**UPDATE - Cancelled!** First Appeal - Horizon Parking Ltd - "Failure To Pay/Validate Parking"

BushyDinosaur

Hi, 
I sincerely hope somebody maybe able to help me in a first appeal against a Parking Charge Notice issued by Horizon Parking Ltd while purchasing essential food items during the national lockdown.

On Friday 10th April we received a Parking Charge Notice through the post for a visit i made to an Iceland in Lancashire.

Horizon Parking Ltd
Entry Date 30/03/2020
Issue Date: 06/04/2020
Issued For: "Failure to Pay/Validate for duration of stay.

Background:
I visited the store on the 30th March to buy essential foods at iceland. Followed the goverment guidelines for social distancing, selected my food and paid at the checkout. Paid by contactless and did not take a reciept, as to avoid contact as much as possible.

I have now had this notice through saying i failed to pay or validate for my parking. I called the store and spoke to the manager, explained that i had spent £26 in-store on essential food and that the cashier had not given me a validation voucher for parking. I didnt even question this as i had assumed that cashier had not provided a validation voucher due to the current situation and that validating on a single machine that has been touched by potentially hundreds of previous customers was both irresponsible and potentially harmful.
The manager explained that it is the responsibility of the customer to obtain a validation voucher from the cashier and therefore there was not much he could do. He did say he would email the company and request its cancellation but could not make promises.

I have spoken to family who also shop at this iceland and all of them have been offered a validation voucher by the cashier and have not had to verbally request one themselves.

I later took a photograph of one of the signs and although it states that a notice may be issued if you fail to pay or validate the duration you stay, the process it describes for using the car park as a customer of iceland doesnt clearly state who is responsible for the validation vouchers.

The process it states is the following:
1. No need to do anything on arrival, simply park and shop with us.
2. Spend £5 in store to recieve a 1 hour free parking voucher.
3. When ready to leave, please visit the parking kiosk, scan  your parking voucher and enter your vehicle registration for free parking.

Its a little unsettling in these circumstances that they still encourage people to touch and use a single machine regardless but with no cleaning facilities available who in there right mind would want to do that anyway.

I have called the store manager a few times but he has still had no reply. Therefore i think its time i log my complaint/appeal with Horizon Parking Ltd.

I have a bank statement which proves i was a customer you'd think would be enough for them to cancel, i just highly doubt thats the way this will go. The other half is ripping her hair out, she is the registered keeper but not the driver at that time.

Can i simply express the above or should i still attempt to go commando using the template as is? Im currently on day 14 as they see it.

Thank you in advance
I apologise if this is deemed an unnecessary post.

**Update - Cancelled!**
19/04/2020 - 
Still had no word from the retailer about the request being fulfilled but on entering the PCN details on Horizon Parking appeals webpage I was surprised to find that the PCN had been marked "Cancelled - No further action required". Great result all round!

Many thanks to all the viewers and posters on this thread, although the retail manager did most of the "hard work" I was able to cobble together an appeal, even if it wasn't necessary in the end.

In the words of a beloved man:
"Great Success!!!" - Borat

KeithP

Send the already written for you blue text template appeal that is easily found in the first post of the NEWBIES thread -
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822/newbies-private-parking-ticket-old-or-new-read-these-faqs-first-thankyou/p1

Send it unchanged - no additions or alterations needed.

Send it as the keeper.

Meanwhile, keep on at the Iceland manager. Maybe escalate your complaint to their head office too.

beamerguy

Horizon like all the parking scammers will be desperate for money right now
The system you explain is no more than a honey trap for Horizon as they know many will not enter their reg number, let alone understand it.  And in this terrible situation people will be more interested on who is next to them or near them to STOP and read signs..... that in itself could be dangerous

Contact the CEO Malcolm Walker and explain this and ask him to cancel the ticket.  If the manager said he could, then Mr Walker can  Enclose a redacted copy of your bank statement for proof

malcom.walker@iceland.co.uk

D_P_Dance

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 has been known to get the charge cancelled.

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, when life gets back to normal, it will become impossible for those scammers who are left to continue their vile trade, 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.

BushyDinosaur

Thanks for the quick reply everyone, i appreciate it.
I have been onto the Horizon Parking website to appeal and on entering the PCN ref number and the vehicle registration number it says the fine has been cancelled and no further action is required. I have spoke to the store and they have not received a confirmation email yet as these could take up to a week. Ive read these things can continue for up to 6 years. I have screenshotted this and saved it and have asked the Iceland to print a copy of the email when they received.

Will that be enough if they choose to pursue us again?

beamerguy

BushyDinosaur said:

Thanks for the quick reply Keith, appreciate it.
I have been onto the Horizon Parking website to appeal and on entering the PCN ref number and the vehicle registration number it says the fine has been cancelled and no further action is required. I have spoke to the store and they have not received a confirmation email yet as these could take up to a week. Ive read these things can continue for up to 6 years. I have screenshotted this and saved it and have asked the Iceland to print a copy of the email when they received.

Will that be enough if they choose to pursue us again?

That's good, and great you have taken a screenshot, the manager did it.  Keep the screenshot filed away but that is the end for you

MistyZ

My understanding is that the key thing here is that cancellation notification on Horizon's website.  And you have a record.  That turned out well!!  

Coupon-mad

Yay, sounds like a result!  Proof yet again that complaining to the retailer gets these cancelled.

BushyDinosaur

Thanks for the replies again.
Is a top result by all accounts, I have read some right horror stories online about these shower of barstools and did not expect for one second that this would be cancelled with next to no backlash.
Store manager was abit abrupt to begin with, but I assumed immediately hes had this before and like us, he too is a victim of the firm harassing his customers and himself. So abit of understanding and some butt kissing later and it seems he has followed through on his promise of "trying" and its been successful! 

This firm repeatedly issues PCN's to staff on a daily basis and by all accounts it has become a standard daily job for the manager to sit down and appeal numerous tickets. I think this MAY have had something to do with it, my PCN appeal to became ANOTHER PCN in the already diluted batch of appeals.

Thanks again for all the information, both in this thread and others and the raft of information in the newbies thread. You guys are great! 

Fruitcake

Please remember to complain to your MP about this unregulated scam. Even though your story has a happy ending, it should never have happened in the first place.

I suggest you also thank the manager for his efforts if you haven't already done so.

Redx

That manager should complain to head office to get the sc@mmers kicked out or a better system in place for staff and customers