Hi I read your comments about your wife's parking charges back in January and wondered how you got on.
I am in a similar situation - today I got a ticket from CP Plus while parked in a hospital in Glasgow. From what I have read there are a few reasons not to pay and I am thinking of just ignoring the ticket and any further demands. I hope this advice is right for Scotland as well as England. I wondered what happened as I couldn;t see an update to your story.
thanks for any replies or advice.
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Is this the thread/post you refer to:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=74...4
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Cick back one page to Topics and read the thread about
Parking ' fines' from private companies
Then ignore them !
Ted
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Thanks this info is great. I should have spotted it myself!
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The comments I saw were here
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=71115
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction and I had a laugh when reading your update. I take it that her car wasn't clamped, I think that would have made the local news :-)
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ShouldPay, just hold your nerve and don't be swayed by the letters which can be very threatening!!!
As long as they don't have any way of identifying the driver (who their contract is with) then you will be fine.
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And if the company are part of the British Parking Association keep all the documentation. Then if you have the time and inclination go through the rules of being a member of the BPA and the rules relating to release of data from DVLA and see how many times they break them.
Fact is the BPA aren't coming out too good in all this and the more pressure is put on them the more chance DVLA will begin to think about thier policy in letting anyone having keeper details for the payment of a few quid.
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I found another interesting angle - CP Plus use personal data (names, addresses) to chase up these invoices, which is covered by the Data Protection Act (DPA).
So as well as all the usual legal reasons for not paying:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=77...6
CP Plus may be breaking the law on DPA issues too, and anyone issued with a ticket/invoice could potentially complain about how CP Plus use their personal data.
In fact threats like that to BobbyG's wife "if you ever use one of our car parks again you will be clamped" could be an issue with the DPA as well as possible harrassment or Health and Safety (not allowed to use staff car park).
It seems that CP Plus are registered to process personal data for one purpose only (and that purpose is nothing to do with parking 'fines'):
Purpose 1
Crime Prevention and Prosecution of Offenders
Purpose Description:
Crime prevention and detection and the apprehension and prosecution of offenders.
Data Controllers further description of Purpose:
INCLUDES THE USE OF CLOSED-CIRCUIT TELEVISION FOR THE MONITORING AND COLLECTION OF SOUND AND/OR VISUAL IMAGES FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING THE SECURITY OF PREMISES, FOR PREVENTING CRIME AND FOR INVESTIGATING CRIME.
See the full conversation here:
forums.pepipoo.com/lofiversion/index.php/t38837.ht...l
You'll see how CP Plus responded when they were asked to reassure the driver that their personal data would not be misused, sold on etc.
The Information Commissioner sets out rights and responsibilities under the DPA:
www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/data_protection.aspx
As an aside, where I live we have a private residents car park. In the past when people have caused problems (dumping cars, blocking entrances etc) the company who handle our communal repairs etc would write to the DVLA to get the RK address. It cost £2.50 and was straightforward. Sometime recently (in the past year I think) the DVLA made it clear that they don't want to help, yes the private company who have a contract to look after the flats and car park can no longer get KP details from the DVLA.
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A key point, buried in the useful information is that, if you write to anybody connected with the charge, do NOT sign the letter. It has been alleged that the crooks may scan your signature and then get it onto a letter they write but purporting to be from you. I have't explained that too well but you get my drift?
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Armitage thanks for that very useful.
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The DVLA are issuing owners details out to all and sundry like confetti. seriously i can't see how this allowed under data protection.
eg.. Drug dealer/crime lord whatever can request info..no i wont go there.
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There are over 6m million reasons why the DVLA do this and HM Govt need all the money they can get.
It's one reason why the activities of PPCs won't be seriously curtailed - HM Govt have a vested interest in them continuing.
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Hi, here's an update for anyone else in the same situation.
(Background - I got a PPC invoice/ticket at a hospital in Scotland. Parking charges have been abolished but there's a four-hour rule, which sounds fine in theory but can easily be missed if clinics are running late or additional tests or treatment is done on the day... As others have said, any court case would be under contract law for actual damages and while overstaying may prevent another patient or visitor from using the car park, there's no financial loss since parking is free anyway.)
Since receiving the PPC in October nothing happened until about a month later when Trethowens sent me a letter. Note that I have not contacted the parking company, Trethowens or anyone else in response.
The letter from Trethowens is designed to look legal and important - near the top there's a box with text in capitals "URGENT - DO NOT IGNORE - MAY RESULT IN COURT PROCEEDINGS".
Trethowens go on to tell me that they have been instructed on behalf of CP Plus blah blah and they have got my details as the registered keeper from the DVLA.
They use phrases like "outstanding debt" and "additional court fees and costs" and indicate that if I wasn't the driver, I must tell them who was driving the car. Apparently, to prevent them taking a court action against me I must make payment within 14 days otherwise court action will be raised with no further notice.
Others have already described the issues with this type of letter and I must admit that without the information available on this website, it can seem a worrying thing to receive in the post.
Anyway, it's now just over three months since I got a ticket and two months since I got the letter asking for payment within 14 days otherwise they'll take me to court. I suppose I may receive more junk mail from them in the future. It would be interesting to know how long before I can consider this definitely over, or if for example they sometimes send other letters after 6 months or whatever.
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Seeing this thread reminded me of the ticket my mother got back in May from a similar company to the OP. She ignored all letters from them and asked them to prove who was driving the car. They carried on sending letters about taking her to court etc. The letters stopped coming about Sept time.
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As reported by Ratto and me, our local car perk has been invoicing folk who just drive through, due to a camera/ticket match up system. Drive in and out, no ticket bought...nasty letter when they find out who you are. Many pensioners caught as it's the car park for the DWP as well.
Now, I've driven through many times and parked for a few minutes here and there over the last year but I've never been contacted,
Having ' beaten ' this lot, in a different car park, at the end of 2008, I'm now of the opinion that if you're on their records as someone who knows what it's all about, they won't bother you over subsequent ' offences '....not worth their while.
Ted
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1400ted - I had to smile at your Freudian typo - "Local Car Perk" - you couldn't make it up!
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