Parking stories in the News/media

Nellymoser

Stonk said:

Oh, there's no doubt that the parking company and the debt collectors should have spotted the error and the case should never have started or continued as it passed from one organisation to the next. But we all know that in reality these cases are passed around as big spreadsheets on a conveyor belt and nobody meaningfully checks individual case details until they're really forced to.  The system sucks and it's a foul-up by everyone involved, but this one could and should have tripped and died at the first hurdle.

And that first hurdle being human checks of pcns BEFORE requesting keeper details from DVLA claiming there was 'reasonable cause' it's not an appeal by the keeper. 

And as we've read before and @Bazaruis post shows apealling even with evidence doesn't make the operator cancel the pcn as posters Stonk and Kaizen imply happens.

I would disagree with @Stonk who felt there are better quality stories of terrible behaviour by parking companies than this Horizon one. IMO it demonstrates one of the root causes of the parking industry's problems and BBC News were so right to publish it. 

ChirpyChicken

kryten3000 said:

Bazarius said:

Kaizen2024 said:

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?

Well that didn’t happen with a motorist named Mr Ferguson did it ? 

I am helping with a case which is at the WS stage. Gladstones have sent the evidence images and they are of 2 different vehicles.  Same make/model but different generations with different tail light configuration.  It's clearly not the same car, so why has the case reached this stage?  Why are Gladstones not acting in the interest of the court and pointing out the obvious mistake to their client? 

Quite simply the volume of the work and quality of the paralegal

Coupon-mad

ChirpyChicken said:

kryten3000 said:

Bazarius said:

Kaizen2024 said:

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?

Well that didn’t happen with a motorist named Mr Ferguson did it ? 

I am helping with a case which is at the WS stage. Gladstones have sent the evidence images and they are of 2 different vehicles.  Same make/model but different generations with different tail light configuration.  It's clearly not the same car, so why has the case reached this stage?  Why are Gladstones not acting in the interest of the court and pointing out the obvious mistake to their client? 

Quite simply the volume of the work and quality of the paralegal

Nope, quite simply because they make no money if they do the right thing by consumers.

The same argument being a good one as to why DRA fees in a no-win-no-fee sector must be banned.

Coupon-mad

kryten3000 said:

A couple of stories about car parks which have been ordered to close simply carrying on regardless:

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/25380367.queens-road-car-park-running-without-planning-permission/

https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/sheffield-parking-business-as-usual-at-bank-parks-ecclesall-road-site-ordered-to-close-5265831?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMKk4pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHs00XHlPqDHM7a9ckf_DPr-FR5mG-OdcmovpcfGRbaUUpi3FR3ZHgOHdIMlN_aem_mD3Gc1ySQv-wJhAOn1K_GA

That first one about Euro Car Parks in Norwich says:

In a planning statement by agents for Euro Car Parks, it says: "There have been various ongoing instances of anti-social behaviour including trespassing, break-ins, rough sleeping and theft of copper cables from the substation."

Riiiight. So on what planet - PPC Cloud Cuckoo Land - does putting in remote ANPR deal with any of that?

Nellymoser

The 'spend 5 mins appealing' promoted by a poster on here didn't work for this 85-year-old former community council Ardentinny resident.

He made two appeals to Civil Enforcement Limited, but has not had any response yet. He is 'frustrated’ with the firm's ‘poor communication’.

https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/25387924.visitor-given-100-parking-fine-greenock-despite-paying/

Jenni_D

Unfortunately that poor old guy probably outed himself as the driver in his "appeals".  

Coupon-mad

Another ParkingEye rip-off swiftly cancelled when a newspaper ran an article:

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mum-fined-100-six-minute-000400915.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKYhtyH9ndBcAbsnnoJPkCQpWuibkAiKBorgS1q9tE5G_pSsENXNwUS-287okTEigtRkWHltxxsw6ia3EE-_NWXbWECSp39Id2b0_cxAdnvJn-C0tY8Jayek9yfD5mQ9cEH7YsplYaMWgdI-HMHZI0YitbBPfIXoYWcopRAdOJJx

Thing is, the driver lives in Qatar so she could have ignored it.

And it's a hire car so she could have easily won it by appealing as the hirer.

Her heinous crime was finding a non functioning machine, then struggling to find the right app and location so she left. Apparently PEye think those 6 minutes she wasted on their useless payment methods are worth £100. 

Coupon-mad

A motorist hunted by several debt agencies over a £1 parking debt he never actually owed has won his five-year legal battle. Nigel Richardson went head-to-head with a barrister at Leicester County Court.

He said: "I got letters from various debt collectors. When I wrote to DCB Legal, who were pursuing the debt, I told them I'd got the receipt now and they said it was up to Euro Car Parks to drop it. I wrote to Euro Car Parks and they told me it was up to DCB".

"DCB said they would see me in court, so I said, 'bring it on'. He said: "They sent me a letter saying they'd drop the court case if I just paid £60, plus they wanted me to sign a confidentiality agreement. I said no."

  

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/driver-wins-five-year-legal-10429828.amp

Euro Car Parks' useless payment methods at Syston’s Town Square Car Park strikes again.

Sounds like he did a counterclaim but for some reason didn't remember to ask for his costs, so came away after the hearing with £20!

Castle

Coupon-mad said:

A motorist hunted by several debt agencies over a £1 parking debt he never actually owed has won his five-year legal battle. Nigel Richardson went head-to-head with a barrister at Leicester County Court.

He said: "I got letters from various debt collectors. When I wrote to DCB Legal, who were pursuing the debt, I told them I'd got the receipt now and they said it was up to Euro Car Parks to drop it. I wrote to Euro Car Parks and they told me it was up to DCB".

"DCB said they would see me in court, so I said, 'bring it on'. He said: "They sent me a letter saying they'd drop the court case if I just paid £60, plus they wanted me to sign a confidentiality agreement. I said no."

  

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/driver-wins-five-year-legal-10429828.amp

Euro Car Parks' useless payment methods at Syston’s Town Square Car Park strikes again.

Sounds like he did a counterclaim but for some reason didn't remember to ask for his costs, so came away after the hearing with £20!

The Article states that he was awarded £200 in compensation but had to pay £180 in court costs.

patient_dream

"I wrote to Euro Car Parks and they told me it was up to DCB"

What a load of rubbish from EURO ???

EURO instructed DCBL and they can instruct DCBL to stop.

No wonder the parking industry is known as a bunch of cowboys ???