Parking Charge Notice - Help

O-Randy-Hunt said:

It amazes me how many people will just pay up. Appeal everything. The amount you might have to pay stays the same. As you see with gribbos post, if you push the far enough most of the time they eventually give in.

The way some large companies use the court system to basically bully private individuals is, I think, a massive issue. I remember my ex-Mrs receiving a blunt, one-line letter from the HR department of her former employer - she’d left on good terms few months earlier - stating that she had been paid for holiday she hadn’t earned. They claimed it hadn’t been adjusted in her final pay packet, so she needed to pay it back within a set number of days or they would pursue her through the courts. I seem to remember them mentioning that they had a history of successfully doing this in the past.

I remember the details clearly and I remember saying it was obviously just a straightforward administrative error that a firm of their size would normally swallow after the fact. She wrote a decent email back to them, but she then received a summons in the post. It obviously went on a bit longer than that, and I can’t remember all the to-ing and fro-ing now, but I do remember they dragged it right up until just before the hearing, then withdrew it.

They had basically used the court system to scare her into paying the balance, with no intention of actually going through with it. I’m not sure how much of the court’s time this kind of thing takes up, but surely there should be some sort of financial penalty for larger firms that clearly do this - even if only on a moral basis?

Wish they took her to the farkin cleaners now though tbh.....

Gribbo said:

The way some large companies use the court system to basically bully private individuals is, I think, a massive issue. I remember my ex-Mrs receiving a blunt, one-line letter from the HR department of her former employer - she’d left on good terms few months earlier - stating that she had been paid for holiday she hadn’t earned. They claimed it hadn’t been adjusted in her final pay packet, so she needed to pay it back within a set number of days or they would pursue her through the courts. I seem to remember them mentioning that they had a history of successfully doing this in the past.

I remember the details clearly and I remember saying it was obviously just a straightforward administrative error that a firm of their size would normally swallow after the fact. She wrote a decent email back to them, but she then received a summons in the post. It obviously went on a bit longer than that, and I can’t remember all the to-ing and fro-ing now, but I do remember they dragged it right up until just before the hearing, then withdrew it.

They had basically used the court system to scare her into paying the balance, with no intention of actually going through with it. I’m not sure how much of the court’s time this kind of thing takes up, but surely there should be some sort of financial penalty for larger firms that clearly do this - even if only on a moral basis?

Wish they took her to the farkin cleaners now though tbh.....

Gribbo said:

The way some large companies use the court system to basically bully private individuals is, I think, a massive issue. I remember my ex-Mrs receiving a blunt, one-line letter from the HR department of her former employer - she’d left on good terms few months earlier - stating that she had been paid for holiday she hadn’t earned. They claimed it hadn’t been adjusted in her final pay packet, so she needed to pay it back within a set number of days or they would pursue her through the courts. I seem to remember them mentioning that they had a history of successfully doing this in the past.

I remember the details clearly and I remember saying it was obviously just a straightforward administrative error that a firm of their size would normally swallow after the fact. She wrote a decent email back to them, but she then received a summons in the post. It obviously went on a bit longer than that, and I can’t remember all the to-ing and fro-ing now, but I do remember they dragged it right up until just before the hearing, then withdrew it.

They had basically used the court system to scare her into paying the balance, with no intention of actually going through with it. I’m not sure how much of the court’s time this kind of thing takes up, but surely there should be some sort of financial penalty for larger firms that clearly do this - even if only on a moral basis?

Wish they took her to the farkin cleaners now though tbh.....

DaveMehmet said:

Rizzo said:

Wife got a ticket in the swimming pool car park last year. She'd accidentally put the wrong reg number in (got 2 letters wrong way round). I appealed and after jumping through a few hoops was succesful but the lady I spoke to at the licenced highwaymen parking company told me that they can issue fines up to seven months after the date of the incident. How the hell is anyone meant to dispute something that happened that long ago?! I guess that's the point though, isn't it. 

The light in the ticket machine at Sidcup Leisure Centre wasn't working the other day and I accidently put my reg number in wrong (by one digit). Thankfully I always check tickets and noticed it. Did think there was a chance I'd get away with it if I appealed but for the sake of a cost of another ticket, bought another one. Parking companies in the UK are nothing but licensed thieves with hardly any leeway given for people who make genuine mistakes. 

Valley Ant said:

DamoNorthStand said:

DamoNorthStand said:

Quite timely this thread has popped up. I got a parking charge from Apcoa for the station car park which I was stumped about as I always pay on Ringo and it isnt much. Even had the receipt from Ringo so was totally stumped (its a flat all day charge) and was trying to work out all day what I had done.

Realised I had bloody driven in my sons car as mine was being serviced, and I clicked by mistake on my car reg and not his.

Wasnt gonna bother appealing as its only £50 early payment, then I thought its an honest mistake, they have got the money from me they were owed, and it is pretty easy to prove the main things I need to prove (that i own the other car reg, and that said car reg never even went into the car park on that day). And why would I even bother paying for a car that i owned that never went into the car park.

All in all, it is pretty obviously an honest mistake, and I am square with the house so to speak. Pretty sure they will tell me to fuck off still and make a £50 profit for nowt. But will see what they say.

Got a letter back from them today.

Said my appeal has been unsuccessful, but on this instance as there were mitigating circumstances, they are offering a One Time Only New Year Special for £15 instead of £50 if paid within 14 days.

Fucking bunch of chancers. Ironically this proves more than anything what crooks they are, by pulling a random number out their arse.

For the sake of £15 I will likely pay it and tell them where to go, but they would also most likely have fucked themselves if it ever did go to court by clearly making it up as they go along.

That really is disgraceful. 
Surely it's fairly obvious when there is a genuine mistake.
I think the problem is with the limited amount of options you are allowed to appeal for. Mistyping  of car registrations, and other genuine errors, are never included.