Received a “ticket”? What to do next..
UPDATE: OCTOBER 2013 – THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED
For information about Parking Eye, other car park management companies, Parking Charge Notices (PCNs), etc we suggest you visit MoneySavingExpert.com – see this thread.
We’re trying to clarify what people who have already received a Parking Charge Notice (PCNs) should do next.
Morrisons does not yet appear to have a clear strategy about responding to challenges regarding tickets that Parking Eye has issued on their behalf. But the following is based on our own experiences of challenging tickets:
Complain at the Reigate Store
Although the deputy manager initlally said that there was ‘nothing he could do’, after some pressure he said that if people could bring in a till receipt for £30, then he could cancel the charge. (We had parked in the evening, and didn’t have a till receipt). So, worth a try (with or without a receipt)
OR
Call the Morrisons HO Customer Service number
The local store gave us this number: 0845 6116111. Morrisons HO tried to refer us back to the store, but again, after some pressure, took our details and have agreed to ‘get back to us’. Interestingly, this person said that Morrisons hadn’t changed their policy yet and the 24 parking rule was still ‘active’. So, be warned.
Wherever/Whoever you complain to, we believe it’s worth raising the following:
- Questions have been raised by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council about the legality of the new parking charges, since they were not discussed in advance with them.
- Morrisons did not notify customers/ highlight the new parking arrangements.
Some people have reportedly contacted the car park management company, Parking Eye, to challenge the tickets. They report that company staff have been very rude to them, and just insist that payment has to be made. We recommend contacting Morrisons in the first instance.
Please tell us YOUR experiences – have you successfully challenged your ticket? Simply add a comment on this blog.[DISCLAIMER: We have published other peoples experiences here for information for site visitors. By including these blog posts and comments we are not recommending or endorsing any of the suggested courses of action they may contain. We do not have legal expertise, and we cannot offer advice. You must make your own informed decision about any future action you may take.]
Carparkreigate's Blog 
June 11, 2009 at 8:23 pm |
If you get a ticket from these clowns, and thats what they are, there is plenty of advice here http://www.pepipoo.com/
Basically private parking is based on contract law. Their ‘contract’ is with the driver and not the Registered Keeper of the vehicle, which may or may not have been you. You are NOT OBLIGED to inform them.
Their signs must have been visible and clear at the time of the incident for your implied acceptance of the terms of their contract. If you didn’t see them, then you didn’t accept the terms of their contract.
Even if by some remote chance they lay a debt claim in court, you deny the debt, and they have to take you to court proper, which would cost far more than the charge they are asking for.
Even if they win (and there have been no recorded incidents of this on this board where the defendant turned up to mount a defence), they can only claim their actual loss for the incident which would be close to zero. You cannot be given any sort of County Court Judgement unless you don’t defend the action.
WHAT TO DO: (None of this procedure is breaking the law as no law has been broken – therefore ignoring correspondance from these cowboys is completely legal).
Ignore ALL the letters (you will probably get several, one may be from a ‘debt collection agency ‘ (which is often another person in the same company). The first ‘fine’ (in reality an uneforceable invoice) will make out that as the Registered Keeper you are responsible for this payment when the BPA (British Parking Association) clearly states that ‘Parking Eye’ should establish who the driver of the vehicle was and therefore instantly breaking the BPA’s code of practice.
After many ever more threating letters including debt collecting and CCJ threats they will almost certainly give up. It costs them to money to submit a claim (£30 I think) which isn’t worth the risk to them.
In summary, always ignore Private Parking Companies charges (which are merely arbitrary requests for payment of an arbitrary amount), not a ‘fine’. Not even the Police can ‘fine’ you for a criminal offence. A speeding ‘fine’ is an offer of settlement without taking the matter to court. Certainly private individuals cannot ‘fine’ you – only a court can.
Please visit the website….you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to beat these jokers!
June 12, 2009 at 4:48 pm |
I received a PCN recently at Morrison’s. I completed my shopping in the Morrison’s store and put it in the car. I then went to a few shops in the high street for about 30 mins and met some friends in priory park for a coffee. I stayed for over 2 hours but didn’t give it a thought as I had purchased my shopping from Morrisons and having lived in Reigate/Redhill for 9 years had never known it to be a problem for anyone. They certainly implemented the scheme through the back door without advertising or warning shoppers. I don’t keep shopping receipts for any length of time so cannot prove I shopped there. My ticket amounts to £90 unless I pay up early then its £40.
June 12, 2009 at 11:31 pm |
Jen see this Website and make your own mind up about paying: http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=30
June 14, 2009 at 9:39 pm |
I received a ticket on the first day the scheme operated on Wed 27th May. I took my children and a guest to the cinema for an 8.35pm film showing. We parked from 8:15 until 11:15pm. I took my Parking Eye ticket to Morrisons and Mike Thomas the Deputy Manager took it from me and said he would try and get me reimbursed because it was an evening ticket when the store was closed. He has since rung me to say he has passed on my details to his Customer Service department and they will ring me. He says if I don’t hear from them after 1 week I should take this up myself via their customer service number 0845 611 6111 . He himself is going on holiday between June 11th and c.18th! Good time to escape! I paid my £40, in fear of it rising to £90, but I am hoping to get this call and to get reimbursed – am I just gullible I wonder? I think Mike Thomas is genuinely trying to help.
June 14, 2009 at 10:47 pm |
I got 2 tickets for parking behind the store while it was still Safeway. Despite getting solicitors letters demanding payment I refused saying I questioned their legal right to enforce the “fines”. I heard no more. If you get a ticket, don’t pay it!
June 15, 2009 at 6:52 pm |
I attended the photo call tonight and have decided not to pay the parking notice. I understand that the company relies on receiving only 40% of fees so am willing to take the risk. I anticipate receiving further letters from teh parking company but intend to ignore them.
June 15, 2009 at 10:57 am |
A good weblink to find out more about Parking Eye
June 15, 2009 at 11:00 am |
go to this website to find out more about Parking Eye.
