If you have been ticketted by Parksafe aka Carpark Management UK Ltd

[Vermillion]

Hi,

I need any victims' help to add to a dossier I gave to my MP today. Now, some of you more experienced guys may say get lost or we've seen it all before, but give us a chance. I'll quit being a Cagger if out of order!

What I am trying to do is collect a record of all the car parks where this/these companies issue tickets so that the guys can be brought to book. Linked to them is Rossendale's Collect (Rossendales) who I have also given some info on. This was of great interest, especially to the Leader of the Council in this area. Despite being told by an on line lawyer that it would be a waste of time to see my MP as there would be a long queue - I went ahead. The more who protest about this the better - something could be done. So, if anyone wishes to respond by giving a location and town, I'll pass it on.

[Buddy08]

I recieved a parking ticket off them at leigh super bowl car park in leigh lancashire.

They are still pestering me now well rossendales are, i am recieveing threatening letters and telephone calls every day.

[Vermillion]

Hi, Buddy08. Thanks for your posting. I have just received my letter from Rossendales but will not ring them or they will have my number. My MP has since contacted The Head of Trading Standards in Lancashire who are now investigating - to quote 'There is an issue about the way the company are operating and I am currently investigating a number of car parking companies operating in Lancashire'. I am just on my way out but will share my info and thoughts when I return.

[Vermillion]

I have made also made a formal compaint abotu CPM UK LTd to Richard Hilton of The British Parking Association. Have a look at their code of practice and see if your car park was in contravention. Poor signage etc.

 

May I also ask how the Rossendales got your phone number - mobile or home? Did you ring them first? I will problably write a letter stating that the debt is in dispute and i will see them in court, also mentioning TS and invovement of MP.

 

I was told TS wouldn't bother, which they didn't until the MP and Councillor got involved. I will also be forwarding a copy of my Rossendales letters to TS, the leader of the council and mP too. Don't rip them up if you get any more.

If you can leave the phone on hold let them run up the bill , possibly try to get a different number. I'm not an expert on this maybe somebody will come in on that.

[lamma]

Rossendales have over 200 clients so pour it on.

[Vermillion]

Hi, Lamma,

Off to bed now but intend to give em more than they bargained for.

Will post more info as i get it.

Cheers.

[Vermillion]

I have drafted a letter to Rossendales Collect. Any thoughts?

 

John Burton

Collections Manager

Rossendales Collect

3rd Floor

Hardman Mill

New Hall Hey Road Rawtenstall,

Rossendale, Lancs.

BB4 6HH

 

 

 

Re: Your undated letter – Carpark Management UK Ltd

 

 

Received 26/11/08

Your Reference: XXXXXXX

Your Client Reference: Payment Slip XXXX

 

Dear John Burton,

 

This alleged debt is in dispute. I wrote to the company concerned and they have failed to substantiate their claim. I received an unsatisfactory response to my communication and concerns. Subsequent investigations by myself have since given me additional material for my case.

 

In addition to this, a formal complaint has been sent to Richard Hilton of the BPA as the company has not adhered to their code of practice.

 

I have also passed on a file of evidence concerning Carpark Management UK Ltd to Janet Anderson MP, which has also been seen by Hazel Harding, Leader of Lancashire County Council. The material has forwarded by Janet Anderson to the Director of Trading Standards in Lancashire who is also now investigating the matter. I have also included references to Rossendales Collect in the material. Councillor Harding was well aware of your BIBA Award and appeared somewhat troubled by the information supplied and your links with your client.

 

Finally, in these circumstances I do not expect to receive any more contact from yourselves and will only act on a Court Order issued by a County Court.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Would appreciate it if I am on the right lines here. Should the letter, if sent be recorded?

Edited November 27, 2008 by Vermillion
spelling!

[lamma]

special delivery if you send it. recorded is rubbish.

[Vermillion]

Thank you for the advice lamma. Will ponder on it for a while longer and will use SD. It's amazing what you can learn when you scrutinise a letter. The signature is in a script font generated by the computer. Not signed as such. The encouragement to make a phone call at local rate is in red, nice and clear.

 

I am also taken with the description of their services on their website : 'Rossendales Collect ........has a dedicated team whose strong negotiation techniques and persistence help improve our clients’ collection rates beyond their expectations.'

Finally, Customs and Excise will investigate if Trading Standards believe that there is tax avoidance at issue, I don't need to do any digging on that score.

Cheers

[lamma]

nice hard to believe that PPCs would be into tax avoidance isn't it ?

[Buddy08]

Hi, sorry i have only just seen your message, i gave them my phone number when i sent the origional letter appealing the parking ticket.

