Can I salvage this appeal? Vantage Point - Brighton - One Parking Solution

nicestrawb

The same way I got mine cancelled... I'm afraid there's some work involved, read the Newbies thread... Put it this way, the people that are going after you are low lifes who will stoop to any level to screw you over and make a bit of cash. The only way you will get a result against people like that is hitting them where it hurts. Start with a polite and freindly approach and then kick off if that doesn't work.

If all that doesn't work you can either pay up or refuse and defend yourself in what is imo, a very easy win...

Fruitcake

jolly_cabbage said:

Hahahaha, to be fair they are fighting the good fight for sure.

You could nip this in the bud fairly easily

If you don't mind me asking, how so? Paying the fine? 😅

It is not a fine. Nobody here will tell you to pay a bunch of scammers.

Plan A Landowner cancellation

Plan B Win at PoPLA

Plan C Win in court

I have already given you four additional points for Plan B.

jolly_cabbage

Thanks for all of your help guys, I'll get something scratched up to share.

ParkingMad

Here are some other threads about Vantage Point -

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6261082/just-discovered-ccj-issued-to-me-when-between-houses/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6227836/one-parking-solution-vantage-point-purchased-ticket-with-app-used-wrong-vehicle-registration/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6095883/ops-ltd-vantage-point-brighton-claim-form-sent/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6250903/ops-vantage-point/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6023767/ops-and-failed-popla-appeal/p1

From the local paper -
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/14819206.parking-firm-tells-pregnant-woman-she-must-pay-up/

nicestrawb

Yes it's an entrapment zone from what I can tell. It's still worth trying to find out who owns the land though and contacting them. It might lead somewhere and save you all the hassle...

Coupon-mad

Yes but we know who owns this car park and I posted their email address this week.  They allow a 15 minute grace period.  How do I know that?  Because I helped someone on a football forum who complained to the landowner and they told her that fact and they got it cancelled as a one-off (landowner complaints are always worthwhile even when refused because it makes the landowner think twice about who they are contracting with and make them realise, maybe they are getting bad publicity and reviews and losing custom as a result of such aggression):

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78270432#Comment_78270432

The email that the person on the football forum got was as follows:

''RE: - Vantage Point Parking Charge Notice
.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us. We are landowners of the car park at Vantage Point, however, One Parking Solution are a third party company that monitor the site.

One Parking Solution are not in our employment and we receive not financial gain from the tickets issued. They are there to act as a deterrent to drivers who stay longer than their allotted time. Nevertheless, we have kindly asked them to allow a 15 minute grace period.

We don't like visitors to our car park to receive tickets so have tried as much as we can to reduce this from happening. This is why we allow the 15 minutes grace period and got Just Park payment facilities at the site''.

To be honest, I'm pretty sick of this process at the minute and just want it to come to a close, but I think its vile that these companies should get £100 when I've paid for more than enough of my stay. Overpaid in fact. This practice just feels like it should be without question illegal, its predatory and wrong, especially when I've paid for the service - and then some - all ready. A fine for payment just seems morally and inexplicably corrupt.

Yes indeed, and it is.  

Which is why the rogue industry is being regulated by Government this year and there will in future be a proper appeals service and stricter rules to stop this sort of crap:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/parking-code-enforcement-framework/outcome/parking-code-enforcement-framework-consultation-response

Feel free to wince, point and laugh.

Nope.  You are another victim of OPS and myself and ParkingMad (the Brighton area ladies, here on this forum!) fight their predatory tickets and we help people in court.  No-one is laughing at this scam ex-clamper industry but we are doing something about it and so are the Government, as linked above.  

Did you miss the Sunday Times article recently about this bunch, with a caricature of one of their Directors as a cowboy on horseback?

I'm fully expecting to have to raise the middle finger salute and pay the £100 at this point, and promptly vomit from the lack of morality to it all and this rancid process and all those involved in its creation and subsequent enforcement.

Nonononono.  

You are NOT going to fund this horrific pariah of a company or support and sponsor their business model.  

You will probably lose at POPLA but you are highly likely to win in court.

 But try to complaint to the landowner first.  Be polite, that's what worked for the person I helped who got theirs cancelled last year, however be warned that another person was refused and pointed back to the ex-clampers who this landowner has allowed to infest the site.  If so, then come back when you get the scummy claim and be aware there is NO CCJ RISK as long as you tell OPS by email if you move house within 6 years and follow all advice here.  

We know what we are doing; like I say, ParkingMad and I are well aware of this company and we know what they do to people.  This is a nasty, dirty car park with a trap of a badly-functioning app and crappy old machines, as well as hidden ANPR cameras at the scrubby entrance.  Horrible place.  Should have parked in Trafalgar Street or Queens Road car parks which are far batter run and fairer.

Was this at night?    

I have an example Vantage Point POPLA appeal that might help you either way, you can crib from it. 

Send me a pm with your email address (you can trust me, look at my post count and I maintain the NEWBIES advice thread).

nicestrawb

Coupon to the rescue! Although I think you may have meant they are unlikely to lose in court coupon. I'd say exceptionally unlikely with people like you around :-)

Coupon-mad

Thanks, that was a bad typo, LOL!

jolly_cabbage

Oh wow, thank you @Coupon-mad thats an incredible write up. I don't have time to look at this over the weekend, as life has thrown a curve ball - as is always with these things, but I'll definately reach out to the land owner and report back before sending anything next week.

Thank you all so kindly!

jolly_cabbage

Just thought I'd update this thread with the resolution, as luckily there is a happy ending. Hopefully this will be my last update to this thread.

After submitting the renewed POPLA claim (thankyou @Coupon-mad), which was delayed due to covid, I was pensively waiting for OPS to submit their side of the claim. Prior to this, I had sent an email to two of the email addresses (publically) available on this site, politely explaining the situation and how unfair/obsurd it was.

After waiting a week or two without any response, and assuming I'd have to continue with the POPLA route, the Landlord's managing agent for Vantage Point (POD Lettings) got into contact with me confirming that the Landlord had decided to overrule the claim and have OPS cancel the PCN. After following the instructions provided by POD Lettings, in circulation with the Landlord and OPS, which was to recind the POPLA claim so they could cancel it (after much back and forth with them first to confirm in writing they'd cancel if I recinded POPLA, and ensuring that they couldn't just do it from their end - which is odd - as I didn't want them to pull the rug out from under me), the PCN has now been cancelled.

According to emails recieved by OPS (and emails on other threads on this forum too!), Vantage Point is indeed meant to have a 15 minute window now, just that my PCN was issued before the grace period was changed to 15 minutes. So for anyone caught by the 10 minute window, this is not the Landlords intent, get into contact with them and - politely - raise a stink about how unfair it is and hopefully they will assist you too. I can share the email chain upon request.

So many people seem to have been caught out by this problem with their use of the JustPark app and having no signal. Just have a scan of Google reviews, Parkopedia and JustPark themselves and look at the floods of negative reviews with the same issue. Recieving a £100 PCN despite paying for their parking (often over paying), but being within 12-15 minutes due to poor signal and app downloads (often as they only accept cash), and getting stung with a PCN worth 100's of times what they paid for their perfectly valid parking.

Thank you to @Coupon-mad for all of the assistance on this, and all the other members that commented on this thread, it was supremely appreciated.

If there is any information I can share onto this thread to help future Vantage Point & OPS victims, I can do. I've removed some of the images just to clean up.

Vantage Point website, managed by POD Lettings: https://vantage-point-brighton.co.uk/

POD Lettings website: https://podlettings.com/