Private ticket from UKCPS £75!

[pss5mg]

Hi, I came across this site whilst I was looking for information and it seems very helpful! I was hoping someone could advise me as what to do regarding a private parking ticket I received on the 24th.

 

I saw a row of cars parked without tickets so I parked behind one of them, it was late (about 9:15) so dark and I didn't see a double yellow line. I came back at around midnight to find a parking notice for £75!

 

Unfortunately I didn't take a good look around at the time, but when I returned to the road today part of the double yellow line is invisable under a huge puddle of water, and some is covered with differing amounts of leaves. There are two signs stating private parking HOWEVER these signs are in a different area which is clearly private land, no other signs regarding the road parking for evident.

 

I am a student so cannot afford a solicitor and am very short for cash so £75 would be a huge hit for me! On the ticket it also said if I failed to pay within 10 days £3 would be added every day.

 

I have not responded yet.

 

Do I have a case?

 

Many thanks,

 

Mike

[Michael Browne]

Do I have a case?

The question is do they have a case?

Guess what, the answer is no!

 

See these 2 threads:

Parking Tickets - Private: Everything You Need to Know

http://www.consumeractiongroup.c o....s-charges.html

Parking Tickets - Private: Template Letters

http://www.consumeractiongroup.c o....-template.html

[Barnsley Boy]

MB is completely right, just adding my voice to the throng.

 

Read the links that MB has posted. Lots and lots of stuff about Private Parking Companies here, every 2nd thread seems to be about them.

 

Don't remember anything specifically about UKCPS but the £3 a day "liquidated damages" is a tactic used by by UK PAO [maybe a sister company - is UKCPS based in Leeds?]. It is purely and simply a means to try and intimidate people into paying their otherwise unenforceable invoices. There is no chance whatsoever that a judge would see this as anything other than a disllowed penalty rather than a pre-agreed estimate of loss.

 

If you choose to correspond with them, use the templates as posted by MB. Stand firm and DON'T PAY.

[pss5mg]

Thanks for the quick reply Michael, I have read through the advise paper but am still unsure as to exactly which points to stress and what action to take next?

 

Would it be that there was no loss of revenue from my parking?

 

Something I forgot to add was that on the ticket there is a section with:

Tick

□Without valid permit or authority!

□Out of marked bay

□On a yellow box section!

□Beyond a stipulated time limit!

□In a disabled bay with no badge displayed!

 

The tick is over the writing tick, and not on any of the boxes, so is unclear as to which reason is being given for the issue.

 

edit: Just saw your post Barnsley Boy, again thanks alot for the reply! Yes it was in Leeds. Should I write to them or wait for action at their end first?

 

Mike

[Barnsley Boy]

It costs them them £2.50 to get Registered Keeper information from DVLA let them incur this cost. Don't instigate correspondance.

[pss5mg]

Thanks for the reply barnsley Boy, ill wait for their letter.

 

Mike

[cstead]

I recieved a £75 fine at the retail park Huddersfield last Sunday. I parked in the disabled bay, went into the pet shop, got some fish food, went to the till & realised that i still had my disable badge in my bag. I paid for the food and went straight to the car to put the badge on display. It was too late. I had been a total of 7 or 8 minutes. I think the penelty is harsh. I also have to pay the £75 before i can even appeal. I would be prepared to pay a smaller penalty for my slackness but what are the chances of that?? Can anyone advice me.

[Barnsley Boy]

Cstead,

 

Short answer - don't pay!

 

Read the rest of this thread - UKCPS well known on this forum, in fact notorious.

 

Please don't make the mistake that you can "appeal" to this company's better nature by writing to them, explaining the circumstances. They simply don't have a better nature, they just want your money.

 

That bit about enclosing your £75 with the appeal letter is just a pure con. You would never see your money again. UKCPS would decide for themselves whether they should cash the £75 or not, doh.......you can imagine what the answer would be.

 

See earlier posting in this thread, Micheal Brown has posted the links both to the advice paper on private parking and the template letters. Don't be bullied, stand up to these parasites, we will give you all the support that you need.

[cstead]

thanks will do that.

[Barnsley Boy]

cstead,

 

Good on you!

