Private Parking Solutions claiming x2 PCNs of £100, x2 £70 admin and £92 interest!

Le_Kirk

She was not at all amenable to any of the more "technical" defences that seem to be commonly advised on this forum such as lack of landowner authority, or appeals towards no evidence of damages or whether the company have proper legal standing to sue me. She just responded (I am paraphrasing) "well they have obviously been allowed to erect signs everywhere and in absence of any proof to the opposite I have to assume that they do have proper authority."

Hard luck on your loss but well done in getting the spurious debt admin fees removed.  I see we (i.e. the court and the judge) are not bothering with facts and law anymore, we will just "assume".  Well, maybe someone should point out that to assume makes an A**S out of "U" and "ME"

Coupon-mad

Bad luck.  This is rare but happens with some Judges.  You did all you could. The signage point (small unlit notices in the dark) should have won it but it is up to the Judge to take a view on the clarity of the contract (signs).

Glad she disallowed the £140 rip off.

Nothing has changed.  If anything, we are more successful now.  We are still seeing 99% reported wins and have done since 2016.  Even better, lots of them are discontinued (no hearing at all).  The vast majority defended here that do go to hearings are won by defendants.

You probably just got unlucky, with a Judge who knows the legal rep (they usually do) and between them they agreed that the signs were "good enough".

Maybe she always decides for PPCs.  Or maybe the fact there were two events didn't help you.  Can be harder to say that you didn't see signs. Twice.

I think with all the time I have spent on this (and of course all the time those helping me have spent), I think next time I get hit with a ticket, no matter how unfair I think it is, I am just going to pay it. 

That is not what we hoped you'd say, given all that we are achieving to change the law for motorists like you.  Maybe you will change your mind once you've put this hearing debacle behind you and realise that things are changing for the better and this rip off and conveyor belt to court won't happen in future.

If we all just paid unfair private PCNs, the law would never have changed.  We are among the folk behind the 2024 new Code of Practice.  Unpaid. I'm on the Government Steering Group and have been working on this project for 3 years.

In a year's time you will see a difference in signage and in the appeals service available to resolve disputes fairly.

And the level of parking charges will usually NOT be £100 and that +£70 extortion will be gone, we believe.  All due to the hard work of MPs, the Government and ordinary folk who were not prepared to just pay.

Fruitcake

 "I think next time I get hit with a ticket, no matter how unfair I think it is, I am just going to pay it."

All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing. Nothing will ever change unless motorists fight these unfair charges from the unregulated private parking industry, referred to as rogues, scammers, and bloodsuckers by UK MPs across all parties.

Johnersh

Sorry for the o/p's loss. I get the musings, I do. My time defending a PCN (successfully) undoubtedly was more valuable than the charge. 

Whilst it's a small element, you were very unlucky to be left with any interest to pay where (a) it is discretionary and (b) it was self evidently pleaded on an incorrect basis. 

Once you decide to fight there are no half measures, it's a fight all the way. The cost risk is there, but it is limited.  

I agree. I dislike any stats which suggest guaranteed wins, because that is not reflective of:

* litigation generally,
* reporting bias (you're more likely to come and report a win than a loss)
* the fact that a healthy number of cases aren't fought to a hearing at all. 

Once you're in a contested hearing, prospects of success are basically 50/50 because a judge can do anything.

The art is stuffing over the opponent before it gets to that point, where possible.