Validated parking at gym - received SEVEN parking tickets!

Ctaiwo

Throughout the month of December 2023, I reguarly attended the gym and I have received an excessive number of parking tickets—specifically, 7 in total each one stating that I parked without paying. The gym has a machine to validate parking for 3hours (each visit has not exceeded this time limit)

I initially paid for one on the 2nd of December because that was my error and subsequently received two more, which I also paid. However, upon reflection, I am now uncertain about whether I should have done this, especially as I have received an additional five tickets since then. 

One ticket issued on the 20th December - I appealed under the issue that I did input my car reg into the system and they have come back and stated that "they confirm that the vehicle was on site for 1hour 40 minutes with no payment or permit to authorise your stay" 
I spoke to the assistant gym manager and they agreed that this was “excessive” and “not normal” and that I should email all the PCNs to the gym manager which I did and he replied asking me if “i did input my car reg” and that “ We would like to help with this matter but there is only so much we are able to do.”

Whilst inputting my car reg on my latest visit. I did the following:
1) took a picture once inputted (but this obviously isn’t feasible every gym visit - i attend 4 times a week)

2) i noticed that the gym car park machine appeared to be under “Your Parking Space” company and I have emailed them and asked for “evidence” of my car reg for the duration on December 2023 & I’m waiting to get a response. 

I’m not sure what else to do. As the amount of PCN’s are a lot - do I have grounds to appeal to the POPLA for every single one? 

It appears to be a machine error. But I have no “evidence” of this and i’m worried that what if I can’t get the “evidence” - where do I go from there? 

Obviously, after paying on the 2nd December - lesson was learnt and I am CONFIDENT that I have validated my parking - but the PCN’s have made me question but surely SEVEN PCNs must highlight something is wrong. 

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated?

P.s. I have read previous posts regarding gym parking validation - but I think my case is different just because of the AMOUNT of PCNs received. 

T.I.A

Le_Kirk

Keep on at the gym manager; it is clearly not feasible that you failed to input your VRM on each occasion.  Tell them that, if every visit comes with a £100 (£170) surcharge you cannot afford to stay at the gym and will have to go to somewhere that cares about its customers and possibly take all your friends and family too!

Ctaiwo

Le_Kirk said:

Keep on at the gym manager; it is clearly not feasible that you failed to input your VRM on each occasion.  Tell them that, if every visit comes with a £100 (£170) surcharge you cannot afford to stay at the gym and will have to go to somewhere that cares about its customers and possibly take all your friends and family too!

Thank you. I just sent a follow up email to the gym manager as i received ANOTHER PCN today- clearly a machine error. 

Coupon-mad

Get this in your local paper and show the journalist your evidence.

Umkomaas

Which parking firm is chasing you?

Exodi

Which gym?

I was a member of the The Gym and had a similar thing happen - the customer service and gym just completely  shafted me and told me they don't get involved in parking disputes, so I was on my own.

I later found some senior staffs contact details online and emailed them... along the lines of it being uncomfortable to know that The Gym were unwilling to exert even the smallest of efforts to their loyal customers, while other retailers do, and that their shafting of me, caused by their own parking issue, would cause untold hardship during a cost of living crisis that other customers had a right to know about.

About a day later I found the local gym manager had personally reached out to me asking for me to send him copies of any current and future parking tickets I received and he'd get them cancelled. Only a few days after I sent each one, I got a letter from the parking company confirming the parking tickets had been cancelled.

It really highlighted to me that it is totally within their power to have them cancelled - but a lot can just not be bothered to get involved.

Ctaiwo said:

One ticket issued on the 20th December - I appealed under the issue that I did input my car reg into the system and they have come back and stated that "they confirm that the vehicle was on site for 1hour 40 minutes with no payment or permit to authorise your stay" 

Unfortunately from reading a few parking threads, it seems a total waste of time to try talk it out with the parking company.

Le_Kirk

Exodi said:

Unfortunately from reading a few parking threads, it seems a total waste of time to try talk it out with the parking company.

..and that is advised in the NEWBIE sticky.

PingPong50

I later found some senior staffs contact details online and emailed them... along the lines of it being uncomfortable to know that The Gym were unwilling to exert even the smallest of efforts to their loyal customers, while other retailers do, and that their shafting of me, caused by their own parking issue, would cause untold hardship during a cost of living crisis that other customers had a right to know about.

Hi @exodi just wondering if you could PM me the email address you have that was useful? I have this exact problem with “The Gym” communications with them so far has been pretty pointless where they are not interested.

Exodi

PingPong50 said:

I later found some senior staffs contact details online and emailed them... along the lines of it being uncomfortable to know that The Gym were unwilling to exert even the smallest of efforts to their loyal customers, while other retailers do, and that their shafting of me, caused by their own parking issue, would cause untold hardship during a cost of living crisis that other customers had a right to know about.

Hi @exodi just wondering if you could PM me the email address you have that was useful? I have this exact problem with “The Gym” communications with them so far has been pretty pointless where they are not interested.

Unfortunately I finally deleted my old email address last year (it was an archaic one from my younger years that I had kept for way too long but was still in use with The Gym... think along the lines of beermad69@yahoo.com).

I just googled The Gym directors (they conveniently list their senior management team online:  https://www.tggplc.com/about-us/board-of-directors ) and eventually found/worked out a couple email addresses.

For example, they all end in @thegymgroup.com and I can see from a quick search the chair John Treharne's email is likely;John@thegymgroup.com (https://www.!!!!!!/s.php?id=ceo-76265 ).

I believe I sent out a few emails to various people to try to get a hit. There's no reason if you had difficulty finding them online, you couldn't just try copying your email to will@, Luke@,etc or even Will.Orr@thegymgroup.com .

I don't actually know which one it was that was successful, because after emailing a few people, I just got an email 'out the blue' from the manager of the local gym later the next day of whom I'd never communicated with, stating he'd got the details and to send him the tickets.

PingPong50

Brilliant, thanks for the advice. Was planning on hitting up Will Orr on linked in then fire off a few others too. 

Ctaiwo

Umkomaas said:

Which parking firm is chasing you?

Premier Parking LTD.