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    • Household budgets have come under pressure as prices soared in the wake of the pandemic.View the full article
    • Please see my witness statement below.  Please let me know what modifications I need to apply.  I haven't included anything related to "administrative charge while paying by credit or debit card" as I wasn't sure if I should include since sign says "it may apply"   Background  1.1 Defendant received the Parking Charge Notice (PCN) on the 06th of November 2020 following the vehicle being parked at Arla Old Dairy, South Ruislip on the 05th of December 2019.    Contract  2.1 No Locus Standi, I do not believe a contract exists with the landowner that gives MET Parking Services a right to bring claims in their own name. Definition of “Relevant contract” From PoFA (Protection of Freedoms Act) 2 [1] means a contract Including a contract arising only when the vehicle was parked on the relevant land between the driver and a person who is-  (a) the owner or occupier of the land; or  (b) Authorised, under or by virtue of arrangements made by the owner or occupier of the land, to enter into a contract with the driver requiring the payment of parking charges in respect of the parking of the vehicle on the land. According to https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/44  For a contract to be valid, it requires a director from each company to sign and then two independent witnesses must confirm those signatures.  The fact that no contract has been produced with the witness signatures present means the contract has not been validly executed. Therefore, there can be no contract established between MET Parking Services and the motorist. Even if “Parking in Electric Bay” could form a contract (which it cannot), it is immaterial. There is no valid contract.    Illegal Conduct – No Contract Formed  3.1 At the time of writing, the Claimant has failed to provide the following, in response to the CPR request from myself.  3.2        The legal contract between the Claimant and the landowner (which in this case is Standard Life Investments UK) to provide evidence that there is an agreement in place with landowner with the necessary authority to issue parking charge notices and to pursue payment by means of litigation.  3.3 Proof of planning permission granted for signage etc under the Town and country Planning Act 1990. Lack of planning permission is a criminal offence under this Act and no contract can be formed where criminality is involved.  3.4        I also do not believe the claimant possesses these documents.    Unfair PCN  4.1         As stipulated in Exhibit 1 (Pages 7-13) sent by DCB Legal following the defendant’s CPR request the signage displayed in their evidence clearly shows £60.00 parking charge notice and will be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days of issue. The defendant puts it to the claimant a request for strict proof when the signage changed to show £100.00 parking charge as the evidence provided by DCB Legal stipulated £60.00 parking charge was indeed the parking charge at the time defendant parked and included in Exhibit 1   4.3        The Claimant did not respect PAPLOC   4.4        It is also unfair to delay litigation for so long and claim nearly four years' interest.    No Keeper Liability  5.1        The defendant was not the driver at the time and date mentioned in the PCN and the claimant has not established keeper liability under schedule 4 of the PoFA 2012. In this matter, the defendant puts it to the claimant to produce strict proof as to who was driving at the time.  5.2 The claimant in their Notice To Keeper also failed to comply with PoFA 2012 Schedule 4 section 9[2][f] while mentioning “the right to recover from the keeper so much of that parking charge as remains unpaid” where they did not include statement “(if all the applicable conditions under this Schedule are met)”.    5.3        The claimant did not mention parking period instead only mentioned time 20:25 which is not sufficient to qualify as a parking period.   Protection of Freedoms Act 2012  The notice must -  (a) specify the vehicle, the relevant land on which it was parked and the period of parking to which the notice relates;      No Breach of Contract  6.1      No breach of contract occurred because the PCN and contract provided as part of the defendant’s CPR request shows different post code, PCN shows HA4 0EY while contract shows HA4 0FY.  6.2        The wording “Electric Bay Abuse” is not listed on their signs nor there is any mention on the contract of any electric charging points at all let alone who can park there or use them.    Double Recovery  7.1        As well as the original £100 parking charge and £50 allowed court/legal costs, the Claimant seeks recovery of an additional £70.  7.2        PoFA Schedule 4, paragraph 4(5) states that “the maximum sum which may be recovered from the keeper is the amount specified in the notice to keeper”. Which in this case is £100.  7.3        The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 is also quite clear that the maximum amount recoverable is £100.  