Parking stories in the News/media

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

Euro Car Parks ruining another leisure venue:
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/slapped-100-parking-fine-despite-25288333.amp

Do they want to lose business?

In the vast majority of pubs,, parking cowboys like Euro are not required.

I am convinced that the parking cowboys give these places a commission

I do not feel sorry if pubs go bust because they are stupid enough to take on cowboys

Coupon-mad

What is wrong with pubs and leisure venues, that they get talked into rip-off contracts by PPC 'suits' blathering on about 'rich data benefits' of ANPR that will in fact drive people away?
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/23058217.amp/

Nice work, Britannia Parking Group.

Customer Ruth Golding said:

“I received a parking ticket at the Fox and Hounds in Wimborne, despite having a booking for a meal and entering my car’s registration details into their parking system.

“When I contacted the pub about it I was told “we have had lots of complaints”.

“Seriously not impressed - there are lots of other pubs in Ferndown with a lot less hassle.”

PPCs are dangerous to other businesses' wealth.

Fact.

Who cares about the longevity of the pub, eh, as long as a PPC can whack in wholly unnecessary (and bound to annoy people or be overlooked by busy staff, even if it works) 'VRM registration regime', cheap signs and an ANPR camera system?

PPCs can them fill their boots for a few months and if there is any noise, the PPC can always sue the pub, as we've seen many times over the years:

2017:

We Three Loggerheads Pub, Mold:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=116407

"The Pub Landlord brought in automatic number plate recognition technology, but the plan backfired, and around 400 of his own customers ended up being slapped with £60 parking charge notices, prompting a social media backlash.

Fearing his entire business could be in jeopardy, Mr Wyatt - who found himself spending hours trying to help people with their appeals against the tickets - ended up having to buy himself out of the contract with Smart Parking at a considerable cost."

2022:

Sandown IOW

https://iwobserver.co.uk/browns-golf-course-parking-fiasco/

Brown’s Family Golf and Cafe:

"We aren’t that big so we quickly started realising that genuine customers were being ticketed even though staff or themselves were entering their details into the iPad. At first, I thought people were putting them in wrong, but after all the staff, many customers and then myself experiencing the same thing it became clear that this was not the case.

Unfortunately, it spiralled out of control during August, September and October where they have managed to ticket hundreds of genuine customers during this time. Not twenty or thirty – but hundreds of my customers. They have also ticketed all my staff, suppliers, and even myself a few times. The majority of my customers are seniors who have been coming to Brown’s from all over England for many years.

Eventually, I turned off my own electricity which supplies the power for the cameras so the tickets would stop. But I am now being taken to court for their loss of earnings!

They have caused so much pain to hundreds of vulnerable elderly people and I can prove this. They won’t answer my emails and calls and people who don’t pay the fines are also being threatened with court action.

I am prepared to go bankrupt over this issue to support the people who have been wrongly ticketed."

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

What is wrong with pubs and leisure venues, that they get talked into rip-off contracts by PPC 'suits' blathering on about 'rich data benefits' of ANPR that will in fact drive people away?
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/23058217.amp/

Nice work, Britannia Parking Group.

Customer Ruth Golding said:

“I received a parking ticket at the Fox and Hounds in Wimborne, despite having a booking for a meal and entering my car’s registration details into their parking system.

“When I contacted the pub about it I was told “we have had lots of complaints”.

“Seriously not impressed - there are lots of other pubs in Ferndown with a lot less hassle.”

PPCs are dangerous to other businesses' wealth.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ???   if that is the case, why did Britannia allow their ANPR to scam the customers, did they not test the system ? 
Or, did they know of the problem ?

ANPR must be banned as it's not fit for purpose or at least rogue traders banned from using such a system

If the BPA had the balls, which they don't, they would investigate Britannia because who knows how many dodgy ANPR's they operate

The problem the Fox and Hounds have now is it will be known as a scam
Wimborne is not a big town

Snakes_Belly

"What is wrong with pubs and leisure venues, that they get talked into rip-off contracts by PPC 'suits' blathering on about 'rich data benefits' of ANPR that will in fact drive people away?"

