ECP ANPR PCN – overstay BP Binley Woods petrol station

[f242uk]

Hi All,

I hope somebody can help me out because I'm furious about this case. Long story short, I was traveling for over 100 miles but started feeling tired and sleepy. So, I decided to stop and reset at the nearest fuel station (or services). I stopped at BP Binley Woods, didn't see any parking signage at the entrance, and assumed it's the usual 2-hour limit at services. I bought a coffee and some snacks in the shop, sat in the car, had a quick nap, and once I felt recovered enough, I drove off. In total, it was about 40 minutes.

I received a PCN (Parking Charge Notice) for £100, stating I was there for 41 minutes. The letter doesn't even state the maximum permitted stay. I presume it was 30 minutes with a 10-minute grace period, which means they want to charge me £100 for overstaying by just 1 minute.

I've been in touch with BP customer services, found their email on Google Maps reviews (many other people have been stung by this). BP is washing their hands of it, stating they only provide fuel, and they provided contact information for the landowner, Motor Fuel Limited. I contacted their customer services, and they say they can't do anything because the ECP (Euro Car Parks) is in charge of the car park, and it's their rules. They suggest I should appeal!

What upsets me the most is that I was genuinely tired and needed a break, instead of being a threat to other motorists on the road.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

1 Date of the infringement: 23/08/2023

2 Date on the NTK [this must have been received within 14 days from the 'offence' date]: 31/08/2023

 3 Date received 08/09/2023

 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

 6 Have you appealed? [Y/N?] post up your appeal] No

 Have you had a response? [Y/N?] -

 7 Who is the parking company? Euro Car Parks

8. Where exactly [carpark name and town] BP Binley Woods Fuel Station  (CV3 2ZZ)

 For either option, does it say which appeals body they operate under NO

 

EPC this PCN serves as NTK too.pdf

[brassnecked]

Hi  f242uk welcome to CAG thanks for filling in the sticky it gives a flying start to the process first thing they have messed up on is they have used the entry and exit times for the period not the time parked, it would likely take up two or more minutes to park up and to exit especially if waiting to exit, there will be other issues with the ticket probably that the experts will pick up on at the moment do not respond to them.

[FTMDave]

Is it this place?  https://www.google.com/maps/@52.388692,-1.4401592,3a,79y,99.25h,90.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shkAVrTprSVUJyPk1hG2zjw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

If so BP are probably telling the truth as it will be the people who run the whole services who called them in.

Motor Fuel Ltd are cowardly idiots though, they hired the fleecers, they are the organ grinder.

You have a lot going for you.  Carp signage.  It can be argued that a 30-minute maximum stay in services is an unreasonable clause.  The alternative to their nonsense was for you to risk causing death by dangerous driving.  As you say they don't even state the maximum stay so it would be impossible to use their (crooked) appeals procedure.

Obviously don't pay.

 

 

.

[FTMDave]

Don't mess about with Customer Services.  Go for the CEO  https://ceoemail.com/s.php?id=ceo-289059&c=Motor Fuel Group-Chief Executive

Explain what happened, show proof of coffee and fuel purchase, say that Customer Services refuse to accept their legal responsibility as they are the organ grinder and Euro Car Parks are the monkey and of course Motor Fuel Ltd can call off their dogs, that a 30-minute stay in Services is an unreasonable clause under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and in any case you needed a kip and were not prepared to cause death by dangerous driving in order to satisfy a bottom barrel private parking company, and they'd better get the charge cancelled or you will be on to the local and national media about their downright dangerous policies.  Or some such.

[f242uk]

Hi Chaps,

Thank you for your responses.

I'll get an email out to the CEO of the Motor Fuel group.

As it's the case with majority of the CEO's it will probably vanish in his mailbox and get unanswered, but I give it a shot.

However got to be prepared for the next step if this option fails. If I don't pay, don't appeal I will start getting more threats in the mail from the ECP, and prolly at some point they will start the court action. What should I prepare for?

[honeybee13]

The best way to prepare is to read lots of other PPC threads, especially ECP ones, to see how other people's cases went. Start in our Successes forum to see where people have beaten the PPCs.

HB

[f242uk]

So a bit of an update, as I've been playing ping pong with the Motor Fuel Group customer services (they have tried to fob me off and pointed to ECP). So here's the email I wrote, and the customer service manager responded. Obviously with a lot of oh deary me!. So wondering whether to continue this and point out the bullshit she responded with, or just leave it and let it go...

My email:

Dear Support Team,

I appreciate your prompt response regarding the recent parking issue I encountered at your motorway services location. However, I must express my frustration over this matter, as I believe there is a crucial aspect that needs addressing.

As the landowner, I understand that your primary concern may be to lease the parking management to a third party like Euro Car Parks (ECP). Nonetheless,  as stated in my previous email , I received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for allegedly overstaying the allowed time by a mere 11 minutes, with a substantial portion of that time falling within the minimum 10-minute grace period mandated by law.

Moreover, I want to emphasize that numerous similar cases of customer dissatisfaction with ECP's parking management can be found in Google Maps reviews for your motorway services location. This not only reflects poorly on ECP but also on your services station as the landowner and BP as fuel supplier.

As the landowner, you have the authority to shape the terms and conditions of your contract with ECP. You have the full ability to cancel the unjust PCN with ECP, as I am aware of cases where this has been done before without any issues. I strongly urge you to reconsider and revise the terms, especially those pertaining to the allowed parking duration, to provide a more customer-friendly experience at your services station. It is in your power to influence and improve the parking policies that ECP enforces, and it's high time these changes were made.

Furthermore, I would appreciate it if you could promptly provide me with the contact information for the customer team manager or any relevant personnel who oversee the relationship with ECP. I believe that open and direct communication between concerned customers and your team is crucial in addressing these issues more effectively and in a timely manner, thereby enhancing the overall experience at your motorway services.

I trust you will treat this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. Customer satisfaction should remain paramount, and the current situation falls far short of acceptable standards.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this issue. I eagerly await your response.

Customer Services reply:

Thank you for your email.

Motor Fuel Group has an agreement in place with a parking contractor, Euro Car Parks. This agreement is enforced in multiple sites within our network where a number of significant contributing factors have required additional steps to support us in maintaining a safe and accessible forecourt for all of our customers.

Due to ANPR, tickets are automatically generated by the system as this uses the number plate entering and leaving the station. For your information, we have adequate signage at the station advising customers of the time frame and limitations in place. Therefore, if you feel your visit will be longer than the time specified, you need to advise a member of staff who will be able to mark your vehicle as exempt for that visit. 

We appreciate all customer feedback and will take your comments into consideration. 

Thank you for contacting Motor Fuel Group. 

Kind regards 

Sarah

Customer Service Manage

 

[dx100uk]

15 minutes ago, f242uk said:

Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)

no you didnt!!

 

[f242uk]

Oh yes, you're right, didn't notice that I made a mistake in the email. This is how confusing this crap is.

[dx100uk]

no its because you've not read up enough.

dx

 

[Homer67]

That's why you don't get involved in pointless email tennis.

Their NTK is non POFA compliant so they can't transfer to the Owner they can only pursue the driver and you are not liable to reveal who that was, so wait to see if you get a Letter Before Claim then come back here for advice on a snotty letter.

[FTMDave]

Did you write to the CEO?