care parking!!

S

StAnnesTang

Well-known member
Just got a parking charge notice from care parking, it was when I went to watch the new Bond movie. I thought it was ok to park there to go to the Odeon but I have been told there is a 3 hour limit!. The bond movie was 2 hours 40 ish and add on the adverts it takes you over the 3 hour limit. Apparently the Odeon have a pad to enter your reg but I wasnt aware of this.
Anyway £60 fine if paid within 14 days then goes up to £100. Has anyone on here had the same problem and did you pay or ignore?

Thanks
 
StAnnesTang said:
Just got a parking charge notice from care parking, it was when I went to watch the new Bond movie. I thought it was ok to park there to go to the Odeon but I have been told there is a 3 hour limit!. The bond movie was 2 hours 40 ish and add on the adverts it takes you over the 3 hour limit. Apparently the Odeon have a pad to enter your reg but I wasnt aware of this.
Anyway £60 fine if paid within 14 days then goes up to £100. Has anyone on here had the same problem and did you pay or ignore?

Thanks
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They should tell you in the cinema that you can extend the time to 7 hours and there is a machine on the wall in there that allows you to enter your car registration that gives you the 7 hours. I certainly wouldn’t ignore it.
 
I have an appeal going through with Initial Parking who run the car parks for Lowther Estates in the Lake District. This particular one at Silverthwaite near Elterwater has cameras which clock your car in and out.
The company said I hadn’t paid but I definitely had. While I had no evidence because I had since destroyed my ticket I only had the evidence my wife and I could give verbally. That was - I had put the ticket on my dashboard and took the duplicate with me then I could check the time I had to be back. I await the decision from POPLA.
 
Go into the odeon and they should sort it for you. Take proof you was at the odeon and you shouldn’t have an issue. This happened to us at the belle Vue we took the proof in that we’d had a meal in there and the ticket was quashed as we didn’t know there was a keypad to put your car ref in either
 
Macseasider said:
You are indeed correct. But as usual people completely ignore this advice and get embroiled in pointless arguments with car park companies and the place's whose carpark it is.
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yet i bet you would moan if people parked on your private land!

of course we need penalties for abusing car parks that are privately owned land, there are lots of laws on signage etc.
people need to open their eyes and read whats there, if the signage isn't clear or enough of it (guidelines are robust) they it isn't enforceable.

Stick to the rules or don't leave your car there!

as a retailer, it pisses me off when my customer cant use my car park and it cost me money because some simpleton feels they can abuse my property my dumping their car there
 
There are signs up explaining the 3 hour parking thing and to enter your reg for more time. There are a few dotted about.

Just don't pay the fine, as far as I'm aware it cannot be enforced?
 
Stanah said:
yet i bet you would moan if people parked on your private land!

of course we need penalties for abusing car parks that are privately owned land, there are lots of laws on signage etc.
people need to open their eyes and read whats there, if the signage isn't clear or enough of it (guidelines are robust) they it isn't enforceable.

Stick to the rules or don't leave your car there!

as a retailer, it pisses me off when my customer cant use my car park and it cost me money because some simpleton feels they can abuse my property my dumping their car there
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I have an issue with large businesses such as supermarkets and cinemas sub contracting parking management to unscrupulous greedy cowboy firms that threaten people (often pensioners) with massive fines and who through fear and lack of knowledge pay these villainous fees yes.
 
Macseasider said:
I have an issue with large businesses such as supermarkets and cinemas sub contracting parking management to unscrupulous greedy cowboy firms that threaten people (often pensioners) with massive fines and who through fear and lack of knowledge pay these villainous fees yes.
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Quite why don’t these businesses employ people as car park attendants if they want to ensure they get paid for their customers parking on their premises instead of allowing the vulture scum parking management companies to ply their vile trade
 
Stanah said:
yet i bet you would moan if people parked on your private land!

of course we need penalties for abusing car parks that are privately owned land, there are lots of laws on signage etc.
people need to open their eyes and read whats there, if the signage isn't clear or enough of it (guidelines are robust) they it isn't enforceable.