I cant believe i fell for sending a appealing letter cause thats obviously how they get your address, phone number and also admitting to be the one who was in the car when i got the parking ticket.

I have just kept quiet since i got letters and calls from rossendales and thought they wud just go away eventually, but obviously not as they are still pestering me.

I dont know whether i want to write to them again, as they will know then that i defo still live at the address.

I have also looked into changing my number which i can but, i only want to do this on the last resort.

???????????? dont know what to do for the best.

Oh and i think your letter draft is really good.

[Vermillion]

Hi,

I will be sending my letter off after a bit of tightening up and a little more scrutiny of their letter. Are yours dated? You can't lose by collecting any you have together in chronological order. If they aren't dated and you are still getting them then make a note of the date they arrive. If you have a record of calls keep it but if not make a note from now on. Sort of souvenir hunting, time people turned the tables on them.

I will be collecting together a 2nd file of material based on Rossendales. Now they have a BIBA Award they are more high profile - higher they go further they fall. I alsohave direct numbers to Trading Standards and the Leader of the Council. I will forward material to them at some point.

 

I have looked again in companies house and got more info - very interesting. My case is that I won't pay my invoice to a company which is not operating to (any) standards. Meanwhile these are the 'same' company. Gives the impression of a prof. setup.

 

Welcome to Carpark Management UK Ltd - General Car Parking Rates

Parksafe - Parking Solutions

 

Loads of advice and support on this site

If you believe you are in the right, fight.

[Vermillion]

Just an update. I sent my letter, Special Delivery on advice from Lamma, Thank you. I have now had my second letter from Rossendales Collect stating they have received no reply. Now, since I posted it just down the road from the RC building, from my local Post Office and the Collection Office is, likewise, round the corner, I was able to go and tell the Royal Mail off for not delivering the letter! Bit stunned to say the least. I was then told that RC go there every morning to collect their letters and mine had been collected.

This is my response to Rossendales which will probably not go SD - I will just pop round to collection and see if it's come to them...

 

['I have visited the Royal Mail office in *********and contacted the Tracking Dept who confirmed that your employee, a Mr P. Blackburn, collected that letter along with others at 9.44am on 4th December. You may need to address the problems of communication within your department as I intend to use the material you supply as evidence in any future litigation' etc.

 

Of course, I am back to collecting evidence and am forwarding it to the powers that be.

Not only a dodgy PPC but a dodgy debt collection company too?

 

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year.

[Vermillion]

Parksafe Carpark Management.

Just to let you folks know that this very misleading web site has now disappeared, and so maybe has the company. Not sure whether BPA or TS has had a hand in that but will continue to pursue these people. Carpark Management UK Ltd which had same telephone number but incorrectly registered address with Companies House has yet to reply to CH. Will post again when I know anything.

I was contacted by phone by Rossendales Collect as they had been nudged by CPM to chase my debt to them...

[lamma]

keep it up ! good stuff.

[Vermillion]

Are they getting closer?

Bogus parking ticket warning in Todmorden

Published Date: 19 February 2009

A BOGUS parking ticket has been issued in Todmorden to a disabled badge holder by an organisation operating without jurisdiction.

CPM, Carpark Management UK Ltd, of Accrington, issued a ticket for £60 to Todmorden resident Stephenie Booth, who was parked in Bramsche Square car park on Saturday, January 17, even though there was a disabled badge on display in the windscreen.

But through an investigation carried out by the Todmorden News it has been revealed that the organisation is not authorised to issue tickets in any Calderdale Council car park controlled by the parking services department, which includes Bramsche Square.

The Primary Care Trust, which owns the nearby Rose Street Health Centre car park, has also said that the organisation is not issuing tickets on their behalf.

At the time unaware that the organisation had no jurisdiction to issue tickets Mrs Booth attempted to appeal the decision by sending a letter explaining the presence of a disabled badge, which has been issued to Mrs Booth's husband Tony, a photocopy of the badge and a cheque for £60 as requested.

But when her bank informed her that the cheque had been banked she stopped it immediately.

CPM then sent her a letter saying that as the cheque had been stopped she had not paid the penalty in time and now the charge would be £86.

"I sent the cheque for £60 in good faith hoping that when they opened the envelope they would see the letter about the disabled badge and realise there had been a mistake. But instead they banked it.

"I thought the organisation was working for Calderdale Council; I didn't realise they shouldn't have been giving out tickets there at all," said Mrs Booth.

Martin Gonzalez, of Calderdale Council's parking services, said: "I have spoken with Mrs Booth about the details of the ticket she has received.

