KFC Parking Ticket disabled child

ktTurn

Hi, 

I’m new to this forum but not new to fighting punitive parking fines from cowboy companies. 

I have a disabled child and recently took them with another family with a disabled child to a KFC restaurant the food took over thirty minutes to arrive due to issues in the kitchen. On top of that we had the child’s wheelchair to secure in the car. 

Both families received parking fines for going over the sixty minute parking restriction. I have called them directly and they refused to speak to me. I have been to the store and taken photos of the disabled spaces, there is no signage anywhere near the two bays directly outside the restaurant. I spoke to the manager and they finally admitted they can remove them and would try to get the area manager to speak to the parking company. Whilst I was there the area manager called and advised them not to provide their name and that I had to go through the cowboy parking company to resolve this. I left them with a letter explaining the discrimination that we have faced and copies of emails I will be sending to our MP and the CEO of the company. 

This KFC is not a particularly busy one, it’s at the side of a dual carriageway with no retail park, residential area or any other reason for people to park for long which makes me believe the sixty minute restriction is a complete money making scam by the landowner. Whilst I know with our children’s blue badges and the lack of signage I have a strong appeal and know the process.  

I’m just tired of receiving parking tickets from these scammers due to being slightly over the time due to my child’s disability (it was 11 minutes over the sixty minute) and having to jump through hoops to appeal. On this incident I didn’t know there was a such a short time limit due to lack of visible signs. 

Even once I hopefully manage to get mine and my friend’s parking fines overturned. I would like to still take this further to help towards it happening to other disabled families. I’m sure this restaurant in particular has targeted many vulnerable families that have been to intimidated and Just paid the £100 fine. The area manager attitude was it’s not his problem, I left all my details and have not had a response.  Please could anyone signpost me to any action groups or advice on what I can do next? 

Fruitcake

Complain to the manager and KFC UK CEO in writing, and leave negative feedback on social media.
Complain to your MP.
Complain to the PPC and then their trade association.
Complain to the relevant Secretary of State that deals with disabilities.
Complain to the DLUHC who are slowly preparing a new mandatory code of practice for the currently unregulated private parking industry. 
I'm sure you are already aware, but do include breach of the EA 2010 and the fact that failing to make reasonable adjustments is a criminal offence in all your complaints.

Stick with this forum as stalwart @Coupon-mad has direct access to the DLUHC. I am sure she will be along soon to assist you further.

Which PPC issued the scamvoice, and where did the alleged event occur? It may have cropped up here before.

nopcns

Stop patronising KFC and make your views known on as many social media sites as possible, They hate negative publicity. Make sure you alert anyone who bothers to read reviews that they are liable to be invoiced for £100 for the privilege.

You should let the KFC manager know that they are jointly and severally liable for the actions of there agents and that they should pass your complaint to their legal department as any breach of the Equality Act 2010 is a criminal matter.

I'm assuming that this was an ANPR based PCN with no operator placing an NtD on the windscreen. If so, you should complain to the PPC that they breached section 19 of the EA, indirect discrimination. With your complaint (this is not an appeal) you should provide a copy of the blue badge. Highlight that once they are aware that someone in the car has a protected characteristic and they fail to correct or explain their action, it becomes direct discrimination.

Both forms of discrimination are criminal offences and you may want to copy in the KFC manager concerned as they are jointly liable for their agents actions. Due to the delays at KFC, they have not allowed extra time as is required because it takes longer than an able bodied person for someone with protected characteristics to leave the premises. That is discrimination.

Half_way

nopcns said:

I'm assuming that this was an ANPR based PCN with no operator placing an NtD on the windscreen. If so, you should complain to the PPC that they breached section 19 of the EA, indirect discrimination. With your complaint (this is not an appeal) you should provide a copy of the blue badge. Highlight that once they are aware that someone in the car has a protected characteristic and they fail to correct or explain their action, it becomes direct discrimination.

Both forms of discrimination are criminal offences and you may want to copy in the KFC manager concerned as they are jointly liable for their agents actions. Due to the delays at KFC, they have not allowed extra time as is required because it takes longer than an able bodied person for someone with protected characteristics to leave the premises. That is discrimination.

That in a nutshell,however if this site is a KFC only site - and the KFC is not on a larger retail park then i would go straight for the KFC franchise/branch over a breach of the EA (Equality Act )

Where was/is this KFC?

I would draft a letter, remembering to mention that they are jointly and severally liable for the actions of their agents  and post it on here, then :

 1: go back to the KFC and ask to speak with someone, read out the letter to them as well as handing it to them

2: find out if this is a franchise or KFC direct managed site and post it, and email it to them

3: e-mail, post to social media and so on

You are looking to take action against them (KFC)  for a breach of the equality act , you should be telling ( not asking them) to remove the ANPR systems with immediate effect until they can install or upgrade the system to detect people in vehicles with a protected characteristic as per the equality act, and allow those people/vehicles extra time

 you should also be telling them that a whitelist/pre registration system for disabled people is unacceptable as it discriminates against those with a disability by requiring them to take on additional tasks.

Any action on your part, form complaints, compensation and legal action should be focused on the KFC if its a KFC site, as they are jointly and severally liable for their actions of their agents .

 They( KFC) should have been aware of what they were doing in allowing an un regulated parking company to operate on their site

1505grandad

https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--150#:~:text=Current role holder-,Mims Davies MP,2022 to 12 April 2024.