A lot of this came about just after the first lockdown. I live near an AONB which has never been so popular as it has been in the last couple of years. People have been parking on pub car parks and going for walks. 

The pubs would have been better to police this themselves or make their pubs more dog/walker friendly. Try to draw in the walkers rather than ticket their cars.

The exception to this is Springslade Lodge where you can even tether your horse! Fabulous place.

https://springsladelodge.co.uk/

Fruitcake

A link from a thread by unforeseen

https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chester-motorists-slam-parking-firm-25300164

patient_dream

Fruitcake said:

A link from a thread by unforeseen

https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chester-motorists-slam-parking-firm-25300164

CheshireLive has reached out to Park With Ease, via email and phone, with a recorded message and no option to leave a message when we called.

Anyone who wishes to appeal an unfair parking fine can contact the Independent Appeals Service at theias.org.

It's about time the press told the truth to motorists about the IAS

THE IAS IS A MONEY SCAM SET UP BY GLADSTONES SOLICITORS

Coupon-mad

Bolton Wanderers have pointlessly inflicted a (reportedly) opaque and unworkable VRM registration system on longstanding fans:
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/wanderers-fan-hits-unscrupulous-company-040000077.html

That'll put yet more people off visiting yet another leisure facility.

Nice work, ParkingEye...that's the way to do it when you are an ANPR fake fines machine of a company.  And if there is any noise from landowners who want to end the contract, you can always sue 'em like ParkingEye did to hapless Somerfield.

Coupon-mad

Epsom mum 'fined' for parking where staff told her to park to use Wilko's click & collect:
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/epsom-mum-picks-up-shopping-25293380.amp

"After entering the store, Charlotte said she was told by staff at the High Street store to park her car at their collection point at the back of the premises where a number of parking bays, which did not require payment, designated for customers were available.

After the staff brought her items to the car she needed to look after her child meaning she spent just 20 minutes in total in the parking space.

“I was genuinely disgusted, I hate parking companies. The hilarious thing was their evidence said the car park was for registered users only which was not true, I was parked in a designated Wilko bay."

Nice work, UKPC...

Who cares if you ruin the reputation of the shops, rinse their customers and cause footfall to drop, eh?  Just as long as the parasite PPC can leech off the real business and make quick mega-bucks until they get chucked out and move on to the next naive retail park.

Coupon-mad

Hate to link to this hated rag but the articles are arriving thick and fast:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/20168211/slapped-fine-asda-claimed-parked-six-hours/amp/

Ryan admitted Rob initially almost paid the discounted £40 fine out of fear, and had to talk his step-dad into challenging the incorrect fine instead. 

"It angers me", he continued. 

"The company clearly has cameras on either side as you're arriving into the car park and leaving it, so they shouldn't be doing this to people at all."

The way the country is at the minute, it's already scary enough - and this is just making things even worse."

Yawn...

Yet another ParkingEye double dip case.  Nice work, ParkingEye.  Good try.  You even continued to insist this was an overstay, then told the rag that you are cancelling "as a goodwill gesture" - who do you think you are kidding exactly?  

GOODWILL!  Hilarious!

Going by recent articles on this thread, it raises more than a suspicion that none of the 'automated PCN-issuing machine' ANPR firms are bothering to carry out any human checks of ANPR images these days.

We all know that ANPR defaults to first in/last out images in a 24 hour period (an inherent flaw of the system settings) but hey, what a jolly wheeze to bang out PCNs anyway and hope some go to lease firms or clueless victims who will just pay...

If some local rag makes a noise, just tell them there's nothing to see here because you are BPA members.

KeithP

Parking firm Total Parking Solutions branded ‘disgusting’ and ‘utterly despicable’ after driver slapped with fine, despite sign stating: ‘Free parking until further notice.’

From Portsmouth News.