Parking stories in the News/media

ChirpyChicken

kryten3000 said:

I have checked Trustpilot reviews for as many companies as I could in June 2024, April 2025 and November 2025.

The mean scores were: 1.5 then 1.4 and back up to 1.5 again.

The results are skewed by the good review scores for NCP, CarFlow and a couple of others.  The Median score is 1.2 and Mode just 1.1.

Indeed i think the likes of NCP & Carflow are some of the better parking firms,

Coupon-mad

I agree with those two only. No others.

I used to include APCOA in that but not since they started the clear rip-off at Manchester Airport and are swimming in money as a result of deliberately providing no mechanism to pay a drop off fee on site, or to scan a code to generate a reminder a few hours later.

I also used to use ParkingEye as a good example but not any more.

They now add £30 for no justified reason; against case law & statute law (and it's not on their signs). Even worse, they refuse genuine late disputes and won't issue a POPLA Code at LBCCC stage as they used to.

Even worse, they and APCOA are pushing the new AI idea of 'bay monitoring' which knowingly exposes disabled people, EV drivers and families with children to PCNs for not knowing they have to 'register' to use certain bays.

Making disabled people take extra steps is illegal but hey, never mind that eh?

kryten3000

APCOA's score has consistently been 1.3, Parkingeye is currently  1.1.

Apart from the aforementioned NCP (4.4) and Carflow (3.3), the only other company with a score more than 3 is First Parking LLP (3.7).

Coupon-mad

No IPC firms then, LOL!

Coupon-mad

Looks like this story is about infamously horrific ex-clampers (BPA then forum shopped to the IPC), One Parking Solution:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/anger-pizza-hut-customer-birmingham-32964855.amp

Somewhat muddled story and the reporter couldn't even be bothered to name the PPC or speak to them! But there is mention of OPS' useless app, PopPay and the signs look like theirs.

Video wouldn't load for me. Strange story. Not even sure it's current because it seems to be a '5 minute rule' PCN, which is banned.

However, it's worth linking as yet another example of ANPR ruining retailers' and customers' confidence in high streets.

The IPC must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Elderly man reduced to tears after £100 fine Worcestershire Parkway

https://www.bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk/news/25640974.elderly-man-reduced-tears-100-fine-worcestershire-parkway/

Are you proud of what you do, APCOA? Shameful.

This new scam site has been raised in the national press before but nothing has been done about it and APCOA are cashing in hugely at £100 a pop:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5g90qele2o.amp

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

The heinous crime here is spending too long at a faulty EV charging point at a Tesco:

https://www.derehamtimes.co.uk/news/25647193.man-pay-charge-using-ev-charging-point-dereham/

Mr Crowdy says the car park was empty, and:

"It's absolutely disgusting getting a parking fine for using an EV charger in an empty supermarket car park at 9pm. Due to the charger being faulty, I ended up staying for one hour and seven minutes - seven minutes over the time limit."

That cannot be right as there's 10 mins grace.

Most likely the time period was much shorter as it was evening. That's a recent jolly wheeze ANPR firms have all caught on to. Why not advertise an hour or two free parking, but the small print says 10 minutes after 6pm.

Even better if there are EV chargers in the car park! "Outrageous scam" indeed.

Take a bow, Horizon.

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Colonnades management cuts customers’ free parking by half

https://insidecroydon.com/2025/11/26/colonnades-management-cuts-customers-free-parking-by-half/amp/

"Shoppers and gym members visiting the Colonnades centre off the Purley Way got a nasty shock this week when they discovered that the free parking period had been reduced by half, from three hours to just 90 minutes."

Anyway we already have a post from @Switcher_Sam showing that this is UKPA (wonder if he/she can go get pics of the new signs for this thread, including whether there are extra signs at the entrance to warn about the change):

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81518612/#Comment_81518612

I read a post elsewhere that it was apparently 4 hours free parking a few years ago, then reduced to 3 hours and now... 90 minutes?!

Whaaat? Just look at the number and type of leisure firms & retailers here:

"Colonnades includes a Premier Inn motel, KFC and McDonald’s takeaways, a Nando’s and Costa coffee, as well as the Oxygen trampoline park and Kidspace amusements, a Wickes DIY centre and Nuffield Health gym."

Sources who have contacted Inside Croydon maintain that the businesses based at the Colonnades were not consulted over the changes to the free parking timings, something that a manager at 9Yards today denied when approached for comment.

One source said:

“As the average play party at Oxygen or Playspace is two hours, this will really affect trade.”

Another Colonnades source said:

“Lots of people will be caught out by this and get a fine.” They said that after their first visit yesterday with the new, shorter free parking period, “It would be so easy to miss the sign if you regularly park there, as you might not be taking any notice.”

A third source said:

“This has happened without any warning to the tenants of the retail units on site, many of whose customers will be immediately impacted. A lot of people attending Kidspace, Oxygen and Nuffield Gym, by the very nature of the business, stay for more than 90 minutes.”

Take a bow, UKPA.

ANPR in the hands of private parking firms is ruining retail and crushing high street recovery. You can't get a better example.

The BPA must be so proud.

Car1980

Hopefully their leases say something about it. Would be surprised if Costa-Coca Cola's lawyers signed a lease where their customers could be limited to 15 minutes parking by the landowner overnight.

Half_way

Its almost as if the parking industry is scripting certain phrases and terms to be used if the press start asking awkward questions, such as "fly parking" I wouldn't be surprised if the landowners are getting a cut of parking charge notices.

For a site with a trampoline park, or similar (oxygen) and a Mc Donald's/KFC etc this will attract people who will stay in excess of 90 minutes - take the kids to the trampoline park, then to Mc Donald's afterwards will be well in excess of 90 minutes.

If the gammons can put upside down union flags on lampposts, then it should be relatively easy to stick a bin bag over an ANPR camera