Parking Eye PCN | Margate Lido car park

[DidntEvenPark]

Hi all,

 

Just read a few other posts relating to Parking Lie and this very same sh*t heap of a car park.

 

I'm not the registered keeper of the car I was driving; it was loaned to me for a weekend and the car company have forwarded me a PCN from this time.

 

I was completely gobsmacked on receipt as neither I or the passenger didn't see any signage. In fact, the only thing we remarked on was all the pot-holes and the smashed up car in the middle of the car park.

 

I was in the car park for a total of 15 minutes. I had no intention of staying and parking; I'm not local to the area and entered simply to take a few photos of the view (so stayed with the vehicle at all times). I in fact hadn't made an attempt to park in the allocated bays whatsoever.

 

The PCN is Parking Eye's usual £100 reduced to £60 if paid in 14 days.

 

If I was the registered keeper of the vehicle I'd probably ignore the PCN but feel I need to be professional and 'appeal' it via the loan company. One good thing is that this gives me a cloak of anonymity for now, at least.

 

Before I proceed, I'd really appreciate your expert help in the best approach to take?

 

Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

[brassnecked]

Hi and welcome to CAg  It would be helpful if you could follow the sticky I have posted and answer the questions, then tyhe Team can advise best way to progress on this.

 

It looks like you have been outed as the driver but all is not lost

 

 

[BankFodder]

In addition to the above, you should probably realise that the company which lent you the vehicle probably prefer to have an easy life and that means that they are likely to settle the bill regardless of what you say – and then either come after you or else simply remember it if you ever need anything from them again.

In addition to the questions above, what with the circumstances of the loan?

[DidntEvenPark]

For PCN's received through the post [ANPR camera capture]

 

1 Date of the infringement

26/07/2020
 

2 Date on the NTK [this must have been received within 14 days from the 'offence' date]

30/07/2020

 

3 Date received

04/08/2020 - forwarded by email from the car company. To clarify, this wasn't a regular paid-for car hire; rather, it was a FOC "press" loan in exchange for content creation. Well, it ~was~ FOC until I received this PCN. The car company are expecting me to 'settle' the PCN as per the letter of intent I agreed to (but didn't sign, lol — BUT I wish to remain on good terms with them) so they haven't entered into any communication with Parking Eye.
 

4 Does the NTK mention schedule 4 of The Protections of Freedoms Act 2012? [Y/N?]

Yes
 

5 Is there any photographic evidence of the event?

Yes — of the vehicle entering and leaving the car park. But no footage of the fact I didn't actually park or remain stationary in any one spot for more than 5 mins.

 

6 Have you appealed? [Y/N?] post up your appeal]

No, not yet.
 

7 Who is the parking company?

Parking Eye
 

8. Where exactly [carpark name and town]

LIDO CAR PARK 1, MARGATE CT9 1RX

 

For either option, does it say which appeals body they operate under.

It has a BPA logo on the letter.

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by FTMDave
Personal details showing

[BankFodder]

13 minutes ago, DidntEvenPark said:

The car company are expecting me to 'settle' the PCN as per the letter of intent I agreed to (but didn't sign, lol — BUT I wish to remain on good terms with them) so they haven't entered into any communication with Parking Eye.
 

 

 

I don't think there's any lol with this. The fact that you didn't sign the letter doesn't really make a lot of difference if you were aware of it. On these kinds of agreements/contracts, you don't need signatures or even writing to form binding obligations.

Apart from that, I'm afraid I think you are on a hiding to nothing. If Parkng Eye want to proceed then they will proceed against the company – and frankly if they realise that it was a loan vehicle being lent by a company then I would imagine that this will encourage them to bring the action because they will know full well that the company will pay up just to get rid of the problem – and in effect, your loan company will do Parking Eye's dirty work for them by paying them out directly and then making a decision as to how to deal with you.
It's individuals which give parking Eye and other bounty hunting parking management companies problems. Company-owned vehicles simply pay up because it's much cheaper to do that. They then set the money off against tax and get on with their lives. If the vehicle has been lent to an employee then they recover the cost of the PCN directly from wages.

The best you can do is to settle with the company as quickly as possible so that it doesn't get any more expensive

 

[DidntEvenPark]

2 minutes ago, BankFodder said:

The best you can do is to settle with the company as quickly as possible so that it doesn't get any more expensive

Oh really? I guess Parking Eye get the last 'lol' in this case. I'm absolutely gutted — because the only reason I went in there in the first place was to take the photos of the vehicle (against the backdrop of the Lido) to share on social media, which formed the basis of my loan agreement!

