Retail Park 'Parking Charge Notice' - UK Parking Control

mscarlyon

I had a 'parking charge' notice sent to me by post earlier this week. It has been a REAL eye-opener reading about this subject here on the MSE forum. I'm doing my best to get up to speed with how to deal with it, but there's so much to take in. I may need a bit of support along the way so thought I'd start this thread in case it helps someone else facing this for the first time. My first instinct was just to pay it - I was a victim of online banking fraud earlier this year and I'm just so exhausted having to fight all the time, and it's taken a huge toll on my mental health. But the growing outrage I felt reading the posts on here has stopped me from paying it so far. I can't believe it can be legal to do what these private parking companies do. Bullying, harassment, intimidation.

So, on 19th November I parked outside Aldi in a retail park in London that I've been using for over ten years. On this occasion, after doing my weekly shop at Aldi I committed the appalling crime of going next door to Next, trying on a few outfits and having a coffee at the onsite Costa, then picking up some supplies at Pets At Home. Finally I made the fatal error of making a phone call from my car before I set off home. Which took me just over the three hour limit I knew nothing about until I received the letter from UK Parking Control telling me I owed them £100. £60 if I paid up within 14 days. There have never been any ticket machines or in-store registration validation required, and if there were signs I certainly didn't see them. The date of the charge is 22nd November though it didn't arrive in the post until the 29th. So it look likes I have until next Tuesday 6th to appeal (though I note people on here say to ignore the 14 day thing?).

I found all the amazing numerous and detailed threads on private parking companies here on MSE the next day, soooooo much to take in. But once I found the Newbie thread , I realised my first port of call was complaining to Aldi. Well I discovered from Aldi that the piece of land outside the store in the retail park has nothing to do with them, and they don't even know who owns or manages the land!!  I had several goes in different ways online and via social media but got no further. They just kept telling me to deal with the ticket issuer. Next, I googled to try and find out who actually owned the land (not easy). I found out a construction /property company had bought the land in 2014, so I wrote to them through their online complaints procedure. No reply as yet. But the next day I googled more deeply and discovered they'd in fact sold to it to some Global Investment firm on behalf of an unnamed client in 2018. So, I have had to reluctantly give up on the complaint route.

Next, I guess I'm going to have to use the suggested template to make an appeal to UKPC. All I did was park for longer than normal to use the other shops in the retail park. I don't have any other mitigating circumstances, such as a broken down vehicle, or disabled access, or lockdown queues. Do I have a hope in hell of winning this??? I can do without the stress but something is making me see red and it would help to know if people here think I can. I've searched through lots of threads but I can't find much that's specific to UK Parking Control - so any tips about dealing with them would be greatly appreciated. I also hope to ask them for the name of their client  ("the vehicle was recorded on our client's private property") in case there is still a route for complaint.

Many thanks in advance!

Mscarlyon

Coupon-mad

Try complaining to the other managers (Next and Costa) who have a better track record of cancelling these scam PCNs in our experience.

Try using social media so your rant is public.

Is the managing agent who handles the retail units not coming up with a retail sales page, when you Google the name of the place?

Trainerman

How long over the three hour limit do they say you were?

mscarlyon

Coupon-mad said:

Try complaining to the other managers (Next and Costa) who have a better track record of cancelling these scam PCNs in our experience.

Try using social media so your rant is public.

Is the managing agent who handles the retail units not coming up with a retail sales page, when you Google the name of the place?

Thanks for the quick reply.

No, there's no overall managing agent for the retail park, at least not showing up online, just the stores themselves. There's very little info available. The land was originally owned by National Grid, then sold on a couple of times (according to Google). It has been developed quite slowly over many years, so it could be that parts of land are owned by different companies? Who knows. 

Good idea, I will try complaining to the other stores on the site. Thank you!

Half_way

one way to find the owners is to google the name of the retail park and then the plus sign followed by the word units, so

Station yard retail park london+units

where was/is this car park?

fisherjim

How long over the three hours were you, are the signs prominent?

KeithP

Where exactly is this car park?