Stick to the rules or don't leave your car there!

as a retailer, it pisses me off when my customer cant use my car park and it cost me money because some simpleton feels they can abuse my property my dumping their car there
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I would find somewhere the parking is free and hopefully so would others thus putting you out of business
 
I got a ticket from Rivington services on M61, I was going to a meeting in Manchester and was running late
and low on fuel. So I put £ 5 of diesel in the tank enough to get me there and back, on the Southbound side. On the way back I needed the toilet
so I went to the Northbound side, I also bought a coffee. Sent a copy of both receipts and a letter, the charges got dropped.
I wasn't at the services more than ten minutes each visit, but they count the time you arrive the first time, and when you leave the second time as your overall stay. Some people will pay out of fear.

Another big scammer is Lowell, who buy debts cut price from banks etc for loans and credit cards. Whenever I have registered to vote
I get the letters a few months later for every debt in the country that they have bought with the same name as mine. The letters are very plausible, but they have so far all been for banks and credit cards that I have never used, and have been easy to spot as fake. But they are a really nasty piece of work and send a new letter out every month that will get more threatening, they rely on getting you on the phone where the bullying really starts. They threaten to blacken your credit score if you don't pay and start charging your interest, and extra charges.
 
Dig out your cinema ticket and contact them. Tell them you were watching a very long movie and weren’t told about the pad. They will likely let you off.
Or ignore them and have loads of letters and ongoing hassle
 
Danny Ocean said:
I got a ticket from Rivington services on M61, I was going to a meeting in Manchester and was running late
and low on fuel. So I put £ 5 of diesel in the tank enough to get me there and back, on the Southbound side. On the way back I needed the toilet
so I went to the Northbound side, I also bought a coffee. Sent a copy of both receipts and a letter, the charges got dropped.
I wasn't at the services more than ten minutes each visit, but they count the time you arrive the first time, and when you leave the second time as your overall stay. Some people will pay out of fear.

Another big scammer is Lowell, who buy debts cut price from banks etc for loans and credit cards. Whenever I have registered to vote
I get the letters a few months later for every debt in the country that they have bought with the same name as mine. The letters are very plausible, but they have so far all been for banks and credit cards that I have never used, and have been easy to spot as fake. But they are a really nasty piece of work and send a new letter out every month that will get more threatening, they rely on getting you on the phone where the bullying really starts. They threaten to blacken your credit score if you don't pay and start charging your interest, and extra charges.
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Can I have their number I love taking these types on you have to make it more uncomfortable for them than they are trying to make it for you
 
To be fair to the Odeon when we saw the film on Saturday asked us twice did we have a car parked there, and saw 10 plus signs informing of parking restrictions
 
Just stop going to the Odeon until they remove the stupid parking policy. Is it any wonder Cinemas are losing custom, charging super inflated pricing for tickets, popcorn and drinks etc, just for the privilage to sit on uncomfortable sticky seats. Just wait 6 months and buy the DVD.
 
Ooh It’s a Corner said:
Can I have their number I love taking these types on you have to make it more uncomfortable for them than they are trying to make it for you
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Thanks for the offer, but I have managed to get rid of Lowell by using some cut and paste letters that were on were on moneysavingexpert site.
that said I would take legal action for harassment by pursuing a debt that didn't belong to me, but they spent the best part of a year writing letters.
 
It’s ironic the op had been to see the bond movie,I partly blame 007 for being so reckless on the road and then parking wherever he wants,it’s no wonder people think they can park where they want after watching his antics
ffs I even saw him crash into a fish mark once & just saunter away as if nothing had happened
 
Seeing as everyone has a phone nowadays maybe if we took a photo of the parking ticket when we park the car that’s good evidence for later? Just a thought
 
Someone has linked the Money Saving expert site. On that forum, you’ll find advice and legal experts who will help.

Don’t do anything until you get advice off there and follow their advice to the letter.

👍
 
Quite agree about that reckless barsteward 007...

He even drove his car into the sea one time. No doubt resulting in a massive insurance claim that bumps all our Premiums up! 😣
 
Go to the cinema at St annes, loads of roads nearby where you can park for free.
I hate parking rip offs, this country excels in them, hospitals another example their car parks should be free.
 
Simonized said:
Do not respond to them in any way shape or form and don't pay it whatever threats they use.
It cant be enforced.
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Actually it can be enforced although I agree it’s not like a ticket that’s issued by a local authority. Any claim would be under contract law, so in theory they’d issue a small claim via the local country court.

Whether it’d be commercial for them to do so when you factor in their irrecoverable legal costs is a completely different question, but the op can at least expect lots of threatening letters.