June 15, 2009 at 4:35 pm |
I recieved a ticket on Saturday through the post for an offence on 30 May 2009/ 31 May 2009 (Saturday evening / Sunday morning), saying I had to pay by the 18 June 2009 for the reduced fine.
I went to Morrisons yesterday armed with my shopping receipt form the Sunday Morning (31 May 2009) to speak with the Store Manager. I didn’t even need to produce the receipt as to be fair the Store Manager – I won’t publishe her name – was very accommodating and assured me it would now be a ‘closed case’but contact Parking Eye to make sure. As instructed I contacted Parking Eye today to double check.
First call I was cut off when I said it should now be a closed case.
Second call was answered with ‘Give me a moment’ and I was put on hold with no official company greeting. When the agent came back I gave him the CCS Reference, he advised that the case was not closed as the store was open at the time of the offence and that I had to pay. I advised that Morrissons were saying it is closed, he repiled that was incorrect. I then stated that I guess I will have to speak with Morrissions to get the case closed, he agreed. I asked for the agents name and was given ‘Mr Smith’ as the answer, in a now surly manner, I then asked for a first name as well, ‘Paul’ came the one word response with an agressive tone.
I then commented on the lack of customer service he was providing and that it didn’t reflect well on Morrisons, the response was ‘I don’t work for Morrisons’. I said that that he is contracted to Morrisons and was not providing the customer service they would expect – the final response was ‘We are not here for customer service’.
I wonder if Paul Smith really exists?
June 15, 2009 at 5:09 pm |
Still waiting for our call back from Customer Services, and I called last Wednesday….
June 23, 2009 at 3:45 pm |
Quick update: Morrisons finally called back about a week later and said I had to call Parking Eye to get it cancelled.
Called Parking Eye and an operator took the details and said it was now cancelled. This was for a ticket between 8.10 pm and 11.07 pm in the evening.
June 15, 2009 at 6:48 pm |
I called Parking Eye today on behalf of my daughter who received her ticket on the 27-5, and paid the £40 to avoid the increased charge. She too called them and got the agressive manner as described by others.
On calling them today and after several long waits I got through and spoke to a Mr Smith. I explained the situation, and quoted to him that indeed Morrisons were in contrevention of a legal agreement set out when the store was built. I quoted clause 4.3.1 + ording, and said that the fines levied were no longer valid and that a full refund was due.
Intial response was can’t deal with this, as my daughter had to be present to saction the refund. I managed to contact her as she was on holiday, she called Parking Eye and gave them saction to deal with me.
Again I called and spoke to a different person who said they were unable to pass me over to Mr Smith …. What a surprise! However she was helpful, and not rude. She agreed Morrisons had got into an awful mess over this and agreed a refund of the £40 fine was due, however she could not saction this as it needed to cleared by her HQ which takes a further week.
I was asked to call back next Monday to prgress, Well they claim they will refund any fines, We wait to see…
Her name in Dina so ask for her or Mr Smith, quote the legal clause as set out in the Surrey Mirror and push. TELPHONE NUMBER 0845 456 6708, be prepared to hang on for option 2, You will also get to hate the Nutcraker suit too!
Perhaps as we have to wait for a week to hear if they will refund the fine we should perhaps politly suggest that our refund should increase if it is not returned in 14 days as they set out in the their documents regarding their fine!!!
Just keep at them. If enough of us do they will give back what is ours!
June 16, 2009 at 10:11 am |
I attended the photo call yesterday. I have decided NOT to pay the charge. I called Parking Eye this morning to tell them I was not the driver and because 4 people use my car, I cannot confirm who was driving. I will, apparently, be receiving further communication from them!
I am now going to write to Morrisons to request that they intervene to avoid further escalation of this. I shall be telling them what we think of how they introduced this outrageous scheme.
June 16, 2009 at 12:43 pm |
To be quite honest, the more I read and hear about this, the more I am convinced that the only way to deal with this is to completely boycott Morrisons supermarket. If we are all using the car park then we all have cars- so lets use Sainbury’s in Redhill or Tesco at Gatwick. The way Morrisons are treating their customers is really shabby and the only way they will get the message is to hit them in the pocket and their profits…
June 16, 2009 at 1:45 pm |
Have a look at this thread from the Consumer Action Group forums – it’s very enlightening with regard to template letters for Private Parking Tickets/Notices.
http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/119802-private-parking-tickets-template.html
June 16, 2009 at 4:33 pm |
UPDATE ON MY LAST NOTE – SUCCESS!
I took in a letter to Morrisons today explaining why I thought the way they had introduced the fines was outrageous. I put in the letter what my average annual spend in the store was and asked that Morrisons intervene to cancel the fine otherwise I would be transferring to Sainsburys in Redhill.
The manager I gave it to could not have been more helpful. He took me to the office and telephoned Parking Eye to cancel the fine there and then.
He told me that the latest update (that apparently will be announced in the Surrey Mirror on Thursday) was that the cameras will be switched off at 9.00pm. This means that if you arrive after 7.00pm, you will not receive a fine. They are still looking at what to do about the return within 3 hours rule.
June 18, 2009 at 9:12 am |
We received a parking ticket having parked in Morrisons for 2 hrs 45 mins though we arrived after 6pm in the evening. Although we did shop in Morrisons for a few essential bits the main reason was going to a resaurant for a meal. Anyhow upon receiving the ticket for £ 40.00 (if paid within 14 days) I called Parking Eye. I must say the person I spoke to actually lived in Reigate and was very helpful and knew the store well herself. She did say the only way they would consider waivering the fee was if I had a shop receipt for more than £ 30.00 which I did not as the only one time we paid in Cash and it was under £ 30.00. After 13 days of receiving the fine we paid the £ 40.00 with a view to complain after as we didn’t want it effecting our credit rating or have the debt collectors come round. We thought just pay it and its done. Since then I found this site and totally agree with what everyone is saying. Not sure if we will ever get the £ 40.00 back now but it certainly will make us think twice when parking. To be honest although the signs are all over the car park we just didn’t think about it and that was the reason why we got the ticket.
