UKPC Parking Fine.

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m80

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Opinions desired on this.

I visit my Daughter in Hammersmith.
There is permit parking within the grounds of the flats.
I have a permit to park there.
Last week I arrived 5pm ish and left the following morning 10am ish.
I forgot to display my permit. I'm at fault.

This morning 2 fines arrive, one for each calendar day, early settlement within 14 days and they only want 2 x £60 (£120 total).

To complicate this a little as I pulled into the remotest and larger space in the Vito, (being some what considerate) freshly cut foliage of a hedgerow scraped down the side of the van. The now cut ends scratched the side.
The following morning after I had been warned of an impending fine I took photo's of the van, actually it was the furthest possible from the foliage and still within the specific parking area, and still well up gainst the foliage.
The UKPC website photos clearly show the same.

You may have guessed that I wouldn't have worried greatly about the scratches, but the heavy handed attitude of the care taker put my defences up some.
The company have enough IT involvement to photo twice in 24 hrs and put several photo's up on a website, enough of a set up to investigate ownership and chase within a week, but they can't track a vehicle registered on their system as permitted to be there. And let's face it £60 per day is high but to double it because their terms allow for it is plain greedy.
I do accept in that in London, and not only, that parking is an issue that needs management, and I was in error.

What are peoples opinions on my counter claiming for the scratch repairs?
 
I had a similar one at work. Business park for work. The advice I got was providing the terms and conditions are clearly displayed you need to abide by them and theses people nearly all say permit must be clearly displayed. Mine was upside down! It’s a way of making money sadly
 
What are peoples opinions on my counter claiming for the scratch repairs?
It will go nowhere. Nothing compelled you to collide with the foliage, so why is it anyone's responsibility other than your own?

Regarding the rest of it, I'd suggest a visit to PePiPoo where if you join up and post about your case, you will receive sage advice.
 
Better to let your insurance company legal people argue your case - assuming that's on your cover.

I'm sceptical you would make contact with anyone high enough up the parking scam trough to make the decision.

I reluctantly paid £60 last week in our local town where signage was not yet in place for a change to resident permits needed in a formerly unrestricted area,
I have no doubt I could have won in court, but the required time, travel, photos and statements required as proof outweighed my appetite for 'justice' during a stressful family time.
 
It will go nowhere. Nothing compelled you to collide with the foliage, so why is it anyone's responsibility other than your own?

Regarding the rest of it, I'd suggest a visit to PePiPoo where if you join up and post about your case, you will receive sage advice.

I'll look at the site and consider.
I view that if they are providing a parking area then there must be an element of duty of care. If a vehicle can't park in a spcified parking area without causing damage to their vehicle I would have thought there is a liability.
This isn't protection from other drivers colliding or vandalism but their design of the parking area is at fault and / or their maintainance of it is negligent.

But thanks it's a reasonable thought and there is no point in my wasting part of my life just to have egg on my face.
 
I totally understand where you are coming from and each to their own but I don't think it is worth the agg for that sort of money.
 
The parking company the contract has been let to will have no responsibility for the upkeep side. You will be seeking recompense from a different organisation to the one who has issued you with an invitation to pay (its not a fine as only the police / council can fine you).

Go to the site mentioned above and do some reading. First step is to usually appeal, ensuring you are clear that you are doing it as the registered keeper and not acknowledging who was driving.

Its all on that site anyway and you can start your own thread to get advice specific to your case.
 
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Tell them you'll either pay one or none and contest them. Might work
 
Have you given them a call and explained that you have a permit?
 
Have you given them a call and explained that you have a permit?
No,
I see it's best not to respond until I have a dfined strategy.
Or pay if none.

The parking company the contract has been let to will have no responsibility for the upkeep side. You will be seeking recompense from a different organisation to the one who has issued you with an invitation to pay
Yep I can see that, and that clearly complicates my response some.
In effect that would mean pay the fine and try to compensate myself by claiming from the owner. although in some cases I read the owner can ask UKPC to cancel the fine/s.

Tell them you'll either pay one or none and contest them. Might work
Similar some write to ignore and the progreesion of letter / threats will offer a reduced settlement. To be considered.
 
I doubt the counter claim would go anywhere but I wouldn't be paying the parking charges anyway. Lots of advice about appealing UKPC 'fines' online if you look on pepipoo or MSE.
 
You may find if it is a residential area with residential parking permits the terms and conditions for "resident parking" state that parking by residents overnight of van's, lorries or caravans are prohibited. This is often in covenants on Deeds to domestic properties....

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 
but they can't track a vehicle registered on their system as permitted to be there.

Arguably if the permit is assigned to a specific vehicle then they really have no business issuing the penalty - as they have your entitlement on record and clearly their processes are designed to chase invoices based on vehicle registration marks. So it should be trivial for them to cehck the vehicle agaisnt their database.

No doubt they would argue that you are required to show the permit. If they have used the DVLA to look up a vehicle that is already on their records then you might be cheeky and suggest that they have a duty to mitigate their costs and demand a discount.
 
Well I live in a area where the local council allows residents to park in council car parks free of charge after 11am excluding July and August,one car per household,my cars registration is logged with the council and the traffic wardens seeing my car without a parking ticket will just put the reg into their handheld device and see I do not need a parking ticket,not sure why this parking company cannot do that with the cars that have a permit,it seems that IT is used when it suits them,and when not the parking tickets flow.
 
Well I live in a area where the local council allows residents to park in council car parks free of charge after 11am excluding July and August,one car per household,my cars registration is logged with the council and the traffic wardens seeing my car without a parking ticket will just put the reg into their handheld device and see I do not need a parking ticket,not sure why this parking company cannot do that with the cars that have a permit,it seems that IT is used when it suits them,and when not the parking tickets flow.

Probably because the OP parked on private land where parking controls are run by a private company that needs to generate revenue to cover its operating costs....

I agree that isn't necessarily the right reason but hey that's life!

I’ve experienced the same where i forgot to display my permit, despite parking there every day....and i had to pay up....
 
I’ve experienced the same where i forgot to display my permit, despite parking there every day....and i had to pay up...

May well be the case here. But possibly there is a difference between "had to pay up" and submitted to the demands and chose to pay up.
 
May well be the case here. But possibly there is a difference between "had to pay up" and submitted to the demands and chose to pay up.

Possibly....but i was in breach of the regs, requiring display of a valid permit at all times ( no ifs no buts), which were clearly stipulated when the permit was issued and indeed on the permit itself. Mea culpa.
 
In answer to the OP, Pay if you want to but there's no obligation for you to do so. They've sent you nothing more than a speculative invoice. You should only ever pay a Penalty Charge Notice issued by a Local Council or Police Force. Anything else cannot even be called a Penalty Charge Notice but has to be called a Parking Charge Notice to make the distinction between the two. You may receive another 'threatening' letter but they'll fail miserably if they ever took you to court as there's no law to back them up.They prey on punters that are either scared or simply pay up for a quiet life, but the truth is you owe them nothing. Feel free to PM me if you wish.

Kind regards
 
In answer to the OP, Pay if you want to but there's no obligation for you to do so. They've sent you nothing more than a speculative invoice. You should only ever pay a Penalty Charge Notice issued by a Local Council or Police Force.

Your advice is 7 years out of date in England and Wales.

Look up the POFA 2012.
 

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