Government ministers and government web pages explaining the Act refer to extra charges as "a rip off".  7.4        Unless the Claimant can clearly demonstrate how these alleged additional costs have been incurred this would appear to be an attempt at double recovery.  7.5        Previous parking charge cases have found that the parking charge itself is at a level to include the costs of recovery i.e. Parking Eye Ltd vs Beavis (2015) UKSC 67 which is the authority for recovery of the parking charge itself and no more, since the sum £85 was held to already incorporate the costs of an automated private parking business model and the Supreme Court Judges held that a parking firm not in possession cannot plead any part of their case in damages. It is indisputable that an alleged “parking charge” penalty is a sum which the Supreme Court found is already inflated to more than comfortably cover all costs. The case provides a finding of fact by way of precedent, that the £85 (or up to a Trade Body ceiling of £100 depending on the parking firm) covers the costs of all the letters. Since 2019, many County Courts have considered claims in excess of £100 to be an abuse of process leading to them being struck out ab initio. An example, in the Caernarfon Court in VCS v Davies, case No. FTQZ4W28 on 4th September 2019, District Judge Jones-Evans stated “Upon it being recorded that District Judge Jones- Evans has over a very significant period of time warned advocates (...) in many cases of this nature before this court that their claim for £60 is unenforceable in law and is an abuse of process and is nothing more than a poor attempt to go behind the decision of the Supreme Court V Beavis which inter alia decided that a figure of £160 as a global sum claimed in this case would be a penalty and not a genuine pre-estimate of loss and therefore unenforceable in law and if the practise continued, he would treat all cases as a claim for £160 and therefore a penalty and unenforceable in law it is hereby declared (...) the claim is struck out and declared to be wholly without merit and an abuse of process.”  7.6        In Claim numbers F0DP806M and F0DP201T, Britannia vs Crosby the courts went further in a landmark judgement in November 2019 which followed several parking charge claims being struck out in the area overseen by His Honour Judge Iain Hamilton-Douglas Hughes GC, the Designated Civil Judge for Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Wiltshire. District Judge Taylor echoed earlier General Judgement or Orders of District Judge Grand, stating “It is ordered that the claim is struck out as an abuse of process. The claim contains a substantial charge additional to the parking charge which it is alleged the Defendant contracted to pay. This additional charge is not recoverable under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4 nor with reference to the judgement in Parking Eye v Beavis. It is an abuse of process from the Claimant to issue a knowingly inflated claim for a addi8onal sum which it is not entitled to recover. This order has been made by the court of its own initiative without a hearing pursuant to CPR Rule 3.3(4) of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998.  7.7        The addition of costs not previously specified on signage are also in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2, specifically paras 6, 10 and 14.  7.8        It is the Defendant’s position that the Claimant in this case has knowingly submitted inflated costs and thus the entire claim should be similarly struck out in accordance with Civil Procedure Rule 3.3(4).  7.9        The Defendant is of the view that the Claimant knew, or should have known, that to claim in excess of £100 for a parking charge on private lands is disallowed under the CPRs, the Beavis case, the PoFA AND THE CRA 2015, and that relief from sanctions should be refused.    In Conclusion  8.1        I believe the Claimant has got use to intimidation tactics and has got greedy. I believe the truth of the manor is the Claimant has used bullying tactics successfully for too long and is therefore assured that innocent drivers will fall into the trap of paying rather than going through the hours it takes to defend themselves. In the process, wasting the time of the Court, the time of the Defendant and everyone else who has advised the Defendant, out of sheer decency to help have a fair hearing and see justice delivered.  8.2        I am still in disbelief that I am being heard in this court, defending myself nearly 4 years after receiving a charge through my door. I have had to spend weeks’ worth of my life studying the letter of the law in order to defend myself from this ridiculous attempt at a swindle.  8.3        I believe that the facts stated in this witness statement are true. I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth. 
    • 'I thought why don’t we give it a try?' said student Swapnil Shrivastav, after inspiration struck during water rations.View the full article
    • honestly he/she just makes these ppc look so stupid everytime   fairplay lfi
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British Gas HomeCare - Corrosion


