Whist I understand the definition of a 'customer' - is there a time factor involved. Surely if I buy something from the Co-op today I am still a 'customer' tomorrow. How is this dealt with on the parking notices.
Whist I understand the definition of a 'customer' - is there a time factor involved. Surely if I buy something from the Co-op today I am still a 'customer' tomorrow. How is this dealt with on the parking notices.
Surely the common sense interpretation is "you may park here while you are visiting our premises" (not "pop in to our shop for 30 seconds and we'll let you leave the car here for another 2 hours").
I was alleged to have parked on a retail carpark in March 2011.Three months later, not one, but two demands for payment of fine from PPF. Have ignored these. Two weeks later, the ticketing agency has passed on my details to a local debt collection agency. The local debt collection agency has only a PO Box number, but no proper address.
The letter they sent to me states " We are a member of the British Parking Association(BPA) and its Approved Operator Scheme and we adhere to its code of practice. As the registered keeper it is important that you inform us immediately if you have sold/hired the car. Or if you were not the driver, that you provide us with the name and address of the person who was driving the vehicle at the relevant time. This is important so we can afford pursuing the wrong person ".
They also state in their letter " The BPA code of practice states - The courts do not look favourably on motorists who try to withhold information from operators when when it has been asked for with genuine, reasonable and proper cause".
They go on to say " If we do not receive full payment or contact from you with your proposal of payment, this matter may be passed to our solcitor to commence County Court proceedings.
I am aware of the following:
They cannot force an individual to name the driver of the vehicle at the relevant time of alleged offence, unless it is a police/council parking fine/ticket.
That it is infact an invoice and NOT a parking fine.
Bailiffs have no right to demand access to my property without a County Court order which they are unlikely to obtain.
The parking company have not suffered a financial loss, so would be highly unlikely to pursue court action, and even if it did, it would only be a waste of their time and money as past attempts to do so have failed.
A local debt collection agency is now involved? Is this a new tactic meant to scare people into paying their ridiculous fines? I couldn't afford to pay it, even if I was guilty of any alleged offence. Your thoughts/advice on this appreciated.
One of their scare tactics, just continue to ignore them. They can only take action against you with a court order, they can only get a court order for the actual loss they have suffered which is none, therefore you have nothing to worry about. Just use anything they send you to make a paper plane.....
Thanks for your response tewksbury, much appreciated. That youtube clip you enclosed from BBC Watchdog is quite clear on the issue - ignore, ignore and then ignore some more.
USEFUL TIP: The white envelopes they send are quite useful for making parcel address labels when cut to size.
Another letter arrived today from the same Debt Collection Agency, identical to the previous one I received yesterday. That is now two from the parking clowns and two from the debt collection goons. Keep em coming, and I'll continue to ignore, ignore and ignore some more.
But I have to admit the white envelope was useful though, I cut it size and used it for a label for a parcel I had to post today. I also re-used one of their previous envelopes, as I had to send a letter to a utility company the other week and had run out of my supply of envelopes so it came in handy.
But it is amazing how these parking/ticketing firms get away with it? It's nothing less than money extortion and should be outlawed. I can imagine these brainless goons sitting around a squalid, seedy little office, hoping and praying for someone misguided or frightened enough to send them some money, so they can keep their grubby little enterprise afloat.
I really need to think of an inventive way to also recycle the laughable letters they send. Any good ideas?
For me, thats the bit that made me believe the OP. If their intention was never to go to the Co-op, came back and saw a ticket. It would have been easy to go to the store, buy a 50p can of soft drink and keep the receipt. Thus being the end of the matter.
The OP was going to the store, but having seen the ticket was so annoyed (you would only get annoyed if your were going to go to the store afterwards) that she just went home. There is no way you would get annoyed, if you had no intention of going to the store. It would then in essence be a fair cop.
How would anyone be so cross that they would drive away from the store when they had intended going in there? You'd surely just go in and tell them the facts and ask for it to be torn up? Seems bizarre reaction to me. As someone else asked, why didn't the OP shop first? In a store in our town centre you have up to 2 hours parking as long as you produce your till receipt which shows you went there first. Simples!
How would anyone be so cross that they would drive away from the store when they had intended going in there? You'd surely just go in and tell them the facts and ask for it to be torn up? Seems bizarre reaction to me. As someone else asked, why didn't the OP shop first? In a store in our town centre you have up to 2 hours parking as long as you produce your till receipt which shows you went there first. Simples!
Because as I had already stated... I had to go to the sorting office round the corner which was to closing.. Yeah believe it or not I was upset knowing I had a £60 fine to pay and therefore couldn't afford my shopping! I am not wise to this game so didn't even know it was the store that had given me the ticket - I just thought it was your normal warden.. Why do you have a problem understanding that?
Anyway, I ignored their payment request and not heard anything as yet..
My husband also received one of these 'invoices' after parking on a supermarket car park.
I followed the advice on here and ignored them. They have since sent 3 or 4 more letters getting more and more threatening.
Today they phoned our house. Well, it wasn't the parking company but a guy saying he was a solicitor. I am thinking it was really Johnny the chap sitting on the opposite desk to the parking fine guy.
I told them there was no way we were paying their invoice and that I was well aware of our rights in this matter. I also asked him to remove our telephone number from their system and put everything in writing. He said he was under no obligation to remove the number and would keep on phoning until we paid.
Did I do the right thing and can they really keep phoning every day?
My husband also received one of these 'invoices' after parking on a supermarket car park.
