Parking charge scum

Parked in the wrong place at work cos everywhere else was full, got a letter about a ‘parking charge notice’.

Ok whatever, it says on the sign that it costs £100 to park there. Ok. So then the letter they sent me later adds on another £60 for ‘administration fees’.

I don’t see how I could be liable for the additional fee, do you? If they want to pay someone to chase me up, that’s their problem not mine, surely?

You think they’re providing a service? why should the council absorb the admin fee?

I think they are allowed to add on reasonable costs to obtain the money. I would argue £60 for a letter being sent isn’t reasonable. IANAL though.

You think they’re providing a service? why should the council absorb the admin fee?

It’s not the council, it was private land, and this is a parking charge, not a fine.

It is of course wildly unreasonable for them to pass on to another letter sending people who then pass onto a third. It’s a total scam.

Second letter adding on £60 was from a debt collection agency:

“However, in some cases a debt collection agency may continue adding interest and charges. They can only add amounts which are allowed in the contract you signed with the original creditor.”

http://Www.Pepipoo.com

Scam it probably is – when they’ve got you bent over a barrel they’re going to shaft you. But you could say the same of Solicitors. They won’t look at you without hitting you with a charge. How much would a Solicitor charge to issue a letter on your behalf? The fact it is probably only 5 minutes work is irrelevant.

It’s a total scam.

I’m gonna guess that the ‘scum’ in the title is a typo, then…

🙂

They’ve got you by the balls.

There is a £60 admin fee for me making this post.

Seriously, go to the pepipoo forum for advice

You’ll get so much wrong advice here

My wife got one of these two days ago (her permit sticker fell off the windscreen). Checked MSE, sent amended template email…ticket cancelled next day.

Keep polite and follow advice on MSE or Pepipoo. Don’t listen to anyone that tells you to ignore.

Pepipoo seems to consist of people trying to wriggle out of charges through legal chicanery. Not interested in that – I can expense parking costs whilst at work 🙂

Just disputing the extra £60 on top for nothing.

How can it possibly cost £100 for a parking space for a working day? Give them the amount for the number of hours you parked, they can’t possibly be out of pocket.

Parking fines like this are fraudulent BS. Follow the templated instructions on the MSE Parking Tickets forum > Newbies thread and you’ll be fine. I’ve overturned 3 out of 3 tickets using their methods.

Such firms make millions from those who pay up. You are rarely obliged to pay – all you have to do is reverse the system and you’re in the clear.

Exactly. All on-site parking was full. They aren’t out of pocket at all.

They aren’t out of pocket at all.

So legal chicanery then…

Mate, just go here and then read this post.

Set up an MSE account and post any questions you have.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY. BUT YOU DO HAVE TO TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT PAYING.

I have read it. It’s a lot of work and hassle.

I will pay it, then claim it on expenses. Company is obliged to provide parking for us – this was legal parking, it just cost £100. I haven’t got the stomach for a quasi legal battle.

I’m going to pay the £100 and query the £60.

Your expenses policy must be very generous if it will pick up this charge.

In which case get them to pay your expenses before you forfeit the ability to cancel the fine.

Our company run a similar policy. Parking is managed through a private firm bunch of ****s disguised as such. If an employee fails to display a permit or parks in another company’s bay then a PCN is issued. I’ve successfully overturned 2 of these because they are complete BS. When we took over the building HR paid only the first couple of fines, then said “tough, you know the rules … it’s not hard to park in the bay you previously booked and display your permit … you pay the fine or fight it”.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t expect my employer to settle this particular tab on my behalf.

Our expenses guys would come and give you a chinese burn if you tried that.

We’ve a contract that says the client must provide parking. They didn’t – I didn’t get a booked space, and all the other marked spaces were full. The only space available was on the road, and it costs £100 to park there.

Can’t see a problem with that.

In which case get them to pay your expenses before you forfeit the ability to cancel the fine.

I can’t claim an expense until I’ve incurred it.

Can’t see a problem with that.

Good luck with that. So you’re about to get into protracted arguments with an employer/client but arguing with a parking company is a hassle?

How do you know the arguments will be protracted?

molgrips – Member

How do you know the arguments will be protracted?
Maybe he’s read some of your other threads….

molgrips – Member
How do you know the arguments will be protracted?

Raises eyebrow….

Mate, just go here and then read this post.

That is an intimidating amount of legal chicanery. I really don’t I can handle that currently.

What did you actually have to do to get yours overturned?

CountZero – Member
How can it possibly cost £100 for a parking space for a working day?

