Parking fine from B&Q car park

CeeJay

When I was self employed and working in the cities, I used to build a daily parking ticket into the quotation. 

MatthewShreddery

Think I'll just pay it and move on. Got a lot of stress in my life at the moment and this is something else I don't need

MatthewShreddery

It's only money 

the_butler

If it's a parking charge notice & not a 'fine' (which only councils & police can issue) .apparently is unenforceable, I got one a few years ago from an car park adjacent to an asda which appeared to be part of the store's grounds (& I suspect the PCN company played on the ambiguity)

Apparently if you appeal you 'admit' you were parking in the wrong & are indeed only appealing to the company's 'better nature' (which they probably won't have) & if you respond to their letters you're also 'admitting' liability

I sent an empty envelope via recorded delivery to the appeals dept listed on the ticket so if it did go to county court I could claim I appealed & it was ignored, then ignored all further correspondence from them.

I was sent 3 or 4 increasingly threatening letters but didn't reply, & eventually they stopped.

It's a bullying scam & the business model is coercing payment through fear, I don't like bullies & refused to pay, I refused to entertain them full stop.

How you proceed is up to you & I'm not a solicitor or have any legal advice credentials

MattBanshee

the_butler said:

If it's a parking charge notice & not a 'fine' (which only councils & police can issue) .apparently is unenforceable, I got one a few years ago from an car park adjacent to an asda which appeared to be part of the store's grounds (& I suspect the PCN company played on the ambiguity)

Apparently if you appeal you 'admit' you were parking in the wrong & are indeed only appealing to the company's 'better nature' (which they probably won't have) & if you respond to their letters you're also 'admitting' liability

I sent an empty envelope via recorded delivery to the appeals dept listed on the ticket so if it did go to county court I could claim I appealed & it was ignored, the ignored all further correspondence from them.

I was sent 3 or 4 increasingly threatening letters but didn't reply, & eventually they stopped.

It's a bullying scam & the business model is coercing payment through fear, I don't like bullies & refused to pay, I refused to entertain them full stop.

How you proceed is up to you & I'm not a solicitor or have any legal advice credentials

Wrong. A high court ruling has confirmed that they are legally enforceable.

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/03/britains-biggest-parking-fine-motorist-told-must-pay-24500-ignored/

Danny1969

Was it on match day, one hour limit ?

Some people have appealed and won

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/people/dementia-carer-delighted-victory-over-unjust-pompey-centre-parking-fine-305758

Jaycee

I have had two in the past. One I paid as I was ignorantly in the wrong. The second one I took the letter to Premier inn (it was thier car park)  The manager said "no problem, I will get it cancelled. You will get a reminder....ignore it, if you get a third bring it in."  I heard nothing after that,....... eight months ago.

Worth going back to B and Q

RobDavies

I had a similar thing last week.  Euro Car Parks sent me a bill for £85 for parking in the pub car park near work.   I was there for less than an hour, bought drinks for colleages and left.   
They say their signs are clear.... well, not in the middle of storm Brendan they're not!.... And no-one at the bar mentioned the car park rules to me either.
I've appealed nicely, with a cut and paste of my bank statement showing that I bought drinks.

I expect it to be overturned but if it isn't, they can sing for their money.  

Danny1969

That car park Matthew has been collared in is a bit different to a normal one because it's right next to PFC and people were using it as free parking for the football. So on match day you can be fined for overstaying an hour rather than the 2 hours which is normal ..... there is a sign but people have successfully appealed 

Dominic

A lot of people think that B and Q , ESSO , Homebase , Holiday Inn etc do this to you .......they don't
The Establishment RENTS the space to these operators for an annual set charge....Parasitical arrangement
the scumbag companies then go about "sub-letting the space" .....the idea is that they make their revenue by default parking .
  They are mercenary.....in most cases you will see they go to the ultimate degree to make signs hard to spot, hard to understand , confusing and conflicting ......they then monitor them fastidiously .
 Most often the Establishment has zero sway with the appeal procedure .
It's a dirty, nasty business.

