Unfair parking charge notice issued - no payment machines working

FrustratedParker_16

Good afternoon, 

I have read through the thread for FAQs in PCNs and it contains lots of incredibly helpful information regarding disputing parking charge notices. I couldn’t find a thread that looked similar to mine. So sorry I have started a new one. 

My question comes in two parts: firstly, has anyone obtained land owner details for the following car park: Bowers Row Car Park, Nantwich, CW5 5DZ? Secondly, has anyone been able to successfully dispute a parking charge on the grounds below: 

I was in the car park a total of 18 minutes. The grace period is 10 mins. However, I only found this out after my appeal was rejected. I was only in the car park for that period of time due to attempting to pay. There are no parent and child bays or disabled bays in this car park. It is only small. So with two small children and both of my parents with me I had to first find a space that would enable me to get the children safely out of their car seats. As I attempted to pay on all the pay and display machines these were out of order. district enforcement limited have now admitted this is the case. An app was advertised on the pay and display machines. I had to download this and subsequently delete another app to make room on my old iPhone. This took a while due to poor signal. Upon entering the car park code as advertised into the app it returned nil results for that car park. I attempted to call the number provided to make payment twice but due to poor mobile signal this was immediately cut off. I then got my children back into the car, searched for an alternative location to have lunch with my family and left the car park as I was unable to pay. My appeal and my complaint have both been rejected as others were able to pay using the telephone number provided. I have clearly set out the reasons why I was in the car park for 18 mins and no consideration has been given to the fact that it was due to their payment facilities not being kept in good working order. 

Any advice on what I can do next or templates for similar circumstances would be greatly appreciated. Trying to charge someone £60 and now £170 for 8 mins parking I think is criminal. If the app had worked and the pay and display machines I would have paid for parking and stayed for a few hours to enable us to get lunch. Instead we had to leave and find a garden centre to have lunch in. 

I have read the Withdrawn private parking code of practice. I have found the local MP for Nantwich and Cheshire and will look to write to him alongside my own MP about this matter. They surely cannot keep getting away with these profit making tactics at the expense of innocent motorists. 

Thank you so much for any support and guidance. What an excellent forum this is for people who are not familiar with fighting this type of unjust and bullying behaviour by large parking operators. 

Many thanks 

Gr1pr

Name the private parking company claimant involved 

If its now £170 then it's at the debt collectors letters stage, post 4 in the newbies sticky thread in announcements near the top of the forum by coupon mad 

The original pcn was £100 , not £60

They have been getting away with it for over a decade and nothing will change until the mhclg bring in a statutory Code of Practice 

No chance of an appeal at the debt collectors letters stage

IGNORE the powerless debt collectors letters 

Coupon-mad

As I attempted to pay on all the pay and display machines these were out of order. district enforcement limited have now admitted this is the case.

Totally ignore DE.  That is all, unless you move house obviously, but that's common sense.

FrustratedParker_16

Thank you. The parking operator are called District Enforcement Limited. Apparently I have “exhausted” their appeals process. It was one email and one person that said no. I have also gone through the complaints process and there is only one person that deals with these. How they can claim to be a professional company when there are no routes to escalate either an appeal or a complaint is beyond me. They’ve told me to wait for their solicitors “Gladstones” to now get in contact with me and I can discuss the matter directly with them. I will look back through the threads to see where legal defences are and see which of the ones already shared can be applied to my circumstances of no working app or pay and display machines and no mobile signal to pay on the number they claim others were able to use on the day. 

Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to respond to me. I really do appreciate it. It’s nice to have some support when the people in these parking companies are all just bully’s chasing the profit margins. 

Thank you again 

Coupon-mad

Yes indeed. Ignore DE.