G24 ANPR PCN - no Permit - only 1hrs free parking ! Sports Direct & Matalan​​​​​​​, Heathcote Road, Longton, Stoke on Trent ST3. - worth appealing?

[honeybee13]

The first thing I said to you in post #2 was 'Don't appeal'.  

 

Good luck with talking to the store, it works some of the time.

 

HB

[brassnecked]

The store likely has little influence especially if its a Retail park with other outlets, or would be the managing Agents who brought the PPC in When ANPR is brought in by a fleecer the local papers are usually reporting on Taxi Drivers and delivery couriers getting invoiced for going on and off the site in double "dipping attempts"  Don#t feel to bad about it. you did what the majority of people faced with the situation would do, as DX says we have large buckets & corks, so don't give in now.

[FTMDave]

A few months back we had a spate of cases where motorists got these tickets in supermarket car parks.  The local supermarket fobbed them off.  So they got onto the head office/CEO, were initially fobbed off, but they insisted and all had the tickets cancelled.  Yours is a similar situation, so go down that route and see what happens.

 

As BN says, it may be though that the car park isn't actually Sports Directs', but a retail park, it isn't easy to see from Google Earth.  Still, nothing ventured ... 

 

Please also come back when G24 reject your appeal, which they will.

[Catm1234]

Thank I will do.  

[Catm1234]

Hi, as you all advised, I received my email rejection at 3.48am this morning. Does anyone even look at them?! 
what do you recommend I do now guys? 
Any help appreciated, thank you 

[brassnecked]

These charlatans never grant an appeal in the main, and our advice is not to appeal as it usually identifies the driver and removes POFA protection but you did it anyway, and now its the told you so moment being blunt... BUT its not all over yet, there are several things in your favour but it will inviolve a snotty letter and a possible court claim if they decide to get greedy.

Did you get the pictures of the signs as advised  by lookedinforinfo at post #15?    those will be useful later, you have the reciept for goods, that gives a dateand time for the transdaction and Store ID.  What we aere looking for is a way to negate any contract the fleecer's imply they have with you toinvoice you, NOTE INVOICE not FINE for breacxhing their T & C's, so new system confusing wy to ground the free parking period, you were within the free period allowed at the time no loss to them etc as no overstay, so no consideration as in payment required. apart from scanning the reciept on sexiting the store.

 

Now there is the flaw in their case, How prominant in the store on entrance and exit are signs reminding you to  scan your reciept and enter the car VRM so the ANPR can tick yours off as compliant?  Did the store make any attempt to remind customers scan or get fleeced by G24?  If not they could be held partly responsible if they don't draw attention to the scheme.

 

Are the terminal(s) prominet easy to access was there a queue to use it, was it tcked away in an inaccessible place where its hard to access, as it gets in the way of store operations?

 

All things to consider while the team help you explore options.

[dx100uk]

On 01/05/2021 at 08:24, honeybee13 said:

The first thing I said to you in post #2 was 'Don't appeal'.  

 

Good luck with talking to the store, it works some of the time.

 

HB

 

and never use email.

now they have a free way to harass you too.

 

 

[FTMDave]

5 hours ago, Catm1234 said:

what do you recommend I do now guys? 

Regarding G24, do nothing, simply ignore their letters (unless you get a formal Letter Before Claim/Letter Before Action).

 

However, put some work into building up a case against them as the regulars have advised above - look up the planning permission, next time you're in the area get detailed photos of all the signage, etc.

 

Did you get a reply from Sports Direct?

 

The car park is a strange set up from what I can see on Google Maps (see attachment), on the one hand the car park is not just for Sports Direct, on the other there is only one other shop there and the entrance sign refers to Matalan/Sports Direct.com Customer Car Park (rather than it being called a retail park or some such, indeed Sports Direct's logo is used in the title).

Stoke-on-Trent, England - Google Maps — Mozilla Firefox 14_05_2021 12_57_31-converted.pdf

[Catm1234]

Thanks everyone for all of your replies and sorry I’ve been absent for a few days.

 

I think I’ve decided to pay the fine

I know that these dreadful companies prey on people like me who are sadly just too busy to fight their cause (even with all of the wonderful help and advise from you guys)

 

I just don’t think I’ve got the fight in me sadly, as I know it will take quite a bit of time and effort on my part and I simply don’t have that at the minute. Sorry guys

[brassnecked]

Its your choice, and no one will blame you for it, but remember it ISN'T A FINE a FINE is Criminal, this is not,  its a Civil Speculative Invoice with no legal force until they obtain a County Court Judgment.

[dx100uk]

On 14/05/2021 at 12:11, FTMDave said:

Regarding G24, do nothing, simply ignore their letters (unless you get a formal Letter Before Claim/Letter Before Action).

 

 

 

do the above can't hurt you till if PAOLOC arrives 

don't waste money paying this speculative invoice yet whatever you do.

all you do is fund the harassment of others.

[Catm1234]

Is there a chance the charge amount could increase further before receiving these letters or not? 

[dx100uk]

only with unlawful unicorn food tax

 

dx

 

[FTMDave]

When you have time, have a look at this thread  https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/435620-g24-pcn-sports-direct-heathcote-rd-longton-stoke-on-trent-st3-2nu-not-paid-yet/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-5117764

 

The OP is in the same situation as you and is trying to dig up as much information as possible to sink the fleecers' case.

[FTMDave]

We have quite a few motorists here in the same boat as you, and several of you are doing great work in building up evidence against the fleecers.  It would be a good idea to keep an eye on each other's threads.  Do a search for "G24" or "Heathcote" in thread titles.  You can "follow" the threads too and be automatically e-mailed when there are new posts.

[FTMDave]

There's a new thread  https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/437521-g24-anpr-pcn-no-permit-only-1hrs-free-parking-sports-direct-matalan heathcote-road-longton-stoke-on-trent-st3-won/  where the OP has done magnificent work and sussed out (a) when the fleecers could be bothered to put up an entrance sign and (b) when they could finally be pestered to cart away the confusing inactive pay machines.          

 

The OP's digging would be fundamental to batting away a future court claim and exposing the fleecers' lies.

 

Please "Follow" the various threads at this car park so you are kept abreast of developments, I can't remember every single time to keep all of you informed.

[dx100uk]

 important news

 

 

[FTMDave]

Have a look at OkYeah's thread from post 47 onwards  https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/437743-g24-anpr-pcn-matalan-heathcote-rd-longton-stoke-on-trent-st3-2nu-cancelled-after-mp-intervention/page/2/#comments

 

OkYeah has successfully seen off these crooks.

 

It would be a good idea if all of you in the same Heathcote Road boat "followed" each other's threads so you get updates automatically.