Possible issue with "Parking Eye"

Possible issue with "Parking Eye"

Author
Discussion

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

187 months

Thursday 22nd December 2016
quotequote all
Brief story, wife went to Aldi on 3/12/16, car park controlled by Parking Eye, for whatever reason (either she hasn't entered her reg correctly in the terminal, it hasn't accepted her entry, whatever) she received a "Parking Charge Notice" for £70 from them.

As advised by certain people on here, polite communication is often the key to such things.

I popped into the store, explained, they gave me a copy of the receipt of her visit for that day, times match so all is well, they advised me to write a brief explanation letter, enclose the receipt, and that would be the end of the matter.

I did this (there are no phone contact details for them on the letters), recorded delivery, we've heard nothing else until today when we have received a Reminder informing us we need to pay the amount by 5/1/17, discounted to £40 if paid by 22/12/16, with no mention of any letter from us.

Any advice from anyone ?
I am tempted at this point to just ignore them, but is that the correct thing to do ?

mr rusty

193 posts

91 months

Thursday 22nd December 2016
quotequote all
information on some of parking sharks here. https://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/

There is also a moneysaving expert forum http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.p...

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Friday 23rd December 2016
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OP, you may find these of interest.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/customer-services/stores
http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/ho...
http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/al...
http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/al...

Whether things have changed/improved during the last 3 years I know not.
I don't shop at Aldi so there is no chance of my falling into the clutches of PE.

Melman Giraffe

6,759 posts

217 months

Friday 23rd December 2016
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
Brief story, wife went to Aldi on 3/12/16, car park controlled by Parking Eye, for whatever reason (either she hasn't entered her reg correctly in the terminal, it hasn't accepted her entry, whatever) she received a "Parking Charge Notice" for £70 from them.

As advised by certain people on here, polite communication is often the key to such things.

I popped into the store, explained, they gave me a copy of the receipt of her visit for that day, times match so all is well, they advised me to write a brief explanation letter, enclose the receipt, and that would be the end of the matter.

I did this (there are no phone contact details for them on the letters), recorded delivery, we've heard nothing else until today when we have received a Reminder informing us we need to pay the amount by 5/1/17, discounted to £40 if paid by 22/12/16, with no mention of any letter from us.

Any advice from anyone ?
I am tempted at this point to just ignore them, but is that the correct thing to do ?
This happened to me Aldi in Boscombe, i wrote to them explaining i would not be paying the ticket and would happily spend the day in court if needed they eventually disappeared

Puggit

48,350 posts

247 months

Friday 23rd December 2016
quotequote all
Polite correspondence is NOT what is required when dealing with Parking Eye.

Melman Giraffe said:
This happened to me Aldi in Boscombe, i wrote to them explaining i would not be paying the ticket and would happily spend the day in court if needed they eventually disappeared
As MG has already actioned, strong factual responses with the threat of legal action against PE is what is required.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

187 months

Friday 23rd December 2016
quotequote all
There is a possibility that the letters have crossed, and I may well receive one shortly advising me that no further action is required.

I'll update this post with the outcome.

mfmman

2,362 posts

182 months

Friday 23rd December 2016
quotequote all
Puggit said:
Polite correspondence is NOT what is required when dealing with Parking Eye.

Melman Giraffe said:
This happened to me Aldi in Boscombe, i wrote to them explaining i would not be paying the ticket and would happily spend the day in court if needed they eventually disappeared
As MG has already actioned, strong factual responses with the threat of legal action against PE is what is required.
I made an error in number plate entry at a Parking Eye location,

Not in a position to make threats to them, as it was leased company car so the lease company would have paid the fine and passed the costs plus an admin fee onto my employer (which no doubt would have been passed to me)

I wrote a polite letter explaining how I made the error and they wrote back writing off the charges

Yipper

5,964 posts

89 months

Friday 23rd December 2016
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Parking Eye are b******s. Fight the leeches every step of the way.

George111

6,930 posts

250 months

Saturday 24th December 2016
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Yipper said:
Parking Eye are b******s. Fight the leeches every step of the way.
Fight the companies which use them - will be more effective long term.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

187 months

Saturday 31st December 2016
quotequote all
We've had a reply asking for the receipt (or a copy) of the one we've already sent them, and the letters did cross.

I'll write once more !

Slidingpillar

761 posts

135 months

Saturday 31st December 2016
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Staplers are a marvellous invention...

FiF

43,957 posts

250 months

Saturday 31st December 2016
quotequote all
Was that the Aldi on Pheasant St? Just down the road from Asda and next to American Golf?