It depends on whether he wants a quiet life or will lay awake at nights worrying about it as the amount of the claim escalates.
 
MartonBornandBred said:
I have an appeal going through with Initial Parking who run the car parks for Lowther Estates in the Lake District. This particular one at Silverthwaite near Elterwater has cameras which clock your car in and out.
The company said I hadn’t paid but I definitely had. While I had no evidence because I had since destroyed my ticket I only had the evidence my wife and I could give verbally. That was - I had put the ticket on my dashboard and took the duplicate with me then I could check the time I had to be back. I await the decision from POPLA.
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DON'T EXPECT ANY FAVOURS FROM POPLA THEY ARE AS BAD AS THE PARKING COMPANIES AS SEVERAL HAVE SUGGESTED GO BACK TO THE ODEON WITH PROOF YOU SAW THE BOND MOVIE AND INSIST THEY CANCEL THE TICKET
 
Mexboroseasider said:
Actually it can be enforced although I agree it’s not like a ticket that’s issued by a local authority. Any claim would be under contract law, so in theory they’d issue a small claim via the local country court.

Whether it’d be commercial for them to do so when you factor in their irrecoverable legal costs is a completely different question, but the op can at least expect lots of threatening letters.

It depends on whether he wants a quiet life or will lay awake at nights worrying about it as the amount of the claim escalates.
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Actually whether or not it can be enforced is not at all clear cut. There are a lot of factors that come into play and specific ones that relate to different parking companies.

I’ve, so far, dealt with 3 of them, the last one going to the wire, with them dropping the case after I submitted a lengthy defence.

In all three cases the fines have not been enforceable. I don’t mean not enforced btw, (all of them had technical or procedural failings)
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Actually whether or not it can be enforced is not at all clear cut. There are a lot of factors that come into play and specific ones that relate to different parking companies.

I’ve, so far, dealt with 3 of them, the last one going to the wire, with them dropping the case after I submitted a lengthy defence.

In all three cases the fines have not been enforceable. I don’t mean not enforced btw, (all of them had technical or procedural failings)
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Fair comment. I was responding to a post that stated they weren’t enforceable at all.

My point is that they are in theory if the parking company has the will to bring a claim for damages in the county court. But like all claims it might not be commercial for them to bring it (with small claims they might win but be unable to recover any legal costs save for the issue fee so end up out of pocket) and, even if they do issue, they could fail either because the motorist has a defence (poor signage) or, as you say, because of a technicality.

Also some companies may be members of trade bodies, in which case it might be worth using the formal appeals process which should be independent (as opposed to the company’s own internal appeal process which will usually be a complete waste of time, unless your game plan is just to their waste time and grind them down).

I handled a claim against one of my daughters which I just treated as a bit of a hobby, messed them about endlessly and in the end they gave up (to be fair she did also have a legal defence). I also had a couple myself where I couldn’t be bothered, just paid up and forgot about it.

The other thing to bear in mind is that some people will be very intimidated by the threatening letters. For those people it’s worth remembering that it’s always open to the motorist to settle at any time including if and when proceedings have been issued, although that’ll probably cost them a bit more if they follow that route. It’s a bit like poker really. Pushing it to see how far the other side are prepared to go before one or the other gives in.
 
Mexboroseasider said:
Fair comment. I was responding to a post that stated they weren’t enforceable at all.

My point is that they are in theory if the parking company has the will to bring a claim for damages in the county court. But like all claims it might not be commercial for them to bring it (with small claims they might win but be unable to recover any legal costs save for the issue fee so end up out of pocket) and, even if they do issue, they could fail either because the motorist has a defence (poor signage) or, as you say, because of a technicality.

Also some companies may be members of trade bodies, in which case it might be worth using the formal appeals process which should be independent (as opposed to the company’s own internal appeal process which will usually be a complete waste of time, unless your game plan is just to their waste time and grind them down).

I handled a claim against one of my daughters which I just treated as a bit of a hobby, messed them about endlessly and in the end they gave up (to be fair she did also have a legal defence). I also had a couple myself where I couldn’t be bothered, just paid up and forgot about it.