Newly appointed:-

Current role holder

Mims Davies MP

Mims Davies was appointed Minister of State (Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work) in the Department for Work and Pensions on 12 April 2024.

She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 27 October 2022 to 12 April 2024.

Apparently in response to:-

https://www.change.org/p/make-the-minister-of-state-for-disabled-people-a-permanent-ministerial-position

ktTurn

Thank you everyone this is exactly the advice I was looking for. 

The site is in Sandwich Kent. The parking company was civil enforcement. 

As I mentioned I went into the restaurant and left a letter for the area manager and draft letters to the CEO and my MP. I will rewrite the letters with all the information you have provided above, thank you so much. Whilst speaking to the manager another manager appeared and started reading my letters. She disappeared and returned on the phone with area manager and handed it to the other manager then vanished. After the conversation it was obvious he had been advised not to speak to me further or provide the area managers details. He advised me to call enforcement company and wouldn’t speak further. All I left was with his first name. I did manage to inform other disabled people waiting to be served of the strict parking policy and the restaurant quickly emptied. 

Le_Kirk

ktTurn said:

As I mentioned I went into the restaurant and left a letter for the area manager and draft letters to the CEO and my MP. I will rewrite the letters with all the information you have provided above, thank you so much. Whilst speaking to the manager another manager appeared and started reading my letters. She disappeared and returned on the phone with area manager and handed it to the other manager then vanished. After the conversation it was obvious he had been advised not to speak to me further or provide the area managers details. He advised me to call enforcement company and wouldn’t speak further. All I left was with his first name. I did manage to inform other disabled people waiting to be served of the strict parking policy and the restaurant quickly emptied. 

Brilliant tactic; I'm sure that is exactly why they introduced a rogue PPC to kill off their business!

ktTurn

Fruitcake said:

Complain to the manager and KFC UK CEO in writing, and leave negative feedback on social media.
Complain to your MP.
Complain to the PPC and then their trade association.
Complain to the relevant Secretary of State that deals with disabilities.
Complain to the DLUHC who are slowly preparing a new mandatory code of practice for the currently unregulated private parking industry. 
I'm sure you are already aware, but do include breach of the EA 2010 and the fact that failing to make reasonable adjustments is a criminal offence in all your complaints.

Stick with this forum as stalwart @Coupon-mad has direct access to the DLUHC. I am sure she will be along soon to assist you further.

Which PPC issued the scamvoice, and where did the alleged event occur? It may have cropped up here before.

I have never heard of the PPC Civil Enforcement before and it was near Sandwich Kent. 

I did highlight in the letter I wrote that it was in breach of the EA 2010.  

ktTurn

Half_way said:

nopcns said:

I'm assuming that this was an ANPR based PCN with no operator placing an NtD on the windscreen. If so, you should complain to the PPC that they breached section 19 of the EA, indirect discrimination. With your complaint (this is not an appeal) you should provide a copy of the blue badge. Highlight that once they are aware that someone in the car has a protected characteristic and they fail to correct or explain their action, it becomes direct discrimination.

Both forms of discrimination are criminal offences and you may want to copy in the KFC manager concerned as they are jointly liable for their agents actions. Due to the delays at KFC, they have not allowed extra time as is required because it takes longer than an able bodied person for someone with protected characteristics to leave the premises. That is discrimination.

That in a nutshell,however if this site is a KFC only site - and the KFC is not on a larger retail park then i would go straight for the KFC franchise/branch over a breach of the EA (Equality Act )

Where was/is this KFC?

I would draft a letter, remembering to mention that they are jointly and severally liable for the actions of their agents  and post it on here, then :

 1: go back to the KFC and ask to speak with someone, read out the letter to them as well as handing it to them

2: find out if this is a franchise or KFC direct managed site and post it, and email it to them

3: e-mail, post to social media and so on

You are looking to take action against them (KFC)  for a breach of the equality act , you should be telling ( not asking them) to remove the ANPR systems with immediate effect until they can install or upgrade the system to detect people in vehicles with a protected characteristic as per the equality act, and allow those people/vehicles extra time

 you should also be telling them that a whitelist/pre registration system for disabled people is unacceptable as it discriminates against those with a disability by requiring them to take on additional tasks.

Any action on your part, form complaints, compensation and legal action should be focused on the KFC if its a KFC site, as they are jointly and severally liable for their actions of their agents .

 They( KFC) should have been aware of what they were doing in allowing an un regulated parking company to operate on their site

I’m sure it is a franchise but it only opened in 2022. I have searched everywhere even gone through lots of LinkedIn profiles but can’t find any details for the area manager or franchise. With the store being unwilling to provide 
them is there any other way to find them out? If not can I still take them in a letter addressed to whom it may concern. They did try to tell me they couldn’t give me the area managers name due to GDPR 

Both cars were caught on anpr 

I did put it out on X and had a dm saying they were looking into it but nothing in two days.  On your advice I have left a google review today. 

I have also already provided the restaurant a copy of both blue badges for both families. 

ktTurn

Please can someone advise how I find the details of if it’s a franchise and who the area manager.  I would
like to go in tomorrow with the final letter. 

As I stated I’m fed up of this discrimination and want to make a change. The other family that were also scammed son is also severely disabled and I’ve promised them I will try to take the pressure of them and resolve the matter for them. Looking after disabled children is beyond hard without this additional stress.

we do really appreciate your help. 

Coupon-mad

Get it in the local paper.  That'll see them cancelled and it will raise awareness that fixed time policies in car parks are illegal:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8488737.stm