Is "Traffic Enforcement Notice" same as "Penalty" or "Fine"?

[fij_ni]

Hi, apologies in advance if this has been flagged before but couldn't find it anywhere.

 

Received a traffic enforcement notice today from TPS (Total Parking Solutions) for an overstay at Dunelm Mill Stockport last week. Having read quite a bit online, general concensus says "Ignore, don't pay", I just need clarification that a traffic enforcement notice is the same as fines and penalties. Although they have an image of my vehicle entering their carpark and the reg also, should I just ignore the letters and follow ups from this company regardless. In their letter they state;

 

"Parking within this propertyis regulated by the contract conditions, clearly marked on signage through the site. By entering and remaining at this property the driver has agreed to be bound by these conditions. Having checked your vehicle details with the Driver & Vehicle Licensin Authority (DVLA), you were the registered owner/keeper of the vehicle at the time of the above parking contravention.

 

The Parking Charge of £100 must be paid within 14 days of the Enforcement Notice issue date. If the charge is paid within 14 days, the amount will be reduced to £50. If payment is not received within 28 days the amount will increase to £150 to cover admin costs incurred.

 

We must inform you that failure to make payment may result with the balance being passed to a debt recovery agency and court action may be initiated."

 

I appreciate any help in this matter.

 

Keep up the good work CAG

[honeybee13]

Hello there. Someone with more knowledge than me will be along later, but I think your clue is in the name Total Parking Solutions. It isn't the local council or the police.

 

You could do a forum search here for TPS to see what's happened about what I suspect are invoices or begging letters.

 

Don't do anything until the guys arrive, please.

 

My best, HB

[DBC]

"Traffic Enforcement Notice" = "Unenforceable invoice". They just use these fancy terms to make the meaningless threat look official. Ignore. Do not write of "appeal" to them, that way they no way of identifying the driver.

Edited March 29, 2011 by DBC

[crem]

The fact that you are having to ask the question about whether a "Traffic Enforcement Notice" is an official fine or not just shows how close to the wind these PPCs sail to try and con you into paying.

I like this bit:-

 

By entering and remaining at this property the driver has agreed to be bound by these conditions. Having checked your vehicle details with the Driver & Vehicle Licensin Authority (DVLA), you were the registered owner/keeper of the vehicle at the time of the above parking contravention.

so the driver has agreed to something, but they write to the RK? They might as well have written to their next door neighbour for all it matters! lol

 

In essence they are saying, "we think Mr A parked where he shouldn't, but we don't know where Mr A lives so we'll write to Mr B". Well that's very nice but as Mr B has nothing to do with Mr A then they may as well P* Off with their invoice.

[BankFodder]

this sounds like the usual private parking companies management scenario. We have lots of information on this sub forum. There is no point in repeating it all here. I'm sure that half an hour or so reading will have you to understand the whole situation and exactly what your options are. However, the brief messages: don't worry.

 

Please post on this thread if you have any problems or there are any unusual developments.

 

What interests me very much is that you say that you have received a "traffic enforcement notice". I don't blame you for being confused by this and for wondering whether this has anything to do with "fines and penalties" as you put it.

 

All of these private parking management companies are meant to be subject to a code of practice which has been agreed by the industry and is meant to be monitored and enforced by the British Parking Association – which frankly doesn't give much of an impression that it does very much about it.

 

None of the requirements of this code is that subscribers – meaning the private parking companies – will not represent themselves in any way which gives the impression that they are public sector government organised traffic regulatory authorities.

 

To my mind, that would mean that any company which uses any kind of documentation which creates in the mind of any ordinary reasonable citizen that they have received a parking ticket or a parking notice from a local authority or from the police would breach the code.

 

This kind of impression could easily be created by any private parking company which uses, for instance, yellow and black checks around the edge of its parking tickets or on its correspondence. Or uses such devices as – contravention codes. Or uses company names or trading names which are capable of giving the impression that the company is in fact part of the transport regulatory process.

 

The document which you have received, if it is described as a "traffic enforcement notice", seems to me to be capable of getting impression to an ordinary motorist which could be in breach of the BPA code.

[BankFodder]

Forgot to say that we'd like to see a scan of this document. Could you put one up please?

