Vehicle Control Services, No stopping in a queue...

Coupon-mad

They won't appeal.

To the hijacking poster - DON'T TRY IAS. Should have Googled it first.  You are stuck with that kangaroo court now. No-one does that.  People's appeals are upheld by the IAS adjudicator 7% of the time (6% last year) and I don't just mean this forum, I mean ALL appeals (as per their Annual Report). They should be ashamed.

Snakes_Belly

Very well done : :

I thought that you would have been very unlucky to have lost this case.  Your photographs would have helped. You could see that you were in the middle of the road and queuing in traffic.

Yasmeen does not represent VCS in hearings. They usually use a company like Elms. Elms would ask for the right to appeal as a matter of course. If VCS do appeal I cannot see the decision being overturned. 

nosferatu1001

VCS do not want to appear at hearings. They could then be questioned directly. A rep can act as a barrier. 

When you say they have appealed, do yo umean Elms just said they would? they always say that...

SouthWestRam

I'm so glad I found this conversation. I'm a taxi driver, based in Bridgwater. I recently (Feb 1st) took a passenger from Bridgwater to Bristol Airport, and dropped them in the short stay car park, paying my £5 for the privilege. As the customer got out of the car, someone else came to the car and asked if I was available. As a Hackney Carriage, I'm not allowed to pick up passengers when out of my area, and so I explained that I was unable to do so.

As I was exiting the car park, my phone rang, and glancing at the screen, I saw that it was the taxi controller calling. My immediate thought was that the original passenger had left something in the car, and as they were already glancing nervously at their watch on the run up to the airport, this would be something of a calamity if it meant they would miss their flight. I stopped my taxi on the main road through the airport to take the call. A van pulled up directly behind the car.

The controller said that the person in the car park had taken the phone number (from the side of the taxi) and booked a pick up. As I also hold a Private Hire licence, I was able to accept the job. I told her that I would go back into the drop-off car park and pick the new passenger up from in there.

I drove around and went to go into the drop-off car park, only to be met by the passenger, running down the car park entry ramp. I had to stop, otherwise, I would have run them over. He said they would pile into the car there and then. 

Meanwhile, the van that had pulled up behind me when I took the phone call had followed me. The new passengers opened the boot and threw in their bags and got into the car. 

The time on my parking ticket from the initial drop-off was 18:10 and I left the car park after four minutes. The photographs used were timed at 18:17 and 18:18

I appealed by writing directly to VCS, who sent me TWO PCN tickets for £100 each. They rejected both of my appeals, and suggest that my next step is to appeal to IAS. Or pay up!

What, is your opinion on all this? Should I pay? I hear that appealing to IAS is a complete waste of time, but I don't want to trip myself up through not following the correct procedures.

I have spoken to the taxi controller who will provide a statement to corroborate my story, as will the passenger, who provided me with their phone number and email.

D_P_Dance

Please read the newbies, read this

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5550336/double-dip-parking-list-of-cases

read other threads, and complain to your  MP.  On no account pay, it is a scam   From what you have told us, if they are daft enough to take  this to court there are likely to come a cropper.  Qlso consider a counter claim for hsrassment/data breach.

Fruitcake

SouthWestRam said:

I'm so glad I found this conversation. I'm a taxi driver, based in Bridgwater. I recently (Feb 1st) took a passenger from Bridgwater to Bristol Airport, and dropped them in the short stay car park, paying my £5 for the privilege. As the customer got out of the car, someone else came to the car and asked if I was available. As a Hackney Carriage, I'm not allowed to pick up passengers when out of my area, and so I explained that I was unable to do so.

As I was exiting the car park, my phone rang, and glancing at the screen, I saw that it was the taxi controller calling. My immediate thought was that the original passenger had left something in the car, and as they were already glancing nervously at their watch on the run up to the airport, this would be something of a calamity if it meant they would miss their flight. I stopped my taxi on the main road through the airport to take the call. A van pulled up directly behind the car.

The controller said that the person in the car park had taken the phone number (from the side of the taxi) and booked a pick up. As I also hold a Private Hire licence, I was able to accept the job. I told her that I would go back into the drop-off car park and pick the new passenger up from in there.

I drove around and went to go into the drop-off car park, only to be met by the passenger, running down the car park entry ramp. I had to stop, otherwise, I would have run them over. He said they would pile into the car there and then. 