June 21, 2009 at 9:28 pm |
Andy – you’re right, there ARE signs around the car park, but the detail explaining that parking is now being enforced after 6 pm is in very small print. Also Morrisons seemed to manage to put up 4 signs saying “new traffic flow ahead” but not a single one saying “new cameras in operation”.
Morrisons also should have discussed the new car park management system in advance with the Council, and didn’t, so some people are pointing out that technically the whole system is illegal anyway!
Keep an eye on this website for on-going developments…
June 18, 2009 at 9:17 am |
I received a ticket for parking between 8pm and 11pm on 29/5/09. I paid it so that I would only have to pay £40, but then it transpired that they charged me £42.50 (which I assume is a charge for using Visa or something, but was never told about this!) Anyway, yesterday ‘Parking Eye’ sent me a cheque for £42.50 reimbursing me for the ticket “in line with Morrisons recent press release”. Good news!
June 20, 2009 at 9:27 am |
I’m surprised and grateful to have received a cheque this morning refunding my parking fine at Morrisions. Would probably not have happened without your support. Thanks
June 29, 2009 at 11:25 pm |
I will no longer spend my hard earned wages in Morrisons. Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys can share the substantial amount I spend each week feeding my family. However I will continue to park at Morrisons to shop in Reigate but I will of course only stay for 1 hour 59 minutes. I hope Morrisons feel that the rake-off they got from my 40 pounds was worth fifteen years of custom.
July 6, 2009 at 6:38 pm |
A ticket was issued on my wife’s parking between 5.17pm and 9.54pm.
It has now been passed to a “collection agency”.
I saw today that the restrictions now come off at 7.00pm, so under the new rules there was no breach of this “contract” for parking that is so “clearly” posted in the car park.
If indeed there is a “contract”, and you outstay the stipulated period, then you are a trespasser, the remedy for which is for them to sue for damages, which they must prove and quantify.
How much did anyone lose by my wife outstaying the period?
July 6, 2009 at 9:08 pm |
Re: “I saw today that the restrictions now come off at 7.00pm” – this is exactly why we must continue to fight this ridiculous system – it is so confusing and underhand. In fact the restrictions are actually in force until 9 p.m. (which is when the cameras are switched off) and your are only ‘free’ to park if you arrive after 7 p.m (being less than 2 hours until the cameras are switched off…)
Please complain about this directly to the store/ to your local councillor/ Morrisons Head Office. This disgraceful system has to be reviewed.
July 8, 2009 at 8:40 pm |
So still in contravention of the Planning Agreement then.
I will wait until the summons arrives.
I’ll keep you informed!
July 13, 2009 at 5:01 pm |
Received a PCN today for an “offence” on the 6th July. I parked in Morrisons carpark between 18:09 and 21:09.
No sure what action to take next. Do I ignore it, or complain to the branch manager?
What is the latest from Morrisons regarding the petition?
Is the council doing anything regarding this issue?
Do they agree with the petition? If so, surely it cannot take this long to resolve it?
July 17, 2009 at 1:17 pm |
For your information and that of your readers, following notice of a £40 fine from Morrisons I wrote to the CEO of Morrisons and the anonymous souls at Parking Eye advising them that I would not pay their fee and inviting them to start legal proceedings against me, so that we could have the case heard in court.
I have today received a letter from Morrisons confirming that they have cancelled the fine – shame, I was looking forward to that!
July 20, 2009 at 12:23 pm |
I have just got a ticket for parking at Morrisons on a Sunday. We arrived at 3.40pm, twenty minutes before the store shut. I obviously thought that the 2 hour parking allowance would take care of that.
Speaking to the store today, they have said that arriving before 4pm meant I was ‘in the system’ so affectively parking is free after 4pm if you arrive at 4.01pm, arrive at 3.59 and you’ll get a ticket. They did say if I could produce a receipt then they would waive the ticket – but who keeps receipts for food? Also, I believe whichever Company owns that CarPark has a wider responsibility to the residents and shopkeepers of Reigate to keep a thriving town centre. I doubt they would sell nearly as much if it weren’t for shoppers popping in there whilst going to other shops and restaurants in Reigate.
July 22, 2009 at 2:37 pm |
Success! An update to my parking on a Sunday and getting a ticket for arriving 22 minutes before the shop shut :The deputy manager John Harris was ‘jobsworth’ with me; and suggested that there was nothing he could do since I couldn’t produce receipts or bank statements. He said he would get the area manager to call, but despite me chasing – no-one did.
I read an earlier blog regarding calling customer services so called them (0845 611 6111) and left all the details and they called me back and told me that they have cancelled the ticket. I asked the lady who helped me (Sarah) to make the rules clear and she confirmed that providing you aren’t in the Carpark more than 2 hours before the store shuts, then no fee is payable. She said that there is some ‘fault with the software’.
July 26, 2009 at 9:37 am |
Hello,
I received to my horror one of the Morrison’s parking tickets yesterday. The advice here has been very helpful and I will go to Morrisons to contest it, write to the other parties, and try ignoring the ticket.
I also intend to non-violently protest. Though I live in Reigate and they are my local store, they will lose all of my business est. £3-4K per annum. I will continue to park there, being aware of the 2 hours, but shop everywhere else I need to in Reigate except Morrisons, and transfer my supermarket shopping to other stores, not difficult.
Surely Morrisons is gaining financially from this parking arrangement as well as the bottomfeeders Parking Eye. It is money for nothing for Morrisons, and flies in the face of their being a ‘competitively priced’ store. Morrisons needs to lose customers and revenue to take real notice of their position as an anchor store in our community.
It has been my experience as a Morrisons customer that they don’t really value their customers. Their customer service has not always been very good, and writing to complain produces lukewarm and usually misspelled replies. Their ‘lock up’ trolleys says to their customers we don’t trust you. Waitrose in the centre of Horley doesn’t have them! Their new parking policy shouts out that we don’t care about being part of a community.
July 26, 2009 at 11:54 am |
I encourage all Morrisons Reigate shoppers to shop elsewhere! and develop new shopping habits until such time as Morrisons change this shopping policy and reinstate free parking after 6pm.
