Dealing with NPC (unusual visitor permit appeal rejection)

Jason2342

Hi everyone, 

I do appreciate that people have had dealings with the absolute scam that NPC are I have looked in the NEWBIE and other sections for anything relevant to this, and I couldn't find it, so I do apologize if this has been discussed before.

Unfortunately I live in a flat, where the residential parking is ran by this group of scammers. 

Everyone has a permit on their cars, and on visitor parking, they have these scratch cards (check attached). Upon sending of the new ones they attach a letter (also attached), where they state:

"Please disregard the comment on the scratch cards stating that they are single use only. Please scratch off one month and then reuse it each time you have a visitor that month. This means you may use the scratch card for multiple dates within a month." 

Fair enough, it has been fine for a while. Until there was a notice sent. On the notice and the pictures, you can clearly see the vehicle is in a visitors spot, the scratch card is clearly on display, and all the relevant parts have been filled out/scratch out.

I of course appealed it, assuming that perhaps it is a new employee and he hasn't been briefed, as at the bottom of the scratch card it does say "one time use" only. 

The notice was given on the 28/11/2023, and they rejected the appeal on the basis of "To be parked correctly you scratch the date, month and year for the day that you are parked. You were parked on the 28-11-2023, but scratch out future dates making it invalid." This is as the remaining 2 dates of the month were also scratch off. 

Now the terms and conditions of the scratch card are at the back (also attached). They are asking me to ignore the single use, at the back it also says that it is valid for 24 hours only, and nowhere do I see that the reason for rejection of the appeal to be in any way enforceable on their part. It angers me that they are willing to cling onto branches in a river to hopefully scare people into paying. 

Needless to say, I will be appealing to POPLA, I wanted to check people's opinion on this, am I going after the fact that what they have mentioned above, is not in the terms, therefore not enforceable ? 

Any help would be appreciated, I have been dealing with these, as well as ocean parking, debt recovery+ and they are all like mold. 

Fruitcake

You won't be appealing to PoPLA because NPC are IPC members, and the IAS is a kangaroo court.

What does your lease/AST/property rental agreement say about parking/permits etcetera as that will have primacy of contract over anything an unregulated PPC says?
What your lease etcetera doesn't say is equally important.

Jason2342

Fruitcake said:

You won't be appealing to PoPLA because NPC are IPC members, and the IAS is a kangaroo court.

What does your lease/AST/property rental agreement say about parking/permits etcetera as that will have primacy of contract over anything an unregulated PPC says?
What your lease etcetera doesn't say is equally important.

Absolutely nothing in the letting agreement with regards to parking companies. The only clause in the contract is as follows: 

12. Park vehicles in your garage (if there is one) or on your parking space only, and without causing an obstruction

Nothing else, nothing about visitors spots etc. The only thing is in the lobby and in the lift (see attached picture) which is just a notice. On the notice it actually says to contact POPLA lol

Coupon-mad

That laughable bit at the bottom:

"if you get a PENALTY Charge don't bother us!"

Jason2342

Coupon-mad said:

That laughable bit at the bottom:

"if you get a PENALTY Charge don't bother us!"

It's all laughable and ridiculous that it is being forced on paying residents with the premise of "ensuring that there is equal parking rights for everyone". 

Would my best bet be appealing it further and quoting the rental agreement which doesn't mention dealing with parking companies ? It does however not mention visitors parking at all on there so not sure which sector that falls under. 

fisherjim

What signage is on the entrance to the car park and around the estate, those silly notice are just laughable.

Coupon-mad

Appeal and use that Notice as evidence that:

- the Notice does not create any contract

- the notice calls it a PENALTY (a fine)

- the notice doesn't even mention a parking charge or how much that might be so a driver cannot have agreed by conduct to pay £100

- the Notice misleads the reader to appeal to POPLA 

Jason2342

Coupon-mad said:

Appeal and use that Notice as evidence that:

- the Notice does not create any contract

- the notice calls it a PENALTY (a fine)

- the notice doesn't even mention a parking charge or how much that might be so a driver cannot have agreed by conduct to pay £100

- the Notice misleads the reader to appeal to POPLA 

They of course rejected the initial appeal as they always do, the management informs me to appeal to POPLA, if that is not the case, who should I appeal to ? As I see it, there is nothing in the rental agreement regarding parking apart from point 12 mentioned above, and in the lift, is the above notice to residents which clearly is just wrong. 

Thank you for this. This is the letter issued, there was no windscreen notice 

Coupon-mad

IPC Firms are best ignored these days.  There is no POPLA, if this is an IPC AOS firm.

IMHO, their Trade Body provides no fair or independent appeal service that consumer reviews and their own - now unavailable - archive Annual Reports suggest is worth trying.

Their bad.  Let them dig their holes.  They seem very good at it, from my perspective.

Ignore IPC AOS parking firms.

DO NOT PAY PCNs FROM IPC AOS FIRMS.

Interesting that it is in the public domain that this company was newly registered this Summer, by a certain person...wonder why?

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14994806/officers

I wonder.

I think I might know.  This has been discussed off forum.  The IPC are meant to be completely separate from any parking appeals service.  

fisherjim

There is absolutely nothing in this that conforms to any rules, COP or anything at all, and that paperwork doesn't even mention who their "ATA" is what a bunch of cowboys.

Jason2342

Thanks for that, they rejected the appeal immediately, I have another one few days prior to this one, where they took the picture from a low angle so it looks like part of the scratch card is not showing up, and then saying I'm not displaying properly. Furthermore, their silly little sign in the car park, doesn't mention absolutely anything about visitors parking, just the allocated parking.

@Coupon-mad above, plus the scratch card is not sufficient enough, plus the silly little sign from management company in the lift, and also the sign in the car park doesn't mention visitors parking. Should I ignore them going forward, as you mentioned their Trade body is also cowboys, so not sure if it will be worth even appealing further, for them to reject again. 

They advise to appeal to IAS if I wish to do so further, or alternatively lodge a complaint with them on their website. 


They also have a little BPA sticker on the sign in the car park, so maybe complain of how much of cowboys they are directly to them ?