Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

OK now we have someone who was neither keeper nor driver when their car was parked at a Port car park operated by F1rst Parking:

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23916483.southampton-cruise-nurse-hits-slapped-parking-fine/

So, why did he pay?!

The BPA must be so proud.

It seems F1rst knew from his appeal that he wasn't the keeper or driver and was abroad, AND being a Port there's no keeper liability so they knew he was not the liable party, yet still they took £80 off him and he and the newspaper actually seem to think it was a fine.

Half_way

So much por information about PPCs is published in some (most?l papers that the information given could put people at risk, shame there's no way to put in an official complaint about poor journalism

On the subject of papers, the Independent has got wind of EPCs conduct in collecting tolls in Portugal https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/toll-charges-drivers-holidaymakers-portugal-b2446475.html


With this bit of nonsense at the bottom, follow this advice and you could be out of pocket

“If you believe you could have committed the offence you should pay the fine. If you ignore it, not only will the fine increase, but you can expect travel difficulties if you try to return to the same country.”

Coupon-mad

Retired Cornish nurse, 71, hit by parking fine because she can't download app

https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2023-11-16/retired-nurse-71-hit-by-parking-fine-because-she-cant-use-download-app

"A 71-year-old woman from Cornwall is refusing to pay a parking fine despite being chased by the parking company for almost a year.  Agnes Chandler said she was unable to pay for her ticket when she parked in Wadebridge because the machine was broken.

Park Services Limited, who operates the car park, argued Mrs Chandler should have paid through the app and has since escalated the fine to £160.  "That's when I saw red," Mrs Chandler said. "I wouldn't know how to install an app. I'm not going to download apps for every car park I go to. How are people supposed to do all that when they're old? My husband is 85. He has not got apps on his phone. He couldn't park anywhere on his own now. These people are stopping older people from going out and enjoying themselves."

Mrs Chandler does not know how to download an app and insists she will not succumb to the company’s “bully-boy tactics".  She said: "They can continue to send me their letters every month but I'm not paying. I'm making a stand for the older generation who's being excluded because they don't have an app."

_________________________________________________

Good for Agnes!  So much better than the crap stories where duped victims pay.

I think they might mean this bunch of timewasters:

www.iparkservices.co.uk

Our Story

"Having over 20 years of experience in the industry, we noticed countless bad business practices and a lack of good customer service within car park management companies.  Here at IPS we want to give the industry a better reputation by providing a friendlier & fairer approach to car park management."

Friendlier and fairer. Except in this case?

Coupon-mad

Drivers who parked in The Range for fireworks get Parkingeye fine

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23926155.drivers-parked-range-fireworks-get-parkingeye-fine/

Great stuff ParkingEye.  The BPA must be sooo proud.

FIVE GRAND from c50 duped drivers, none of whom saw your signs in the dark.  And there's no barrier to prevent people driving in to what ostensibly (from the entrance) looks like a free car park - see sign in the article, offering x hours max stay'.

It is a perfect trap, innit? ParkingEye's directors must be laughing all the way to the Supercar rally.

Kerchiiiing!

Coupon-mad

More 'double dip' alleged dirty tricks, this time in an article featuring NPC, a typical IPC firm:

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/drivers-furious-after-being-charged-8905588

"National Parking Control has been sending out letters asking motorists to pay £100 for "exceeding maximum stay" at Hull Business Park, Sutton Fields, HU7 0YN. The motorists affected claim the ANPR camera has not always captured them leaving or entering.  The car park offers 2 hours free parking and is often used by customers visiting B&M, Sutton Fields pub, and Buzz Bingo but some drivers say receiving the letters has discouraged them from returning.

Hull Live has seen three of these letters - one claimed a motorist stayed for more than 23 hours, when their home CCTV appeared to show their car reversing onto their driveway just 36 minutes after they first entered the car park on October 28.

Another driver showed Hull Live a letter which claimed they had visited the car park for 12 hours and 19 minutes. But the driver claimed they had only stayed to eat at the pub and returned home the same night.

"I went into the Sutton Fields pub for tea put my registration into the tablet and I left the same night but the camera didn't pick me up leaving," they told Hull Live. "I then re-entered the B&M carpark the next morning as a cut through to drop a friend off at work on Sutton Fields but the camera only saw me leaving and not entering so it looks like I've stayed for 12 hours because the cameras haven't picked up every entry and exit."

A third driver, Shell Egan, showed Hull Live a copy of the letter she'd received which claimed she had stayed for 16 hours. She said: "I live a two-minute drive away on Leads Road so why would I choose to park there for 16 hours? It's crazy."