"The ticket was not issued by parking services, as the amount she has been fined doesn't match any of the amounts we charge, and her ticket doesn't have the standard council reference number on it.

"We have advised Mrs Booth to contact the company which has issued the ticket, to ask them to provide proof that the ticket has been issued legally, and not on parking services property.

"If the ticket is found to have been issued on parking services property, we will take action. No third party organisation has the authority to issue parking tickets within parking services car parks.

"If this is what has happened we will be contacting the other parking enforcement company to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Mrs Booth has written to the organisation again requesting proof that they have issued the ticket legally.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards would be interested to hear from anyone else who may have been issued a bogus parking ticket.

"From a legal point of view if this organisation has been issuing tickets in a car park in which they do not have jurisdiction then that is fraud.

"We need to look at the evidence in this case," said Dave Lodge, of Trading Standards.

He said that there are civil and criminal sanctions that can be taken against organisations that have been operating in a fraudulent manner if sufficient evidence can be found.

The police said they were not currently investigating any organisations giving out car parking tickets in this area.

CPM has not been available for comment.

To contact the Trading Standards telephone 08454 040506.

- If you have been issued a bogus parking ticket contact the Todmorden News reporter Carol Longbottom at [email protected]

[Vermillion]

Almost forgot...

[Vermillion]

And in addition I received a final demand from Rossendales Colllect:As you have not paid we are entitled to issue legal action through your local court, which may result in:-

• Judgment/Decree being entered against you
  
• An order being made to secure the debt against any property you own
  
• Your personal effects being sold to repay the debt.
  
• We will also instruct them to ask the court to award statutory interest and add legal costs which will significantly increase your debt.
  

Any court judgment lasts for 6 years and will severely affect your ability to obtain credit in the future. (so there - Ed))

Any legal eagles here...? ho hum.

[lamma]

Oh dear, those NCP tickets falsely claiming Railway Bye Laws apply may be next. Unless someone has already started that ball rolling......

[Vermillion]

The ball starts rolling in the local press? Needs a few balls all at once. Snooker break...

[abticket]

My wife has just recieved a ticket this morning 12/03/09 for a ticket as she apparently parked at Rammsbottom Health Centre on the 10/10/08.

 

The letter says we have not previously payed the charge and so the opourtunity to pay at a discout rate has been lost. This is the first we know of the charge so that is odd in itself.

 

The letter is not actaully signed nor does it have a contact persons name on the letter but otherwise reads the same as others have commented. I will scan it later and send to TS and Janet Anderson MP.

 

Needless to say we will ignore it. However I do feel making a scene in Ramsbottom Health Centre which we did call into on the day, as it might make them think twice about setting up a relationship with such a company if they are then faced with hard faced and upset customers coming in to their place of work.

[Al27]

Yep - complain to the Health Centre too.

[DDWales]

The letter says we have not previously payed the charge and so the opourtunity to pay at a discout rate has been lost. This is the first we know of the charge so that is odd in itself

 

Its part of the [problem]. By saying that you 'ignored' the first letter (even though of course nothing was ever sent) you are immediately on the second (and higher amount due) invoice stage. It is done deliberately to worry people into paying quickly and of course making the PPC more money:mad:. Please do report them

[abticket]

Ok, so TS have a letter of complaint.

 

Also, what is interesting is that if you go to their website and click the 'pay now' button, they ask for a ticket number. If you enter say '666' and a value say £135, irrelevant of your ticket number and PCN, they will take your money anyway. They make no attempt to check you either (A) owe them anything or (B) what value the charge is. They simply let you pay anything. (EDIT - I did not actually hit the final submit button, but that would still not ahve checked the ticket number or PCN).

 

This should be on watchdog or rouge traders. I just wonder how many of teh older population have simply paid up their weeks pension and gone without due to the language they use.

 

I am looking forward to ignoring everything they send through.

[lamma]

they all seem to do this. sounds like its against e-trading regs to me but only way to really know is to try and pay and see if it rejects the name and address etc. probably the best way to check is to get someone who hasn't had a PPC invoice and who is about to cancel a credit card to try to make a payment (say a pound or two). use ridiculous name and address information and an obviously bogus invoice number. Am loathe to suggest anyone should give them a penny but it would have to be shown that the required validation was not being done. Take screen shots/prints/use 'Save As' on every page and capture all the browser traffic in a proxy. have an independent witness observe. and then cancel the credit card immediately afterwards (why would anyone who knows how PPC operate give them credit card details). If it accepts payment then I think they can be hauled over the coals on e-trading regs.