Hi all, new to the forum no doubt like many others when they do a google search for advice on parking tickets!

I've today received a parking charge notice from Parking Eye, requesting payment of £80 or £50 if paid in next 14 days.

They have sent the notice to me as the registered keeper, and I was driving, although obviously the letter doesn't offer any proof of this but photographic evidence may!

The charge is for parking in B&Q Crewe before hoping on the train to Manchester, so was over the 3 hour limit by 4 hours (09:50 til 16:59).

I accept that it was me driving, I'd also accept that I was parked there that long, but its not a busy car park on a weekend (it was Saturday) and I'm reluctant to pay such a large charge for very little.

What would you suggest I do, I don't really want to keep receiving letters from them, nor from any solicitors, and certainly don't want a black mark against my name/credit, or someone turning up at the door.

If I ignore will they really go away, or just increase the charge and eventually take it to court.

I have no financial problems, I could pay it to avoid hassle, but thats not really the point is it? I just can't spend much time on this, as I'm busy enough already!

Please help.

how much time and effort does it take to ignore the rubbish that they send out ? ?

Private companies cannot issue 'fines'. You have just received an unenforcable invoice.

It's a [problem].

• do not pay

• do not contact them

• ignore all letters you receive, no matter how threatening

• ignore all their lies about court costs, CCJs and owner liability

• they will go away after 5 or 6 letters

• they will not go to court

These companies make their money by scaring people into paying when they don't have to. If they can scare 50% of people into paying with a few letters, it's a good business to be in.

Parking Eye are well known here. They just send a few letters and then give up.

So with such a bad reputation why do companies as large as B&Q employ their services?

What makes companies like these any different from council owed parking companies conducting the same practises?

I have no problem with paying for the use of their car park, after all, I did use it to get a train elsewhere, and was over their allowed time by 4 hours, but I'd prefer a reasonable charge, say of £10 (what it would have cost me to park in the train station car park or in manchester itself), therefore I'm not willing to pay £50!

In their letter they have used the following words/wording which I'd class as either intimidation, or giving the illusion of legal:

"You are required to pay..."

"Breach of the terms and conditions..."

"We are happy to provide parking facilities for legitimate customers..."

"legal proceedings may be issued against you..."

"Your possessions being seized"

"If you are unable to pay the debt..."

.

ian-d

The £60 may not be that much to you but it is very important to Parking Eye. Multiplied by the number of tickets by the number of different sites, it is a multi million pound business. They do not have the statutory powers that councils have so try to compensate by aping the council paperwork and add to the mix by making all sorts of outrageous claims of their own.

Their claims have no basis in law but that in itself will not stop them making them. You have a simple choice, either accept the minor annoyance of receiving 5 or 6 letters which you don't have to answer or pay a completely unjustified £60 to a bunch of latter day dick turpins.

Remember any "moral" issues you may have would be with B&Q not Parking Eye. It is not Parking Eye's store, it is not their land, why should they benefit at all?

doh - wrong thread

haha, was wondering what you were talking about before removing it

Well I guess I'll leave it be then, see how many letters they send me, here's hoping no one has ever been taken to court.

some of us want to get real court papers from one of these outfits....

So with such a bad reputation why do companies as large as B&Q employ their services?

 

What makes companies like these any different from council owed parking companies conducting the same practises?

Ignorance or profiteering usually. B&Q either won't have a clue about the legality of the ticketing system, or they know full well and are happy to take a cut out of each ticket.

As well as raking in their ill gotten gains, private parking companies pitch to gain new business and will present themselves as solving all your car parking problems. They usually gloss over the legality of charging penalties, or twist the law to make themselves sound legit.

The Co-op are probably the worst. Despite their 'ethical' image, they love to employ parking companies who rip people off.

As for local authorities, they have statutes in law which legitimately allows them to charge fines.

Hi Ian and welcome,

You could always wait until they spend their £2.50 with the DVLA to get the registered keepers details, and then simply send them a letter telling them, 'to take the matter up with the driver'. Information which of course you are not obliged to provide.

regards

Or you do the easy thing and save a stamp by never ever contacting them.

I didn't go anything in the end and no surprises have not heard from them, I atleast expected a second letter to feel the satisfaction of knowing they've wasted more money pursuing me.

Is it still a little early to expect nothing more from them (3 weeks) or can I look forward to the second letter soon?

It was 6 months between the ticket and the first letter with the PPC I'm dealing with at the moment.

Hi Al,

How did your 'appeal' go?

It was 6 months between the ticket and the first letter with the PPC I'm dealing with at the moment.

Wow! And there was me thinking that as it is 14 weeks since I got my invoice and still no "Letter to RK" that mine had died an instant death. Seems I have a fair few weeks to wait as yet.