August 13, 2009 at 6:12 pm |
I will no longer be shopping at Morrisons after being stung with a parking fine…Outragegous!
September 18, 2009 at 3:48 pm |
I agree, I am going to boycott Morrisons in Reigate now.
I, as most people on here, have been parking in that car park for years back when it was Safeways. I arrived just beore 6pm and noticed all of the new yellow signs. I checked one as I drove in which said the regulations applied Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm. I thought fine, it’s only 1 hour till 7pm so I will be ok. I didn’t inspect the small print below which I later found out to say about entering after 7pm.
I was absolutely distraught to receive a £40 PCN. I called them to explain that it was not clear and all they did was read the sign to me, several times. After reading lots of forums on this I don’t think I will be paying the fine. I may try contacting Morrisons direct.
September 21, 2009 at 10:02 am |
RESULT – Parking fine to be cancelled!
I rang Morrisons Customer Services and the girl I spoke to was fine until I mentioned that after visiting Morrisons, I had gone to a restaurant (as I have been doing for years, using the Morrisons car park when visiting bars/pubs/restaurants in Reigate). She was very abrupt after that and said there was nothing she could do and I would just have to pay the fine as I had gone over my 2 hour stay and that was that. I told her I was very disappointed and was no longer going to use Morrisons and she just said she was sorry to hear that I felt that way.
I then rang the Store Manager and spoke to the Deputy Manager Mike Thomas. He explained that if I could prove I was a loyal customer and bring a handful of receipts to the store then he would try, as a one off gesture of goodwill, to get the fine cancelled. I took the receipts in and he is going to try to get the fine cancelled for me. He was very helpful and understanding. Therefore I will be shopping at Morrisons again but making sure I do not stay longer than 2 hours and if I want to stay there longer in the evening then I will need to make sure I arrive at around 7.10pm just to be safe!!
October 2, 2009 at 3:29 pm |
I received a ticket for parking from 16.51 until 10.30, unaware that the free time started at 1900. I spoke to the Deputy Manager at the store and to Customer Services, and they both insisted that as I had parked prior to 7pm I was liable for the charge. I argued that I was unaware and was told that Morrisons did NOT want people parking in their carpark and that I should have read the signs and not listened to other people or read the local papers! As a pensioner I am most unhappy at having to pay £40 for 9 minutes of unlawful parking.
October 9, 2009 at 7:10 am |
“”Therefore I will be shopping at Morrisons again but making sure I do not stay longer than 2 hours and if I want to stay there longer in the evening then I will need to make sure I arrive at around 7.10pm just to be safe!!””
Please please please reconsider your decision to remain a Morrisons shopper. They cancelled that one ticket because you were able to show them that you have some receipts. They won’t cancel any more !! and you have lost the option of both shopping at Morrisons AND visiting Reigate. It is a very very selfish policy on the part of Morrisons.
By all means use their car park (nothing stopping you but a sign-they can’t tell if you shop there or not) but don’t shop there, that will give you plenty of time to use Reigate facilities. There are many other places to shop where their customer service is far superior to Morrisons! Make them lose custom and withhold your money, that is the only way they will see how unfriendly they are being.
October 9, 2009 at 9:23 am |
To Former Morrisons Shopper…
Thank you for your response – I haven’t been back to Morrisons since and if I do park there it will more than likely be to use other Reigate facilities rather than Morrisons.
October 31, 2009 at 12:04 pm |
Hi there
I too have just rcvd a fine of £40 from Parking Eye. I left my car there at 18.56 and having looked at the signs i pretty much interpreted it as saying there were no restrictions after 7pm so merrily went on my way.
Have read all your comments I am not sure whether its worth kicking up a fuss with Morrisons to get them to waiver this charge as i did not do any shopping in there. Signs are extremely misleading!! Or should i just ignore the fine altogether!?
Any help much appreciated.
(I shan’t be shopping or parking there ever again and will tell everyone i know about it!)
Thanks, Liz
November 4, 2009 at 6:59 pm |
Hi Liz C,
You have a case for having this ticket ignored with a four minute difference. It is not unknown for clocks and watches to be a few minutes inaccurate! It would be worth fighting if Morrisons do not see sense and cancel your ticket, however good will is not something they have been uneven with with regard to this car parking business. I personally paid the ticket (Morrisons refused to reimburse me) as I just didn’t want to deal with bailiffs and courts. You have to make your own decision. I have not spent a single penny in the shop since. Their forty pound ticket has cost them about 4000 pounds of my annual supermarket budget per annum.
I continue to urge all Morrisons shoppers who have been caught in this money-making parking sting operation to boycott Morrisons and to use your two hours per day (during M’s opening hours) in their car park for your other Reigate shopping. It is only by hitting them in the cash register and disrespecting their request that only shoppers use the car park (how much respect have they paid you?) that they will learn to respect their customers and the community in which they trade.
November 4, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Yes – watches and clocks can easily be a few minutes out, and it’s interesting to note that Morrisons refused a request, via the Council, for them to provide a clock outside the store so that people could see whether their own watch matched the ‘Parking Eye’ time of entry. They say it is ‘not their responsibility’…..
November 2, 2009 at 10:25 am |
Liz C – If you have any old receipts for Morrisons then I would definitely try that route… though they may have changed their stance on this as it’s been a month or so since I got mine cancelled. The fact that you were there 4 minutes before is very harsh. Lots of people have said to ignore these notices from Parking Eye… but I guess that decision is up to you at the end of the day.
More info about Parking Eye:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1265875
November 4, 2009 at 7:55 pm |
Just to let u know, i have spoken with the following : parking eye – adamant i have to pay, duty manager morrisons – wouldn’t budge, morrisons HO customer services – wouldn’t budge, reigate + banstead council – say this parking system is legal…therefore, i have paid their stupid fine but letters are going out in the post to Morrisons CEO copied to Reigate Guild, Reigate Council and the other Morrisons bloke who appears to be dealing with this situation. Hopefully Morrisons will see sense and change their rip off system!
