Reading signs with dyslexia

katiiee135

Hi everyone,

I am hoping that I can get some advice. Unfortunately I have just read the posts about denying that I was driving and not bothering with an appeal to IAS... I have already done both of these things.

I parked for no more than 10 minutes in a residential area and even have a driving tracker on my phone that shows the rough time that I parked up (although not exact and does show a slight difference in time to when the pictures where taken of my car). What I was doing is reading the signs to understand the terms and conditions. They said if I was doing this then I would be pictured doing so, however I walked back to the entrance to read the sign there as I couldn't read it driving in. I sent proof of my dyslexia and slow reading diagnosis. Therefore I appealed using the 2010 Equality Act under disability.

My second point was that the phone number on the sign was not in operation when I called due to office being shut due to COVID. I was trying to ring to find out how to obtain a parking permit that it speaks of on the sign. They said there is a pre recorded message saying that I should have emailed. I just gave up and left the site after hearing this on the phone.

Really don't know what to do, both appeal to the car park management company and IAS have been unsuccessful. I understand I should just ignore the letters until I get court papers, but I am planning on moving house and have read horror stories of CCJ being decided without hearing due to people not picking up the letters.

My question is, should I therefore tell the parking company that I am moving address ?

Feeling really upset about all of this and just thinking of paying it even though I know I have not done anything wrong. It is so much stress. 

Umkomaas

My question is, should I therefore tell the parking company that I am moving address ?

Absolutely, you don't want them issuing court proceedings to an address you no longer occupy. Do it at the same time as your move. Email the DPO via the PPC's website Privacy page. Ask them to erase your former address and replace it with your new one. Also tell them to instruct any of their agents to whom they have passed your details to update their records likewise. Tell them you require them to carry out your instructions in line with DPA and GDPR requirements. 

Which PPC? Knowing their identity will provide us the opportunity to give you some idea as to whether or not they are litigious. 

Fruitcake

When you move, make sure you use the word, "erase" in your instructions as this has a specific meaning where personal data is concerned.

DPO = Data Protection Officer
DPA = Data Protection Act 2018
GDPR = General Data Protection Regulation

Coupon-mad

Pretty much everyone loses at the IAS (and we don't advise people DENY DRIVING...come on, we don't tell people to lie). 

Anyway no harm done, you are merely in the same position as this person:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78430547/#Comment_78430547

See my reply there and please come back to join us in doing the final Government Consultation.

katiiee135

Umkomaas said:

My question is, should I therefore tell the parking company that I am moving address ?

Absolutely, you don't want them issuing court proceedings to an address you no longer occupy. Do it at the same time as your move. Email the DPO via the PPC's website Privacy page. Ask them to erase your former address and replace it with your new one. Also tell them to instruct any of their agents to whom they have passed your details to update their records likewise. Tell them you require them to carry out your instructions in line with DPA and GDPR requirements. 

Which PPC? Knowing their identity will provide us the opportunity to give you some idea as to whether or not they are litigious. 

Thanks for the detailed response. 

The company is UK Car Park Management Ltd

katiiee135

Coupon-mad said:

Pretty much everyone loses at the IAS (and we don't advise people DENY DRIVING...come on, we don't tell people to lie). 

Anyway no harm done, you are merely in the same position as this person:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78430547/#Comment_78430547

See my reply there and please come back to join us in doing the final Government Consultation.

Thanks for this. Will be keeping my eye out. I guess whatever the law is it will be too late for current cases though ? Obviously want to help so it doesn't happen to people again!

Do you know how much you could end up paying at court if you loose ? I have read some places they can only charge an additional £50 on top of the fine for fees but have seen other required to pay £200 plus !

Coupon-mad

The max is about £200 all told, that includes the £50 legal fee cap (and the stupid PCN) if you lose in the end.  No big deal, no CCJ risk and nothing to worry about - and we beat UKCPM.

Have you seen their TrustPilot reviews...let's just say this bunch of ex-clampers are not shown in the best light.  No worries and no paying.

D_P_Dance

Have ypu complained to your MP?

Umkomaas

UKCPM are the country's most litigious PPC, so you can be pretty certain a county court claim will be made. If that happens you are really in a bit of a better place than you are now, insofar as you will have a Judge look over all the details and make a final decision. One way or another you will have closure, rather than having the Sword of Damocles hanging over you for up to 6 years. 

While UKCPM and their roboclaim legals will try to add all sorts of silly amounts to their claim (and the forum has words to add to your Defence/WS to rebut those), the reality is that any cost award against you will be in the region of £200. But, we will help you to win, then there could be a cost award being made to you - £95 for loss of earnings/annual leave. 

katiiee135

Umkomaas said:

UKCPM are the country's most litigious PPC, so you can be pretty certain a county court claim will be made. If that happens you are really in a bit of a better place than you are now, insofar as you will have a Judge look over all the details and make a final decision. One way or another you will have closure, rather than having the Sword of Damocles hanging over you for up to 6 years. 

While UKCPM and their roboclaim legals will try to add all sorts of silly amounts to their claim (and the forum has words to add to your Defence/WS to rebut those), the reality is that any cost award against you will be in the region of £200. But, we will help you to win, then there could be a cost award being made to you - £95 for loss of earnings/annual leave. 

Oh wow, I never knew that they where so notorious ! Thank you for letting me know this vital piece of info.

What do you think my specific defence would be in this case ? Would I go into my mitigating circumstances ?

Just not sure I can risk the extra money and stress. Want to know what my odds are, although I understand this can never be definite.

Fruitcake

You are in the right place now, and you will get all the help you need to fight this.

Don't worry about having revealed the driver's identity. I think this is actually to your advantage, and I think you have done the right thing by doing so.
If it gets to court you will be able to honestly say, "I have a reading disability, here is a picture of the sign, here is proof of my diagnosis."

You are a witness to the alleged event, and you have evidence that supports you case.

I suggest you try to find out who the landowner is and make a complaint to them, citing your reading disorder and the EA 2010.

Please tell us the location as well as it may have cropped up on this site before.

Also get pictures of the site and signage as part of your evidence.

As an aside, do you normally use a coloured overlay or coloured lenses for reading? Our youngest son was tested using different coloured overlays, and then had coloured lense prescription glasses made that helped him greatly with his dyslexia and ADHD.

It is quite possible that the colours used on the signs might have had an adverse effect on your ability to understand or interpret the wording. Any diagnosis of colours that help you, and colours that make things more difficult might be useful to you, or even just that it is a known medical fact that some people who have been diagnose with dyslexia find certain colour combinations harder to read than others.