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Motorway cafe parking

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

Anyone had a parking fine for overstaying 2hrs in a service stop? Did you pay it? Was tired, stopped to rest, fell asleep and £85 fine when returned home. Is this legal?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Yes, it is legal. There are plenty of signs at all motorway services with this displayed.

I've never stayed at one for longer than an hour, but I'm always consious of the fact that someday I might have to stay longer than 2hrs.

Some have Pay and Display, and some you have to go into the Services shop.

You could ask them to review your fine, but they are faceless, and I doubt you will be successful.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Depends on the wording of the ticket.

If it says Penalty Charge Notice it's a real ticket enforceable by law.

If it says Parking Charge Notice its an invoice and very difficult to enforce.

You are only in breach of a contract, and that contract is between the driver and the car park owner, and the driver may not be the cars owner.

Two strands of advice here, one is to offer them £5 as a fair settlement of the bill, the other is to throw all the letters in the bin and never answer them. They will threaten all sorts of terrible things but in reality there is virtually nothing that they can do.

For more info look on the honest john website and search for parking charge notices.

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By *ethany10Couple
over a year ago

falkirk

Yeah we got done last winter. Went to a meet in a travelodge and parked in motorway car park and forgot about the two hour rule and got done for £85 Grrrr! Was an expensive meet.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

yeah we had a meet in a motel at a services, couldnt see any signs about parking but the next week a £60 fine for staying over 2 hours and threats of it doubling every week until paid aaargh!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

They are such little thiefs, got nothing better to do than attack easy prey (motorists) whats all this rubbish they keep saying about taking adequate rest breaks!!! How can you?? I don't want a fine for doing the right thing and having a snooze!!!

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

We got into the service station at 1am, pitch black, dog-tired. Could hardly see the sterring wheel, let alone the signs! Thanks for your advice, Goodfella and yeh, Diirty, right with you there!

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

Whey hey , it's a Parking Charge Notice, and I wasn't the driver Thanks Goodfella xx

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"

Two strands of advice here, one is to offer them £5 as a fair settlement of the bill, the other is to throw all the letters in the bin and never answer them. "

Go for the latter don't even acknowledge it.

I get 3 of these a week and just totally ignore them, sometimes you will get a couple of more letters threatening you but they give up.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Isn't there a lower cost if you pay within 14 days? I would pay by cheque but put under duress on the back and take legal advice.

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By *umourCouple
over a year ago

Rushden

Whatever you do, don't pay until you have checked out the company! The only people who can enforce parking charges are the Council and the police at the behest of the council. ("The council" cover loads, so check!)

First thing to check is who the parking charge is from. Google it and you will no doubt find all the info you need on the first hit. Could be the same as McDonalds, B&Q and various other major chains do. Employ someone else to keep the car park moving!

Just be aware... In most cases of a private car park, you do NOT have to pay the "Charge". It is what is called an Unsolicited Invoice.

As long as you have made sure it is not a Council or Police notice, it will go like this...

1. Letter telling you that you have been recorded on camera or by warden that you were in the car park from and to times.. Sometimes with a photo of your car entering and leaving. It will demand a payment of around £75 and tell you that it will increase to around £120 if not paid, usually within 14 days.

IGNORE!

2. Another letter will arrive giving you another chance to pay at a reduced rate. If you didn’t get the photo on the first letter and there is one, you will get it on this one!

IGNORE!

3. Another letter warning of legal action and now they are getting desperate to get your money. You will be given a set time to comply or the debt will be put in the hands of a collection agency! (Who by the way have no more legal right to collect debts than the man on the street!)

IGNORE

4. A solicitors letter will arrive and usually by coincidence, they will be based in the same place as the parking company. It will demand payment as this is the last stage before a collection agency.

IGNORE

5. You don’t get another letter and you start to think you have upset you new best friends! They have given up because you are not going to pay! You are not gullible enough to fall for this legalised scam! It has already cost them around £20 for postage, materials and someone’s time, so they move on to the next one…

(at stage 5 it is possible to get one more letter, but after that, 5 kicks in as 6!)