Mine was from one of these 'buy-it-yourself ticketing schemes'. You pay £99 for some tickets, dodgy signage and fraudulent yellow PVC envelopes and send the details of who you've caught to the parking company. Then you get a cut of any tickets that pay up.

The man who was playing traffic warden must have been slow to get his tickets in, in my case!

Well, they finally got in touch, but not ParkingEye, it's a letter from CCSCollect, requesting that I must pay the debt immediately, and that it's now £110.

They go on to say that they may pursue this matter through the appropriate legal channels, and that if I ignore them, a bailiff may attend your address, to remove goods.

Is that still a 'run-of-the-mill' response? Still ignore then?

some of us want to get real court papers from one of these outfits....

Your bang on there Lamma, I want Simplex to take me to court, oh what fun it would be, especailly after the Dept Collectors letter I recevied today!

Ian-d, it might be worth you reading my experiences, mine started in Mar 08, still ongoing, but nothing at all for me to worry about.

Well, they finally got in touch, but not ParkingEye, it's a letter from CCSCollect, requesting that I must pay the debt immediately, and that it's now £110.

 

They go on to say that they may pursue this matter through the appropriate legal channels, and that if I ignore them, a bailiff may attend your address, to remove goods.

 

Is that still a 'run-of-the-mill' response? Still ignore then?

Yes, it is completely run of the mill, continue to ignore everything short of actual court papers.

seeing a lot more of these clearly deliberately misleading letters now. I wonder of the PPC hit rate is falling ( ) and they are getting so desperate that they sinking even further into unlawfulness ? There are a lot of SUN readers aren't there ? so a couple of million ( ? ) extra people just found out about the PPC 'game'.

Heyup Ian D, I'm in exactly the same boat chap, awaiting my 3rd installment of hilarity from Parking Eye or CCS Collect even.

Looking at the CCS Collect website I notice the wording "our pursuasive techniques offer excellent results" which tends to suggest they will lean on you with lots of scary threats and warnings.

End result ? UNLESS its an official court summons that comes through the door it's all bull**** in the breeze...

Has anything else happened since you got the notices, have they given up??

I got one of these notices from Parking Eye in January... knowing it was a mistake with their number plate system (seen me going in one day, coming out another, assumed I'd been there 20 hours?!) I rang them to let them know they'd made a mistake, and to check their video, they would see me leaving 2 minutes after entering each time (drive through coffee from McDonalds in moto services).

But no - they took up until yesterday to send me another letter, saying I now owe them £50 more than before, and it's non-negotiable.. I rang their line to have a go, and got into an arguement with the rude woman on the phone about it, who said I could always write in with evidence.

Tomorrow I'm sending them a letter, with 2 witness statements and some video footage of my car in the company carpark from the time they claim to have had me in their carpark (I work for a security camera company ironically, so the video evidence is time-stamped and archived!!), sending a duplicate letter to moto and mcdonalds, letting them know I've bought a coffee machine and thermos for £100 instead of paying a bogus fine, so they've lost custom)... the letter is going to be closing with how I will happily go to court over this, and watchdog, but I won't be replying or responding to anything less than a court summons after this letter, bar an apology.

Does anybody see any problem with this reply? I know it sounds like alot of effort, but if I don't do it I know it will annoy me everyday until the debt collection agencies give up... hilariously, they are still sending these letters to my old address, which I moved from 3 months ago!

STOP !!!

Do not write in - that is exactly what they want you to do. Its a mail scan, do NOT play along. just ignore them and they will go away after sending some (unlawful) letters. Have a read on here about Parking eyes and PPCs in general.

Tomorrow I'm sending them a letter, with 2 witness statements and some video footage of my car in the company carpark from the time they claim to have had me in their carpark (I work for a security camera company ironically, so the video evidence is time-stamped and archived!!), sending a duplicate letter to moto and mcdonalds, letting them know I've bought a coffee machine and thermos for £100 instead of paying a bogus fine, so they've lost custom)... the letter is going to be closing with how I will happily go to court over this, and watchdog, but I won't be replying or responding to anything less than a court summons after this letter, bar an apology.

 

Does anybody see any problem with this reply? I know it sounds like alot of effort, but if I don't do it I know it will annoy me everyday until the debt collection agencies give up... hilariously, they are still sending these letters to my old address, which I moved from 3 months ago!

I was going to suggest you shouldn't bother, but you seem quite confident to be able to handle the twaddle they will send you afterwards. (you do realise I assume even this documented evidence is probably still going to result in an "appeal unsuccessful" reply?)

The letter to McDonalds is good though as well. It will never get anywhere near court (unfortunately)

hilariously, they are still sending these letters to my old address, which I moved from 3 months ago!

btw, they will have got this address from the DVLA. Have you updated the DVLA with your new address? Not having done so could be a bigger problem for you than this stupid PPC invoice if, for example, you get flashed by a speed camera and miss a "real" PCN being sent to your old address.