Middle of most major cities quite easy…
Some near where I was today were the equivalent of 12-15/hour

Pepipoo seems to consist of people trying to wriggle out of charges through legal chicanery. Not interested in that – I can expense parking costs whilst at work

Don’t you mean full of people who are not prepared to pull their pants down, bend over and take a deep dicking from a group of Cowboys! Besides, you love a good argument – getting stuck into this sort of thing with a parking company would be perfect for you?

Despite the advice on the Pepipoo forum, if it’s too much hassle to appeal just do what I and lots of others do and just marvel at the increasing amount at red ink on each letter before binning said letters. Do this all the time and they always give up eventually.

If there was no parking at the office then why didn’t you just ask them when you got there, or phone when you arrived to see if they could sort a space for you? If you didn’t make any effort to do this then why should your work accept responsibiliy for your bad parking?

sist of people trying to wriggle out of charges through legal chicanery. Not interested in that – I can expense parking costs whilst at work

So it’s OK for your employer to foot the Bill and then somewhere else in your company someone is getting fired / not getting a pay rise becuase the expenses bill got used irresponsibly.

Op starts a moral dilemma within a moral dilemma thread hipocrisy…

All I’ll say is, if you’ve parked where I think you’ve parked, they will go all the way to small claims court. I speak from experience, twice 🙁

Echo spacemonkey’s post. Go to the MSE forums read the sticky and appeal. They can’t charge a £60 administration fee.

Would be interested to know who the issuing company is?

All I’ll say is, if you’ve parked where I think you’ve parked, they will go all the way to small claims court. I speak from experience, twice

Really????? Hardly worth their while I’d have thought as pursuing any claim would cost them more in time/money than they’d gain from it? Not sustainable for them to take more than a few cases to court every now and then. Unless of course they’re using the odd court case here or there, and the publicity around it, to try and put the willies up people. Sounds like you’ve been incredibly unlucky!

I’ve had around 6 tickets over the last couple of years, think at least three of them were from Parking Eye who have a reputation for getting all legal. Never been taken to court yet. So at best guess have saved somewhere in the region of £600 – £1,000 and a whole load of hassle just by binning (or in the winter when the fire needs fuel, burning) the said letters. What would the court award if I got taken there, couple of hundred quid maximum? Still quids in and worth the risk I’d say.

£100 is ridiculous, never mind the £60. Even in central London a days parking is £25-50

These sort of charges should be illegal. Obviously you have to manage client relationship but seems obvious you should remind them of the need to provide a space and of charges if they don’t

Middle of most major cities quite easy…
Some near where I was today were the equivalent of 12-15/hour

It’s cheaper to pay someone to drive your car/van round for the day than park it and pay for the space in London now.

@agent pursuing the charge is worth it if they are confident they will win. Fact is they have people who chase people for a living, its their job. If they are not chasing people they have nothing to do

@agent pursuing the charge is worth it if they are confident they will win. Fact is they have people who chase people for a living, its their job. If they are not chasing people they have nothing to do

Nope not worth it at all, especially when you consider that the going rate for the sort of penalty/fees/costs the courts award seems to average in the region of £175. Costs to parking company of initially around £30 to register a case with the court, and around £300 if it actually goes to court. Then there’s the costs of employing someone at the company to manage these cases, paperwork, and also the cost for a solicitor should the case actually go to court.

Then there’s the out of court settlements – typically parking companies will settle for around 50% of the actual charge should they issue proceedings but the driver negotiates with them to pay a lower amount rather than go to court.

The only benefit to them is that by taking a tiny percentage of people to court (normally the soft targets), it perhaps puts the fear of god into the remaining 99.9% who would have otherwise just ignored the letters.

Think I’ll just keep on binning/burning letters – easiest way. In the unlikely event they actually take me to court (i.e. I’ve received official court notification and not just a threatening letter in red ink telling me of their intention to take me to court) then I’d just settle before for 50% off the bill at that stage. Simples!

then I’d just settle before for 50% off the bill at that stage. Simples

Or follow the advice on Pepipoo and pay nothing 🙄

Or follow the advice on Pepipoo and pay nothing

Yes true, but that involves work – and when I’m being billed to clients at an hourly rate then it’s just not worth it! Far easier to just ignore and 100% success rate with this route so far. No costs, no work, free fuel for the fire, it’s a win-win I’d say.

Or follow the advice on Pepipoo and pay nothing

It’s far from simple though. This lot seem better organised than some cowboys. There’s a sign (although it has small lettering) – I parked there because with dozens of other cars I gambled that it wasn’t being enforced. I don’t think I have the stomach to play hardball and risk CCJs. It’d involve poring through legal documents being my own defence lawyer, which is hugely stressful.

I did actually park under the sign.

I’m quite tempted to pay the £100 and see what they do about the £60.