"Parking Charge" £70 Euro Car Parks?

[dusty1]

i want to delete this post please i cant find the button

Edited December 12, 2008 by dusty1

[dusty1]

delete here please i am sorry about this

Edited December 12, 2008 by dusty1

[dusty1]

delete this one please too

Edited December 12, 2008 by dusty1

[dusty1]

sorry i am not used to posting on any forum i messed up

[dusty1]

Hi,

I got my first parking charge notice today from euro car parks. the car park was a free one and i took up 2 spaces because i didnt want my car to be scratched so i was dead centre of 2 bays.the ticket states that this happened between the period of 2 minutes although i was actually gone for about 40 minutes the ticket has the parts checked saying "your vehicle was improperly parked to the inconvenience of other customers.

also in the "other" section it says in handwriting "parked over multiple bays"

now this is true although i didnt see any signs until i returned later to specificly look for them and it says parking in lined bays please or words to that affect. the signs were few and far between and there were none on entrance nor exit and i had parked not too far from the entrance.

they want 50 quid within 14 days or it goes up to 70 quid for within 21 days.

i have read 14 pages of threads on this subject and all seem to be about overstaying in a car park and none really about my situation.

can anyone advise ? do i appeal first ? or do i ignore the ticket say i was not the driver and dont know who was at the time.even though im the only driver insured for that vehicle !!

can someone please give me a template letter along with advise or shall i just pay up and let my car get smashed to buggery if i ever go shopping again. which i dont unless its xmas !

thanks for any help in advance. kind regards Dusty

[Howard0181]

Its best to ignore and not engage them in correspondence. Read the private parking threads. Your case is relaly no difference to any other case. Just expect to recieve around 7 letters. Just file and keep.

 

Only respond if they issue court summons but that I cant see happening.

[dusty1]

so how do we know that in 3 or 7 years time this ignoring lark doesnt come around and bite us in the butt ?

[crem]

so how do we know that in 3 or 7 years time this ignoring lark doesnt come around and bite us in the butt ?

 

because nothing serious will happen to you (eg CCJs, court bailiffs etc) unless you have been summoned to a proper court. That is why you are advised to ask for further advise here if they ever do issue court papers.

 

Don't be fooled by some of the wording on their letters you might receive which will say things like "court papers may now be issued if you don't pay..." "your case is now being considered for court action..." these are still only threats so continue to ignore.

[j.gilbert10]

You dont know its not going to return in the future but my advise is DONT DONT DONT pay, I received a similiar 'parking ticket' and I followed all the advice on this site sending the template letter

Dear Sirs,

 

Re: Your letter dated [dd/mmmm/yyyy] Reference[#]

 

I acknowledge receipt of your captioned letter. It seems that you have got my details from the DVLA and I confirm I am the keeper of the vehicle in question. You need to take this matter up with the driver concerned.

 

In the meantime I absolutely deny your claim that the amount claimed, or any amount at all, is due to you from me.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Give them their dues the company perserved in trying to obtain their money, I had the 'threatening baliffs letter, and I replied to that with a template letter again (from the site), then had a couple more letters from ECP and although tempted to write back I just ignored them, it has now been 2 or 3 months since I heard from them and although I wanted my day in court as I had lots of eveidence including statements ftom their not so loyal staff, they appear to have left me alone. Keep your money firmly in your pocket and DO follow the advice on this site, AND DONT PAY.

 

What you should remember is that if they take you to the Small Claims Court which apparently they never do as they are not thought very highly thought of and apparently never (rarely) win cases, it costs them approx £80 to list the case so they are not really going to waste their money doing that, they just in my opinion try to scare/frighten the money out of you, please dont allow them to succeed. People on this site will always give you advice. But beware ECP use this site and will probably advise you to pay up - DONT

[Howard0181]

What J.Gilbert says above is correct. The most important point being do not pay. Some people do not respond at all and some do.

 

My view is that is that the best option is to ignore and put up with a few threatening letters.

[lamma]

there is no known case of a PPC issuing real papers when they have been completely ignored. and real papers are rare enough anyway.

[Keydogg]

Hi guys, thanks for a good long read in this thread! I managed to find this place by searching in google.

 

3 days ago I was issued a parking ticket from ECP for £50 (or £70 if not paid within 14 days) for overstaying in a car park which I genuinely didn't know had a limit! After having got the ticket I looked around and there were signs saying about a limit, but they were a little vague but noticable.

 

Anyway thanks to this thread I am not going to pay the charge and I know exactly what to expect! I think I will choose to ignore the letters completely rather than sending them replies.

 

I will keep you posted guys!

 

Thanks

 

Alan

[NS83]

Similar to the thread above, I appreciate all the advice but am still a bit unsure of myself.