Should you get taken to court, the company will get awarded what they have lost in parking charges… NOTHING!!! If the car park is free, then there is nothing lost to the company! Google “Parking Eye” and also a site called “Pepipoo” It’s all there..

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By *uckoo clockCouple
over a year ago

Merseyside

And the irony of all of this, especially on motorways is that you often see signs saying 'Tiredness Can Kill. Take a break'.......perhaps they should add...'and we can feckin rip you off while your doing it ?'

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By *Ryan-Man
over a year ago

In Your Bush

If it is a genuine one and you don't pay they will keep putting the fine up every couple of months

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By *ENGUYMan
over a year ago

Hull

There's one major point that a lot of wheel clampers or their companies fail to adhere to.

Every clamping company's employees must hold an SIA (Security Industry Authority) Wheel Clamping Licence. These are individual licences, not one for the whole company but if any operative has clamped a vehicle, and doesn't possess a licence, plus they have to carry it at all times, his or her actions are then illegal.

Many hold their licences, but many do not even produce it when challenged; that too is illegal.

Check to see if the clamping company adheres to the BPA (British Parking Association) Code of Conduct, even if they are members of said organisation.

This is an emotive subject. Sadly, many of the Motorway Service areas do adopt the 2 hour parking restrictions; so too do many of the fast food companies such as McDonalds, KFC and so on and cite the clause of "you're on Private Land" as their cop-out!

To some extent they have some powers in that way, but being on Private Land is not the ultimate excuse. The customer has some rights too.

To those attending a meeting or staying overnight at the on-services Hotel or its facilities, I found once that speaking to the Hotel company concerned (as they too, rent their section from the Service Area Operators) and advised them that since their personnel failed to advise me correctly or otherwise about the parking charges, then I was going to hold them responsible and I'd see them in court, a week later, they refunded me my parking costs.

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By *umourCouple
over a year ago

Rushden


"If it is a genuine one and you don't pay they will keep putting the fine up every couple of months"

There is NO genuine one unless it is issued by the police or the Council!! If they issue one, you don't get months to pay! It is over normally within three months if you opt to take it to court, otherwise you have 30 days to pay or you will be prosecuted.

These firms that demand money have no legal standing to actually get the money from you. They can demand all they like but if you don't pay, their hands are tied! They will not take you to court because if they lose they will have set a precedence. (there is a term that I can’t remember!)

The driver of the car is the one who makes the contract with the car park owner/agent, not the car owner. They have to prove who was driving and they can’t! That means that the car owner cannot be held responsible unless they admit it! And even then they won't chase you past the 5th letter! People who pay these charges are just perpetuating these companies time in business!

In the British statute “The Bill of Rights 1689” section 2.12 : All Grants and Promises of Fines and Forfeitures of particular persons before Conviction are illegal and void.”. That means that unless you are convicted of a crime or wrongdoing, you cannot be fined by anyone! That is why you get a reduced rate from official parking authorities! They know that you have every right to be brought before the court and that you are not guilty unless found guilty in a court of law. That would cost too much to administer so they seduce you with a cheaper rate to save court costs!

(Climbs off soap box and scuttles away with a cloak over his face…

)

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I have stayed at motorway services in my Camper van and every time I stay overnight I have always payed at the desk Like a good little boy Until NOW

Thanks to all the informative posts on this subject im going to become a bad lad from now on

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Don't get too carried away the government is going to alter the law so that the private parking firms will be able to force you into saying who was driving the car and then they will be able to chase you for the money. It hasn't happened yet, but it is coming!

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By *oDownEasyMan
over a year ago

Ayrshire

Dont even think about paying!

These scammers will carry on sending threatening letters that say they will have you flogged(actually some here might LIEK that lol), take you to court, & eat your first born but its all cr*p.

Its an unenforceable penalty, they rely on people not knowing their rights and just coughing up. Just file the letters & relax.

As mentioned above, try the parking forums on pepipoo.com(daft name,great site) for more reassurance.

And tell your mates-the fewer people they con the better!

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