Parking Charge for having car wheels on a Hatched Area?

TigXC · 1 February 2019 at 12:13AM

My distraught wife received a dreaded Parking Charge Notice today whilst using the private car park of the ######## (###### ######) Matalan Store. A Charge for parking in a Disabled Bay [yes she has a Blue Badge and it was displayed] and due to reasons I'll explain in a moment, two of the cars wheels where just on the Yellow Cross Hatching area that they have beside these Disabled Bays.

The Charge is for £100 or reduced to £60 if stumped up quickly ... & without a fuss!

Now whilst I know of no laws set in stone/UK Law or rules regarding 'not' being partially parked on a yellow section whilst in a Car Park, I feel a fine of £100 to be ever so mildly excessive do you not agree?

The reason for the car being parked in such a manor was due to other cars partially blocking these Disabled Bays causing the driver to park skew-wiff instead of square on, but that is beside the point ... when did it become a Chargeable Offence anyway.

So even though the car was parked slightly to one side with two wheels straddling the yellow hatched area, the car was in no way obstructing anyone's passage past the car on foot nor was it causing a blockage to any other car driver.

Now, having found a sticky envelope attached to the cars windscreen, my wife did speak with a member of the Matalan staff who went outside with her, agreed it was OTT regarding the ticket but could offer no help other than to promise he would contact their Head Office. On returning home and telling me of this saga, I too sent an email to the Matalan Customer Service team plus a message to their Help Account on twitter. So far had no reply from the CS Team only a short one from the twitter help team (not much help to be honest) telling me to contact the CS Team by email.

Is there anything else I can or should do regarding this Parking Charge as not only has it caused major upset, but as my wife and the cars driver where only popping in to Matalan to hopefully buy some new shoes for my wife to wear to her sisters funeral tomorrow (the wife is not in the best of places at the moment, grieving for her sister who only passed away two weeks ago after a shock diagnosis at Christmas. Bl@@dy cancer!) .... it has also been like a slap around the face when a person is at their lowest!

I hope this makes some form of sense ... I'm not in the best of head spaces myself. But if someone out there can offer some help/advice it would be a great help.

Company concerned regarding the Parking Charge is : UK Parking Control Ltd and require payment sent to a PO Box in Uxbridge.

Ticket was STUCK to the windscreen.

Anyone?

Redx · 1 February 2019 at 12:21AM

was it a windscreen ticket or a postal notice ? (you never said)

ideally, keep on at MATALAN and try to get it cancelled asap , especially as the driver has a BB and so is covered by the Equality Act 2012 (EA2010)

if it was a windscreen ticket, appeal as KEEPER on day 26 following the event, using the blue text appeal in the NEWBIES FAQ sticky thread

the £100 charge has been allowed since at least october 2012 (and will be on their signage) , so no mileage in complaining about it being excessive, not since BARRY BEAVIS lost his 3 court cases, the last one over 2 years ago

ideally , DO NOT REVEAL who was driving, so edit your last post and no telling anyone about this fact

Egbert_Nobacon · 1 February 2019 at 12:42AM

If no response from customer services by midday tomorrow email Jason Hargreaves ceo@matalan.co.uk politely asking him to cancel.
UKPC are scammers, he does his company’s reputation no favours being associated with these knuckle draggers.

Coupon-mad · 1 February 2019 at 1:06AM

Is there anything else I can or should do regarding this Parking Charge

The advice in the NEWBIES FAQS thread is to appeal on day 26 (NOT SOONER) online, as keeper (NOT DRIVER) using the forum template.

This is all explained in the NEWBIES sticky thread, including why you wait till day 26.

You can view UKPC's scam photos by logging in once they are uploaded on their website.

TigXC · 1 February 2019 at 1:18AM

Redx

Thanks for the reply and to answer your first question. It was stuck to the windscreen by some unpleasant type who was nowhere to be seen once the ticket was discovered. No doubt hiding in a parked car somewhere?

I do intend to carry on pursuing Matalan. Their employee with whom the wife spoke did say 'it was out of their hands as a Management Company had taken over the running of this small and private car park'. A defence I do not swallow given it's purpose [the Car Park] is there to serve Matalan and it's customers. I don't believe in the Pass The Buck replies where responsibility is concerned.

I take your point about the £100 but only so far as I can understand your understanding and acceptance of this OTT charge given your prevalence to this forum and possibly others on the very topic of these Parking Charges, I on the other hand am totally new to this subject especially given I haven't driven a car for over 25 years since loosing the use of my legs and left eye, so to me it is utterly excessive.

But that's by the by it seems, though I still can not fathom any justification for attempting to charge someone for something that is not even a Law nor a common mister-meaner in this country! Had the car been totally parked on top of a cross hatched area blocking both it and access to, sat an adjacent vehicle then yes, that might (in a private car park) warrant a stern telling off .. but a £100 fine?

But anyway, I will now go looking for this Blue text you mention in your reply ... thank you for that. As for chasing the CEO up tomorrow Egbert, weather permitting we've an early start to sort things in the morning for a funeral which I mentioned in my post and with events hopefully happening around midday followed by the wake I doubt I be going near my laptop for the next few days!

On that note, I am truly thankful for both your replies and off to find this text you mentioned Redx.

Thank you

Coupon-mad · 1 February 2019 at 1:22AM

I will now go looking for this Blue text you mention in your reply

Not for another 3 weeks...diarise day 26 and read the sticky thread to understand why.

TigXC · 1 February 2019 at 1:29AM

Hi Coupon-mad,

OK, thanks for that ... my head is a bit 'all over the place' at the moment so I dread to think where the wife's is! But that's a different story (so to speak).

Right .. this blue text. Is it this ... [the template letter] ....

''Re PCN number:

I dispute your 'parking charge', as the keeper of the vehicle. ...................... etc

I'm guessing here .... if it is I'll keep it to hand for 3 weeks time then?

Tig

TigXC · 1 February 2019 at 1:39AM

Oh, one thing I just noticed. Most if not all these PCN are in relationship to overstaying, failing to enter your reg no. in a car park management system or for not displaying (correctly or otherwise) a valid parking ticket on your windscreen. So how do contest an act (as they put it) of parking on Yellow Lines/Hatched Area?

Confused ?

Coupon-mad · 1 February 2019 at 1:41AM

You don't until POPLA stage. The whole point is to appeal on day 26 and trap UKPC.

TigXC · 1 February 2019 at 2:04AM

OK ...OK. I get that, just getting prepared. Even 3 weeks early is better than last minute eh?

Le_Kirk · 1 February 2019 at 11:33AM

a Law nor a common mister-meaner in this country!

Wow, I hope the spill chucker did that to you and that you meant misdemeanour!

Parking Charge for having car wheels on a Hatched Area?

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