 

I received a parking fine in a Sainsbury's car park managed by Euro Car Parks a few months back. The car park is free for 2hours and as such i didn't buy and display a ticket. When i returned to my car i had a parking ticket. It said under "other" not displaying a ticket. I asked the parking attendant why i needed to display a ticket & he replied that the signs state that you need to display a ticket no matter what. On closer inspection of the sign, in TINY writing at the bottom, it did in fact say that.

 

I wrote to them (stupidly now as I see from suggested courses of action to say they need to prove who was driving) to say i thought it was unfair. They claimed the signs were fair & that i needed to pay. I went back to say that I was aware they were unable to claim damages in a private car park in excess of the damages caused which, in a free car park is nothing. They have responded quoting case Arthur and another v Anker and another (1996) saying i still have to pay.

 

Any thoughts on next steps...?

[crem]

Yep, go back to plan "A"

 

Do not write to them

Do not ring them

Do not respond to any threats

DO NOT PAY THEM

 

Only respond to actual court papers (but don't hold your breath any will actually arrive)

[lamma]

as crem said. when next there take a picture of the sign (just in case, chances of you needing it are tiny winy - very tiny winy). file all their letters in the cupboard and ignore.

[Horsham_Dingle]

NS83 - the case of Arthur V Anker was about wheel clamping, so the reference in your situation looks like another example of the PPC's selectively quoting cases to suit themselves.

 

I too had a PCN (Parking Charge Notice, with nice squares on) from ECP at a Sainsbury's store. This was over 6 months ago.

 

After two letters from ECP - the first saying the registered keeper was liable (Doh!!) and one from Controlaccount (only 3 months ago), the trail has gone cold.

 

Please follow Crem and Lamma's great advice. These PPC's play a percentage game - after a few letters they give up and go onto the next "hooked fish".

 

H_D

Edited February 7, 2009 by Horsham_Dingle
Clarity

[lardypants]

hi after receiving a £70 ticket under the wiper at tescos today i went on the net and found this thread thankyou so much i shall be ignoring all contact however i have noticed this, my ticket was from euro car parks

 

if you go to the Welcome to ECP online website there a bit were you can enter in your ticket details, it brings up a £30 fine

 

but then i started trying different ticket numbers by changing last digit etc and funny the ticket came up todays date with a £30 fine, i bet even if the system has no recollection of excistance it also still charges you as they will be waiting for the stubb form the carpark warden blokey or just trying it on

 

 

so then everyone sees the £30 thinks what a result and pays!!!

 

 

thats just wrong again surely?

 

 

look

 

ECP Online Parking Charges payment system

 

just enter in the ticket number like the one on the display ticket on there picture it dates 2007 but then change last digit or another digit etc

 

 

i even make up a 7 digit number beginning with A and it worked

[crem]

ECP Online Parking Charges payment system

 

just enter in the ticket number like the one on the display ticket on there picture it dates 2007 but then change last digit or another digit etc

 

 

i even make up a 7 digit number beginning with A and it worked

 

me thinks you're right!

 

I just made one up and I found it would cost me 30 quid too. How amazing that I could choose a random 1 in 10 million number and find it happens to be a current invoice for £30.

[lamma]

hmm, that is interesting I wonder how many other PPC sites take any old number and accept it. I must revisit the E-Trading regulations.

[Keydogg]

Hi guys, I have just received my second letter, the first one being from ECP and this second one being from Controlaccount. Now I know i am meant to ignore the ECP letters, but should I ignore the controlaccount one or send one back saying its in dispute?

 

Thanks!

[DDWales]

Hi Keydogg. Ah Controlaccount! Black and white bordering letter etc?Ignore,- they will send two letters and give up. I had a final, final, final 'must pay in 7 days' letter from them in November....! Thier just the usual PPC/DCA scamsters.

[Keydogg]

Thanks DDWales! I will do that! Although it sounds like a different styled letter to yours though!

[sameagle]

Keydogg,

 

If it has 25 squares arranged in a 5 by 5 at the top, with one square "toppling off", then you are entitled to get two of those.

 

Well, I did, and if you get more, I might complain to ControlAccount that I am being disenfranchised, and they may see themselves in Court, they may see Bailiffs, and I may make a total mess of their credit rating!

 

I cannot do much about their reputation, because they don't have much of one, in my opinion.

 

Hang in there, I'll lend you me spare set of talons, if you like...

 

Sam the Eagle

[Horsham_Dingle]

Boooo!!! I have only received 1 letter from controlaccount - over 3 months ago.

 

I want my second - have you seen the price of toilet paper these days!

 

H_D

[jjjkkk]

Please i need members' help, i got a parking charge notice from euro car park in december and i made an appeal letter but they did not uphold my appeal and they are charging me for overstaying for 74minutes and i must pay within 14days, pls i discover that this site has been very helpful. pls should i ignore the letter they said i must pay 50pounds within 10 days otherwise it will be increased to 70pounds, the truth is i am presently unemployed and i cannot afford it. pls what should i do? your advice will be highly appreciated.

 

Thanks