Charge for stopping in traffic Bristol Airport

Coupon-mad

Lovely.  You've done your bit by disputing it.  No trying the kangaroo court of IAS.  Ignore them!

Keep all letters and tell them if you move house.

Come back if you get a court claim.
 
NO PAYING AT ANY STAGE

YankeeBrit

What utter male bovine excrement. You don't "have to pay" anything.

It is obvious that it is "unclear" who the driver is. They have no clue. As this is not "relevant land", the RK cannot be liable, only the driver. Catch 22 for the intellectually malnourished company.

VCS can "assume" as much as they like. In law, their "assumption" is worthless. It is up to them to "prove" you were the driver, not for you to prove the "contrary".

Byelaws are as much in use today as they were when the vermin infested the airport. They cannot just "wish away" those byelaws. The "Airport Company" can regard them as obsolete as much as they like. That doesn't alter the fact that they are very much still in place.

There is no such thing as a "lawful debt". There is no "debt" unless a judge says there is.

VCS may be authorised to enforce "parking" on the airport's private land. However, you were not "parked," whether a person did or didn't get out of your car.

What has the fact that there are over 80 signs "advising" drivers not to stop got to do with the price of eggs in China? You could probably use that bit to argue, if it ever got to court, that VCS themselves state that the signs are only "advisory". 

Forget the IAS. Just go through the motions of waiting for Plan D, a court claim. You'll have to weather the storm of useless debt collector letters but once they realise that you are not a "mug", they will stop and you'll have to wait and see if they bother to issue a court claim. Come back if you ever get an LoC or a county court claim.

Boudouche1

Thank you @YankeeBrit and @Coupon-mad for your advice. Why do we have to live with such intimidating and annoying companies? I regularly travel to Bristol airport and pay their extortionate long-term parking fees, yet the Airport did not even reply to my letters asking to reign in VCS.

Coupon-mad

We don't have to live with it:

A year ago:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79310609/#Comment_79310609

Fast forward to now:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6463361/dluhc-private-parking-code-government-launches-call-for-evidence-discussion-thread/p1

That's why I've been representing people like you on the DLUHC Steering Group since 2020.  Read about it... it will help you.  

Also read the Template Defence.

Boudouche1

Thank you for your support @Coupon-mad . I am likely to have one rendez-vous with VCS already in court, so any help with this current case will be very much appreciated.

Coupon-mad

Nothing needs to be done - as I said before.  

Except we'd love you to help with the photo evidence explained in the later posts on that second thread link, if you want me to use your local town evidence of 'good' car parks.

I will send my submission to Govt (with relevant photos) in 4 or 5 weeks.

Boudouche1

Hi @Coupon-mad .

I cannot quite understand what you mean by this:

"Except we'd love you to help with the photo evidence explained in the later posts on that second thread link, if you want me to use your local town evidence of 'good' car parks"

Do you mean this thread?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6454293/parking-charge-for-passing-through-car-park#latest

Coupon-mad

No.

I didn't link that.  No idea what that is!

My reply above said we were discussing the photos needed for Government "on that second thread link".

I had only provided you with 2 links to read.

Fruitcake

Boudouche1 said:

@Fruitcake , @YankeeBrit , @Coupon-mad . Thank you for your help with the earlier appeal to VCS. I have received their reply. To sum up:

 

·        They do not accept my appeal – “No stopping” signs are clear, I have to pay £100 charge.

·        It is unclear who the driver was who was seen stopping.

·        VCS "will continue to pursue this matter on the reasonable assumption that you were the driver of the vehicle on the date in question until information/evidence to the contrary is provided".

·        Review of CCTV suggests that the vehicle stopped to drop off a passenger.

·        In response to my comment about the use of byelaws at the Airport: The airport roads are private property. Byelaws are not currently in use as the last set of byelaws published relate to the old airport site and are now regarded as obsolete by the Airport Company.

·        In response to my point about unlawful use of my data from DVLA: Parking Operators are permitted to obtain details of a vehicles registered keeper in order to pursue a lawful debt.

·        VCS are authorised to enforce parking on the Airport’s private land.

·        There are over 80 signs advising drivers not to stop.

·        The Charge Notice was correctly issued, mitigating circumstances cannot be accepted.

No further appeal to VCS is possible, need to appeal to the IAS or pay.

They are just making stuff up now, but of course you must not pay this ludicrous charge. 

Please will you post a redacted copy of their whole response, and a map showing the precise location of the alleged incident, as well as the location of the broken down bus if possible?

I suggest you then complain to the landowner (who no doubt will not respond), Bristol Airport Ltd, your MP, the CAA, and the Secretary of State for Transport. State that you are concerned to hear that the company managing Bristol Airport on behalf of the foreign landowner appears to consider airport byelaws to be obsolete on part of the airport site accessible to the general public. Include a copy of the reply from VCS (obviously stating that it is is an unregulated private parking company contracted by the airport managing company) stating the above. 
Ask if this is true, and if so, what are the consequences of not having active byelaws in place on parts of the airport.

How did you get on with your original complaints? Did the media do anything with the information?

Boudouche1

Hi @Fruitcake . Thank you for your advice, as always.

I was also bemused to hear from VCS that there were NO active byelaws in place at Bristol Airport. I will edit the letter from VCS and post it shortly