I followed the advice on here and ignored them. They have since sent 3 or 4 more letters getting more and more threatening.
Today they phoned our house. Well, it wasn't the parking company but a guy saying he was a solicitor. I am thinking it was really Johnny the chap sitting on the opposite desk to the parking fine guy.
I told them there was no way we were paying their invoice and that I was well aware of our rights in this matter. I also asked him to remove our telephone number from their system and put everything in writing. He said he was under no obligation to remove the number and would keep on phoning until we paid.
Did I do the right thing and can they really keep phoning every day?
The only way they can make it enforceable is to take you to court and win. I suppose repeated contact without your permission could be seen as harassment.
Thats what I thought. I think I will just wait and see if they call again. Its awful though dreading the phone ringing. We don't have caller ID either.
How would anyone be so cross that they would drive away from the store when they had intended going in there? You'd surely just go in and tell them the facts and ask for it to be torn up? Seems bizarre reaction to me. As someone else asked, why didn't the OP shop first? In a store in our town centre you have up to 2 hours parking as long as you produce your till receipt which shows you went there first. Simples!
The word is simple, not simples. Your post might of had some creditbilty, if you hadnt used that word.
You are wrong in your thought process. The OP was clearly so upset, they just went home. I can understand that. Your suggestion of just going in there and ask for it to be torn up is just plain silly. You have never dealt with with cowboy parking firms. There is no way they would have torn up the ticket. Your better of purchasing an item, and then you can prove your a customer...thus the ticket is invalid. Simple...but probably not for you.
Comments
Surely the common sense interpretation is "you may park here while you are visiting our premises" (not "pop in to our shop for 30 seconds and we'll let you leave the car here for another 2 hours").
The letter they sent to me states " We are a member of the British Parking Association(BPA) and its Approved Operator Scheme and we adhere to its code of practice. As the registered keeper it is important that you inform us immediately if you have sold/hired the car. Or if you were not the driver, that you provide us with the name and address of the person who was driving the vehicle at the relevant time. This is important so we can afford pursuing the wrong person ".
They also state in their letter " The BPA code of practice states - The courts do not look favourably on motorists who try to withhold information from operators when when it has been asked for with genuine, reasonable and proper cause".
They go on to say " If we do not receive full payment or contact from you with your proposal of payment, this matter may be passed to our solcitor to commence County Court proceedings.
I am aware of the following:
They cannot force an individual to name the driver of the vehicle at the relevant time of alleged offence, unless it is a police/council parking fine/ticket.
That it is infact an invoice and NOT a parking fine.
Bailiffs have no right to demand access to my property without a County Court order which they are unlikely to obtain.
The parking company have not suffered a financial loss, so would be highly unlikely to pursue court action, and even if it did, it would only be a waste of their time and money as past attempts to do so have failed.
A local debt collection agency is now involved? Is this a new tactic meant to scare people into paying their ridiculous fines? I couldn't afford to pay it, even if I was guilty of any alleged offence. Your thoughts/advice on this appreciated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIcdi9niHA
USEFUL TIP: The white envelopes they send are quite useful for making parcel address labels when cut to size.
But I have to admit the white envelope was useful though, I cut it size and used it for a label for a parcel I had to post today. I also re-used one of their previous envelopes, as I had to send a letter to a utility company the other week and had run out of my supply of envelopes so it came in handy.
But it is amazing how these parking/ticketing firms get away with it? It's nothing less than money extortion and should be outlawed. I can imagine these brainless goons sitting around a squalid, seedy little office, hoping and praying for someone misguided or frightened enough to send them some money, so they can keep their grubby little enterprise afloat.
I really need to think of an inventive way to also recycle the laughable letters they send. Any good ideas?
How would anyone be so cross that they would drive away from the store when they had intended going in there? You'd surely just go in and tell them the facts and ask for it to be torn up? Seems bizarre reaction to me. As someone else asked, why didn't the OP shop first? In a store in our town centre you have up to 2 hours parking as long as you produce your till receipt which shows you went there first. Simples!
Because as I had already stated... I had to go to the sorting office round the corner which was to closing.. Yeah believe it or not I was upset knowing I had a £60 fine to pay and therefore couldn't afford my shopping! I am not wise to this game so didn't even know it was the store that had given me the ticket - I just thought it was your normal warden.. Why do you have a problem understanding that?
Anyway, I ignored their payment request and not heard anything as yet..
I followed the advice on here and ignored them. They have since sent 3 or 4 more letters getting more and more threatening.
Today they phoned our house. Well, it wasn't the parking company but a guy saying he was a solicitor. I am thinking it was really Johnny the chap sitting on the opposite desk to the parking fine guy.
I told them there was no way we were paying their invoice and that I was well aware of our rights in this matter. I also asked him to remove our telephone number from their system and put everything in writing. He said he was under no obligation to remove the number and would keep on phoning until we paid.
Did I do the right thing and can they really keep phoning every day?
The only way they can make it enforceable is to take you to court and win. I suppose repeated contact without your permission could be seen as harassment.
The word is simple, not simples. Your post might of had some creditbilty, if you hadnt used that word.
You are wrong in your thought process. The OP was clearly so upset, they just went home. I can understand that. Your suggestion of just going in there and ask for it to be torn up is just plain silly. You have never dealt with with cowboy parking firms. There is no way they would have torn up the ticket. Your better of purchasing an item, and then you can prove your a customer...thus the ticket is invalid. Simple...but probably not for you.