 

Just to let you know what to expect - Ukcps, like UKPAO, add £3 / day to their invoice for alleged late payment.

 

When they realise that you have not paid, they will get Registered Keeper details from DVLA. It costs them £2.50 [30 pieces of siver?] to obtain this. In about a month's time you will get an invoice totalling £135 or so. Do not be concerned, this is just standard [problematic] procedure.

 

They increase the amount requested with every letter as an intimidation tactic. However, we are wise to this. Knowing how the [problem] works is vital to ensuring that it fails. Keep all correspondance from the [problematic] in a safe place. UKCPS have threatened court lots of times but we've seen no evidence that any threats have been carried through.

 

If they were ever to issue county court proceedings, they would lose against a properly defended case. We could certainly help with that.

 

Stand firm and keep us posted.

[lamma]

Barnsley Boy is correct.

 

also

 

The OFT declare that resort by a company to a debt

collector will have no basis in law unless the other party has a contract

which specifically stipulates that the company may resort to such.

 

Mr Spencer is correct though - but in just one respect UKCPS WILL indeed pursue this - by sending you loads of letters you can safely ignore !!

 

 

It WILL go away however.

 

In the meantime let them waste their own time and money in sending you letters. ("Thats the way to do it" )

 

don't ring them, don't write to them don't fax them.

ignore them.

 

Just a wild guess but maybe Mr Spencer has a vested financial interest in getting you to pay.

[Michael Browne]

Please make sure that you fully research your response from sources other than this forum before deciding whether or not you should pay.

Could you give any links to other sources you think would be useful research?

[68904]

Send me a PM and see if I can help locally,

68904

[68904]

Witholding payment while you are in dispute with the enforcement agency will result in the charges going up.

 

Please make sure that you fully research your response from sources other than this forum before deciding whether or not you should pay.

 

UKCPS WILL pursue this and it WILL NOT go away.

vbrep_register("1494565")

Ha, Ha ha,

Thats the best posting I have, seen are you blind..

Why dont you take people to court if you are so sure of your facts.

I bet not many people are daft enough to pay your invoices which have no standing in law.

What are you an agency of and what legal standing do you have to fine people.

As I said take them to court, am off to Majorca next wek, so book an appointment an I'll pay your invoice, fter weve been to court.

See you Mr Agency man.

[Davidj0l0]

I got one of these "Parking Notice Charge" tickets while parked for 5 minutes on double yellow lines, at 21:55 on a Sunday Night! The ticket calls the road a "Serv Rd" - presumably service road - while I thought it was the public highway. Is my situation the same as those in car parks etc?

[Al27]

Yep, you have received a private invoice from a powerless private company.

 

The usual rules apply - do not contact, ignore any letters you receive, they will go away after 5 or 6.

[crem]

Witholding payment while you are in dispute with the enforcement agency will result in the charges going up.

 

 

"Enforcement Agency"! Is that a new impressive name for a PPC?

[peternet]

some interesting cases here

Combined Parking Solutions - Legal Issues surrounding private land parking and tickets issued by Parking Management companies and David Keates

[lamma]

hello Perky.

Crack legal advice on that page - your in-house team has excelled themselves/himself.

am still laughing...

[peternet]

Whose Perky? Cases quoted in that web article are genuine judgements

[Barnsley Boy]

No - peternet is not Perky, but he is a self confessed associate / employee of UKCPS and so can hardly be relied upon to provide unbiased informed advice.

[peternet]

Barnsley Boy - so the judgments of the County Court judges are biased?

[lamma]

ahh perky by proxy then.

same thing.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/144471-perky-defeated-oldham-county.html

[Barnsley Boy]

Well, I've looked and looked on the CPS website and can't find that one - must be an oversight.

[Barnsley Boy]

Extract from UKCPS website

 

We then undertake in full the collection of the parking charge. Should the parking charge not be paid within 10 days from the date of issue, we obtain the vehicles licensing and owner registration details from the DVLA and pursue the driver/owner through the courts for the fine. During this process we expedite total confidentiality to both parties (you and the driver/owner) and we are bound at all times by the DVLA's code of conduct and the Data Protection Act.

 

Unfortunately this isn't actually true. If it were at least one of the cases would have made it here.