Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

More dodgy machines that mysteriously move on to the payment screen and/or just fail to record VRMs properly (or at all).

This time Initial Parking at Slate Quay:

https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25179780.womans-shock-post-using-caernarfon-car-park/

A woman was shocked to receive a fine after using a Caernarfon car park for 50 minutes, having paid for a space there for one hour. Mrs D’Alessandro said: “Looking online, this seems to be a common issue, where customers have paid for parking (at Slate Quay), but then still receive a PCN.

When contacted by the Chronicle, Initial Parking said the wrong car registration number was placed, but that the fine was cancelled NOT BY THEM but by the land owners, Caernarfon Harbour trust:

“As per the evidence the motorist has provided, the registration the motorist made payment for was ‘EE’. Therefore, the terms and conditions of the car park were breached and a PCN was correctly issued."

No it wasn't. Don't be ridiculous. On the balance of probabilities she did NOT input 'EE' and nobody would have done.

Your machine caused this, Initial. Yet another landowner having to step in.

But it's not a new issue at this notorious site that people are starting to avoid. The Chronicle has reported last year on multiple occasions of people disputing PCNs they have received after using Slate Quay car park:

Joe Mills criticised “unscrupulous” Initial Parking after he was fined last September...

...while a pensioner from Anglesey said she received a PCN “to my great dismay” at Slate Quay last summer...

...Another man on holiday in North Wales, Richard Adams, also received a PCN from Initial Parking after using the Slate Quay car park. Mr Adams labelled this fine “absurd”,with it having been issued to him for apparently failing to enter his full vehicle registration.

Nellymoser

Technical difficulties or is it more dodgy machines?

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/25184370.patients-receive-parking-fine-poole-gp-appointment/

A patient at the Adam Practice said she finds it very, very hard to believe the parking company didn't have her vehicle registered into their machine.

The Practice says "it has asked the parking company to review it's system, to ensure it is set to the correct timeframes it has in place for parking regulations".

The unnamed "parking company has apologised and said they were experiencing technical difficulties and patients received parking tickets even when they had entered their details correctly".

"The company will honour any appeals during this period and if a patient has already paid a fine, a refund will be processed."

Surely it's time for Ministerial Depts and the DVLA to start asking the IPC and BPA why their AOS members experience a higher number of 'technical difficulties' than other uk industries do.

Nellymoser

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/people/i-fought-parking-fine-company-over-wrongful-ticket-and-won-my-appeal-but-i-also-want-an-apology-says-milton-keynes-motorist-5149592

A furious driver whose shop receipts and car tracking system proved he was wrongly issued with a £100 PCN had to turn to the newspaper for Countrywide Parking Management to say  'sorry and take ownership of the error'.

The driver said "I received a very condescending email. It stated:

‘The appeal has been reviewed. Our photo evidence and notes have all been taken into account. Having considered the content of your letter we are prepared to cancel this notice and no further action will be taken.’

"The least they could have done was offer an apology and admit that they had made a mistake or that their equipment was faulty and had failed to record my car exiting at about 16:45 and re-entering at about 19:20.”

He added: “I feel very strongly that car park management companies use these sort of incidents as a source of extra income and resort to threats and bullying tactics to extort money from the unsuspecting public.”

Many of us would agree with that.

Umkomaas

He added: “I feel very strongly that car park management companies use these sort of incidents as a source of extra their only income and resort to threats and bullying tactics to extort money from the unsuspecting public.”

Fixed that for him! 😉

Nellymoser

👍 @Umkomaas it needed that fix.

Nellymoser

St Ives holidaymaker receives £170 demand from debt collectors says she never received any letters from Initial Parking regarding a £100 pcn for a less than 10-minute overstay.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mum-issued-time-come-warning-130427388.html

Initial Parking wouldn't let her appeal and transfer liability. Saying: "Due to the length of time the Parking Charge Notice has been open, this has now been passed to a debt recovery agent and we therefore cannot accept a transfer of liability request at this stage."

I didn't think this was the case maybe @Kaizen2024 from the parking industry would care to clarify this for me.

Kaizen2024

Liability can be transferred at any time prior to proceedings. Am not a fan of Initial, all their signs and templates are copied from other operators; which indicates they don’t know what they are doing.

Umkomaas

Kaizen2024 said:

Liability can be transferred at any time prior to proceedings. Am not a fan of Initial, all their signs and templates are copied from other operators; which indicates they don’t know what they are doing.

Are the BPA doing something about that then?

Car1980

Nellymoser said:

St Ives holidaymaker receives £170 demand from debt collectors says she never received any letters from Initial Parking regarding a £100 pcn for a less than 10-minute overstay.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mum-issued-time-come-warning-130427388.html

Initial Parking wouldn't let her appeal and transfer liability. Saying: "Due to the length of time the Parking Charge Notice has been open, this has now been passed to a debt recovery agent and we therefore cannot accept a transfer of liability request at this stage."

I didn't think this was the case maybe @Kaizen2024 from the parking industry would care to clarify this for me.

Why send out invoices for £100/£60 when you can simply "forget" and send out £170 ones instead? 😉

kryten3000

Kaizen2024 said:

Liability can be transferred at any time prior to proceedings. 

Try telling any IPC members that.  They will usually stick to the entirely incorrect stance that after 28 days it's too late when the POFA clearly says otherwise.