator’s system".
I've threatened them with contacting the Ombudsman Services...but POPLA have also said "POPLA is administrated by Ombudsman Services. Ombudsman Services will be unable to deal with a complaint about a parking operator, as it administrates POPLA"
The reminder notice has now finished...so I'm scared I'll get a knock on the door, or debt recovery / court action. Can I still fight?? Or just pay, & give in to this unbelievable scam of a private car park finding "lost" tickets on the floor & sending out Parking Charges? I honestly did pay!
Any assistance gratefully received.

fisherjim

Pity you didn't come here first, unfortunately you have fallen into the trap of thinking these are fair and just people, they aren't and POPLA is the PPC puppet paid by their trade organisation.


Your POPLA appeal should not have been based on what happened on the day it should have been on technicalities, signage, the law etc.


Why haven't you complained to the land owner about this?



All is explained in the newbies thread on page one.


You are now in a waiting game, POPLA is not binding on you, and no one will come knocking on your door, you will get silly debt collectors letters threatening the end of the world and an additional scam charge, ignore the idiots.


Do not ignore anything from the county courts though come back here and get help don't go it alone again.


It's a scam as you are finding out,no one on here will advise paying these greedy low life scum, they are only after money.


Parliament is going to hopefully legislate this year to stop these shady Muppets in their tracks, this gravy train needs derailing.

Fruitcake

Is it possible that the ticket is still in the car, having slipped between the dash and windscreen?

It is of course possible that a person or parsons unknow bounced up and down on your car with malice aforethought to dislodge the ticket.

It won't hurt to name the car park as others may have information about the location and possibly the landowner.

You really need to complain to the landowner as well as your MP.
Other than that, you are in ignore mode as advised above unless you get real court papers.

The_Deep

.but I'm losing the will to live - and feel I'll have to pay anyway & let these "people" win.

Surely it can be no worse than dealing with Amazon or British Gas, and this really is no big deal.

If this got to court, the only place where it matters, (Popla is a joke), a judge would have to decide who is telling the truth, and who is a scammer. They are not unaware of the m.o. of these companies so your fear of court is unfounded.

Judges are not fools, he/she will see the incontrovertible evidence of payment and award you your costs, he/she may even decide that the PPC has acted unreasonably and punish theaccordingly.

Read about the scam you are enmeshed in and Involve your MP.

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.

avonn1

Many thanks fisherjim & Fruitcake, will now find out the Landowner to start with - and will contact them (the Private car park is called Havelock Car Park, just round the corner to Leicester Royal Infirmary)

avonn1

Hi The Deep, many thanks - will check out my MP too

Fruitcake

avonn1 wrote: »

Hi The Deep, many thanks - will check out my MP too

Use the info in red from post 1 of the NEWBIES when you complain to your MP about this unregulated scam.

This really is the only way to stop all this from happening.

avonn1

Hi again, I'm struggling to find out the Landowner (I thought it was Leicester City Council, but they were of no help) Any clues gratefully received

Le_Kirk

A quick check with Auntie Google suggests this might be tied up with Leicester Royal Infirmary, have you tried PALS at the hospital?

Redx

avonn1 wrote: »

Hi again, I'm struggling to find out the Landowner (I thought it was Leicester City Council, but they were of no help)

Any clues gratefully received

try the LAND REGISTRY , its that simple

Fruitcake

Redx wrote: »

try the LAND REGISTRY , its that simple

… but they do charge for this service. It used to be about £2.50 but I think it might be over £12 nowadays.