November 9, 2009 at 9:17 pm |
Have just gat a £90 fine, (£40) if pay before 19.11.09. I parked in Morrisons on 1.11.09, (a Sunday) at 15.33, did some shopping and went walking and then to the cinema and did not leave until 19.08 on the same day. According to the letter sent by Parking eye that meant I was over the 2 hours and fined accordingly.
However if you read their signs it states on a Sunday after 4pm parking conditions do not apply and if you park after 4pm you will not be timed until their systems come back on line on Monday am. So by calculations that means I was only parked for 27 minutes before their systems were turned off for the night. Don’t take my word for it just photograph the sign and keep it for your records.
After advice from Consumer Direct – 08454 04 05 06 to check that the sign was not misleading, it clearly is, I will be sending a letter, recorded delivery in the post declining their kind offer. It will not be worth their while to take me to the small claims court. If they haress me to pay the debt I will seek advice from CAB and speak to Trading Standards. Please remember if you are threatened at a later date by debt collectors for an unpaid fine you must not let them/invite them into your home and there is nothing that they can legally do. These companies thrive on people’s fear. Do not speak to them. But send that initial letter recorded delivery, so you have it on record.
Document everything.
November 9, 2009 at 9:53 pm |
Liz – thanks for your comment. Yes, this is one of the problems with the current system – it is highly misleading, and a lot of people are getting caught out on Sundays.
Morrisons are saying that you can only park for longer than 2 hours if you arrive AFTER 4 p.m. on a Sunday. However many people interepret the sign as meaning that the cameras will stop operating at 4 p.m. (in reality they must operate until 6 p.m.).
You’re right in your approach – keep fighting this ridiculous system. Good luck.
November 10, 2009 at 12:47 am |
I enjoyed parking free in Reigate for two hours on a busy Saturday morning, using Morrisons car park for all my other Reigate business, but refusing to shop in Morrisons because they have little regard for their customers as they persist with their unfair car park policy.
Morrisons robbed me of £40 in June. I was one of the thousands unaware that they changed their car parking policy. Morrisons were in breach of planning regs at the time they caught me in their selfish money-making trap, but neither the Council supported me and Morrisons refused to refund the ticket. My local councillor never even responded to my complaint letter (he won’t be getting my vote again!) I wish I had just ignored the ticket, but as law abiding people what can we do? The best I can do now is to withdraw my custom (which I have) and to continue to discourage others from shopping there. And park there during the day, at my convenience. Though 2 hours isn’t generous, its usually enough to get all my Saturday Reigate shopping done. I then drive off to a better supermarket for my weekly shop.
Please shop at Tesco Gatwick, please shop at Sainsbury’s, Asda, the Coop in Woodhatch, Waitrose in both Dorking and Horley and boycott Morrisons supermarket. Please visit our area’s fine speciality markets. But please park in the car park during Morrisons opening hours and boycott the store!
November 17, 2009 at 12:43 pm |
The car park is run as a scam and details of how to deal with the tickets it issues can be found here :
http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/
Do NOT pay them as it is a scam that works on intimidation and bullying
Understand fully that what they issue are NOT fines, NOT penalties and all they will send you are just unenforceable invoices which can be safely ignored
Only Councils, Courts and the Police can issue fines and penalties and hold the Registered Keeper responsible for them
They (Parking eye) do NOT want you to know this as a little knowledge is a very dangerous thing to their operation and methods
The Private Parking Company is acting under contract law NOT statute law and by parking there it is assumed you have read the notice and agreed with it and this then forms the contract. It is Morrisons Car Park and you are shopping in Morrisons.
Note the following
It is a free car park so the actual loss to the landowner is £0.00 so the rediculous sum of money the PPC / Scamsters want is out of proportion to loss of revenue.
The other problem they face is that the contract is WITH THE DRIVER and they DO NOT KNOW WHO THIS IS and so will send their invoices to the Registered Keeper who IS NOT LIABLE. They will try to intimidate you into paying this unjust and unenforceable charge but they know and hope you do not know that if they took it to court it would NOT stand up and they would loose hence PPC’s rarely do court
Visit the following if you are in any doubt
http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/
or
http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?s=627aa4e294aabb267741e903cbbe2ae8&showforum=30
for full advice on how to deal with these scams
Standard proceedure is for the PPC (Parking Eye) to obtain the Registered Driver details from the DVLA then send 2 or 3 invoices under its own name gradually increasing in amount, threats and red ink followed by 1 or 2 from their debt collectors who are powerless without a court order and will refer the matter in turn to their solicitors. In reality the Debt Collectors and Solicitors are the PPC sending out standard letters
It is not just Morrisons running these scams (they clearly get an incentive from the ppc) as retail parks e.g. County Oak, MacDonalds, Sainsbury’s also use them
Do NOT pay them anything – it is a scam
November 18, 2009 at 10:19 pm |
My personal experience confirms the practical validity of John H’s post.
I have put the theory into practice and simply ignored all letters since the alleged offence in May. There has been total silence from the direction of Thornton Heath (where Parking Eye and their “collection agency” share a business address!) since July.
They have either lost the will to live (chance would be a fine thing) or realise that their bullying hasn’t worked in this instance.
Follow John H’s advice, people. I bear witness to the fact that it is right.
November 18, 2009 at 10:35 pm |
Thanks for coming back to update us. We are hearing similar reports from several people, so if you can be strong and just ignore the aggressive letters, then it sounds like the right approach!
Don’t let the bullies get you down….
November 20, 2009 at 9:36 pm |
Thanks Parker – have already been through this scenario with other PPC scamsters so it is a tried and trusted method. The paper work they send is scary but if ignored they give up as they know they are onto a hiding for nothing. Plenty of charities out there that are desparate for money and Parking Eye and Morrisons are not amongst them
A few will even send out false court papers and these are easily spotted as there will not be a claim number or moreimportantly a court seal. If you receive one of these it should be reported to your local court.
WARNING to posters – Do NOT post under an identifiable name as Parking Eye (and probably Morrisons) will be monitoring this site
December 3, 2009 at 9:05 pm |
Parking Eye are well known scammers. Ignore all their junk.
