Parking ticket from Premier Park

spursliz

In November last year, I paid £2 for up to 12 hours on a piece of ground that was administered by Premier Park. My car registration has been the same since 1993, but recently I have changed it. Foolishly, I entered the old reg, which had acutally been on this car for some 5 years, went off to shop, came back and drove away. A few days later, I received a charge for parking without registering the correct reg. number of £100, reduced to £75 if I pay within 14 days. I sent off details of the car reg, also the ticket, and apologised profusely showing my absent mindedness. I never thought I'd hear a thing, but then got a letter saying I'd admitted liability by saying I'd put in the wrong details, and they would only take £30 off me! They also said, craftily, I could appeal to POPLA, which I did but if I was wrong, the fine of £100 would stand. On Christmas Eve I got an email with a 31 page document attached from POPLA advising me that Premier Park was pursuing the matter, and that the cost would be £100 if found guilty. They came back to me in February stating that I was guilty, and was liable for £100 fine, saying this was "reasonable" cost for my transgression. Reasonable? It's nearly one whole week of my pension. In their own annual accounts, John Gallagher, their chief, states that people who put in their wrong registration have reason to feel aggrieved and that the majority of parking administrators will not pursue this. Just my luck to find vindictive, nasty, downright vicious Premier Park. I appealed to Mr Gallagher, and have heard nothing. However, 3 days ago, I got a letter from Premier Park saying my appeal had been discounted, and I had to pay £100 in full before 23rd March, or I would face a CCJ. One thing I note is the sign on the car park by the machine says "You must enter your car registration number" - do I have a defence by saying that the registration number I entered is, in fact, that of my car (it is on my little sports car - huge tick in my bucket list), but just not the car that was parked in the car park? Any help would be very gratefully received.

beamerguy

 I got a letter from Premier Park saying my appeal had been discounted, and I had to pay £100 in full before 23rd March, or I would face a CCJ.

WHAT DISCOUNT ???     The ticket price was £100 in the first place ?????   Consider yourself dealing with nutters
You face a CCJ .... that's a joke, jumped up parking companies cannot do that, only a judge can.
THE PREDICTION FOR PREMIER PARK ..... they will pass it to their nonsensical legals who will then add fake amounts and a judge will spank them once again and Premier Park will have to pay your costs.

That's what is happening nowadays

D_P_Dance

Many  judges are now regarding these "wrong VRN" claims as a trifle, not genuine breaches of contract at all, read this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_minimis

If they take this to court they are likely to struggle.

 On Christmas Eve I got an email with a 31 page document attached from POPLA advising me that Premier Park was pursuing the matter, and that the cost would be £100 if found guilty. 

Did they actually use the word guilty?    If so please post a copy of the letter, this is most important. 

Nine times out of ten these tickets are scams, so consider complaining to your MP., it can cause the scammer extra costs and work, and in some cases, cancellation. 

Parliament is well aware of the MO of these private parking companies, many of whom are former clampers, and on 15th March 2019 a Bill was enacted to curb the excesses of these shysters. Codes of Practice are being drawn up, an independent appeals service will be set up, and access to the DVLA's date base more rigorously policed, persistent offenders denied access to the DVLA database and unable to operate.

Hopefully life will become impossible for the worst of these scammers, but until this is done you should still complain to your MP, citing the new legislation.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/contents/enacted

Just as the clampers were finally closed down, so hopefully will many of these Private Parking Companies.

spursliz

Thank you for your interest. Sorry, no they didn't say guilty, just my wording of it. I have written to my MP who will write a letter and I'm not going to pay them £100. This company has reserves of just under £4million, 3 directors, and they are about to hive off 75% into another company and no doubt pay themselves a great deal of money. They didn't get that by me paying £2 for 12 hours to park on a scrubby piece of wasteland!

D_P_Dance

Sorry, no they didn't say guilty, just my wording of it.

Thank you.  In matters such as this, where things are very likely to end up in court,  100% accuracy is a sine qua non.

Coupon-mad

spursliz said:

Thank you for your interest. Sorry, no they didn't say guilty, just my wording of it. I have written to my MP who will write a letter and I'm not going to pay them £100. This company has reserves of just under £4million, 3 directors, and they are about to hive off 75% into another company and no doubt pay themselves a great deal of money. They didn't get that by me paying £2 for 12 hours to park on a scrubby piece of wasteland!

Yep we know, looks like they are UKCPM now share a company controlling directorship.

Defend in court.  We win 99% of the time here.  Court is a good experience and PPCs lose against us.

D_P_Dance

CM is right, judges are not fools, they recognise a sxcam when they see one. 

spursliz

Your advice is good,but it is scary going to court - not that I've ever done it! I did find a case of ParkingEyevHeggie with a great judge who dismissed the case. The letters are all so threatening, and even with the new legislation they are able to charge such huge costs. I'll mull it over for a few days. It's just so much to pay for a simple error.

D_P_Dance

• There is nothing scary about a County Court I can assure you.  Do you honestly think that a judge is going to penalise an OAP who forgot to enter his VRN.  
• 
  

Lupo26

Go for it! I'm due in court against premier park in 2 weeks with my young baby and I am looking forward to it and hope to get some money out of the scammers.

D_P_Dance

Lupo, if you want t try for  real money read up on unreasonable behaviour costs under CPR27.14(2)(g)