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My 8 year-old boiler was condemned 2 weeks ago due to corrosion. The BG engineer says that the corrosion at the rear of the boiler means the unit is no longer sealed/safe for use.

We have had British Gas HomeCare 200 since before our Potterton Suprima 60 was installed, BG have been servicing it and taking care of it since then. We have had 8 breakdown calls since it was new as well as annual services. At no point have we been advised of any corrosion. The corrosion has clearly been going on for years (I have photos if it helps) – and I believe that BG should have spotted it and dealt with it within the 7 year time frame.

The boiler was leaking water so we called out BG, they came and diagnosed a problem with the heat exchanger. New one ordered, then engineer came to fit it. He condemned boiler as there was a huge amount of corrosion at the rear of the boiler where the water pipe attached. He told me that this couldn’t be seen until the heat exchanger was removed.

Now we have no boiler and apparently no leg to stand on. If the boiler was less than 7 years-old they would have to replace it under the terms of the policy.

There is a second area of corrosion also on the heat exchanger – at the front. Incredibly visible once the outer cover is removed. Not just a bit of rust, but the metal has been eaten away to the point where the hole to attach the heat exchanger is not secure.

I have phoned and emailed but at this stage, no joy – last I was told it was ‘just one of those things’ and basically it is my tough luck that I am without heat and water and that I now need to purchase a new boiler... ANY advice or help will be so gratefully appreciated, it is very cold here!

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Would it be worth asking them if they would except the judgement on the corossion by an idependant engineer. As in if you can get it on paper that the corossion was obvious, then british gas should pay any fees to get the boiler replaced elsewhere etc.....See what they think, I mean they shouldnt worry that the advice would differ from their own staff should they?

 

As long as engineer is gas safe and from reputable company they shouldnt argue.

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I would be asking an independant if the water pipe was fitted correctly, as it may not have been installed correctly, saying that 8yrs on, hard to prove, that no one tampered with it.

 

Unfortunately i dont think you have a leg to stand on..... When was the heat exchanger originally replaced????

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#2 & #3 thank you so much for your advice. Am currently waiting on a call back from BG, so will see what they have to say. Boiler was mended and serviced in October last year - I can't imagine that it has corroded since then.

 

The heat exchanger hasn't been replaced as yet, it was when the repair man came to fit it that he mentioned the corrosion.

 

The corrosion is not on the heat exchanger but the metal casing for the boiler and the plate/arm at the side that holds the heat exchanger in place. Just seems odd that a piece of metal plate inside the boiler (that you could see as soon as you remove the outer cover) can be rusted away so that a bit about 5cm x 4cm is completely missing and no-one mentioned it. :???:

 

If you have any more information that would be great, or if you would like to see the photos of the boiler they are on flickr, I can't post the link here, but you are welcome to PM me for the link. Thanks again for your replies.

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Was your boiler fitted by BG or by an independant engineer?

 

If you could see the corrosion as soon as the boiler casing was removed, then I would have thought it should have been identified by any service or repair engineer whilst carrying out work.

 

Detail your complaint to BG in writing, and make sure the complaint details that the BG engineers have either previously missed this fault, causing it to become irrepairable, or the most recent engineer has incorrectly condemned your boiler.

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  • 2 months later...

So,

A piece of sheet metal that can be fairly easily be fabricated and securely attached the the sound boiler casing will fix the problem? I take it that the corrosion is not in an area that is under water or gas pressure.

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  • 2 months later...

This boiler is a room sealed boiler, the safety of this boiler will be compromised if there is a hole in the casing as the products

of combustion will be able to escape into the room, which will have dangerous consequences.

I have come across so many customers now who have been paying for this cover for years and years and then they have a problem like this and find that they have no come back to British Gas. When will consumers learn. British Gas has a clause, or should I say a few clauses to cover them, if the boiler is beyond economical repair then they are not responsible. If you have to many call outs

from them. they will then say that the problem is due to Sludge and you need a Powerflush, which you have to pay for.

At the end of the day they are a large business and are only interested in the bottom line, and that is profit, not the customer.

 

Take my advice get another boiler fitted by a independent gas installer and if it goes wrong just pay for the repairs as and when required. You can try edited if you are in the Greater London Area.

