Desperately looking for some advice

Kimmyl

Hello everyone,

I’m new on here hoping someone can help me out with what I feel is an unfair parking fine I’m not sure what else I can do, sorry if it’s long I just want you to know the full picture and someone hopefully be able to give me advice.

I recently had my third child, I had a very traumatic birth where we both almost did not make it due to a placental abruption and suffering a major haemorrhage and I had to undergo and emergency Caesarian section. I was not allowed to drive for 6 weeks, my husband was amazing with helping me out but he had to return to work and I had no choice but to do a food shop on my own with the baby for the first time when he was 7 weeks old. 

I took a trip to my local Aldi, I was still very sore, everything took me a lot longer than usual and I had to also make a break at Starbucks to feed my newborn son and change him. I did not realise but I went over the given time limit of 90 mins (I first went to Aldi to do a food shop for my family of 5 spending over £100 and then to Starbucks for a coffee so i could feed baby and change his nappy) the car park I used is for the customers of both of these stores.

I appealed the fine and the company (called SIP) declined it, I provided my receipts to show I was a genuine customer as well as my hospital discharge so they could see I had recently undergone the surgery so I decided to go down the route of an independent appeal with IAS who have also taken the side of the car parking company which I really didn’t think would happen given my circumstances and evidence.

I have contacted both Aldi and Starbucks who have told me there is nothing they can do, the parking fine has now increased from £60 to £100 because I appealed and I’m now loosing sleep over this. I am on maternity leave, I am also in a dmp with stepchange, money is very tight at the moment and paying this fine would be taking the money for the food shop for my family that week which is all I was trying to do in the first place.

Is there anyone else I can contact? Anything else I can do? I’m so worried about this situation.

thank you for any advice or help in advance

Johnersh

I have contacted both Aldi and Starbucks who have told me there is nothing they can do

Well that's BS.  Who is contracting for there to be a parking attendant on site?

I suspect you have simply spoken to wrong individual.  Have you contacted Head Office?  Have you adopted the twitter messaging query, which is often *remarkably* effective?

You need this rescinded before a claim as SIP will work on the basis that it is on all-fours with the Supreme Ct decision in Beavis and keep fighting...

Kimmyl

Johnersh said:

I have contacted both Aldi and Starbucks who have told me there is nothing they can do

Well that's BS.  Who is contracting for there to be a parking attendant on site?

I suspect you have simply spoken to wrong individual.  Have you contacted Head Office?  Have you adopted the twitter messaging query, which is often *remarkably* effective?

You need this rescinded before a claim as SIP will work on the basis that it is on all-fours with the Supreme Ct decision in Beavis and keep fighting...

Thank you for your reply.

Aldi told me they would cancel but then once they realised it was SIP and not ParkingEye then said that they were unable to do so and that I need to go through independent appeal route - the Starbucks employee I spoke to told me it’s private land and they have nothing to do with the company.

Kimmyl

Johnersh said:

I have contacted both Aldi and Starbucks who have told me there is nothing they can do

Well that's BS.  Who is contracting for there to be a parking attendant on site?

I suspect you have simply spoken to wrong individual.  Have you contacted Head Office?  Have you adopted the twitter messaging query, which is often *remarkably* effective?

You need this rescinded before a claim as SIP will work on the basis that it is on all-fours with the Supreme Ct decision in Beavis and keep fighting...

Will give head office and Twitter route a go

Skiddaw1

@Kimmyl I would also contact your MP to see if they can intervene.

Umkomaas

Does the car park service more outlets than just Aldi and Starbucks?  Even if not, I suspect there is a managing agent involved rather than either store contracting with SIP. Aldi only use ParkingEye, so the info from them was probably correct. 

Try to find who the MA is. If it's not easily to hand, here is a few ideas I give out when people are having difficulty identifying the landowner. 

1. Google searches

2. If a retail park, check on any signage which lists the on-site outlets

3. Ask retailers on the site if there is a managing agent

4. Ask retailers on the site to whom do they pay rent

5. Contact the local authority and ask who pays the non-domestic/business rate for the car park (some councils have a spreadsheet on their website)

6. Contact the local Valuation Office and ask if they know. They often have a website which might provide the information 

7. Contact The Land Registry and for around £3 they should be able to provide definitive detail

8. If you haven't already done so, give us the name of the car park/site/location, we may have seen other cases there.  

KeithP

Where exactly did this alleged parking event take place?

Kimmyl

KeithP said:

Where exactly did this alleged parking event take place?

It was at Trafford Retail Park in Urmston, Manchester 

Kimmyl

Another sleepless night… I have been sent a letter demanding I now pay £115 before it increases. I have wrote to my local MP but automated message says to expect a reply within 10 working days and I’m worried I don’t have that much time.
The whole reason I appealed is because citizens advice website says this I used this defence in my appeal but it was completely ignored.
Do I let them take me to court? I believe my case is strong in the face that I have bank statements as a genuine customer as well as a hospital discharge to show I had undergone the surgery and had a newborn baby….
this is making me ill with worry, it would mean starving my children to pay £115 how is this legal

Kimmyl

From doing some research it seems as though “Akzo Nobel Pension Scheme” own the Aldi and Starbucks - the other stores at retail park are free to park and owned by another company but Aldi and Starbucks are in a seperate car park although in the same retail park.

Struggling to find the correct place to email as their website is literally all about pension queries?!

go-on-then

It is not a fine. It is not worth sleepless nights and please stop worrying.

Unfortunately you are now caught up in this very common game of  'will they or won't they pay'.  You wont be paying, only a judge can make you pay and it may not even get as far as court so no worrying about that either.

Please dont fall for the letters threatening debt collectors and ccj's,  it's all part of the game to make you pay.

Please read the Newbies thread as everyone is advised to do and follow the steps.  Also read, read and better read as many other posts as you possibly can to get a better idea of how this all works.   You will probably read of other people in a similar position to yourself and their case may help yours.

You will get excellent step by step help and advice on this forum. Do as you are asked, when you are asked and you will be fine.  Defence and witness statement help is given so no worrying about that either.
Citizens Advice don't have much idea about private parking so it is often suggested not to go there.