 

But thank you for your time, and your honesty. And I'm glad I checked, as although I knew this was a little trickier than the average case, I certainly would have appealed it.

[BankFodder]

Well keep checking this thread for other contributions – because you might get some less pessimistic/more constructive advice from someone else. I'll certainly be interested to see

[FTMDave]

You left your registration number on the second page, so I've had to delete the attachment.  Can you please hide that bit and put the attachment back up? 

[dx100uk]

get the loan company to read their T&C's propropely

they say nothing about speculative invoice from private parking bandits.

 

dx

 

 

[DidntEvenPark]

1 hour ago, FTMDave said:

You left your registration number on the second page, so I've had to delete the attachment.  Can you please hide that bit and put the attachment back up? 

 

Oh good spot! Re-uploading here...

REVISED PCN.pdf

 

57 minutes ago, dx100uk said:

get the loan company to read their T&C's propropely

they say nothing about speculative invoice from private parking bandits.

 

dx

 

 

 

This isn't a regular rental though... I was contacted to borrow a car from the "press fleet" in return for social media coverage. And in the letter of intent which I agreed to, it states that all PCNs or charges (including toll roads) are my responsibility.

 

I'm just so gutted as obviously I would have paid if my intention was to actually park — and had no idea they were capturing arrival and entry on camera. I was literally only there for 15 minutes and with the vehicle the whole time!

[dx100uk]

there is a minimum 10mins grace (no stated max) for all private parking tickets

 

it was a loan car so stuff and all PE can do them really.

have the 'press fleet' owners anyway to get money out of you? like are they your employer?

 

there have been no successful court cases by PE against firms as they usually just cough up blindly thinking its a fine when it is not.

and is not covered by any clause in employment contracts.

[DidntEvenPark]

No, they are not my employer, however I would like to be professional and wouldn't want to get a 'bad rep' with PRs (as I would like similar opportunities coming my way again).

 

It's so frustrating because if I were the registered keeper I would 100% not pay.

[FTMDave]

Well in that case there's an easy enough solution, at least to do with this company.  Simply get them to reply to PE naming you as the driver.  They are even invited to do so on the PCN.  That way they are out of the loop and never hear from PE again.

 

Of course then PE will come after you and we'll be happy to help you fight off their claim.

 

 

[brassnecked]

Yes if they have the driver's details and they are confirmed, PE cannot go after the keeper, they are out of the loop.  there are several ways to tackle them, and they will fall over by misapplying Beavis for sure.  It's not the magic bullet that wins all cases for them.

[DidntEvenPark]

OK so you're saying I should get the car brand to advise PE that I was the driver and then I can deal with PE directly?

 

This might be a daft question but will getting involved in all this affect my credit rating in any way? I'm currently applying for a mortgage!

 

[brassnecked]

The only way it can affect credit rating is if they take you to court, and you don't defend and they get a a default judgment that you neglect to pay within 28 days, or you lose in court and don't pay the judgment in that time.

[DidntEvenPark]

Ah, OK. Thank you for clarifying!

 

I'm going to sleep on this one more night (I just wish the car brand wasn't involved initially cos it just makes it a bit meh for me, professionally speaking) and then make a decision on which option to take.

 

You've all been so helpful so far; thank you!

[dx100uk]

just type no need to hit quote.

 

send them your deetails re PCN number xxxx

then ignore them until/unless you get a letter of claim.

 

and get reading up here

as there are 100's of PE PCN threads

so you can inform the stupid fleet owners they are breaking contract law by even engaging with PE as they were not the driver and it is NOT A FINE.

 

 

 

 

[ericsbrother]

Yes, fill out the bit forwarded to yu by the car hire co adn take them on if you wish.

you will need to be returning to Margate to get piccies of the place but in the meanwhile read up on private parking and also ahve a look at thaney councils planning portal and see if PE have permission to put their signs and cameras up in the first place

[brassnecked]

If no Planning Permission, signs etc are illegal and no contract can exist, as it would be founded in a criminal action, signs without correct permissions to be erected.  PE have been caught out by this many times.  they are owned by Capita, same bunch that run TV Licensing for BBC