Edited by cerberusalert
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This boiler is a room sealed boiler, the safety of this boiler will be compromised if there is a hole in the casing as the products

of combustion will be able to escape into the room, which will have dangerous consequences.

I have come across so many customers now who have been paying for this cover for years and years and then they have a problem like this and find that they have no come back to British Gas. When will consumers learn. British Gas has a clause, or should I say a few clauses to cover them, if the boiler is beyond economical repair then they are not responsible. If you have to many call outs

from them. they will then say that the problem is due to Sludge and you need a Powerflush, which you have to pay for.

At the end of the day they are a large business and are only interested in the bottom line, and that is profit, not the customer.

 

Take my advice get another boiler fitted by a independent gas installer and if it goes wrong just pay for the repairs as and when required. You can try edited if you are in the Greater London Area.

 

im afraid the RULES of this forum is you CANT ADVERTISE your own business.

Anyway i wouldnt trust a local guy anyhow.

Agreements has t&c's, you pay what you get for. The unfortunate thing is people dont read them to see what is or what isnt covered, then are unhappy when told.

 

Il ask you a question....... would you replace a heat exchanger for £204?

Ive read peoples posts on various forums whereby they like these agreements as for say £250, they have pcbs/heat exchangers, and a pump fitted?? doubt anyone would get all that for £250 of you??

 

i rest my case.

thank you

Edited by cerberusalert
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No you are quite right I would not put a heat exchanger in for that price, more like £450.00. However if one of my customers had a problem like that I would advise that they replace the boiler and not waste their money, if it has got to that stage. It is all very well having pcbs, pumps changed for £200 per year, but if you add that up over 10 years it is £2000.00 or more and then their is a chance that they will not repair it due to sludge, so you will still have to pay for the repair on top. If you paid for each repair as it happens it would not come to that amount, one of my customers was being charged £400 per year for their British Gas cover because they had multiple claims, and then they

said that they would not cover it unless they paid £800 for a powerflush , and then they said they need a new boiler. Sounds like a bargain !

 

I thank you.

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I disagree, maxgas.

 

I accept that the BG agreement may not be for everyone, but a vast majority of people make good use of it and get their money's worth.

 

A £400 per year agreement with British Gas is likely a plan which includes much more than just the boiler and central heating. If the customer did not have a powerflush then it would only be repairs relating to hot water parts which are not included and the rest of the agreement would still be honoured.

 

Also, a standard Central Heating agreement includes a yearly service which has a value in itself - it is incorrect to advise the full charge from BG is only for the repair cover.

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I am not saying everyone is unhappy with the cover, if they were then no one would sign up for the product. What I am saying is that in over 25 years of

doing this work, I would say that 8 out of 10 customers that I have come across have repeated the same story over and over, and that they are not happy.

I have been paying for 10 years, I need a powerflush, cannot get the parts, 6 different engineers cannot fix it, I have been waiting weeks in the cold etc.etc blar blar blar.

 

As regard the fact that a service is included, if you think sticking a probe in the flue and testing the co/co2 is a service the you are mistaken.

A service should include, stripping the boiler, cleaning the heat exchanger, burners, checking ignition gaps, checking burner pressure, gas rate, checking safety devices,

expansion vessel pressure , water pressure if sealed system, cleaning condensate trap, co/co2 etc.

 

What British Gas do is a Safety Check not a service.

 

 

But it is a free country and everyone has a choice.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i have a potterton suprima 40 boiler now eleven years old there is not a lot to go wrong in these except the infamous circuit board solder contacts but this is repairable diy.

 

open the case is illegal for for non corgi gas members,the dangers in combustion refereed to is carbon monoxide gas this can occur in a an appliance that is poorly vented and is fatal,its an easy boiler to work on and corrosion on the heat exchanger is normal as it is on any cast iron.

 

http://www.partsarena.co.uk/baxi/System/DATA/Dx/DS1/installation/2221/I04-2221/I04-2221.htm#z7faultfindingguide

 

here is a diagram of the boiler once studied it falls in to place,theres no pump inside the boiler its in the airing cupboard.the heat exchanger has an input output pipe which is attached,a system should have a corrosion inhibitor installed in the system.

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