ANPR fault – how to prove it and avoid charge

Boudouche1

I am at the receiving end of the ANPR fault when multiple short visits of the car were recorded as one single visit. The car does regular pick ups and drop offs every day from the same car park, not exceeding the allocated 20 min maximum stay time. However, the images from the Total Parking Solutions indicate that the car was parked on the monitored car park for 24.7 hours. Within this period the car was used to collect and drop off different children in other parts of the city as it is the only family car we have. The car was then parked in our driveway for most of the day. The question is how to prove it to the predatory TPS.

 

As instructed on the NEWBIES parking thread, I will of course contact the owner of the parking space first thing on Monday. From the previous case and the kind advice from @Half-way @KeithP @fisherjim @Coupon-mad, I was given a template to complain about defective ANPR systems and the lack of reasonable checks to verify ANPR data. I will use this template when contacting the owner of the parking space. To make things more annoying, the car park owner is also my employer – I am hoping that they act in a reasonable way and cancel the charge. For now, I would appreciate advice on how to prove ANPR fault and avoid the charge.

 

I have read through several threads on the forum that mention ANPR fault, and how the parking company are refusing to acknowledge it (for example, http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2014/02/parkingeye-cancel-court-claim-after.html). As this and other cases show, the parking company simply does not want to acknowledge ANPR fault in recording double visits. I have two questions to the forum users, please:

 

1.     Can I request TPS to check their ANPR records for double entries as I know with a relative certainty (about 5 minute period) when the non-recorded exits and entries occurred? This is, of course, if these entries were at all recorded on their system (as the Parking Prankster explains here - http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-parking-operators-use-anpr.html).

 

2.     I do not have any photos proving that the car was not in the monitored car park managed by TPS. Can I rely on witnesses seeing the car in other locations during the specified 24.7 hours in question?

 

This is just such a disturbing nonsense, and I am annoyed about wasting my time (and forumites time) on dealing with this case. Thank you in advance for your help.

Sloppyjoe

ANPR is well known to be unreliable that's why authorities are banned from using by the government, in private car parks they get around this, but even the BPA have admitted that it can be unreliable.

The first thing is "Plan A" which you will know having read the forum.

Do you have google maps on your phone, it stores your journeys, you can go into your Google account on it and all your journeys are logged.

Of course witness statements are relevant.

Do you or one of your neighbours have a "Ring" type door bell you only need one shot of the car on your drive within their claimed 24hr period.

You should also instruct the parking scammers to view the "orphaned images" stored on their system.

This double dipping is a well documented problem, PPC's will never admit to it for obvious reasons it would open the flood gates.

Nellymoser

Evidence could also be receipts or bank transactions for any purchases or visits made on the day. 

This recent double dip victim's pcn was quickly cancelled following a complaint.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81307723/#Comment_81307723

Boudouche1

Good evening @Sloppyjoe, thank you for your advice. The first thing I did after receiving the letter was to peak to my neighbours who have CCTV. They are trying to see if they recorded my car coming in and out of my driveway.

I checked Google Maps timeline, but the feature recording the journeys was disabled at the time of the incident - so none were recorded. I have now enabled it - for future use.

After contacting the owner of the car park, which I will do first thing on Monday, I will get in touch with the TPS to ask them to look at the "orphaned images". From what I have seen on the forum, however, it seems that the parking scammers refuse to check their records.

Thanks again

Boudouche1

Thank you @Nellymoser for your advice. I had a look at the thread you shared, and it is encouraging that digital receipts and text exchange can be used as an evidence of ANPR fault. I am hoping that my neighbours would also have a recording of our car leaving our driveway during the time when it was allegedly parked in the TPS-monitored car park. I am checking all my records now to see how to prove the obvious ANPR fault, thanks for helping.

Fruitcake

Hello again.

Do you have a smart 'phone with location/tracking enabled, a dashcam, or does the vehicle have any sort of telemetry/black box.

Signed witness statements are also a viable source of proof that the vehicle was elsewhere, as well as work logs/sign in/out sheets.

If you think this problem is likely to happen again and don't already have a dashcam, a small investment in one could save you a lot of hassle.

Plan A of course is always a complaint to the landowner/business owner/CEO, and your MP, as well as complaints to the DVLA.

You could also focus the PPC's mind, and that of the landowner, by sending a letter of claim asking for around £250 for each time your personal data (including VRM) was unlawfully obtained and processed.

