Parking stories in the News/media

patient_dream

foden11 said:

https://www.lancs.live/news/uk-world-news/couple-vow-never-return-range-25501440  
A representative for Vehicle Control Services Ltd said: "We would invite Mrs Almond (or her husband) to formally appeal to us through our recognised appeals process and within the prescribed timescales. Details of how to appeal are set out on the reverse of the Parking Charge Notice she received. Once we receive an appeal we will review matters further." We all know the result of that?

Thanks ..... the reporter for Lancs Live should be told the truth .....

VCS will reject the appeal because they want the money. The second appeals service is the infamous Gladstones / IPC / IAS mega scam

Lancs Live should investigate further if they have the interests of their readers in mind, otherwise telling people about the great parking scam without understanding is pointless

Coupon-mad

Scottish guy has a moan to the local Council (for some reason...) that Horizon's ANPR system is not 'stopping cars being parked overnight' at the Co-op:
https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/23119482.driver-complains-getting-parking-ticket-innerleithen-co-op/

Obviously ANPR doesn't STOP vehicles doing anything...it lets them!  Why don't they realise this? Dumb Council says it will write to the Co-op. Why?!

A GATE WOULD STOP OVERNIGHT PARKING.
Not ANPR!

The complainant got a £70 PCN himself for an overstay and appears to have completely forgotten how to Google and realise he could have ignored it...it's Scotland!

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

Scottish guy has a moan to the local Council (for some reason...) that Horizon's ANPR system is not 'stopping cars being parked overnight' at the Co-op:
https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/23119482.driver-complains-getting-parking-ticket-innerleithen-co-op/

Obviously ANPR doesn't STOP vehicles doing anything...it lets them!  Why don't they realise this? Dumb Council says it will write to the Co-op. Why?!

A GATE WOULD STOP OVERNIGHT PARKING.
Not ANPR!

The complainant got a £70 PCN himself for an overstay and appears to have completely forgotten how to Google and realise he could have ignored it...it's Scotland!

THE CO-OP ...... HORIZON ????

Did the Co-op not learn a lesson about Parking Scammers

https://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/search?q=co-op

It is no wonder that the Co-op are selling off branches, they are losing money.
Who would shop at the co-op where they employ parking cowboys

So much for the BPA utter rubbish

Coupon-mad

A Food Bank in Newcastle has a CCJ already and £4000 worth of 'fines' from CEL and the previous operator ruining the businesses and charities at this car park:
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-foodbank-fears-could-forced-25427258.amp

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2022-11-14/food-bank-fears-closure-after-racking-up-4000-in-parking-fines


"500 families rely on their support in the north of the city in the process. The foodbank now has a county court judgment meaning that if it needed to get a further lease, it may not be possible.

The car park in question behind Kenton Shopping Centre has historically been free to park but when signs were put up, Loree instantly contacted the car park's owners to request a charitable permit. However, she says she didn't receive a response for 12 months, and the fines kept coming and coming.

Local charities and shops have also been hit, including dementia charity Silverline Memories and workers at Milligans Bakery, and they are just the tip of the iceberg according to self-employed window cleaner Jeremy Burke. Jeremy, who helps out at the foodbank, has also received a county court judgment."

(Having not bothered to read the article, many of the comments are idiots saying to ignore the PCNs...).

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

A Food Bank in Newcastle has a CCJ already and £4000 worth of 'fines' from CEL and the previous operator ruining the businesses and charities at this car park:
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-foodbank-fears-could-forced-25427258.amp

"500 families rely on their support in the north of the city in the process. The foodbank now has a county court judgment meaning that if it needed to get a further lease, it may not be possible.

The car park in question behind Kenton Shopping Centre has historically been free to park but when signs were put up, Loree instantly contacted the car park's owners to request a charitable permit. However, she says she didn't receive a response for 12 months, and the fines kept coming and coming.

Local charities and shops have also been hit, including dementia charity Silverline Memories and workers at Milligans Bakery, and they are just the tip of the iceberg according to self-employed window cleaner Jeremy Burke. 

Jeremy, who helps out at the foodbank, has even received a county court judgment."