They don’t give out ‘fines’ – they give out unenforceable invoices.
That is the advise on consumerforum. If it is a private parking company then just ignore it. firast you will get 2 letters then 2 solicitor letters then 2 debt collection letters, different companies but all from the same postcode!
It is a con. same as NCP. They get more threatening but dont worry it is just red ink on paper and only worth wiping you botty on!
It is an invoice that is unenforceable not a fine, it is just made to look like one. If the ticket isn`t issued by police or council warden then go to the above website to confirm but DON`T send an appeal as they ignore them(just like I am ignoring their ticket(sorry invoice)).
Don`t wste your hard earned money!
January 5, 2011 at 10:04 am |
Andrew
Is there any point trying to contact and/or challenge Parking Eye?
Got a £40 PCN from these maggots just before xmas and have so far not paid, depite being a bit worried by their threats.
Thanks
Tim
December 11, 2009 at 7:17 pm |
All and any one who has had ‘ticket’.
Write the following and you’ll not hear anything again. Read the notice you’ve recieved carefully, it actually states that by paying it you agree to their terms and conditions! Therefore don’t pay and you don’t agree – simple!
————————————————————————————
DD MM YY
Re: your invoice No. 123456
Dear Sir.
I do not pay unsolicited demands.
If you have a grievance please follow correct procedure.
Any further correspondence will incur a charge if £100.
Yours sincerely.
December 11, 2009 at 8:10 pm |
Dont even waste a stamp on it! JUST IGNORE! you will get what I mentioned above. Ignore the scammers.
Its all if we do this, if we took you to court etc , they won, they will lose.
Dont waste a stamp or a nights sleep, in fact I may well waste the time and go park there to get a ticket or ten just to prove a point!!!
December 29, 2009 at 3:39 pm |
Private companies have no right to fine anyone!
All this fuss over these tickets is giving the company far more credibility than they deserve.
All you have to do is IGNORE the ticket – nothing will happen!
Please join our campaign to make as many people aware of these companies as possible! http://www.facebook.com/pages/You-dont-have-to-pay-private-parking-tickets-Spread-the-word/225644216626?ref=ts
January 8, 2010 at 1:19 pm |
I got a ticket (after 6 i might add) which I have paid.
In the grand scheme of things I’m not going to lose sleep over forty quid. But when it comes down to it, I might have lost £40, but thats small beer to the £7000+ I used to spend in store per year.
As a matter of principle I have stopped shopping there. If everybody did the same, there would be plenty of space in the Morrisons carpark… And they wouold be welcome to it.
January 10, 2010 at 6:06 pm |
Shame you paid it John, still at least next time you know not to bother as all you get is a few threatening letters from the same person under different names and guises.
January 10, 2010 at 6:09 pm |
visit the consumer foreum website and you will read all about the tickets we have had and the advise given
March 14, 2010 at 10:27 am |
[…] Morrinsons – parking charge notice And further advice here from a Morrisons/Parking Eye website Received a “ticket”? What to do next.. Carparkreigate's Blog Ignore everything – Parking Eye are not in the business of doing court as they know the outcome […]
April 23, 2010 at 8:33 pm |
[…] set up to counteract a Morrisons / Parking Eye scam here which will confim that ignore works Received a “ticket”? What to do next.. Carparkreigate's Blog Yes you will get a lot of threaten junk mail purporting to be from debt collectors and Solicitors […]
July 20, 2010 at 9:21 pm |
Watchdog confirms you can ignore ALL “fines” & letters you receive from Parking Eye. 🙂
July 20, 2010 at 10:18 pm |
Excellent – many thanks for the link.
August 6, 2010 at 10:51 am |
Thank you for the Watchdog clip and the advice. I will continue to try not to attract tickets, but if I do receive any I’ll ignore them.
I have not shopped or spent a single £0 in Morrison’s since they stung me for £40 last June. The loss to them in this time period is about £5K.
I also normally follow rules and would respect car parking restrictions of the retailer, eg not parking there if I wasn’t shopping there, but I don’t for this car park. I park there and never shop at Morrisons. WHY? Because of their arrogant stance and their arrogant replies to my complaint re this fine last year.
I’m off shopping to Reigate now. I won’t be buying anything at Morrisons but I will park there. Sod them.
August 6, 2010 at 1:44 pm |
No one need contact parking eye or morrisons, dont bother doing anything but ignore and laugh at all the official looking court letters etc.
In fact go back and get more tickets from private parking companies like P.Eye, NCP etc see if you can collect a set of them!
August 20, 2010 at 12:45 pm |
I received a ‘parking fine’ notice from Parking Eye. I wrote back stating I was not the driver, although I am the registered keeper and they should take this matter up with the driver (all true) and sent it recorded delivery. I did not state who the driver was. I did this just in case it ever went to court, where they would not have a leg to stand on, contract-wise. I got a couple more letters threatening bailiffs (not possible without a court order) and then they stopped. If I get one in future, the advice now is not to write back, as it’s a waste of time, and just ignore all letters and threats.
January 14, 2011 at 10:16 am |
Colin
Have these maggots left you completely alone now?
Thanks
Tim
August 21, 2010 at 8:57 am |
Yep just ignore. A private company cannot issue “fines” only make them look like it and send threatening letters. If you so desire then TAKE them to court, they wont turn up and you will get awarded costs probably!
September 15, 2010 at 4:52 pm |
great blog thank you
September 23, 2010 at 2:14 pm |
On the flip side though, I rarely shop in reigate itself, but quite often visit Morrison’s supermarket. I find the crammed car park and struggle to find a space annoying and a waster of time at peak times e.g. Saturdays. I can see that Morrison’s are losing business from people parking in the carpark whilst not using the supermarket.
October 1, 2010 at 1:10 pm |
Hi there fellow “Parking Eye Scamee’s / Victims”
My wife got one of these tickets in the local Co – Op in Baildon West Yorks.
This little “try on” made my blood boil from “minute one” when my wife told me about it.