As an aside, how did you get on fighting the PCN at Bristol Airport? I know one was cancelled (the broken down bus saga), but I don't recall seeing anything about resolution of the other one. My apologies if I have missed it.

Coupon-mad

Boudouche1 said:
I am at the receiving end of the ANPR fault when multiple short visits of the car were recorded as one single visit.

The car does regular pick ups and drop offs every day from the same car park, not exceeding the allocated 20 min maximum stay time. However, the images from the Total Parking Solutions indicate that the car was parked on the monitored car park for 24.7 hours.

Within this period the car was used to collect and drop off different children in other parts of the city as it is the only family car we have. The car was then parked in our driveway for most of the day. The question is how to prove it to the predatory TPS. As instructed on the NEWBIES parking thread, I will of course contact the owner of the parking space first thing on Monday.

From the previous case and the kind advice, I was given a template to complain about defective ANPR systems and the lack of reasonable checks to verify ANPR data. I will use this template when contacting the owner of the parking space.

To make things more annoying, the car park owner is also my employer – I am hoping that they act in a reasonable way and cancel the charge. For now, I would appreciate advice on how to prove ANPR fault and avoid the charge. As this and other cases show, the parking company simply does not want to acknowledge ANPR fault in recording double visits. I have two questions to the forum users, please:

 

1.     Can I request TPS to check their ANPR records for double entries as I know with a relative certainty (about 5 minute period) when the non-recorded exits and entries occurred? This is, of course, if these entries were at all recorded on their system (as the Parking Prankster explains here - http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-parking-operators-use-anpr.html).

 

2.     I do not have any photos proving that the car was not in the monitored car park managed by TPS. Can I rely on witnesses seeing the car in other locations during the specified 24.7 hours in question?

 

This is just such a disturbing nonsense, and I am annoyed about wasting my time (and forumites time) on dealing with this case. Thank you in advance for your help.

I am hoping that my neighbours would also have a recording of our car leaving our driveway during the time when it was allegedly parked in the TPS-monitored car park. I am checking all my records now to see how to prove the obvious ANPR fault, thanks for helping.

Demand that the DPO checks for the missing 'orphan images' of the car leaving & returning.

Nellymoser

And if you want to see Parking companies practice improve then sign the petition linked in the post below. Ask family, friends and work colleagues to sign too. 

Once your signature is confirmed use the shown link to 'Contact your MP to let them know you have signed this petition'. Our MPs are the ones to make this happen. 🙏

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81195013/#Comment_81195013

Boudouche1

Good afternoon @Fruitcake. Thank you for helping me again.

Unfortunately, I do not have a dashcam installed on the vehicle in question. I have been thinking about getting a dashcam, but I don't know if they keep records some two weeks after the event? It does make sense to have one, agreed.

I will complain to the car park owner/my employer on Monday, and hope they will be understanding. I am waiting for my neighbour to check on their recorded images to show that my car was in and out of my driveway during the time in question. If not, I will have to get witness statements, I guess.

On the subject of the parking saga with Bristol airport, I had one ticket cancelled, while another one is still there. I was considering what to do with the second outstanding ticket, but it feels I lost time to ask for it to be cancelled. I am hoping that if it comes to it, I will use the advice I received from you, @Fruitcake, @Coupon-mad, @Umk@Umkomaas and others to fight it off.

Boudouche1

Thank you @Nellymoserfor your advice. It looks like MPs do not really care about improving the parking practice, but happy to sign the petition.

Fruitcake

Boudouche1 said:

Good afternoon @Fruitcake. Thank you for helping me again.

Unfortunately, I do not have a dashcam installed on the vehicle in question. I have been thinking about getting a dashcam, but I don't know if they keep records some two weeks after the event? It does make sense to have one, agreed.

I will complain to the car park owner/my employer on Monday, and hope they will be understanding. I am waiting for my neighbour to check on their recorded images to show that my car was in and out of my driveway during the time in question. If not, I will have to get witness statements, I guess.

On the subject of the parking saga with Bristol airport, I had one ticket cancelled, while another one is still there. I was considering what to do with the second outstanding ticket, but it feels I lost time to ask for it to be cancelled. I am hoping that if it comes to it, I will use the advice I received from you, @Fruitcake, @Coupon-mad, @Umk@Umkomaas and others to fight it off.

Dashcams have a fairly good storage capacity, but a regime of downloading the data on a weekly basis should resolve any issues with accessing historic events.

As for your outstanding BRS PCN, I seem to recall that it was outside the area where VCS were/are contracted to operate. If that is the case, they won't want to put it in front of a judge.