Parking stories in the News/media

Nellymoser

Much of the info in this article's probably been reported in this thread but good to be reminded the DVLA made £35.9 million last year just by selling our info to private parking firms.

That's close to £100,000 every 24 hours. A stream of revenue they won't want to see drying up. 

I'm never clear on where this 'surplus' (the DVLA likes to call it) money goes. Anyone know if DVLA retain the 'surplus' or does it go to DfT?

 https://www.regit.cars/car-news/inside-the-parking-fine-scandal-faulty-machines-ps100-fines-and-no-way-to-fight-back

Castle

Nellymoser said:

Much of the info in this article's probably been reported in this thread but good to be reminded the DVLA made £35.9 million last year just by selling our info to private parking firms.

That's close to £100,000 every 24 hours. A stream of revenue they won't want to see drying up. 

I'm never clear on where this 'surplus' (the DVLA likes to call it) money goes. Anyone know if DVLA retain the 'surplus' or does it go to DfT?

 https://www.regit.cars/car-news/inside-the-parking-fine-scandal-faulty-machines-ps100-fines-and-no-way-to-fight-back

It goes towards covering the cost of providing the details FOC to Local Authorities, TFL, Toll roads, Byelaws, Police and other legal enforcement, the so called "KADOE-Non Fee".

Half_way

The parking companies are quick to take (disproportionate) action against people.

But why don't people take action against the parking companies and those that allow them onto their land, such as the owners of Rushton yard in the previous post?

patient_dream

My concern is the lack of intelligence of this government. It has been clear for years that parking has grown into a scam industry on an industrial level. The BPA and IPC are both useless and do nothing about this rogue traders mega scam.
Will government see through the charade of the BPA and IPC

When I say there is no intelligence, of late the online safety act was introduced and what a farce that is ?   Anyone can over ride the act by installing a VPN which is being advertised all over YOUTUBE ??

So much for government intelligence .... the lack of is concerning when it comes to the parking code of practice and an independent appeals service .... DUMP POPLA and IAS

Nellymoser

FrankCannon said:

An ANPR mis-read in Leicestershire ;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9w0e13zkyo

A man was wrongly issued with a parking charge after his car was mixed up with another vehicle with a nearly identical number plate.

Richard Lynn said that on 18 March 2024, he paid £1.70 to park for about 30 minutes in Rushton's Yard car park in Ashby, Leicestershire, but later received a demand for £165 from solicitors representing private firm Horizon Parking.

The 53-year-old said photographic evidence, provided by the company, showed his Hyundai entering the car park - but a Kia with an identical number plate bar one letter leaving nine hours later.

A Horizon Parking spokesperson told the BBC the matter had been rectified when it was brought to their attention. The BBC asked the firm to clarify if that meant the charge had been cancelled, and that potential legal proceedings had been halted, but it declined to say. It said it had written to Mr Lynn, from Ashby, to inform him, but he said he had not received a letter from the company.

"We do make every effort with our processes to issue correct parking charges," a statement from Horizon Parking said. "We'll investigate to see how we can improve, but would encourage drivers to appeal in circumstances where the parking charge may be incorrect, to enable the matter to be resolved at an early stage. Unfortunately, we didn't receive an appeal and the parking charge therefore proceeded via our recovery methods. Once the matter was brought to our attention, it was rectified."

Utter garbage from Horizon and STOP BLAMING DRIVERS for not appealing. We do not want to be fa*ting about appealing when the pcn should never have been sent in the first place.

Here's how you improve Horizon to make your company look capable of managing parking:
1) Check the pcn details before sending.
2) If no contact or appeal received RE-CHECK the pcn details before escalating enforcement action.

I believe @MothballsWallet is right the only thing that will make operators improve is hitting them in the pockets for every single error they make. Money seems to be the only language they understand.

Nellymoser

More errors from parking operators systems. ParkMaven apologises for issuing pcns in error over a 9 day period to visitors who had paid for their parking at Cumberland Infirmary.