The poor (trustingly honest) girl was actually gonna pay the thing til I gave her a crash course in common sense related to the law.
Coincidentally it coincided to the very night with the Anne Robinson Watchdog feature, which gave me strength in fighting these peaople.
Very simply I sent a long letter requesting them to submit all details they would seek to rely upon in court to justify their charge.
I also asked them to provide the details of the “statutory instrument” passed by either Central Or Local Govt. which gave them the legal validity to issue the “fine”.
Guess what? They ignored me and just upped the finre amount.
Undetterred, I sent another letter back with a load more challenges included plus a copy of the first letter asking for a reply.
This tim I got 2 nice pictures of my wifes car arriving and leaving.
I replied again and asked when there VCR & TIME KEEPIING EQUIPMENT were last checked and calibrated – I requested service records to prove it was accurate etc etc.
Now becoming exasperated, they actuall wrote a letter to me.
It didnt answer any of my questions as to proof of legal validity of issue whatsoever but assured me that “IT WAS” Legal and that if I paid up, they would accept the original amount.
I closed matters by informing them that they had bluffed and blustered but weeks on, they had not provided ONE SHRED of legal proof to support their charge and I challenged them to put my wife in court.
THREE MONTHS ON – Guess what we have heard NOTHING – They have gone away as I knew they would, because very simply these pieces of paper are very simply unenforceable – DO NOT PAY ONE PENNY my friends.
Bl**dy chancers ! c-:
January 5, 2011 at 10:01 am |
Mike
Have Parking Eye left you completely alone now?
Got a £40 PCN from these maggots just before and have so far not paid, depite being a bit worried by their threats.
Thanks
Tim
October 1, 2010 at 3:50 pm |
Actually having read you good peoples comments, thinking it through –
“WE” are now giving serious thought to INVOICING THEM for “OUR” ADMIN TIME” in dealing with their spurious claim for monies which they know were “unenforceable”!
Mmmm – thats an interesting thought as a “test case”!
Watch this space !
Mike
October 13, 2010 at 5:22 pm |
I received a ticket from Parking Eye in Sheffield opposite Hillsbrough Mall and thanks to all those who have taken time to give this information. I was nearly ready to pay the fine when I decided to check who the BPA are and found this site and their dirty and greedy tactics to extract money so cunningly from unsuspecting people.
There should be a campaign against these vultures. They are the same ilk as clampers. Thank goodness for the internet!
October 22, 2010 at 12:08 pm |
Yes, don’t be fooled into believing that the BPA is some sort of regulatory authority like OFCOM or OFGEM. It’s not, it’s a trade association for the parking “industry” and has no official standing.
October 24, 2010 at 8:15 pm |
FYI, I got “caught” by Parking Eye in Bradford and followed the advice on PePiPoo. I ignored them, it went away. I blogged about it and their lawyers have claimed my post if “defamatory” and demanded that it’s taken down. My web host has agreed and told me they will pull my entire domain offline if I refuse.
Thing is, no judge had said it’s defamatory. A lawyer acting for them has – this is hugely different. Also, claims of defamation can be waved away if the article in question is in the “public interest”. Informing people of the fact they’re not obliged to pay “charges” levied by these cowboys falls into that category.
However, I’m taking the post off as I don’t want to lose my blog.
On the upside… prior to the demand for take-down the blog post had 40 hits. 5 days later and it’s on 405. Plus the 270+ on MoneySavingExpert.com where I mirrored it so it remains once I pull mine. And the other copy an a friend’s US-hosted blog.
Parking Eye shooting themselves in the foot? I do think so.
If I may – the location of the original post (until this evening, when it will contain links to the mirrors) is http://j.mp/bdZzVH
December 19, 2010 at 11:02 am |
Please never ever pay these ‘fines’ if you receive one. These companies are relying on frightening you. I have one of these ‘fines’ from Parking Eye – they have two chances of getting money out of me – one is ‘fat’ and the other ‘no’.
April 16, 2011 at 11:30 am |
Yeah don`t worry about these threats. Continue to ignore.
If I gave you a fine for £50 because I don`t like the colour of your shoes, would you pay it!!! Even if I used red ink and big scary words on A4, still the same answer. Absolutely nothing to worry about.
April 16, 2011 at 9:04 pm |
Ignore anything from Parking Eye. I got one of their ridiculously non-legally-enforceable demands when I parked in Bradford about 2 years ago and ignored it with no comeback whatsoever.
My worst dealing was when they got some third party shyster lawyer group to threaten me with legal action as I had “defamed” them on a blog post. Unfortunately, my web host insisted I remove the post as (under current legislation, due to some decision a few years ago) they would have been found liable not me.
So I cross-posted it in 4 other places. And advertised it heavily. The post went from around 20-30 views on my blog to well over 3000 views across the sites in a matter of days. Great way to try and get me to shut up, Parking Eye you useless bunch of pirates.
FYI, and I hope this is allowed, my experiences linked from here:
June 28, 2011 at 5:34 pm |
hi wondering if anyone could help me i visited the morrison car park to pick up a mate, and he ended up taking alonger time than expected, almost near an hour. i did not how ever leave the car unattended just waited in one of the parking bays. so they sent a fine through post that i didnt buy a ticket. why woould i buy a ticket if i come to pick some one up.
any help woukld b greatful
June 28, 2011 at 5:45 pm |
There are no ‘tickets’ to buy. It is controlled by cameras which photograph your numberplate and send you a ‘Parking Charge Notice’ if you stay more than two hours. It is nothing more than an invoice. Just ignore it, and all the following letters (which will sound increasingly threatening). Eventually they will give up.
They cannot do anything. They cannot prove YOU parked there – just that a car with a number plate registered at your address parked there. You are under no obligation to tell them who was driving that car that day.
Have a look around this blog – all the advice is to IGNORE< IGNORE…..