Meanwhile, the van that had pulled up behind me when I took the phone call had followed me. The new passengers opened the boot and threw in their bags and got into the car. 

The time on my parking ticket from the initial drop-off was 18:10 and I left the car park after four minutes. The photographs used were timed at 18:17 and 18:18

I appealed by writing directly to VCS, who sent me TWO PCN tickets for £100 each. They rejected both of my appeals, and suggest that my next step is to appeal to IAS. Or pay up!

What, is your opinion on all this? Should I pay? I hear that appealing to IAS is a complete waste of time, but I don't want to trip myself up through not following the correct procedures.

I have spoken to the taxi controller who will provide a statement to corroborate my story, as will the passenger, who provided me with their phone number and email.

Whilst this thread might be helpful to you, you need to start your own by clicking on the Create Post button on the main forum page. 

The main road through the airport is part of the no stopping zone, but the ramp leading to the drop off car park is not. The latter is also outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate. I have more info on that, and dashcam video and stills which I will gladly share on your own thread.

Fruitcake

D_P_Dance said:

Please read the newbies, read this

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5550336/double-dip-parking-list-of-cases

read other threads, and complain to your  MP.  On no account pay, it is a scam   From what you have told us, if they are daft enough to take  this to court there are likely to come a cropper.  Qlso consider a counter claim for hsrassment/data breach.

Mister Dance, this is not a double dip case; it is for stopping on two separate occasions in an alleged no stopping zone.

citizen674907605

Hey there, people. Sorry to revive a thread not touched since march but I feel my circumstances are a little different.

I got a CN from Bristol airport, issue date 11/7/22 so its gone up to £170 now. This was just due to being busy and forgetful. I also think that if it went to court I'd win.

The scenario was:  I was picking up a friend on a wednesday night, quite late, about 10 ish. My friend knows my car but didnt know the airport or where pickup/dropoff is there.. 

I drive up to a zebra crossing to let a big crowd of people , families, kids etc. to cross toward car parks and in that crowd was my friend. I see him and try to yell to explain to go to the pickup area because i could see the dreaded surveillance van just on the other side of the zebra crossing through the crowd of people. He couldnt hear me from the far side of the car. He did just get in my passenger seat. Which I was annoyed about but I was powerless to do anything.

Surely enough the damn van took pictures of my plate through the crowd and issued me a fine.
My friend walks to my car just as the last of the crowd passes and gets in the car, but the whole time he's in front of my car so i cant move.

Was I supposed to run the crowd over?
Was I supposed to run over my friend?
Was I supposed to reverse out of the airport grounds?

I'm struggling to see how they could win the case. All of the CCTV photos depict my car stopped at a zebra crossing, with humans directly in front of me.

If any light can be shed on this to reassure me I'll be a bit more at ease. I really cant afford this fine, my finances are the worst they've been in years right now.

Fruitcake

citizen674907605 said:

Hey there, people. Sorry to revive a thread not touched since march but I feel my circumstances are a little different.

I got a CN from Bristol airport, issue date 11/7/22 so its gone up to £170 now. This was just due to being busy and forgetful. I also think that if it went to court I'd win.

The scenario was:  I was picking up a friend on a wednesday night, quite late, about 10 ish. My friend knows my car but didnt know the airport or where pickup/dropoff is there.. 

I drive up to a zebra crossing to let a big crowd of people , families, kids etc. to cross toward car parks and in that crowd was my friend. I see him and try to yell to explain to go to the pickup area because i could see the dreaded surveillance van just on the other side of the zebra crossing through the crowd of people. He couldnt hear me from the far side of the car. He did just get in my passenger seat. Which I was annoyed about but I was powerless to do anything.

Surely enough the damn van took pictures of my plate through the crowd and issued me a fine.
My friend walks to my car just as the last of the crowd passes and gets in the car, but the whole time he's in front of my car so i cant move.

Was I supposed to run the crowd over?
Was I supposed to run over my friend?
Was I supposed to reverse out of the airport grounds?

I'm struggling to see how they could win the case. All of the CCTV photos depict my car stopped at a zebra crossing, with humans directly in front of me.

If any light can be shed on this to reassure me I'll be a bit more at ease. I really cant afford this fine, my finances are the worst they've been in years right now.

Please start your own thread, after reading the NEWBIES sticky Announcement, where you will get all the help you need to fight this charge.