Ta

[fij_ni]

Finally got round to scanning the document. Have just deleted the car reg and my address for security purposes.

 

Cheers to all those who replied. Ta

[borisbeaver]

Bit to small, but the important this is at the top is says "Notice To Owner". As has been mentioned numerous times before, the parking companies can only go after the driver who "infringed" the so called contract.

[fij_ni]

Sorry, should have checked it before posting...hope this one is easier to read....

 

Cheers for the advice folks...

traffic note.doc

[borisbeaver]

We must inform you that failure to make payment may result with the balance being passed to a debt recovery agency and court action may be initiated.

I would also say that the image of your vehicle has been edited to show a number plate - can't tell to what vehicle it was attached to.

[dw190]

"By entering and remaining at this property the driver has agreed to be bound by these conditions"

 

Yet they still send the notice to the Owner.

 

In a word "IDIOTS"

[fij_ni]

Just to update on this post;

 

Transcript from letter;

 

Final Notice To Owner:

2Further to our notice to owner dated ****** which notified you that a charge of £100 must be paid, we hereby give notice and inform you that the charge has now been increased to £150 to cover admin costs incurred. If by 05/05/2011 07:00:06 the charged amount is not paid, or you have made no attempts to contact us, the amount will be registered as a debt and your details will be forwarded to a debt collection agency for recovery.

We must inform you that failure to make payment may result with the balance being passed to a debt recovery agency and Court action may be initiated.

 

Just to confirm, ignore this letter, do not contact them to say I was not driving? i appreciate all help and replies folks.

Also, why do the DVLA give away my details so freely as there is no official crime commited nor have they any reason to believe my vehicle has been involved in any crime.

[Al27]

Ignore ignore ignore. TPS are a very easy bunch to blank.

 

Also, why do the DVLA give away my details so freely as there is no official crime commited nor have they any reason to believe my vehicle has been involved in any crime.

 

Because they make £2.50 for every request. If you see a Ferrari on the street and would like to know where it is kept so you can go and steal it, just pay £2.50 to the DVLA and they will tell you.

[ashmk]

Also, why do the DVLA give away my details so freely as there is no official crime commited nor have they any reason to believe my vehicle has been involved in any crime.

 

It was'nt free. The PPC paid for it.

 

Continue to ignor. You will get debt collector letters but it will just be the same company, different name. Once they realise, after 5-6 letters that your not biting they will move on to some other sucker.

 

Your in safe hands. Ignor them.

[queensclose]

I want an admin job if that's what you can charge

 

 

Opps. No one would pay me

[lamma]

I think the S in TPS must stand for shambolic

[afcwben]

Just to update on this post;

 

Transcript from letter;

 

Final Notice To Owner:

2Further to our notice to owner dated ****** which notified you that a charge of £100 must be paid, we hereby give notice and inform you that the charge has now been increased to £150 to cover admin costs incurred. If by 05/05/2011 07:00:06 the charged amount is not paid, or you have made no attempts to contact us, the amount will be registered as a debt and your details will be forwarded to a debt collection agency for recovery.

We must inform you that failure to make payment may result with the balance being passed to a debt recovery agency and Court action may be initiated.

 

Just to confirm, ignore this letter, do not contact them to say I was not driving? i appreciate all help and replies folks.

Also, why do the DVLA give away my details so freely as there is no official crime commited nor have they any reason to believe my vehicle has been involved in any crime.

 

so you have to pay by six seconds past 7am bwahahahaha

[Dragons Dennis]

'Registered as a debt?' What is that then?

[Dragons Dennis]

I think the S in TPS must stand for shambolic

 

 

Maybe it all stands for ' total piece of s**t'. Who knows?

[Coupon]

Dare I suggest that this CAG parking board needs a sticky link to this info on what letters to expect:

 

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2214803

 

Read up on the TPS letter-chain now, fij_ni, this could have been provided earlier and stopped you from worrying if it were readily available over here on this forum.

 

I was criticised for linking this once before but it's the most useful info for the OP to know which letters will come next! So I make no apologies for posting a link that CAG, with the greatest respect to a top forum, appears to lack (even the other forum starting with P has this link).

 

And have you seen the Watchdog youtube link? I can't find that on CAG stickies either?