Parking stories in the News/media

patient_dream

ParkingMad said:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bank-of-scotland-online-savings-transfer-paragon-bank-mistake-help-xxm9nvc03

I don’t have a smartphone, so parking firm fined me £170

The Times consumer champion gets to grips with an unfair penalty for someone with multiple sclerosis

Katherine Denham

Wednesday March 27 2024, 12.00pm GMT, The Times

In March last year I caught a train from Manchester Piccadilly and parked in a nearby car park. The pay and display sign gave the option to pay by phone, but when I called the number a recorded message said the option wasn’t available at that site. 

I tried this twice with the same result. This meant that the only option was to pay for parking through an app, but I don’t own a smartphone. I asked a passer-by for directions to another car park near the station, got back in my car and drove off as quickly as I could so I would have enough time to catch my train. My time in the car park amounted to 15 minutes.

I have multiple sclerosis and it takes me much longer than others to move, but UK Car Park Management (CPM) has disputed the fact that it took me that long to leave the car park and has fined me £100. Its cameras can see only the car’s time of entry and exit, and nothing else. I challenged the fine but my appeal was rejected twice.

The penalty charge has increased, and I am now being told to pay £170. I did not park and did not realise that it was a crime to not possess a smartphone.
Name and address supplied

Troubleshooter says

It could easily take someone 15 minutes to find a space, park, try to negotiate how to pay, find information about another car park and drive off, so I thought this penalty was unreasonable. 

The car park has automatic number plate recognition cameras, which capture the time that vehicles enter and leave. These images are checked against payment logs from the app, pay by phone service and permit system to make sure that all vehicles are authorised to park. 

CPM said it gives drivers a grace period, but how long that is depends on the size of the car park, and in its view you had spent too long in this one.

• Is it worth appealing against a parking fine?

When you appealed against the penalty you were asked for proof that you had a blue badge, which CPM said you had not provided. Yet you showed me your letter, which enclosed a copy of your badge and a note from your doctor to say that you were registered as disabled. CPM received this in May after the appeals process was complete, but I was surprised that it had not had a change of heart once it got your letter.

After my intervention CPM has decided to waive the £170 charge. It has been a year-long battle, and you were relieved that this sorry saga was finally at an end, but you are angry that you feel it is now mandatory to have a smartphone.

Great article with a good result.

Does the reporter understand how this scam works.

CPM waived the £170. The parking charge was £100 and CPM would not have paid the added £70 to the idiot debt collector
The debt collector is a different entity to CPM and it is the debt collector who applied the fake £70

How can CPM cancel a £170 charge when their ticket actually shows£ 100
Of course they told the debt firm but, this shows there is a cartel operating with all the parking companies

Maybe CPM should be investigated by HMRC if they think the added £70 which is a debt collection charge is VOID of VAT

Wonder how much VAT the government can claim back 

We know the fake £70 is the bounty debt collectors receive if people are foolish enough to pay them

WHERE IS THE SHARE FOR HMRC ??

A good reporter is needed

MothballsWallet

Coupon-mad said:

NCC1701-A said:

Jenni_D said:

NCC1701-A said:

Whatever2023 said:

The driver a) exceeded the consideration period and b) wasn’t reviewing/considering the terms of the contract (the purpose of the CP) in any event.

A grace period is added to a paid for / free parking period; therefore, does not apply to this matter.

I fail to see any error on the operators part.

Judges and barristers appear to disagree with your analysis, 

https://youtu.be/L2FXsxpm04E?si=m39_TuRw5Tk4yjLY

Following that link I only see:

Video unavailable

This video is private

🤷‍♀️

Bizare, it was by black belt barrister quoting Ashby V Tolhurst (1937) in a One Parking Solution case where a driver stopped for 12 minutes to take a call on her mobile, and was about the definition of parking but also that grace period's only apply during contract consideration, if you never get out of the car (so not parking) grace periods are irrelevant. It was the copy link button I use, here is another by him using the same case law.  https://youtu.be/prpn9pKE6xk?si=h-oMAQBjESbqV8Ad

He should have done his homework better.

The first hearing (that I won on every point) was not argued that way at all and this is not true "grace period's only apply during contract consideration, if you never get out of the car (so not parking) grace periods are irrelevant"!

I don't argue silly stuff like that.  Plainly wrong.  Anyway never mind the win: OPS v Wilshaw was appealed - lost - the win was overturned.

HHJ Simpkiss fell for every bit of rubbish (including out of date case law) hook, line & sinker.  He had no contract law experience and OPS' barrister's eyes must have lit up.

The Brighton Judges must have been pee'd off because they ignored his judgment since!

Anyway Black Belt barrister is more of a green belt IMHO, when it comes to parking cases.

His specialist field is Intellectual Property law, iirc.

Coupon-mad

Not parking & contracts by conduct then! You can tell.  But he only had to Google to find the case was appealed & overturned.  One would expect better research.

patient_dream

Parkingeye has been accused of running an 'entrapment scheme' 

Parking firm is accused of running an 'entrapment scheme' after hiding sign for private car park behind a tree...and then fining drivers who thought they were using a council plot

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13222307/Parking-entrapment-hiding-sign-private-car-park-tree-fining-drivers-council.html

What's new ?     Yet another failure by the BPA to audit sites

Why does government not understand that the BPA IS A DEAD DUCK FLOATING IN SEWAGE WATER

FrankCannon

There was a typically ill-informed discussion about parking charges in hospitals on GMB on ITV1 this morning - a very difficult watch. ITV put up a lawyer to advocate for continuing with hospital parking charges, and he put forward the usual argument about about people parking free in hospitals to do their shopping in Tesco. I don't know if he is a parking expert or just a rent-a-gob paid to put forward a contrary position.

https://brittontime.com/our-team/paul-britton

Andrew Pester even made a brief appearance. I can't watch it any more !

alanjuk

This place has appeared a few times in our local rag. 

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/more-motorists-stuck-wolstanton-retail-9221789
.

patient_dream

WARNING ..... walking your dog could get you a CCJ and over £700 charges >
THIS IS WHAT THE PARKING COWBOY DID .... CEL OF COURSE

WHICH COUNTY COURT JUDGE WAS SO STUPID TO LET THIS HAPPEN ?

Motorist who was fined by a £1 car park for walking her dog says years of fighting the company has left her £733 out of pocket and with a trashed credit rating

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13301491/Motorist-fined-1-car-park-walking-dog-says-years-fighting-company-left-733-pocket-trashed-credit-rating.html

THE JUDGE WHO WAS SO STUPID TO ALLOW THIS SHOULD BE SACKED AS BEING TOTALLY INCOMPETENT

Coupon-mad

No Judge was involved. It was a default CCJ.  But what a shocking indictment of the scam operated by PPCs and enabled by the appallingly RoboClaim-favouring MCOL system and the seemingly clueless MOJ.

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

No Judge was involved. It was a default CCJ.  But what a shocking indictment of the scam operated by PPCs and enabled by the appallingly RoboClaim-favouring MCOL system and the seemingly clueless MOJ.

If no judge was involved, who issued the CCJ ??

Coupon-mad

MCOL system.  We know this already. No Judge is ever involved in any of our CCJ threads.