Parking fine WARNING (I'm about to pick a fight!)

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chriswt

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Metaphorically speaking of course.

I haven’t been on this forum for ages but I thought I’d warn anyone who has picked up a parking fine from an unscrupulous car parking company recently to make sure that fight it rather than pay it!

I was parking in a retail park next to Wembley Stadium the other week and my company recently received a parking charge notice. My car was picked up using ANPR cameras at the entrance/exit of the retail park, and my crime was that I’d stayed there too long (2.24hrs)

At first I was so angry that I was being fined for spending longer than 1 ½ hours shopping and browsing at the retail park that I drafted a letter of complaint making sure Currys, MacDonalds, Tesco etc etc were copied in as their customers use the car park.

Then after searching the web for ‘Highview Parking Ltd’ I discovered that lots of people had succumb to these fines and the general consensus seemed to be to ignore these fines complete along with all other correspondence and threats of court action as they will eventually give up (see the links):

Highview Parking Fine

Unfair Parking fine for staying in car park too long Help! - Page 2 - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

Parking Charge Notice Scam

Anyone else done exactly this and won?


I could go down the ‘no photo of me actually parked’ and “The cameras can’t pick up every number plate and I could have left and then come back to pick someone up” etc etc etc.
 
Metaphorically speaking of course.

I haven’t been on this forum for ages but I thought I’d warn anyone who has picked up a parking fine from an unscrupulous car parking company recently to make sure that fight it rather than pay it!

I was parking in a retail park next to Wembley Stadium the other week and my company recently received a parking charge notice. My car was picked up using ANPR cameras at the entrance/exit of the retail park, and my crime was that I’d stayed there too long (2.24hrs)

At first I was so angry that I was being fined for spending longer than 1 ½ hours shopping and browsing at the retail park that I drafted a letter of complaint making sure Currys, MacDonalds, Tesco etc etc were copied in as their customers use the car park.

Then after searching the web for ‘Highview Parking Ltd’ I discovered that lots of people had succumb to these fines and the general consensus seemed to be to ignore these fines complete along with all other correspondence and threats of court action as they will eventually give up (see the links):

Highview Parking Fine

Unfair Parking fine for staying in car park too long Help! - Page 2 - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

Parking Charge Notice Scam

Anyone else done exactly this and won?


I could go down the ‘no photo of me actually parked’ and “The cameras can’t pick up every number plate and I could have left and then come back to pick someone up” etc etc etc.

My wife got one of these the other week - similar thing, over the time allowed. Unfortunately the pictures were quite good and showed the car front and back entering and leaving - oh yeah, that and that my wife had used the car park, wandered round the park but not bought anything, then gone for lunch with a friend across the road.

Needless to say they both got fines. No grounds to fight it as nothing bought. In your case if you have a receipt to say you actually shopped there, you'll be able to argue it away.

Good luck.

Simon
 
Return the demand to the senders with "No Contract" written on the envelope.

You have not entered into a contract with the firm issuing the charge. Note it is NOT a fine or a fixed penalty notice, however much they want you to think it is.

Read this.
 
My wife got one of these the other week - similar thing, over the time allowed. Unfortunately the pictures were quite good and showed the car front and back entering and leaving - oh yeah, that and that my wife had used the car park, wandered round the park but not bought anything, then gone for lunch with a friend across the road.

Needless to say they both got fines. No grounds to fight it as nothing bought. In your case if you have a receipt to say you actually shopped there, you'll be able to argue it away.

Good luck.

Simon

You are allowed to browse and window shop. Do the retailers agree with the policy?
 
You are allowed to browse and window shop. Do the retailers agree with the policy?
Yep! Unfortunately the retailers had hired the company to enforce the policy.

Anyway thinking about trying to get them on a breach of data protection given the charge was on my wife's car (in her name) and when I queried it they sent the pictures of the car through to my work email - an account in my name not hers therefore sending out sensitive information to someone other than the owner of the car. Worth a shot?
 
Return the demand to the senders with "No Contract" written on the envelope.

You have not entered into a contract with the firm issuing the charge. Note it is NOT a fine or a fixed penalty notice, however much they want you to think it is.

Read this.

This is correct.

They will send you lots of letters in a vaguely threatening quasi-legalese, which you ignore. They will then go away and harass more victims in the hope they will pay. A reasonable percentage do.
 
Currys are the one keeping your fine. It very common in many retail parks where parkers overstayed in party at Pizza Huts.

Next time watch the time limit where you park, then get the hell out before time up.
 
If the NOTICE (it's not a fine, it's a notice to the owner) is from a private company DO NOT respond to it.

Ignore all correspondence from the private company. They cannot lawfully enforce a fine or any other penalty and the first thing they have to establish is who the owner of the vehicle is. If you respond to their threats, you will be arming them with information they would not otherwise be able to legitimately obtain. Also DO NOT add any further information to this forum because forums are one of the places private cowboy companies use to find owner's details. This is no reflection on this finely run forum, just on how devious cowboys are.

Read the information in the links below. Follow the step by step instructions and PLEASE add your experience to list of people who have successfully thwarted cowboy companies.

Private Parking Tickets: Tickets are often invalid, don't pay....

FightBack Forums -> Parking and Decriminalised Notices
 
Currys are the one keeping your fine. It very common in many retail parks where parkers overstayed in party at Pizza Huts.

Next time watch the time limit where you park, then get the hell out before time up.

I think the point of the thread is that they can't fine you. Why should you hurry away from a party at a retailer because their car park is apparently time limited?

Keep up.
 
My company had a "fine" for parking in a disabled bay, which we did, however, the disabled bay in question was outside of an M & S store which was being built. The nearest shop was nearly 400m awat with many more disabled spaces outside. Ignore the letter and all future correspondence, you will have pseudo debt collectors letters, solicitors letters, then the debt will be sold to another debt collectorwho will try to collect a lower figure if you pay up quick, just ignore that as well. The whole process takes about 9 months to a year.
 
I thought that the crux of the matter is that you have entered into a contract if signs are very visible and easily seen.

The fine is for the driver of the car NOT the owner. You have no duty to tell them who was driving....end of matter.
 
Very interesting article .. Chriswt.

Thanks for posting this.

I see this only applies to private firms that wish to charge, but not something like the london congestion charging I guess. . bummer as I have two late payments on that.

Hate the fact you cant pay between 3 and 14 days overdue (do to their paperprocess from internet to sending out the bill). I wanted to pay but they would not accept my money in this period despite me sending them a cheque (rtn as not cashed . .) isnt this kinda dodgy as well?
 
There are two links which I have posted earlier in this thread. Please take some time to have a look at those sites as they are there to help people to understand their rights and the law.

As myself, Crockers and Stratman have said, in some instances you are not required by law to do anything at all.
 
My sister had a similar thing at Meadowhall Retail Park in Sheffield.

she had bought nothing, just parked there to go to the cinema down the road (at night, shops actually closed).

the pictures clearly showed her car going in (but not the driver) and a similar car leaving (no reg plate). So they couldn't show it was her or her car that had committed any offence.

Despite that, we did nothing. As others have said, they need to establish who to fine. By engaging with them at all you give them something to keep digging at (bit like responding to spam email with 'unsubscribe).

I advised her as above after reading all these articles, do nothing, say nothing. She got four letters all very similar and then they went away.

m.
 

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