Has it been mentioned before on this forum?

mscarlyon

I think this may already be a success story... ?

Went back to the retail park this afternoon where I checked the signage. There was a sign stating the 3 hour limit quite high up as you enter the car park, which is on a tricky right turn with a ramp where you're usually trying to navigate getting past someone coming out. It wasn't lit. I'd never noticed it before in the entire ten years I've been going there! There were a few smaller signs in the car park itself - again quite high up - with terms and conditions in small writing. It was only after I'd photographed one of them and zoomed in to the photo that I was able to actually read it. Again, not lit. 

After that I visited three different stores and asked them if they could get the charge cancelled or provide details of the managing agents or landowner.  I spoke first to the manager of Next, who said she couldn't help with cancelling the charge but gave me a phone number and an email address for the person they contacted for staff access and parking issues. 

I then moved on to Pets At Home where I spoke to an assistant manager who was very sympathetic but relatively new and had no idea who to contact (other than appeal to UKPC). He didn't even know there was a 3 hour limit.  Off the record he said I could maybe pretend I'd needed a tyre changed as that would probably get past an appeal. That seemed a bit unwise to me, however his advice to try some of the stores that had been there the longest proved to be a winner. 

Next I tried Curry's/PC World, and within three minutes I had an apology and a promise to have the charge cancelled first thing tomorrow! They photocopied the letter (PCN) and took my phone number, and said they'd let me know when it had been cancelled. They also said if I received any more letters from UKPC I should come back. Excellent customer service! 

For those who asked about duration, from the letter: "The recorded duration of the stay was 3 hours 27 minutes which is in excess of the maximum stay time of 3 hours 0 minutes".

I haven't named the retail park because I don't want to compromise a future appeal at this stage. But once I know the charge has been properly cancelled I will add it to this thread so others can find it in searches. I didn't find it in any other threads on this forum. I will also add photos of the signage. 

Thanks to the amazing @Coupon-mad who suggested I try the other stores. And it always helps to speak to people face to face if you can!

patient_dream

But the growing outrage I felt reading the posts on here has stopped me from paying it so far. I can't believe it can be legal to do what these private parking companies do. Bullying, harassment, intimidation.

Welcome to the world of a Mickey Mouse industry with UKPC
Sadly they are members of an organisation who approves money scammers and that is the BPA  

When this happened ... see link
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3229165/Is-PROOF-private-parking-firms-scamming-motorists-Drivers-say-timings-photos-doctored-legally-parked-cars-issued-fines.html

This was fraud against the public yet the BPA allowed them to continue after a one month ban by the DVLA  ?
In other words the BPA are not fit for purpose ... yet government are still to wake up that as an ATA, the BPA are financially very dangerous to the general public as they are simply a members club for money scammers

UKPC signs are rubbish, proven time and time again. BUT BPA approved .... if the BPA ever see them .. as they should

Binoculars at the ready to read a UKPC sign

That's just one part, in this car park can you see entry signs that warn you that this scammer is at large ?
In the stores, are the signs clear to enter your REG number

UKPC will reject your appeal because they need money
Lockdown cost them a lot of scam money

Next step is POPLA, yet another BPA LOAD OF RUBBISH
POPLA will reject an appeal

Then expect SEWAGE being dropped through your lettbox from idiots like DRP, ZZPS, TRACE who really are idiots hoping you are a mug ...... they are the idiots and POWERLESS, they just send out crap
ALL OF THESE CRAP FIRMS ARE MEMBERS OF THE BPA ....... WELL FANCY THAT ?

THEN ...... if UKPC want to go further, they take on a legal, currently DCBL who appear to take on any old rubbish that is presented to them.   
A good reason DCBL end up with egg on their faces

MORE TO COME WITH UKPC RUBBISH
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377263/dcb-legal-record-of-private-parking-court-claim-discontinuations/p1

Coupon-mad

Nice update @mscarlyon - hope it does get cancelled.  Feels horrendous getting one of these for shopping, we know.

Hoping you will stick around a few weeks at least and join us in January or whenever (will be soon) the Government publishes the new statutory Code Impact Assessment and Public Consultation.