Parking stories in the News/media

ChirpyChicken

kryten3000 said:

More fun from LinkedIn.  A couple of months ago, Professional Parking Solutions Ltd announced:

"Professional Parking Solutions Ltd created the original "Platinum/Gold/Silver" parking membership framework - now protected by official UK Copyright and Trademark registrations with international Berne Convention coverage.
...

Organisations currently operating tier-based membership structures are encouraged to review their intellectual property compliance. We believe in collaboration over confrontation - but protection of legitimate innovation remains non-negotiable. We have a very comprehensive list of companies so please do not go changing anything.

Available for immediate licensing discussions with any company seeking to ensure full legal compliance."

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7357769671393087489/

Today they followed up with their certificate of registration.



All very impressive you might think except:

Copyright in the UK is automatic, there's no need to register anything.

An idea can be patented, but tiered membership schemes of the kind that PPS describes are nothing new or innovative.

The UK Copyright Service is a small private company with over 71% one star reviews on Trustpilot.

So it looks like PPS have paid £99 for a useless piece of paper.  

They do have the trademark on their logo which is actually quite nice, but that's about it.

https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase/page/Results/1/UK00004175395

It seems a complete waste of time

Thorndorise

Car1980 said:

My own news today. Visited this fattening American fast food joint and looked for any restrictive signage, poised to agree or decline any ridiculous contract. I was very disappointed to find none. 

After gorging myself, without any need to check my watch, I then decided to visit the completely separate business across the road. I was pleased to discover a pedestrian walkway specifically designed for such a task and accompanied by no insane £100 charges for performing such an action.

At the business opposite it was also a private parking desert and people were free to park in whatever manner they liked.

The most amazing aspect of this small car park utopia was that everything ran completely smoothly. There was plenty of space. Cars were parked correctly in bays with no vehicles over the lines. Disabled bays were half full, with blue badges clearly displayed, although there was no obligation to do so and nobody to check them. The other half of bays were empty, inviting the next disabled driver to make use of the facilities.

I thought such a scenario was completely impossible without a private parking company! Where is the chaos, selfishness and mayhem?

This made me laugh, I've actually visited a few sites of a notorious American coffee chain only to be befuddled by no signage, spaces and pleasantness all around...I've started capturing these sites with the same aim, to show what chaos it was - I mean - there were horns beeping and cars queueing and 'repeat offenders' turning up to offend...oh what mayhem

Coupon-mad

ChirpyChicken said:

kryten3000 said:

More fun from LinkedIn.  A couple of months ago, Professional Parking Solutions Ltd announced:

"Professional Parking Solutions Ltd created the original "Platinum/Gold/Silver" parking membership framework - now protected by official UK Copyright and Trademark registrations with international Berne Convention coverage.
...

Organisations currently operating tier-based membership structures are encouraged to review their intellectual property compliance. We believe in collaboration over confrontation - but protection of legitimate innovation remains non-negotiable. We have a very comprehensive list of companies so please do not go changing anything.

Available for immediate licensing discussions with any company seeking to ensure full legal compliance."

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7357769671393087489/

Today they followed up with their certificate of registration.



All very impressive you might think except:

Copyright in the UK is automatic, there's no need to register anything.

An idea can be patented, but tiered membership schemes of the kind that PPS describes are nothing new or innovative.

The UK Copyright Service is a small private company with over 71% one star reviews on Trustpilot.

So it looks like PPS have paid £99 for a useless piece of paper.  

They do have the trademark on their logo which is actually quite nice, but that's about it.

https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase/page/Results/1/UK00004175395

It seems a complete waste of time

Looks every bit as professional as those certificates you can buy to confirm you are a Lord, or an ordained priest! 

Duke1999

A golden ticket to the loo

patient_dream

What is nedeed is a full investigation into the IPC/IAS. Not by government but an indepentent like ITV

Just like the car finance industry where the public had no idea of the money scam ..... No different to to the IAS rejecting valid claims/appeals

Such a scam deserves compensation and we have evidence all ready for ITV, NETFLIX, PRIME, CHANNEL 4 / 5, PANORAMAAND OTHER MEDIA.

TITLE
THE GREAT PARKING SCAM

Duke1999

As this community spreads the word, the easiest wins will quickly vanish.

Coupon-mad

Car1980 said:

My own news today. Visited this fattening American fast food joint and looked for any restrictive signage, poised to agree or decline any ridiculous contract. I was very disappointed to find none. 

After gorging myself, without any need to check my watch, I then decided to visit the completely separate business across the road. I was pleased to discover a pedestrian walkway specifically designed for such a task and accompanied by no insane £100 charges for performing such an action.

At the business opposite it was also a private parking desert and people were free to park in whatever manner they liked.

The most amazing aspect of this small car park utopia was that everything ran completely smoothly. There was plenty of space. Cars were parked correctly in bays with no vehicles over the lines. Disabled bays were half full, with blue badges clearly displayed, although there was no obligation to do so and nobody to check them. The other half of bays were empty, inviting the next disabled driver to make use of the facilities.

I thought such a scenario was completely impossible without a private parking company! Where is the chaos, selfishness and mayhem?

Thorndorise said:

This made me laugh, I've actually visited a few sites of a notorious American coffee chain only to be befuddled by no signage, spaces and pleasantness all around...I've started capturing these sites with the same aim, to show what chaos it was - I mean - there were horns beeping and cars queueing and 'repeat offenders' turning up to offend...oh what mayhem

Yet apparently, carmageddon is coming:

  

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/10/08/cutting-parking-fines-chaos-private-ticket-firms/

Well that last bit is news!

OVER FOUR THOUSAND RESPONSES!

That's a lot more than the 2023 Call for Evidence, I think? 

Good show, everyone!

Although lots of those will be PPCs, DRAs and their families, I don't think they will make up more than three figures of that total...

Coupon-mad

Another Telegraph article about 'parking vultures' this time featuring notorious ex-clampers Excel Parking at Feethams:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/motorists-fighting-back-britain-parking-vultures/

Now THAT last bit is real news as well!

PPCs MAKE MORE DVLA REQUESTS THAN COUNCILS. THAT IS SHOCKING.

And that's using the old (out of date) 24-25 KADOE figure ... that we know from another article last month is now 17.5 million p.a.

IT MUST BE STOPPED.

h2g2

Coupon-mad said:

<Much has been snipped out:>

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/10/08/cutting-parking-fines-chaos-private-ticket-firms/

Did the BPA / Mr Occhipinti actually use the term "fines" or is that editorialised language from The Telegraph?

patient_dream

More BPA propaganda with the so called spokes person saying FINES ?

Of course the BPA want to keep the fake £70 debt collection fee, it's just a way to extort money from the public plus once it is banned, no point in the DRA being a member

The famous OSNER money scam approved by the BPA is EXTORTION and NOT what the Supreme Court ruled

The fake will not be a deterrent because they only find out when they get a stupid DRA letter.  Maybe on some signs it may say about the fake, it's in very small fonts most drivers will not see.

STOP THE PRORAGANDA BPA and sort out your rogue traders