(Having not bothered to read the article, many of the comments are idiots saying to ignore the PCNs...).

What we are seeing here is a wild animal in operation. A food bank ... how disgusting

When will the BPA wake up that their membership is full of money scammers. More so, when will government wake up that they have approved two ATA's who run the biggest scam ever seen

Fruitcake

This is not directly related to private parking, but warnings are being given about fake QR codes on PDT machines. I would never use one anyway, but the risk of being scammed by a fake QR code is a reasonable excuse not to use that method if alternatives are not available due to not being offered, or as we often see, not being operational.

Drivers warned about payment scam on the rise at UK car parks (msn.com)

Jenni_D

There's a similar warning for EV drivers - crooks are putting QR codes on public charge points which takes the user to a spoofed payment page rather than the provider's payment page.

Coupon-mad

Civil Enforcement Ltd rinsing a genuine user of a leisure centre who is adamant she did use a keypad correctly:
https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/people/mum-let-down-by-hemels-everyone-active-following-parking-fine-3917383

The appeal was rejected out of hand.

Michelle said: "The problem is they didn't put any receipts in their machine so you can't prove you registered your car reg. I appealed in the two-week window they gave me and the parking company denied my appeal so I still have to pay the fine.

"I’m now left with a hundred pound fine to pay when I don't work as I am my son’s full-time carer.”

Coupon-mad

ParkingEye ruining someone's peace of mind at Town Quay, Southampton, as reported here:
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23118875.southampton-man-hit-parking-fine-despite-broken-machines/

The victim says all the machines were out of order and he had photo evidence. 

Grant Williams called it "daylight robbery" after trying to pay to park at Town Quay.

He paid a £60 fine for the 35-minute stay, which would have cost less than £3.

The 57-year-old was with his elderly father who has Alzheimer's on the August bank holiday. To make matters more stressful, his father, 87, had recently suffered with the bereavement of his mother and he didn't want to leave him alone.

He said he was trying to pay to park at the site but after trying all the machines they left the car park half an hour later.

"I was trying to pay but it came up with an error message. It wouldn't accept funds or payment cards," he said.

"I couldn't see any tickets in other car windows. I tried walking to the offices close by but could find no-one to pay.  "After trying them all I was unable to pay so I left. I got a penalty charge notice a month later."

"It's a cheap, easy income. They must have made hundreds that day."

Other reviews of Town Quay car park on Google also report the machines being out of order on the bank holiday. 

He made an appeal to Parking Eye Car Park Management, who manages Town Quay, which was rejected.

A Parking Eye spokesperson said: 

“The car park at Town Quay in Southampton is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has a number of prominent and highly-visible signs that give motorists clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly.

“Motorists are advised and given the option to pay through one of the user-friendly machines on site or by phone.

"Our records and systems show that on August 29 this year, the machines on site were operating effectively and the number of payment transactions were in line with normal projected levels."

...So, who do we believe?

Coupon-mad

Napier Parking reportedly threatening a Mum with court and demanding £160 for the time she took to breastfeed her baby after shopping:
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/mum-fined-leaving-truro-car-7813918

A mum has blasted a 'heartless' car parking company that gave her a £160 fine while she stopped to feed her crying baby. Carmen Thompson, 35, says she was between 10 and 20 minutes late leaving Truro's Lemon Quay car park because her screaming eight-month old baby could not wait to be fed.

She hoped that Napier Parking Limited would accept her decision to put her child first but a subsequent appeal was rejected. Carmen has now been sent a letter demanding money and saying legal action will be taken to retrieve it unless it is paid by December 5.

"I stopped to feed my screaming daughter in Truro back in September 2020 and was a little late back to my car due to this. My partner went to stand by the car to let any parking warden know the reason why I was late. I did not realise it was camera operated.

"There was no way I could get back with the way she was kicking off and I wouldn't have been able to drive with such a hungry child even if I had.

"Due to this Napier gave me a fine which I appealed and lost. They are now telling me I have to pay or I could face court proceedings. If stopping to feed my hungry screaming child gets me a seat in court I will happily take it.

"These guys and absolute joke and I have no doubt that I am not the only one thinking it."

Yep...