The other thing to bear in mind is that some people will be very intimidated by the threatening letters. For those people it’s worth remembering that it’s always open to the motorist to settle at any time including if and when proceedings have been issued, although that’ll probably cost them a bit more if they follow that route. It’s a bit like poker really. Pushing it to see how far the other side are prepared to go before one or the other gives in.
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It pays to be cautious at appeals stage in particular. What you say / don’t say is important …

Some are recommending an FOI request (along with letter requesting appeal process is delayed until receipt) where all evidence and details of all tickets issued by the machine are requested, prior to appealing. There are a host of pro-forma letters for each stage of the process 👍
 
I’d have thought an FOI request would only work with a local authority that’s issued a proper fine, not one of the private companies managing these car parks who in essence have just delivered an invoice (one bug bear I do have is how the private company notices are deliberately designed to look like local authority parking fines).

Yes there are a lot of template letters on the internet but it’s important to use the right one.
 
Lala said:
My daughter lost an appeal and just paid it.
Depends on how much you can be bothered to fight it I suppose.
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Exactly. I imagine their business model is based on the assumption that the majority of people will either be intimidated into paying or just pay up for a quiet life.

In practice I doubt whether they’d ever issue legal proceedings as then it becomes uneconomic for them. They could win but still be out of pocket. Although there might be PR reasons why they’d want to make an example of someone - to encourage everyone else.
 
Mexboroseasider said:
I’d have thought an FOI request would only work with a local authority that’s issued a proper fine, not one of the private companies managing these car parks who in essence have just delivered an invoice (one bug bear I do have is how the private company notices are deliberately designed to look like local authority parking fines).

Yes there are a lot of template letters on the internet but it’s important to use the right one.
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There’s a specific type of request (Subject Access Request) that the companies must respond to in 30 Days.

On the Money Saving Expert forums, they have people (just forum volunteers) who guide you through the process, review your appeal, update the pro-forma correspondence, assist and review your defence etc… They’re absolutely brilliant 👍

The key with the SAR, is understanding what info they have, before you try to appeal. For example, in this case, they may have photo evidence that the driver went nowhere near the ticket machine (so perhaps an alternate ‘excuse’ might be more apt)… That said, unless 100% necessary, admitting to being the driver at all is probably not the best idea…(which is why it pays to take the advice on that forum, before entering into any correspondence with the Parking companies)

The other thing to bear in mind is that the additional charges which these companies add on for so called “administration costs” in order to try and pressure people to pay are not enforceable and may well compromise their claim.

They’re absolute shysters Mex… most of these companies have been borne out of dodgy security firms or clamping companies and they operate on the fringes of legality and frequently cross the line…

In one case I had a locally based parking company that had completely falsified documents when requesting my details from the DVLA…

👎
 
We just don’t shop and spend money at businesses that use the vermin parking scum companies or don’t allow dogs to go in. Keep your shopping and money for local independent businesses. Better service, better products and you end up spending less.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
There’s a specific type of request (Subject Access Request) that the companies must respond to in 30 Days.

On the Money Saving Expert forums, they have people (just forum volunteers) who guide you through the process, review your appeal, update the pro-forma correspondence, assist and review your defence etc… They’re absolutely brilliant 👍

The key with the SAR, is understanding what info they have, before you try to appeal. For example, in this case, they may have photo evidence that the driver went nowhere near the ticket machine (so perhaps an alternate ‘excuse’ might be more apt)… That said, unless 100% necessary, admitting to being the driver at all is probably not the best idea…(which is why it pays to take the advice on that forum, before entering into any correspondence with the Parking companies)

The other thing to bear in mind is that the additional charges which these companies add on for so called “administration costs” in order to try and pressure people to pay are not enforceable and may well compromise their claim.

They’re absolute shysters Mex… most of these companies have been borne out of dodgy security firms or clamping companies and they operate on the fringes of legality and frequently cross the line…

In one case I had a locally based parking company that had completely falsified documents when requesting my details from the DVLA…

👎
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Yes a DSAR (data subject access request) is a very powerful tool (totally different to FOIs) and an absolute pain to deal with when you receive one. Very useful if you are in a dispute with a private company and want to make a nuisance of yourself. There are lots of exceptions to the disclosure rules, which aren’t always properly used if I’m honest, but the point is the company will be involved in a lot of hassle and expense just dealing with the request. And if they don’t comply within the 30 days then you can report it to the Information Commissioner. Always good to get a regulator with real teeth involved to level the playing field. Strictly they aren’t on your side but you know they’ll be causing a lot of grief to the company which is always satisfying.

