PCN - Parking Eye

emoossun25

Last September, I drove into the car park of Mecca Bingo Wood Green to pick up a client for the purpose of taking their driving test rather than waiting on the major road as waiting and parking are prohibited. Soon after, I received a penalty charge notice from Parking Eye and I appealed on the grounds mentioned above but they refused to cancel the ticket. Consequently, I contacted the management at Mecca Bingo Wood Green and explained the situation and they replied:

"They usually don't cancel similar tickets, but Xmas is around the corner and I asked them to delete it for you".

Meanwhile, Parking Eye sent me another correspondence and threatened to take legal action. Again, I alerted Mecca Bingo, and they asked me to send a copy of the letter from Parking Eye and they responded:

"it should be sorted real quick, I emailed them back asking once again to cancel the ticket.".

And after that, I tried to call the manager at Mecca Bingo and I was told that they would get back in touch with me shortly but that followed by an email that I received instead which read:

"Unfortunately there's not much I can do about it, they refused to cancel it because you aren't a bingo customer and you didn't pay for the parking. The only thing I can do is to try to ask for a discount and I will let you know if they accept it.".

Finally, I received another email from Parking Eye offering a reduction which amounts to £60 to pay.

I believe this is rather unprofessional from Mecca Bingo Wood Green and would appreciate your advice as to how I should proceed with the matter.

Coupon-mad

I'm not local, but looking on Google maps, I thought the roads round there were not 'red route' but are single or double yellows, where you can legally board/alight passengers (and can never get a ticket if briefly waiting to do that)?

None of the posters here would ever drive into a private car park to pick someone up and we always say we hope driving instructors are warning new drivers never to use private car parks, and to use yellow lines instead for exempt activity (loading, unloading, boarding and alighting).  All the time this rogue private parking industry is unregulated (it is coming to them in a year or so) every careful driver must be told to avoid the parking sharks.

You are now caught in a trap.  You will be sued.  I don't see an out nor a court defence.

This isn't Mecca's fault.  They tried to cancel it and PEye refused. You are stuck and £60 is the best you will get, sadly.

Certainly never pick clients up from private flats nor anywhere with ANPR cameras like the bingo, or supermarkets. Sorry you learned the hard way.

If I were you, as you pick clients up a lot, suss out streets to pick people up next time and as long as you avoid red routes and bus lanes, as you will probably know, you can't be ticketed on yellow lines. It's what single and DYL are there for, to facilitate loading/passenger drop offs and pick ups.  Side streets are best to avoid obstructing traffic on A roads. Make people walk a bit!

D_P_Dance

PakingEye's signs are pants, if they are questionned in court they are likely to struggle, read this and complsin to your MP.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5972164/parking-eye-signs-oxford-road-reading/p1 

emoossun25

Coupon-mad said:

I'm not local, but looking on Google maps, I thought the roads round there were not 'red route' but are single or double yellows, where you can legally board/alight passengers (and can never get a ticket if briefly waiting to do that)?

None of the posters here would ever drive into a private car park to pick someone up and we always say we hope driving instructors are warning new drivers never to use private car parks, and to use yellow lines instead for exempt activity (loading, unloading, boarding and alighting).  All the time this rogue private parking industry is unregulated (it is coming to them in a year or so) every careful driver must be told to avoid the parking sharks.

You are now caught in a trap.  You will be sued.  I don't see an out nor a court defence.

This isn't Mecca's fault.  They tried to cancel it and PEye refused. You are stuck and £60 is the best you will get, sadly.

Certainly never pick clients up from private flats nor anywhere with ANPR cameras like the bingo, or supermarkets. Sorry you learned the hard way.

If I were you, as you pick clients up a lot, suss out streets to pick people up next time and as long as you avoid red routes and bus lanes, as you will probably know, you can't be ticketed on yellow lines. It's what single and DYL are there for, to facilitate loading/passenger drop offs and pick ups.  Side streets are best to avoid obstructing traffic on A roads. Make people walk a bit!

I want to say thank you for your kind response to my post. I really appreciate it. The problem is that I've driven into this car park and waited on several occasions before and nothing happened as such.

emoossun25

D_P_Dance said:

PakingEye's signs are pants, if they are questionned in court they are likely to struggle, read this and complsin to your MP.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5972164/parking-eye-signs-oxford-road-reading/p1 

Thank you and your comment is very much appreciated.

fisherjim

emoossun25 said:

Coupon-mad said:

I'm not local, but looking on Google maps, I thought the roads round there were not 'red route' but are single or double yellows, where you can legally board/alight passengers (and can never get a ticket if briefly waiting to do that)?

None of the posters here would ever drive into a private car park to pick someone up and we always say we hope driving instructors are warning new drivers never to use private car parks, and to use yellow lines instead for exempt activity (loading, unloading, boarding and alighting).  All the time this rogue private parking industry is unregulated (it is coming to them in a year or so) every careful driver must be told to avoid the parking sharks.

You are now caught in a trap.  You will be sued.  I don't see an out nor a court defence.

This isn't Mecca's fault.  They tried to cancel it and PEye refused. You are stuck and £60 is the best you will get, sadly.

Certainly never pick clients up from private flats nor anywhere with ANPR cameras like the bingo, or supermarkets. Sorry you learned the hard way.

If I were you, as you pick clients up a lot, suss out streets to pick people up next time and as long as you avoid red routes and bus lanes, as you will probably know, you can't be ticketed on yellow lines. It's what single and DYL are there for, to facilitate loading/passenger drop offs and pick ups.  Side streets are best to avoid obstructing traffic on A roads. Make people walk a bit!

I want to say thank you for your kind response to my post. I really appreciate it. The problem is that I've driven into this car park and waited on several occasions before and nothing happened as such.

Which has no relevance to this incident at all, there may be a longish grace period for example, which you exceeded this time, It's not a penalty notice by the way it's an invoice.

Coupon-mad

The grace period might also have gone down.  Doesn't have to be advertised. Typically it's just 5 minutes including driving in and out. Assume with ANPR you have 4 minutes only, then leave.

Or preferably, don't go into ANPR car parks at all.

Can't stress enough, the message to learn from this:

Don't use any private car parks (even when shops are shut).  Never use them for driver tuition, nor waiting for a client.

Use double or single yellows (as long as not causing a traffic obstruction) to board or alight a passenger, as that's one of their purposes. 

And you'd be doing all your learners a favour if you spend 5 minutes telling them this.  Everyone needs to know that double snd single yellows ARE the place to stop for boarding/alighting (and same for loading/unloading unless there are kerb blips).

You will know all that already but please pass it on and stop people aiming for car parks to park the car to carry out short pick ups and other (on street) exempt activity.