"Puts you off using B&M, people can't afford to get fines in this crisis," said one person commenting on Hull Live's Facebook page. Another person commented: "Buzz Bingo customers - loads have had them it's disgusting even after they have put reg in iPad."

"My boyfriend and his step brother pulled into B&M to get bits for their job and his step brother's work van apparently stayed in the car park overnight when they only popped in - he got a ticket too," commented one user. Another said: "Yes I received a fine too for 44 hours I have contested it but haven't received a reply."

Someone commented: "I had a fine issued to me on Friday for exceeding the parking time... I was there 30 minutes! I've sent an appeal."

A second wrote: "They did this to my friend she went on the Saturday and again on the Sunday and they said she had been there 48 hours.

Hull Live approached NCP by email and telephone but a spokesperson declined to comment.

Not surprised, given it's NPC, not NCP! 

Coupon-mad

Think this needs adding to this thread - I admit I didn't listen to it, seemed like hot air to me:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6485563/you-and-yours-call-in-today-on-private-parking-companies

drbayleaf said:

Radio 4 You and Yours right now is a call in about dodgy private parking firms: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sd2q 

Umkomaas said:

Listened to the first 30 minutes. Started with a case of someone who felt they could park in the local undertakers car park as it was empty while she went to a nearby cash point.  Unsurprisingly NtK in the post (but felt entitled to park there - recent leg op, weekend so no funerals etc etc). Then, a couple of the more usual case types we deal with. 

Gary Rycroft solicitor chiming in with not always accurate/helpful advice. Hospital parking tickets, Llangrannog, unreliable P&D machines, two identical cases (father and daughter cars at same time and location) going to POPLA - one successful, the other rejected, were mentioned. Was going to turn it off at this stage, but attention turned to the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 (at around 18:30 minutes in) which was a bit more interesting with some decent Gary input. 

Then off we go again with potentially more long-winded tales of woe, so as I've probably 'heard' them already a zillion times here on MSE, I pulled the plug. If anyone has more resilience/patience than me to get to the end and finds there are more interesting segments later, perhaps they can comment here. 

Coupon-mad

Interesting take on real PCNs and fake PCNs, from Canada:

https://www.thespec.com/opinion/parking-predicament-charity-volunteer-s-double-fine-dilemma-raises-questions-about-city-of-hamilton-policies/article_d24ea730-478d-5d87-955b-dd0723c76c0b.html

What a mess.

BBDriver

Your and Yours on BBC Radio 4 ran a program dedicated to private parking firms on Tuesday 15th Nov 2023.

It's still on the iPlayer if you want to have a listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sd2q

It really could have done with a contribution from Coupon-mad.

Lawyer Gary Rycroft was OK but really lacked teeth when referring to PPCs and their scandalous practices.

As it was a phone-in there is a lot of anecdotal evidence of bad practice and how people are affected - is that of any use to you Coupon-mad?

Umkomaas

BBDriver said:

Your and Yours on BBC Radio 4 ran a program dedicated to private parking firms on Tuesday 15th Nov 2023.

It's still on the iPlayer if you want to have a listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sd2q

It really could have done with a contribution from Coupon-mad.

Lawyer Gary Rycroft was OK but really lacked teeth when referring to PPCs and their scandalous practices.

As it was a phone-in there is a lot of anecdotal evidence of bad practice and how people are affected - is that of any use to you Coupon-mad?

See @Coupon-mad's post two above this one (at 1.00am). 

UncleThomasCobley

Coupon-mad said:

Interesting take on real PCNs and fake PCNs, from Canada:

https://www.thespec.com/opinion/parking-predicament-charity-volunteer-s-double-fine-dilemma-raises-questions-about-city-of-hamilton-policies/article_d24ea730-478d-5d87-955b-dd0723c76c0b.html

What a mess.

After a recent visit to Winnipeg, I used a P&D car park at a shopping venue. I wasn't sure on the procedure and hadn't paid. I did this twice before getting some advice and on the third visit, paid (just enter reg. No need to display ticket). On returning to the car, there was a card under the wiper blade.

The card basically said that they'd noticed that I hadn't paid a couple of previous times and that if I wanted to avoid being charged or towed, I should pay. It went on to politely say that they did not want to cause any problem with me patronising the location and that the reminder was just that, to pay in future.

I regret not keeping the card and showing it here as a good example of how parking firms should operate with the idea that their contractor should be able to profit from the drivers patronage but if, after a couple of gentle reminders, repeat offenders will finally be invoiced or towed.

Can you imagine any of the vermin that infest our privately run car parks here in the UK ever considering the effect that they have on their contractors business with their rush to inflict damage and repetitional loss in order to feed their own greed, adopting such a stance?