You’re right about a lot of the companies involved in this sector, but on the flip side (as someone has said) retailers are entitled to ensure their car parks aren’t misused. But one gripe I have is that, once they’ve appointed one of these companies, they think they can pretend they aren’t really involved. Certainly the op should complain to the Odeon but they shouldn’t be surprised if they are fobbed off with a “We hear what you say but it’s out of our hands I’m afraid”. Total bollux of course.
 
Mexboroseasider said:
Yes a DSAR (data subject access request) is a very powerful tool (totally different to FOIs) and an absolute pain to deal with when you receive one. Very useful if you are in a dispute with a private company and want to make a nuisance of yourself. There are lots of exceptions to the disclosure rules, which aren’t always properly used if I’m honest, but the point is the company will be involved in a lot of hassle and expense just dealing with the request. And if they don’t comply within the 30 days then you can report it to the Information Commissioner. Always good to get a regulator with real teeth involved to level the playing field. Strictly they aren’t on your side but you know they’ll be causing a lot of grief to the company which is always satisfying.

You’re right about a lot of the companies involved in this sector, but on the flip side (as someone has said) retailers are entitled to ensure their car parks aren’t misused. But one gripe I have is that, once they’ve appointed one of these companies, they think they can pretend they aren’t really involved. Certainly the op should complain to the Odeon but they shouldn’t be surprised if they are fobbed off with a “We hear what you say but it’s out of our hands I’m afraid”. Total bollux of course.
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The retailers should take more care and responsibility for a) The companies that they engage to manage their facilities and b) the specifics of the appeals process.

Many of the bigger parking firms are the worst for bending the rules.
 
Just an update for all who are interested.

I contacted Odeon but they said I had to contact care parking. I checked out the money saving expert forum, lots of good advice on there, so thanks to Simonized for putting the link up.
I know people told me to ignore the PCN, but reading MSE forum thats not the best move as they can and do win the odd case.

So I took the advice to contact the landowner and today I received an email saying the charge has been rescinded.

My advice if you get a pcn , dont ignore as they dont always go away. Get in touch with the cinema/shop etc where you went and some will sort it for you or contact the landowner.

Cheers for all the advice on here.

I

I
 
Mr Tangerine Man said:
Just stop going to the Odeon until they remove the stupid parking policy. Is it any wonder Cinemas are losing custom, charging super inflated pricing for tickets, popcorn and drinks etc, just for the privilage to sit on uncomfortable sticky seats. Just wait 6 months and buy the DVD.
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Its a private company not employed by the cinema but its a pain i always enter my car reg on the pad but easy to forget.
 
StAnnesTang said:
Just an update for all who are interested.

I contacted Odeon but they said I had to contact care parking. I checked out the money saving expert forum, lots of good advice on there, so thanks to Simonized for putting the link up.
I know people told me to ignore the PCN, but reading MSE forum thats not the best move as they can and do win the odd case.

So I took the advice to contact the landowner and today I received an email saying the charge has been rescinded.

My advice if you get a pcn , dont ignore as they dont always go away. Get in touch with the cinema/shop etc where you went and some will sort it for you or contact the landowner.

Cheers for all the advice on here.

I

I
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Good for you.
 
It’s all down to tanning salons
Fat orange people chucking litter
Not picking up their shit
Blaming the dog🙁
Parked in a bus stop, taxi or double
 
As others have said it's definitely not true that private parking companies never go to court - I know from experience as it happened to me a few year back after Northampton away (can't remember if it was the 1 nil or 3 nil but I remember we lost) when I foolishly parked in the nearby cinema carpark. Months of threatening letters from debt collectors etc then a trip to court to defend myself but I did actually win when they failed to turn up, and I even got to claim some token expenses from the parking company.

It felt good to win after a day in court but was a whole load of stress though, and I had to spend hours and hours researching and getting help from forums (apart from MSE, the Pepipoo forum was really good). People on there were really helpful, and went out to take pictures of the signs etc for me.

I've had a couple of run-ins since but the company were not members of any ATA, and unable to get my details from DVLA so that one was easy to ignore. They were proper cowboys too - a private car park that would pounce on anyone if your tire was a couple of cm past the thin painted lines, claimed you had taken up an extra bay etc. They made the local news here for their dodgy tactics so it was nice to just be able to ignore them in that case.
 
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