Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

More news articles about Euro Car Parks ignoring the UK's consumer law Regulator:

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/motors/parking-firm-handed-motorists-almost-33425449

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/euro-car-parks-hit-with-473k-fine-by-competition-watchdog

https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/major-car-park-firm-dished-36721799.amp

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/parking-firm-handed-motorists-almost-33425449.amp

I'm still chortling that they missed some emails…!

"waaah it's not our fault…"

"waaah the fine is disproportionate…"

A wake up call, eh @Kaizen2024 ?

Even if the Government is wearing rose coloured specs and keeps being overly impressed by lawyers, the CMA isn't.

Coupon-mad

And more:

https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/parking-review/news/80227/cma-fines-euro-car-parks-473k

https://www.law360.co.uk/amp/articles/2441608

What goes around comes around and the CMA clearly has an eye on parking firms because we know they sent out 'Advisory Notices' last year, and not to Euro Car Parks:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-launches-major-consumer-protection-drive-focused-on-online-pricing-practices

1505grandad

"The Competition and Markets Authority  (CMA) is the principal competition regulator in the United Kingdom. It is a non-ministerial government department in the United Kingdom, responsible for promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour."

Perhaps there should be more "non-ministerial government departments" - just saying 

SpinninginInfinity

Fantastic news..

Now lets see what the CMA do for those those Dra's churning out £120 Notice to Keepers, e.g. Parking Collection Services (PCS).

SpinninginInfinity

…and what are Euro hiding for the CMA to be knocking on their door? Oh dear,

MothballsWallet

@Coupon-mad Is this the same CMA that let the banks take the limits off the overdraft interest rates, acted surprised when they all did it, admitted it was a bad idea but has refused to reverse that decision?

Also, the fine is something like 3 orders of magnitude too small for my liking.

Coupon-mad

It is small but it's for being idiots and not for any infringement of Consumer law.

Wonder which PPC or DRA will be the first lucky recipient of a huge fine for that?!

Coupon-mad

Yes but let's not suggest anyone should rant at the CMA in a scattergun way.

Only victims with actual evidence of breaches of the CRA 2015 and/or the DMCC Act should report those to the CMA. e.g. lying about keeper liability, double dips and other misleading actions.

Coupon-mad

In other news, another Medical Centre gets duped into allowing a parking firm to sue their staff and patients.

"Major changes to car parking at Heysham health centre. A spokesman for Bay Medical Group said: “BMG patients, we’ve been informed that NHS Property Services will soon be installing a new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) parking system.
You’ll need to register your vehicle if you are attending any appointment, using any onsite service or visiting the pharmacy."

…what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/major-changes-to-car-parking-at-heysham-health-centre-5597064

How exactly do they think that elderly people or those distracted due to illness are going to know to do this?

What about passengers whose partner parks up and waits outside? How the flip will the driver know?

Well the truth is, they won't.

Does nobody learn from what happened at Yarm Medical Centre, with the staff firstly blaming their patients in the local paper:

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/gp-surgery-hits-out-after-25481812

…then finally the penny dropped and the GPs realised the truth when CEL started suing patients and the surgery had to publicly apologise and resort to lawyers, but found they were stuck with it for years.

Coupon-mad

And Brighton locals will no doubt kick off if this new ANPR system causes PCNs:

Automatic Number Plate Recognition parking system introduced at Royal Sussex County Hospital North Car Park

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/health/automatic-number-plate-recognition-parking-system-introduced-at-royal-sussex-county-hospital-north-car-park-5507166#google_vignette

"The new parking system, introduced at the beginning of February by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, is part of the trust’s ‘wider programme to modernise parking systems across hospital sites’.

A spokesperson for the Trust added:

“You will only pay for the time you are parked on site. No ticket will be required when entering the car park."

It remains to be seen whether this means patients and visitors are expected to remember & guesstimate what time they drove in, and how disabled people or those with exempt parking will be able to claim that.