UKPC Parking Control Ltd - Parking Charge

TabP

I'm looking for some advice please.  I parked in a UKPC car park in Norwich, in a disabled bay, my partner has a blue badge.  I thought I'd put the badge on the dashboard when we left the vehicle, but it was in the footwell when we returned to the car and found a nice parking charge ticket stuck to the screen.
I appealed, sending a photo of the Blue Badge and also on the same day the charge was issued, about 30 mins later, showed a parking officer (who was quite possibly the same person who issued the ticket but he denied it) the blue badge, he took a photo of my number plate and said he would ring his boss to get the charge cancelled - I was never quite sure he was really going to do that, and even if he did, how would I know?
The charge today has been reduced as a gesture of goodwill to £20 - which is still a lot of money.  They are saying, I can appeal to POPLA - is it worth it?  Or should I just pay the £20?  If I do nothing, they are saying it will automatically increase to £100 after 35 days and will be passed to a debt recovery agent, at which point you will be liable to pay an additional £70.  The language in the letter is very strongly worded, I assume intentional to scare people into just paying.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Le_Kirk

It's your call, the £20 is aligned with a "minor keying error" when motorists input the wrong VRM into a PDT.  Who knows how the badge ended up on the floor of the car - did the "parking officer" (I think you are giving them more authority than they actually have) accidentally bump into the car and knock the badge off the dash?

Coupon-mad

I appealed, sending a photo of the Blue Badge and also on the same day the charge was issued, about 30 mins later, showed a parking officer (who was quite possibly the same person who issued the ticket but he denied it) the blue badge, he took a photo of my number plate and said he would ring his boss to get the charge cancelled - I was never quite sure he was really going to do that, and even if he did, how would I know?

He didn't.

What happened when you complained to the landowner to see if they'll just order it cancelled?

TabP

Hi, I’m trying to find out how I track down the landowner. Hadn’t thought of that. Thank you. 

What I did notice is the photograph they took of my parked vehicle does not show the dash very well as the sun is reflecting off the glass. I’m thinking of using this in any further communications, as they cannot prove the blue badge was or wasn’t displayed. 

KeithP

TabP said:

Hi, I’m trying to find out how I track down the landowner. Hadn’t thought of that. Thank you. 

Where exactly in Norwich did this parking event take place?

TabP

Longwater Retail Park (off the A47). 

Coupon-mad

TabP said:

Hi, I’m trying to find out how I track down the landowner. Hadn’t thought of that. Thank you. 

What I did notice is the photograph they took of my parked vehicle does not show the dash very well as the sun is reflecting off the glass. I’m thinking of using this in any further communications, as they cannot prove the blue badge was or wasn’t displayed. 

Yep, and attach a copy of the Blue Badge and show the landowner or agent you can find online for the place.

KeithP

TabP said:

Longwater Retail Park (off the A47). 

There is a sign at the entrance that tells you who manages the Longwater Retail Park...


I can't read the phone number but if you're local...

JLL - Jones Lang LaSalle - are well known here for helping out the customers of their retail parks.

Also go into any shops you visited and point out that you will be unable to return if each visit comes with a £100 surcharge.


Although having said that, maybe JLL are no longer involved. Those images are from 2018.

You may be better off looking at the Completely Retail website which shows this...

Umkomaas

Savills are even more helpful than Jones Lang LaSalle. Try them.. 

TabP

Thanks everyone for your help. Really appreciate it. I shall get on the case next week. 

Will post on here how I get on. 

TabP

Just another thought or point to ponder. The cameras outside these shops, are they monitored by the parking “police”? Seems very convenient that they arrived with 10-20 mins of me parking up. Similar issue in another retail park in Norwich last year, they claimed I wasn’t parked in a designated bay….but there was no signage so my appeal went through fine on
that occasion. 

Just seems a massive coincidence the “charges” are stuck to windscreens so quickly.