Parking Companys - Own game

[Prizam]

I went to a local leisure centre just before Christmas, paid up for my parking and went about my business.

A week later I had the letter saying I owed them £100.

I went back to the leisure centre and complained, they, on my behalf, requested the parking company to cancel the invoice.

A week later I went back, paid up the £1 parking. went about my business, and again... got another invoice for £100.

ANOTHER trip back to the centre to complain, and again they say the invoice will be cancelled.

I didn't go back for a couple months but have since had two letters saying I still owe them money. it has now gone up to £170 a go. That's £2 worth of parking turned in to £340 worth of invoices!

So I wrote them back a recorded letter, being very careful not to give away any personal information. Charging them for my time in going back to the leisure centre, my mileage and of course... the cost of recorded delivery.

I got the cost up to just over £100... and applied their % of inflation... The parking company now owed me just over £10,000. but I would, of course, reduce this to £7,000 if they paid up promptly.

2 days later I got an email from them. All parking invoices cancelled. terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

But... no money.

The question is... do I chase them for the £10,000... do I inflate it to the £17,000 as a % of what they would have billed me.

Or just go for £100....

Or get on with my life... Over to you.

[Wobbegong]

Chase them

[ReverendCounter]

Must be tempting to pursue it - you'd have to balance the time it would take to actually proceed, the likelyhood of winning in court vs costs/fees if you lose, if you win, would they pay etc.

[geeks]

A most marvellous use of time, I approve, keep at it OP, don't forget to use David Thorne as your influence (of www.27bslash6.com fame)

[99dndd]

Could you sell the debt to a collections agency?

[Prizam]

99dndd said:

Could you sell the debt to a collections agency?

That is a wonderfull idea! Any recomendations? Will go in for the 17k if i can.

[The Mad Monk]

Prizam said:

I got the cost up to just over £100... and applied their % of inflation... The parking company now owed me just over £10,000. but I would, of course, reduce this to £7,000 if they paid up promptly.

How did you arrive at £10,000?

[yellowjack]

The Mad Monk said:

Prizam said:

I got the cost up to just over £100... and applied their % of inflation... The parking company now owed me just over £10,000. but I would, of course, reduce this to £7,000 if they paid up promptly.

How did you arrive at £10,000?

£340 ÷ 2 × £100 = ? I make it £17,000

Invoice amount ÷ original parking cost × your costs

You're selling yourself short, no? £340 is 170 times greater than £2; £17,000 is 170 times greater than £100. After all, your initial invoice went unpaid. Did you give them a time limit to settle the debt?

[ashleyman]

Prizam said:

99dndd said:

Could you sell the debt to a collections agency?

That is a wonderfull idea! Any recomendations? Will go in for the 17k if i can.

This is glorious. Can you not use the same debt collecting agency that they would use to collect from you?

[Prizam]

ashleyman said:

Prizam said:

99dndd said:

Could you sell the debt to a collections agency?

That is a wonderfull idea! Any recomendations? Will go in for the 17k if i can.

This is glorious. Can you not use the same debt collecting agency that they would use to collect from you?

No idea what one they would have used.

[PAULJ5555]

Can you prove they have entered into a contract with you where they will have to pay for your time?

I thought they can charge/invoice you because you have parked up and they have displayed their terms and conditions. Paying them is a different matter.

[Prizam]

yellowjack said:

The Mad Monk said:

Prizam said:

I got the cost up to just over £100... and applied their % of inflation... The parking company now owed me just over £10,000. but I would, of course, reduce this to £7,000 if they paid up promptly.

How did you arrive at £10,000?

£340 ÷ 2 × £100 = ? I make it £17,000

Invoice amount ÷ original parking cost × your costs

You're selling yourself short, no? £340 is 170 times greater than £2; £17,000 is 170 times greater than £100. After all, your initial invoice went unpaid. Did you give them a time limit to settle the debt?

3rd line from the bottom of my original post... the invoice has gone unpaid so is now £17,000.

The £10,000 figure is based on them turning £1 into a £100 invoice. My demonstratable losses for the two invoices is £100 ish quid... I think it's £108 or something like that.

[bodhi808]

PAULJ5555 said:

Can you prove they have entered into a contract with you where they will have to pay for your time?

I thought they can charge/invoice you because you have parked up and they have displayed their terms and conditions. Paying them is a different matter.

Ah, but could it not be argued that they entered and agreed a contract for £1, but that contract has now been escalated by them. This has resulted in the OP incurring £17,000 of costs in relation to it and he'd like them to cover the unexpected increase in the agreed contract costs. Maybe.

[S11Steve]

It's not something I can do as I'm representing a limited company, but a number of people have successfully taken the parking companies to court for a breach of the DPA.

Some reading here, but seek your own professional advice.That may have more strength and merit than throwing their own "rules" back at them.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/data-protection-a...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php...

http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?topic=6...

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/pa...



My thoughts on the industry are very well documented on various threads, and what has happened to you comes as no surprise to me at all. - other members may still think you parked inconsiderately and you deserve to pay.

[Jazzy Jag]

What if you put a notice in your car window advising that by attaching any notices, tickets, taking photographs, contacting the registered keeper or fitting immobilising devices, that the person will be deemed to have accepted the following terms.?

Then list some interesting clauses.

[Prizam]

When you start getting into it, its all a bit "freeman of the land" bullst. They tried to screw me over (I did pay for parking).

Their inability to run a car parking company meant I got invoiced when I had paid anyway.

Going to go off and look for deb recovery agencies now.

[herewego]

Prizam said:

When you start getting into it, its all a bit "freeman of the land" bullst. They tried to screw me over (I did pay for parking).

Their inability to run a car parking company meant I got invoiced when I had paid anyway.

Going to go off and look for deb recovery agencies now.

You paid for your parking so why did they think you owed them £100?

[jesta1865]

could the op not argue that the parking company entered into the contract when they sent him the first invoice. it was down to them to check the terms and conditions.

surely contracts can work 2 ways, i know they normally favour the people that wrote them, but it could be implied could it not?

if you have the time, keep it up, let us know OP what happens, it's cheered me up at work anyway.

[48k]

If they have not paid your invoice tell them you assume they are insolvent, and since it's more than £750 you can apply for a winding up order.

[Cooperman]

"The Sheriffs are Coming"!

Go for it and the best of luck.