Everyman Cinema Barnet

alirauf04

Hi all, 

Unfortunately I lost a county court hearing yesterday, against G24 parking represented by BW legal. My wife used my car and went to the movies with our kids, but didn't register the car number plate registration in the terminal inside, (she didn't see the signs or the terminal). 

I guess my fault for not appealing it at the time (I'm a doctor and it was in the middle of the covid pandemic so had more pressing things going on unfortunately)

Prepared my case, including the usual stuff of poor signage using actually their own photos, the signs themselves suggested that parking needs to be validated when buying a ticket, but my wife bought her ticket online and there was no indication that this would be required when attending the cinema or any ability to register the car online, and also simply appealing to the fact that my wife was a paying customer entitled to use the cinema, so she clearly had nothing to gain by not obtaining validation for her parking.

The judge, however, simply didn't accept any of these arguments and favoured with the claimant. I was dumbfounded that I spend most of my time offering rebuttals to the judges points, the solicitor present hardly had to say anything.

The judge also made no attempt to reduce the claim so had to pay an eye watering £270. I feel like their is so much case law out there now, maybe judges are just getting fed up with dealing with the sheer volume of these cases.

Very very disappointed of course. 

Welcome any thoughts 

Coupon-mad

I share your disappointment. Sorry to hear it.

It happens sometimes because not all Judges get it.  Rarely do we hear of a case lost but when it happens it is down to "Judge bingo" (luck of the draw with a Judge with little experience of parking cases or just a general grump who sides with PPCs and always has done, and won't change now).

Sadly it can be like banging your head against a brick wall but it is rare. Thankfully, there is no sea change in favour of PPCs (quite the opposite), it is just bad luck and you did nothing wrong.  Also it's a rare Judge who allows the added false 'DRA fee' so clearly this Judge might be part time/ inexperienced.

I'm sorry you got the short straw - a bad Judge.

Which Judge?

Which court?

alirauf04

Thanks, that does make me feel better so appreciate your response. I thought I did something wrong on the day. Main lesson to take away is that I should have appealed it in the early stages. Too much on my plate at the time, but that’s the outcome I guess.

It was Brentford County Court where I have previously fought a case and won. This was indeed a stand in judge, helping the main judge get through the case load but I don’t know his name.