Maybe it's just me but I've found one of those screens is a bit dodgy and if in a rush easy to input the registration number with a character missing. Stable door needs bolting now but pays to check before pressing enter. Time it happened to me, fortunately spotted it and just entered it again correctly. Good luck

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

187 months

Sunday 1st January 2017
quotequote all
FiF said:
Was that the Aldi on Pheasant St? Just down the road from Asda and next to American Golf?

Maybe it's just me but I've found one of those screens is a bit dodgy and if in a rush easy to input the registration number with a character missing. Stable door needs bolting now but pays to check before pressing enter. Time it happened to me, fortunately spotted it and just entered it again correctly. Good luck
Yes Sir, that is the very one.

MikeGoodwin

3,323 posts

116 months

Sunday 1st January 2017
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I know you won't take this advice but hop on over to money saving expert parking fine forums. Iirc parking eye are still under the BPA so you'll be able to have the ticket overturned relatively easily at POPLA. Just follow the advice. Appeal to parking eye asking for a POPLA code the appeal to POPLA using their advice.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking Parking Eye are reasonable or will give a st about your mistake.

Oh and Parking Eye are one of the few that aggressively pursue people and take them to court. If you ignore completely you'll likely end up with a ccj.

Trax

1,527 posts

231 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2017
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As above, you will have to fight it the hard way. PE wont give a monkeys about any mistake, and will not listen to any reason. The only easy way to get rid is an appeal at POPLA stage, otherwise its fighting it in court.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

187 months

Monday 23rd January 2017
quotequote all
A quick update.

My wife received another letter last Thursday, same old, we have not received the evidence, we will extend the date by 28 days whilst you send it, if you wish to pay ring this number etc etc !

It is surprising how they can receive recorded deliveries that they can't of course deny, but the proof of entitlement to use the car park isn't in the letter according to them, and of course I can't prove it was.

I contacted Aldi customer services, they advised I go back to the store, so today I went again.

This time instead of giving me another copy of the receipt, an area manager cancelled the ticket.

I wish I could report back that polite conversation is the correct approach, but it appears it isn't. We can't ignore them anymore, so I don't know what the correct approach is.

I am going to follow up with Aldi as to why they use a company that behaves in this manner, I'll report back if I get any response.

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Monday 23rd January 2017
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
This time instead of giving me another copy of the receipt, an area manager cancelled the ticket.
Make sure he/she confirms this in writing. Likewise, and crucially, from PE that it has actually done so.
You wouldn't be the first to think that it was all done and dusted only to find PE all over you like a rash.
They have even been known to file a claim regardless.

They file electronically in bulk but not many people have the time or cojones to take them all the way to a hearing.
http://www.bmpa.eu/companydata/ParkingEye.html

Nigel Worc's said:
I am going to follow up with Aldi as to why they use a company that behaves in this manner, I'll report back if I get any response.
Best of luck. I will bet you get the standard anodyne response that Aldi need to maintain the churn on all their spaces.
As Somerfield* found out some years ago, getting rid of a parasitic PPC** can be very costly - http://swarb.co.uk/parkingeye-ltd-v-somerfield-sto...
Full judgement here (warning: it's lengthy) - http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2011/4023.h...

 * The Co-op subsequently had its own problems with a vindictive PPC.
 ** Guess who!

sim72

4,945 posts

133 months

Tuesday 24th January 2017
quotequote all
When the same thing happened to us, pointing out to the manager of our local Aldi that we would be doing all our future shopping at the Lidl down the road and we would be contacting his Head Office and local media to explain why that would be, got a very swift cancellation of the ticket.

SLCZ3

1,204 posts

204 months

Wednesday 25th January 2017
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
A quick update.

My wife received another letter last Thursday, same old, we have not received the evidence, we will extend the date by 28 days whilst you send it, if you wish to pay ring this number etc etc !

It is surprising how they can receive recorded deliveries that they can't of course deny, but the proof of entitlement to use the car park isn't in the letter according to them, and of course I can't prove it was.

I contacted Aldi customer services, they advised I go back to the store, so today I went again.

This time instead of giving me another copy of the receipt, an area manager cancelled the ticket.

I wish I could report back that polite conversation is the correct approach, but it appears it isn't. We can't ignore them anymore, so I don't know what the correct approach is.

I am going to follow up with Aldi as to why they use a company that behaves in this manner, I'll report back if I get any response.
I had a similar claim last year, from and Excellent company, I asked for proof of the offence as they claimed there was no permit/ticket displayed, all that was sent back was a photo of the car entering/leaving the car park, nothing else, I did not admit to being the driver and pointed out that the driver could not be identified from the photographs.
Several letters were exchanged, resulting in my final letter to them saying "see you in court", since then nothing from them.
I am not holding my breath waiting for their reply.