what parking companies actually have any authority?
Discussion
ive recieved 2 fines in one week 
, one in a hospital which was a notice on my windscreen and the other from a parking officer because i was parking on public space, that fine comes through the post i believe he said, now im aware some private companies you can ignore and they actually cant do anything, what about with the above? could i end up paying a fortune if i refuse to pay?
, one in a hospital which was a notice on my windscreen and the other from a parking officer because i was parking on public space, that fine comes through the post i believe he said, now im aware some private companies you can ignore and they actually cant do anything, what about with the above? could i end up paying a fortune if i refuse to pay?They're not fines, they're invoices. Since the private parking companies have no legal right to the information of who was driving the vehicle, they have no choice but to jog on. You'll get all manner of threatening letters. These are empty threats so simply read them, giggle at them, and bin them.
It's a different story if it is a council parking ticket, so it's simple: council ticket, pay up. Private parking company ticket, bin it.
It's a different story if it is a council parking ticket, so it's simple: council ticket, pay up. Private parking company ticket, bin it.
Maty said:
My understanding was;
Local Council - Pay
Police - Pay
Private Company - make paper aeroplane and aim toward bin..
I may be wrong though.
I ignored a private one a few years ago, few nasty letters then nothing.
how can i tell if its private? i think one wasent because i get the fine in the post, but the other one was in a hospital car park?? is that private? that was a sticker on my windscreenLocal Council - Pay
Police - Pay
Private Company - make paper aeroplane and aim toward bin..
I may be wrong though.
I ignored a private one a few years ago, few nasty letters then nothing.
jamie128 said:
how can i tell if its private? i think one wasent because i get the fine in the post, but the other one was in a hospital car park?? is that private? that was a sticker on my windscreen
DVLA will sell your details to anyone if they pay up. What does it say? A council/police one will have their name/logo.Private ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
thehappyotter said:
DVLA will sell your details to anyone if they pay up. What does it say? A council/police one will have their name/logo.
Private ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
it has the nhs logo and says 'parking charge notice'. on the back it mentions about solicitors will be instructed and court costs may be incurredPrivate ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
I think that council, police etc will use the word "FINE", whereas the cowboys will use "CHARGE, NOTICE" or something similar - they can't use fine. I might be wrong though.
That aside, surely should the cowboys be so inclined you could be sued for the costs of using their services beyond what was allowed surely?
Reminds me of that one liner though... "I returned to my car and on the windscreen was a sticker that said "PARKING FINE", which was nice".
Paul.
That aside, surely should the cowboys be so inclined you could be sued for the costs of using their services beyond what was allowed surely?
Reminds me of that one liner though... "I returned to my car and on the windscreen was a sticker that said "PARKING FINE", which was nice".
Paul.
thehappyotter said:
DVLA will sell your details to anyone if they pay up. What does it say? A council/police one will have their name/logo.
Private ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
it has the nhs logo and says 'parking charge notice'. on the back it mentions about solicitors will be instructed and court costs may be incurred, it also says the parking charge has been lawfully issued and will be processed in accordance with the administration of justice actPrivate ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
jamie128 said:
how can i tell if its private? i think one wasent because i get the fine in the post, but the other one was in a hospital car park?? is that private? that was a sticker on my windscreen
Private ones tend to be Parking Charge Notices and feature wording such as 'We may' instead of 'We will'.MSE has a pretty good list of company names and example letters that can all be ignored.
If its from Parking Eye you can have hours of fun with them.
They issue PCN's (parking charge notices) - invoices.
You have entered into no contract with the company so are not obliged to pay their invoice.
Either ignore or write to them stating that you are the registered keeper of the vehicle but cannot confirm who was driving at the time of the alleged offence and suggest that they take up the issue with the driver.
They issue PCN's (parking charge notices) - invoices.
You have entered into no contract with the company so are not obliged to pay their invoice.
Either ignore or write to them stating that you are the registered keeper of the vehicle but cannot confirm who was driving at the time of the alleged offence and suggest that they take up the issue with the driver.
Edited by B17NNS on Tuesday 24th July 16:58
jamie128 said:
t has the nhs logo and says 'parking charge notice'. on the back it mentions about solicitors will be instructed and court costs may be incurred, it also says the parking charge has been lawfully issued and will be processed in accordance with the administration of justice act
Beat me to it...in that case bin it, they can't do s
t!!Howard- said:
They must make an absolute killing out of the gullible fools who pay up
Their business model is based on send enough official looking letters out and enough people will get scared into paying up.Google Parking Eye.
They are disgusting.
Edited by B17NNS on Tuesday 24th July 17:21
jamie128 said:
thehappyotter said:
DVLA will sell your details to anyone if they pay up. What does it say? A council/police one will have their name/logo.
Private ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
it has the nhs logo and says 'parking charge notice'. on the back it mentions about solicitors will be instructed and court costs may be incurred, it also says the parking charge has been lawfully issued and will be processed in accordance with the administration of justice actPrivate ones are often cleverly worded, have you got a scanner? Edit your details and post it up. Someone will be able to help.
File the 'parking fine' (it's an unenforceable invoice, not a 'fine', as detailed upthread) away somewhere safe - do not bin. There's a tiny - approximately 0.005% - recent historical chance that this will end up in court so it is useful to be able to line all yer ducks up if necessary even though it is extremely unlikely said ducks will be needed 
.
To put some figures in to the business model mentioned upthread:
In a recent financial year (2010-2011 I think) there were around 1.8 million of these 'parking fines' issued, and 65% of recipients paid up when they received the 'ticket' on their car or when the registered keeper received the first letter. Off the top of my head, around 9,000 'cases' had court papers issued of which 90 went to court and 45 of these were won by one of the 'private parking companies'.
Staggeringly good odds, which reflect what authority the 'private parking companies' actually have
. If they were 'legit' then they would be issuing court papers to more people - like a number much nearer to the 35% of tickets issued and remaining unpaid despite the first letter sent to the registered keeper, as opposed to the recent historical approximately 0.5% mentioned above?
.To put some figures in to the business model mentioned upthread:
In a recent financial year (2010-2011 I think) there were around 1.8 million of these 'parking fines' issued, and 65% of recipients paid up when they received the 'ticket' on their car or when the registered keeper received the first letter. Off the top of my head, around 9,000 'cases' had court papers issued of which 90 went to court and 45 of these were won by one of the 'private parking companies'.
Staggeringly good odds, which reflect what authority the 'private parking companies' actually have
. If they were 'legit' then they would be issuing court papers to more people - like a number much nearer to the 35% of tickets issued and remaining unpaid despite the first letter sent to the registered keeper, as opposed to the recent historical approximately 0.5% mentioned above? Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff