Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

Can anyone get past the paywall to show this whole Times article?

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pay-parking-fine-uk-group-nexus-jill-insley-evri-o2-xgsfxg7mj

I captured enough to see it's about Group Nexus but no more:

Coupon-mad

Shame on you, I don't know how some people sleep at night:

- Excel Parking Services Ltd

- and the IPC, who unashamedly prop up this trash:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/amp/parking-chiefs-slammed-as-heartless-over-170-fine-for-gri-300761/

Grieving pensioner fined outside Poundland on Gillingham Business Park as daughter lay dying in hospital

EXCEL effectively (it seems) told the grieving 89 year old to take a running jump when he appealed and poured his heart out. Tough...

But business park manager Andrew Wenzerul authorised the withdrawal of the notice. He said the double yellows had recently been introduced onsite to ease congestion and understood some drivers were not yet aware of them.

Coupon-mad

And shame on 

- UKPC

- and the BPA, who unashamedly prop up this trash, this time indirectly overseeing UKPC threaten a partially sighted keeper/passenger:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/partially-sighted-cardiff-man-fined-28536399.amp

Blue badge owner facing legal battle after getting 'unbelievable' car park fine

Partially sighted UKPC victim Howell Williams said his wife had to park it like that as the car next to theirs was too close - and it was the closest space to the disabled area at the Cardiff Bay Retail Park.

His appeal to overturn the fine was rejected and it has escalated to £170. UK Parking Control has got debt recovery agencies involved and threatened legal action against him.

...the car in the adjacent space had also parked over the bay markings - forcing Leonor to position her car slightly to the right, so Howell could safely get in and out of the car without damaging the other car.

Howell said: "They had high-vis jackets on, running around with a camera. I wondered what the hell they were doing. I couldn't believe it. I did not realise they were parking attendants. There was nothing on their high-vis jackets."

Mr Williams said he explained everything in an appeal to UKPC but "they did not want to know" and the fine was upheld. He said the dispute is ongoing and the last letter he received about it was two weeks ago. 

It's not the first time a disabled motorist has been hit a fine for parking outside the markings in Cardiff Bay Retail Park. In August last year, pensioner Amal Bafaqih, 85, said she felt "victimised" after she received an £100 fine from UKPC for parking her car "one inch" outside of the bay.

Like Howell, she vowed to fight the matter in court.

Coupon-mad

A new survey has revealed that more than four-in-five drivers dislike using the many parking apps available in the UK.

In fact, 83% of the 1387 people who were surveyed said they preferred to use contactless card payments or cash to park – rather than downloading and creating an account for the many different apps used today.

The survey, from Autocar, discovered that drivers were concerned about online fraud and that some apps were overly complicated.

Further results from the survey found that only 14% of drivers preferred using parking apps over any other form of payment.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/majority-of-drivers-want-to-see-the-end-of-parking-apps/

Coupon-mad

https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/excel-parking-furious-pensioner-launches-parking-clampdown-petition-4496783

Latest from the Sheffield Star:

Last year, Mr Luckhurst won an 18-month legal battle with Excel Parking after he mistakenly stopped in a reserved space in a car park in Uxbridge. He argued the lighting was too dim to see markings and signs and a judge dismissed the case.

He strongly resented how Excel tried to turn a £1.60 parking fee into a demand for £255. 

Now he has launched a petition in a bid to bring the code of practice back.

No need for a petition - as we all know, work on the new statutory Code certainly stuttered but didn't stop - but I admire him, and the message to Government would be useful if enough sign!

Trainerman

I signed Mr Luckhurst's petition anyway. As far as I am concerned, anything that might help is worthwhile

Debszzzz2

Coupon-mad said:

Can anyone get past the paywall to show this whole Times article?

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pay-parking-fine-uk-group-nexus-jill-insley-evri-o2-xgsfxg7mj

I captured enough to see it's about Group Nexus but no more:

I’ve reproduced the article below. However, it is going to make you cringe…

I returned home from a week away on November 22, and opened the mail the next day to find that I had a parking charge notice from Group Nexus with a fine of £60. The notice was dated November 9, and since I had to pay within 14 days the last day to do this was November 23.
 
I have parked at this retail park for years and didn’t even know it had been changed to limited parking. I didn’t see the notices on my way in, but I accept that that was my problem and I have tried my best to pay this fine. I tried to pay five times online on November 23 but was told each time that the transaction had failed. I tried using different credit and debit cards in case that was the problem. I then tried to pay four times by phone, and each time was told that the “parking reference number was invalid”. There is no opportunity to speak to a human by telephone because it is an automated system.

The charge information said that in the event of a problem I should email appeal@appealpcn.co.uk, which I did on November 23 explaining my difficulty in paying. I received an automated response saying my query would be answered within 35 days and that in the meantime my fine was on hold. Two weeks later, on December 7, I had an email reply that didn’t answer my questions but reiterated the information in the original correspondence. I tried again to pay the charge online and by phone with the same outcome: “transaction failed” and “reference invalid”.

In a fit of anger I sent Group Nexus a cheque for £60 by first-class post with a scribbled note explaining that I had tried to pay this fine but it was making it impossible to do so by any means other than cheque.

I thought no more about it until last week when I received a further notice advising me that I have to pay £170 or the charge will be passed to a debt recovery agent. This is outrageously unfair. I don’t deny that my car was parked over the allocated time, but when I have tried so many times to pay and I can’t get to speak to a human to explain the situation why should I be penalised?

Jill replies

I explained your situation to Group Nexus and asked it to reconsider. It confirmed that it had received your cheque and said: “As such, we will not be enforcing the increased amount. We understand that on occasion motorists may have difficulty paying using some of the different methods, which is why we provide a number of ways to pay for a parking charge.” What a shame that none of the methods provided included speaking to a human being.

patient_dream

I have also signed the petition. the more the merrier

I do wonder what the Dept of Levelling Up do all day ?
One thing for certain ...... they are failing to protect the public from the great parking scam ... years we have waited yet government can quickly ban XL Bullys ?

What is the Dept of Levelling up SO SCARED OF

Maybe they await news from PMQ's where the great slanging matches take place

Nellymoser

I too signed Mr Luckhurst's petition
https://www.change.org/p/last-chance-saloon-fight-the-parking-cowboys?

Coupon-mad

I did too.  Pressure helps.