Five motorists contacted the News & Star. One said "The experience has caused me nothing but stress, the fact you can't even get in contact with anyone to speak to makes it even worse." 

Another said she's dreading going to visit her seriously ill sister now, fearful of the consequences of just parking her car. "It's a disgrace that I'm being fined even though I paid my bill. Just think of everybody else who has also paid - it isn't right for a hospital to be like this."

In ParkMaven's statement to the News & Star, the error was caused by.....wait for it.....

"an unforeseen technical communication fault between some car park terminal systems and our compliance platform. The fault originated outside of ParkMaven's direct systems."

We all know errors can happen but with parking operators experiencing such a high level of system failures they really should have an easy way for motorists to contact them other than through the media.

At least ParkMaven aren't expecting those affected to appeal. They say a formal pcn cancellation letter will be sent to all those affected.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/drivers-fined-for-parking-at-cumberland-infirmary-despite-paying-for-their-stay/ar-AA1KeGeJ

MothballsWallet

Nellymoser said:

More errors from parking operators systems. ParkMaven apologises for issuing pcns in error over a 9 day period to visitors who had paid for their parking at Cumberland Infirmary.

Five motorists contacted the News & Star. One said "The experience has caused me nothing but stress, the fact you can't even get in contact with anyone to speak to makes it even worse." 

Another said she's dreading going to visit her seriously ill sister now, fearful of the consequences of just parking her car. "It's a disgrace that I'm being fined even though I paid my bill. Just think of everybody else who has also paid - it isn't right for a hospital to be like this."

In ParkMaven's statement to the News & Star, the error was caused by.....wait for it.....

"an unforeseen technical communication fault between some car park terminal systems and our compliance platform. The fault originated outside of ParkMaven's direct systems."

We all know errors can happen but with parking operators experiencing such a high level of system failures they really should have an easy way for motorists to contact them other than through the media.

At least ParkMaven aren't expecting those affected to appeal. They say a formal pcn cancellation letter will be sent to all those affected.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/drivers-fined-for-parking-at-cumberland-infirmary-despite-paying-for-their-stay/ar-AA1KeGeJ

Highlighting is mine.

I work in IT - I don't believe them and it sounds to me that they did not design, implement and test their systems properly.

If bank cash machines' software has to be written to be able to handle network issues, then why don't PPC systems have to meet the same standards?

Coupon-mad

I don't think we saw this article yet, about ParkingEye:

Campaigners take on Parking Eye car park in West Runton

https://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/news/25364373.campaigners-take-parking-eye-car-park-west-runton/

Fed-up villagers have launched a campaign against a private car park operator over fears that a card payment blunder will affect tourism.

A local village councillor "wrote back saying she was absolutely fed up of getting complaints about the car park and, because it was private property belonging to the village social club, advised us to contact the chairman there."

They followed her advice to no avail.

But in response to the growing number of complaints, and following a visit from an engineer to repair the faulty card reader, Parkingeye has reportedly agreed to rescind all fines issued in the 28 days prior to July 23 this year.

But campaigners say this doesn’t go far enough.

Mr Thompson said: “The same issue has been happening for about two years. The only difference is that now, with the summer season in full swing, they’ve been forced to act. But what about the hundreds of people who were caught out before July? Why are they being ignored?”

Stonk

FrankCannon said:

An ANPR mis-read in Leicestershire ;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9w0e13zkyo

A man was wrongly issued with a parking charge after his car was mixed up with another vehicle with a nearly identical number plate.

Richard Lynn said that on 18 March 2024, he paid £1.70 to park for about 30 minutes in Rushton's Yard car park in Ashby, Leicestershire, but later received a demand for £165 from solicitors representing private firm Horizon Parking.

The 53-year-old said photographic evidence, provided by the company, showed his Hyundai entering the car park - but a Kia with an identical number plate bar one letter leaving nine hours later.

A Horizon Parking spokesperson told the BBC the matter had been rectified when it was brought to their attention. The BBC asked the firm to clarify if that meant the charge had been cancelled, and that potential legal proceedings had been halted, but it declined to say. It said it had written to Mr Lynn, from Ashby, to inform him, but he said he had not received a letter from the company.

