Letter came through for £50 or £90 if paid late.

Should I just pay up?

Was shopping and went over the free 3 hrs by 31 mins.

So you stayed later than allowed?
there will be a lot laong about legality of fines etc. but you did park for longer than you should.

Did you pay to park? Or was it a “free” car park for use whilst in the attached shops?

Depends on which of the above as to what route to take.

It was free for 3hrs and I shopped for 3hrs 31 mins.

I always thought it was free but made a mistake to be honest.
If there was a ticket machine I would pay extra but not £90!

Cameras recorded my plate apparently.
Went by this morning and there are new signs I should have spotted on street lamps.

So you stayed later than allowed?
there will be a lot laong about legality of fines etc. but you did park for longer than you should.

In which case the OP should offer to compensate the landowner for their loss. How much do you think that is?

Honestly what he is asking is how do I get out of this. It’s about the same as you would pay if you overstayed in a council bay but due to bizarre laws only they can enforce some of the fines. I guess the owner could work out the average spend per minute per visitor and charge the OP that.

Its an invoice not a fine. Private car park companies have no legal ability to issue fines.

Appeal it as its not a genuine pre-estimate of loss, you will be rejected by the car park company but your appeal to POPLA will must likely be successful.

Don’t ignore it though, that’s old advice.

Honestly what he is asking is how do I get out of this

He breached a contract and the other party is attempting to levy a charge that does not reflect its losses. So he is right to try and get out of it.

The parking fines round where I live are laughably low, they don’t really encourage people to park considerately and within the rules, everyone chances it. The councils don’t need to justify any losses to enforce a fine and from experience any town centre would cost you more than £50. There are some legalities that need sorting out or just stick a barrier on every car park exit.

As Rich says.

You would have entered into an agreement with the parking operator by parking there. But the oOperators often fall down by not following the statutory specification (ie the law) which is detailed here

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/schedule/4/enacted

For example, i got a Notice to Keeper issues to me, i overstayed in MacDonalds once (work Meeting, why in MacDonalds is another story). I quoted the law to them and said that the Notice to Keeper was sent 1 day late and therefore fell out of the mandatory specification which they must adhere to (the law).

I also said i wouldn’t appeal it, i would absolutely refuse to pay it and i would not enter into any further correspondence, and any correspondence received by them or companies acting on their behalf may be considered as harassment.

Ive not heard a thing in 2 months.

Did you get anything nice?

^ Also i believe the ‘fine’ may be payable by the driver, but the notice is sent to the registered keeper who quite easily may not have been driving at the time of the alleged offence.

They would need to know who the driver was and the registered keeper has no obligation to admit to them who was driving the car.

They would need to know who the driver was and the registered keeper has no obligation to admit to them who was driving the car.

That’s old advice too, I think.

Rich has it.

Actually, I dont think Rich completely does have it. I seem to recall a parking company winning a case, arguing that the fine was justified as it was an appriopiate amount to discourage people from overstaying… If i can find the link i’ll post it.

Edit:

‘a commercially-justified deterrent

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-32429649

MSE advice. I’d have expected that to be up to date but worth checking…
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets

THis one?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-32429649

^ yeah, edited my own post too before i saw that

You still haven’t told us if you got anything nice?

Surely you must have done in 3 and a half hours? Any bargain Louboutins dahhhling?

Me & Mrchrispy both had their charge for the same carpark here in Manchester. We both wrote asking for a Popla reference and you can state that you are willing to pay proportional loss etc.

We never heard back.

Thinking about it…

The link above. Parking Eye is different. Off the top of my head in each year they take 30,000 cases to court. I think Euro was 100. This is from official figures that I googled/discovered when considering what to do.

In addition guess who owns PE? Capita. Who run lots of Government contracts….

If it was me and I’d been given a ticket in error by PE I’d fight. If I was 30mins over I’d pay up.

Anyone else appeal etc etc regardless.

binners – Member
You still haven’t told us if you got anything nice?

Surely you must have done in 3 and a half hours? Any bargain Louboutins dahhhling?
POSTED 3 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

I took my Mother to see her Doctor (as a drop in appointment) as she had cancer last year, started coughing badly last year and now it’s come back and I wasn’t going to take the risk as she can’t drive anymore and I work during the week.

The same car park caters for Boots, Sainsburys and other shops. Maybe I shouldn’t have shopped too. But I did buy a sandwich on offer.

I know I’m in the wrong for using up 3 hrs and don’t mind paying £10 but not £50/90!

Next time I’ll pay for the taxi.

The Beavis case effectively created new law, which favours the parking companies.

You can fight, but it’s rather harder these days

Yes you can fight.

Avoid anywhere that does business with such a business on principle.

Apparently I overstayed 5mins (I hadnt) but I wont visit a Euro carpark leased patch of land again. In alot of cases they arent even the landlord. They lease/rent the land.

I’ll pay the £50 but will appeal.

The Beavis case is going to appeal.

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/supreme-court-confirm-beavis-appeal-date.html

I sincerely hope it doesnt become a precedent. Afterall even if you willfully decided to overstay an hour too long. You would only pay say +£3.00 etc into the carparks income. They know full well £50 etc represents a great income on a regular basis over normally additional hour etc.

They arent losing out.

The way forward should be pay on exit at all carparks.

hora – Member
Avoid anywhere that does business with such a business on principle.

Apparently I overstayed 5mins (I hadnt) but I wont visit a Euro carpark leased patch of land again.
Like local council car parks?

I can walk to mine so wouldnt know and the other local council hall that I visit is on street only. Maybe its different where you live.

Where I have lived the council run car parking (on street town centre and other public spaces) will bill you that much or more for a parking infringement.

Dont do business with them then. Mine dont but I avoid parking in the city centre as its its expensive anyway. The council seem to like making traders lives impossible.

Christ on a bicycle, I agree with Hora.

Don’t like it, don’t give the retailer business. That said, easy for me to do. Might be more of a chore for others.

Too many sharks using “fines/invoices” as a business model rather than providing services oriented at the car park users.

I got “fined” after buying a TV from Comet and not spotting the small, high up, partially obscured signs saying that parking was only free if you displayed a ticket.

Asked the manager if he could appeal to the parking company on my behalf but he refused, so I returned the TV there and then and bought elsewhere. As others have said, don’t like it, don’t give the retailer your business but don’t forget to tell them why…

OP send us an email…

Address in profile

Hi, sorry edward2000, I didn’t see your post till now!

Update: I found a few technical details and had some evidence that: poor or lack of clear signs, my photographs, technical wording was not clear English or incorrect and after receiving a further £150 bill; the Ombudsman agreed with my evidence and squashed the case.

I was lucky this time but will keep an eye on signs in future.

Thanks for all the help!