RobDavies

Don't forget that the DVLA sell your details to these private companies, too....

EricTheWeary

I go to the Waitrose near to my office sometimes. Where it's placed it would be handy to park there for several other things so fair enough they have a two hour limit. They manage this by having a person in a luminous jacket who records the numbers but who also helps little old ladies ( and little old men, etc) and let's them stay longer if they need it. Nothing in that I have any issue with. 
Everywhere else is just an ANPR system designed to make money out of your forgetfulness. 
We are having one of these systems installed at work in order to dissuade people parking for the college or the park and in theory I will be exempt. However, based on my previous experience I am anticipating the parking company getting it wrong and a large number of angry employees asking why they've been sent a charge notice for going to work. 

RaymondLin

It is an invoice, and like any invoice if you are liable for their “services” in this case, your parking...then they are recoverable, through the courts if it needs be.

your choice/risk/time whether you want to pay the £140 and get on with your life or spend time, worry and potentially more money to fight it.

at the end of the day, go back and check the parking T&C, if you broke it, you are liable.  Not knowing the parking restrictions beforehand is not a defence.  

These days I just think “I was wrong, I’ll just suck it up and pay it and move on”.  life is too short.

Dominic

EricTheWeary said:

I go to the Waitrose near to my office sometimes. Where it's placed it would be handy to park there for several other things so fair enough they have a two hour limit. They manage this by having a person in a luminous jacket who records the numbers but who also helps little old ladies ( and little old men, etc) and let's them stay longer if they need it. Nothing in that I have any issue with. 
Everywhere else is just an ANPR system designed to make money out of your forgetfulness. 
We are having one of these systems installed at work in order to dissuade people parking for the college or the park and in theory I will be exempt. However, based on my previous experience I am anticipating the parking company getting it wrong and a large number of angry employees asking why they've been sent a charge notice for going to work. 

Reassuringly John Lewis

hollywoodrox

Wow  what a horrible system. Sometimes I’m glad I’m a pedestropod 

SRich

I deal with a dozen of these a day.....ain’t life grand  .....the fact it’s progressed to a Debt Agency makes it trickier, everybody wants a cut of your hard earned. Your ex has probably had the original PCN and ignored it.

I think your only possible case is to speak with the branch manager of the B&Q and give them chapter & verse. No guarantees on that, but if your life is very busy, I’d expect that paying and moving on a little wiser is your best bet.

MatthewShreddery

Thanks a lot for the input everyone. I'm going to visit b&q tomorrow to see what they can do, if they can't I'll just pay. I think it's pretty disgusting, but I can see why they do it

skunkwerx

I never use b&q anymore. 

Went in there last month, asked for decking and the bloke hit me right in the face. 

fretmeister

the_butler said:

If it's a parking charge notice & not a 'fine' (which only councils & police can issue) .apparently is unenforceable, I got one a few years ago from an car park adjacent to an asda which appeared to be part of the store's grounds (& I suspect the PCN company played on the ambiguity)

Apparently if you appeal you 'admit' you were parking in the wrong & are indeed only appealing to the company's 'better nature' (which they probably won't have) & if you respond to their letters you're also 'admitting' liability

I sent an empty envelope via recorded delivery to the appeals dept listed on the ticket so if it did go to county court I could claim I appealed & it was ignored, then ignored all further correspondence from them.

I was sent 3 or 4 increasingly threatening letters but didn't reply, & eventually they stopped.

It's a bullying scam & the business model is coercing payment through fear, I don't like bullies & refused to pay, I refused to entertain them full stop.

How you proceed is up to you & I'm not a solicitor or have any legal advice credentials

Lying to the court is perjury.

Can get prison time for that. 

prowla

DO NOT: Write to them/respond and identify the driver; respond as the "keeper" of the vehicle.

DO NOT: Expect them to accept reason, be sympathetic, etc.; they aren't.

DO NOT: Ignore it - if it goes to county court you will lose.

DO: Check out the forum on Money Saving Expert

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=163