MET CCTV PCN - Occupants Left Carpark - Starbucks (closed) 346 SouthGate Park, Stansted, CM24 1PY

[gmlmonika]

Good afternoon,

I am writing because I am very frustrated.

I received a parking charge from MET Parking Services Ltd , ( Southgate park Stansted CM24 1PY) .

We stopped for a quick meal in Mcdonalds and were there for around 30 mins.

We always do this after flights and never received a parking charge before. 

Reason:

The vehicle left in Southgate car park without payment made for parking and the occupants southgate premises.

they took some pictures of us leaving the car.

i did not try and appeal it yet as I came across many forums that this is a scam and I should leave it.

But I keep getting threatening letters. 
Incident happened : 23/10/2023

I did contact Mcdonalds and they said this: 

Joylyn (McDonald’s Customer Services) 5 Apr 2024, 12:05 BST Dear Laura, Thank you for contacting McDonald’s Customer Services. I’m sorry to hear that you have received a Parking Charge Notice following your visit to our Stansted restaurant.   We've introduced parking restrictions at some of our restaurants to make sure there are always parking spaces available for customers.   We appreciate that some visits such as birthday parties or large group visits might take longer and the parking restrictions aren't intended to stop this. If you think your stay will exceed the stated maximum parking time then please speak to a manager in advance.   Your number plate is scanned by our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system when you enter our car park, and then again when you leave. If you have overstayed the maximum time allowed, you will not be notified straight away- a Parking Charge Notice will be sent to you via the post.   If you feel that a Parking Charge Notice has been issued in error, please contact our approved contractors who issued the charge in order to appeal the charge. Unfortunately McDonald's are unable to revoke parking tickets- the outcome of the appeal is final and cannot be overturned by McDonald’s.   Many thanks for taking the time to contact McDonald’s Customer Services.   Can someone please help me out and suggest what I should do next?  Thank you

[FTMDave]

Moved to the Private Parking forum.

This is simply a scam site.  It's been shown to be a scam in the national press and on national TV.

Please fill in the the forum sticky and upload the invoice you've received.

In fact what you have is an invoice, not a fine, a private company doesn't have the power to issue fines.

 

[gmlmonika]

Please find attached 

TERMINAL NOTICE.pdf

[FTMDave]

What you have uploaded is a letter with daft empty threats from third-party paper tigers.  Just ignore it.

What we need to see is the original invoice you received last October or November.

[dx100uk]

it is NOT A FINE.....this is an extremely important point to understand

no-one bar a magistrate in a magistrates criminal court can ever fine anyone for anything.

Private Parking Tickets (speculative invoices) are NOT a criminal matter, merely a speculative contractual Civil matter

hence they can only try a speculative monetary claim via the civil county court system (which is no more a legal powers matter than what any member of Joe Public can do).

Until/unless they do raise a county court claim a CCJ and win, there are not ANY enforcement powers they can undertake other than using a DCA, whom are legally powerless and are not BAILIFFS.

Penalty Charge Notices issued by local authorities etc were decriminalised years ago - meaning they no longer can progress a claim to the magistrates court to enforce, but go directly to legal enforcement via a real BAILIFF themselves.

10'000 of people waste £m's paying private parking companies because they think they are FINES...and the media do not help either.

the more people read the above the less income this shark industry get.

where your post said fine it now says charge

..............

please fill out the Q&A ASAP.

thread title updated

dx

 

 

ps i doubt the PCN says macdonalds??

MET dont operate a reverse trespass car park for mc'd's parkers going to starbucks...(occupants left vehicle claim)

they only do that for the starbucks part

 i bet you parked in the starbuck side and walked to MCd's?
dx

 

 

[FTMDave]

I would guess so dx which is why I've asked the OP to upload the original invoice.

[honeybee13]

Hi.

Please don't follow McD's advice to contact Met to appeal. They won't listen and you could end up giving them helpful information.

HB

[lookinforinfo]

Monika the first four pages of the Private parking section have at least 12 of our members who have also been caught out on this scam site. That's around one quarter of all our current complaints. Usually we might expect two current complaints for the same park within 4 pages. 

So you are in good company and have done well in appealing to McDonalds in an effort to resolve the matter without having  paid such a bunch of rogues. Most people blindly pay up.

Met . Starbucks and McDonalds  are well aware of the situation and seem unwilling to make it easier for motorists to avoid getting caught. For instance, instead of photographing you, if they were honest and wanted you  to continue using their services again, they would have said "Excuse me but if you are going to go to Mc donalds from here, it will cost you £100." But no they kett quiet and are now pursuing you for probably a lot more than £100 now. They also know thst  they cannot charge anything over the amount stated on the car park signs. Their claims for £160 or £170 are unlawful yet so many pay that to avoid going to Court. When the truth is that Met are unlikely to take them to Court since they know they will lose.

The PCNs are issued on airport land which is covered by Byelaws so only the driver can be pursued, not the keeper. But they keep writing to you as they do not know who was driving unless you gave it away when you appealed. Even if they know you were driving they should still lose in Court for several reasons.

The reason we ask you to fill out our questionnaire is to help you if MET do decide to take you to Court in the end. Each member who visited the park may well have different experiences while there which can help when filling out a Witness statement [we will help you with that if it comes to it.]

if you have thrown away the original PCN  and other paperwork you obviously haven't got a jerbil or a guinea pig as their paper makes great litter boxes for them. You can send an SAR to them to get all the information Met have on you to date. Though if you have been to several sites already, you may have done that by now.

In the meantime, you will be being bombarded by illiterate debt collectors and sixth rate solicitors all threatening you with ever increasing amounts as well as being hung drawn and quartered. Their letters can all be safely ignored. On the odd chance that you may get a Letter of Claim from them just come back to us and we will get you to send a snotty letter back to them so that they know you are not happy, don't care a fig for their threats and will see them off in Court if they finally have the guts to carry on.

If you do have the original PCN could you please post it up, carefully removing your name. address and car registration number but including dates and times. If not just click on the SAR to take you to the form to send to Met.

[gmlmonika]

Grateful for all your answers

Please find attached the first letter ever received 

thank you!

MET Final Reminder+ NTK.pdf

[FTMDave]

Thank you.

Superb news.

MET don't know who the driver was.

Under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 they can sue the keeper - but only if the paperwork gets to the keeper within 14 days.  The daft gets didn't even post it till 46 days

You're in the clear.

They will destroy half the Amazon with their threats over the coming months, but ultimately they won't dare do court.

[gmlmonika]

Thank you so much! I will ignore then and hopefully it will stop soon

[FTMDave]

We have 133 cases for this scam site.

In just seven did MET start court proceedings, but that was more a fishing exercise to see if there was anyone terrified of court who would immediately give in and pay, as when the Caggers defended MET threw in the towel.  So far they have not dared put a case in front of a judge.  Not once.

However, a cautionary tale. 

One of the above seven received a Letter of Claim, the last stage before court, and ignored it - bad move. 

MET thought the motorist might then ignore a claim form and give them an easy default win. 

And MET were right, because this person idiotically ignored the claim form, didn't defend, and lost the case by default.  That is the only win MET have out of 133. 

So even thought MET's case is absolutely rubbish it's important you keep on top of the paperwork and come back to the forum if you ever get a Letter of Claim.

 

[gmlmonika]

Thank you very much! I have a feeling I will be back 

[dx100uk]

just type no need to keep hitting quote.

dx