"We do make every effort with our processes to issue correct parking charges," a statement from Horizon Parking said. "We'll investigate to see how we can improve, but would encourage drivers to appeal in circumstances where the parking charge may be incorrect, to enable the matter to be resolved at an early stage. Unfortunately, we didn't receive an appeal and the parking charge therefore proceeded via our recovery methods. Once the matter was brought to our attention, it was rectified."

It's fair enough to say that Horizon should have checked the photos and not have made this mistake, but it could and would have been resolved a lot quicker.  Mistakes happen.

I am fairly confident that if Mr Lynn had done a very quick appeal upon receiving notice of the charge, then the charge would have been cancelled.  He could convey in a single sentence to Horizon that they've made a mistake and perhaps someone should look again at the photos.  Horizon, for all their faults, would immediately realise the error.

But that didn't happen and the first Mr Lynn heard of the matter was from a solicitors after it had become more complicated and fees were added.  Why?  Because for at least 12 months between December 2022 and early 2024, he had failed to update with the DVLA that he had moved home (fine up to £1000).

He has no right to be angry about this.  It's 90% of his own making.

The media should stick to stories where the parking companies are genuinely screwing the public (of which there are plenty), rather than publishing stuff from idiots who don't tell the DVLA when they move and then wonder why they don't get important letters.

Kaizen2024

Stonk said:

FrankCannon said:

An ANPR mis-read in Leicestershire ;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9w0e13zkyo

A man was wrongly issued with a parking charge after his car was mixed up with another vehicle with a nearly identical number plate.

Richard Lynn said that on 18 March 2024, he paid £1.70 to park for about 30 minutes in Rushton's Yard car park in Ashby, Leicestershire, but later received a demand for £165 from solicitors representing private firm Horizon Parking.

The 53-year-old said photographic evidence, provided by the company, showed his Hyundai entering the car park - but a Kia with an identical number plate bar one letter leaving nine hours later.

A Horizon Parking spokesperson told the BBC the matter had been rectified when it was brought to their attention. The BBC asked the firm to clarify if that meant the charge had been cancelled, and that potential legal proceedings had been halted, but it declined to say. It said it had written to Mr Lynn, from Ashby, to inform him, but he said he had not received a letter from the company.

"We do make every effort with our processes to issue correct parking charges," a statement from Horizon Parking said. "We'll investigate to see how we can improve, but would encourage drivers to appeal in circumstances where the parking charge may be incorrect, to enable the matter to be resolved at an early stage. Unfortunately, we didn't receive an appeal and the parking charge therefore proceeded via our recovery methods. Once the matter was brought to our attention, it was rectified."

It's fair enough to say that Horizon should have checked the photos and not have made this mistake, but it could and would have been resolved a lot quicker.  Mistakes happen.

I am fairly confident that if Mr Lynn had done a very quick appeal upon receiving notice of the charge, then the charge would have been cancelled.  He could convey in a single sentence to Horizon that they've made a mistake and perhaps someone should look again at the photos.  Horizon, for all their faults, would immediately realise the error.

But that didn't happen and the first Mr Lynn heard of the matter was from a solicitors after it had become more complicated and fees were added.  Why?  Because for at least 12 months between December 2022 and early 2024, he had failed to update with the DVLA that he had moved home (fine up to £1000).

He has no right to be angry about this.  It's 90% of his own making.

The media should stick to stories where the parking companies are genuinely screwing the public (of which there are plenty), rather than publishing stuff from idiots who don't tell the DVLA when they move and then wonder why they don't get important letters.

I tip my hat, it’s been a long wait to see some common sense here 🫡

There are a lot of cases here that can be nipped in bud quickly, either for £20 or cancelled FOC; but the advice to ignore everything except a LBC that pops up occasionally can only lead to spending a disproportionate amount time dealing with it at a later date (to serve the cause).

Yes, the critics will say ‘why should they take the time to appeal’; and the answer is simple… would you rather spend 5 mins appealing now or hours defending later?