June 28, 2011 at 7:36 pm |
Totally ignore! Read on here till convinced, I took a bit of convincing with my NCP ticket in worthing, If you are not convinced then contact me on facebook and I will get the proof you need from the consumer action group. All these private companies CANNOT issue “fines” just as much as if I sent you an invoice made to look like a parking fine or in this case the one that comes through the post and I said pay me £100000 because I dont like the colour of your shoes! Would you pay? I hope not! Would I like you to pay? Yep! It would go towards my bigger house and better car! They dont have an appeals process they just send out a standard letter saying pay and threats of court and big words like CCJ and Balif and use RED INK too!
All done to scare and they WON`T take you to court, they would LOSE. I am so certaqin of this that I went in there to get a ticket! to add to my collection of scam parking companies that dont have a leg to stand on. And dont even contact them or talk to them or write in ANY form as it just makes them think, worried one here they may be fool enough to pay up!
June 29, 2011 at 3:27 pm |
well what exactly happened was i appealed against it but as expected it was rejected, so do you still reckon its worth me ignoring it or just righting back telling them that am happy for them to take me to court.
thank you for the advice
June 29, 2011 at 3:41 pm |
also Andy i tried looking for you on face book but looks like there is too many Andy Humphrey lol sorry
May 28, 2013 at 10:09 pm |
Not sure if you can email me with info ob here?
June 29, 2011 at 6:57 pm |
Yeah still ignore! I did the same with NCP.
Email me AndyA2B@hotmail.co.uk
February 7, 2012 at 10:32 pm |
we had a ticket so we appealed against it twice but as usual it was rejected .However we sent a copy of the recipt from that day so we paid our ticket . Few days after we went to Morrison and explained what happened to one of the manager ,Claire Meyer , she was very nice and kind she told us that she will write to them hopefully they will lesten , 3 -4 days latter we recived a cheuqe of £40 , big thanks to Claire Meyer.
June 11, 2012 at 3:50 pm |
Glad to read what I was planning to do (nothing) is all you need to do to get rid of them..
I actually laughed when I opened the letter with the notice, haha.
Cant wait to receive their threats… probably the standard “we will take you to court if you do not pay within 24hrs of receiving this letter”
I get letters like that all the time for the past 3-4 yrs from different disputes so this one will mean nothing to me.
May 28, 2013 at 9:38 am |
I’m currently appealing a parking ticket received by my son who is Australian. He was over in the UK for a couple of weeks for my daughter’s wedding and I insured him on my car. He overstayed in Morrisons carpark by ONE HOUR on a SUNDAY. I have already written and appealed to them explaining the situation, but they clearly didn’t read my letter and just sent back a standard reply asking me to produce a receipt. Since my son and his family were on holiday, they did not keep their receipts. In googling Morrisons to copy them in to my letters, I have discovered that there is all this controversy regarding their parking “laws”. Having read the other comments, there is no way I’m going to pay this parking charge, and it is interesting to see that the contract is with the DRIVER rather than the owner of the car. I was not with him on that day, so I guess they cannot make me pay?
May 28, 2013 at 9:48 pm |
Elaine – long answer short: “you’re correct”.
You did nothing wrong, they can’t make you pay. Good luck to them tracing your son in Australia. Not that they could make him pay either.
May 28, 2013 at 10:05 pm |
Its not council so just ignore it, If in doubt put a post on The Consumer Action Group. They helped me to ignore one from NCP! Saved me £100 extortion! Private companies cannot issue fines.
May 29, 2013 at 10:29 am |
Let me save you a LOT of Time & Worry – this from someone who has beaten these people time & again – Your reply is as follows –
“Dear Sir
I refer to your alleged” PCN” Notice.
I have no intention of paying one penny re this matter as your “Charge Notice” is unenforceable in law – either “Common or Civil” – Please therefore put me in court if you believe otherwise?
Beyond this final reply to you on this matter, should you attempt to harry – hector or demand monies re the same in follow up correspondence, I will report you & your activities as:-
1) Criminal harrassment
&
2) As “acts of fraud” contrary to the Fraud Act of 2006 – in your attempting to make financial gains by deception – by attempting to “Obtain a money transfer by deception”.
Yours etc.
Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms
May 29, 2013 at 1:03 pm |
Save yourself some more money, don`t even waste a stamp!!!
May 29, 2013 at 4:53 pm |
Many thanks to all who responded. I had already sent off two letters – one to the Parking Eye lot and one copied in, (with added comments regarding bad publicity etc.) to Morrisons.
We’ll see what happens!
August 28, 2013 at 6:23 pm |
I got stung with morrisons in loughton, parking eye for spending more than 2 hrs in there store, 2:34 mins, had baby with us and shopping for BBQ items, spent over £50 with them. Paid the parking fine and wrote to morrisons, explaining to them that we were shopping, unload baby push chair, change nappy, feed baby and shopping, they told me to attach parking fine and till receipt and letter to explain. Official reply from Sarah Durham ” in the interest of fairness, there can not be any exceptions” eh how can that be fair then, morrisons are not getting my money ever again and I have made sure everyone else who shops there are aware that Morrison is not a family place with a young baby. Stupidly I paid the fine before watching the watchdog clip.
Why did u bother to make me waste another 60p postage and time to write to morrisons only to be told no, they are complete waste of time, they could have checked the CCTV in store to make sure we were there all the time. Basically it’s another scam cause they get a percentage of penalty fines.
We should make everyone aware of the locations and companies that use parking fines and not use the companies to get our thoughts across
August 28, 2013 at 9:15 pm |
Shame you paid before googling! Tell everyone about PPC`s
August 28, 2013 at 10:20 pm |
There is now a new development to do with Parking Eye.. Over the last few months they have employed a new “legal eagle” who is determined to make a name for herself by issuing hundreds of sets of court papers.. If you do receive court papers you must respond and put in a good defence otherwise PE wil get a default judgement. For help in making that defence go to either the Money Saving Expert website or to PePiPoo.
. There is another twist to this. Even when the shop has ordered Parking Eye to cancel the court papers. They come back and say that they will only do that if the motorist pays them £50.. Otherwise they will press on with the court case. As you see , Parking Eye are not very nice people!.
August 29, 2013 at 5:58 am |
If thats the case then get advice on consumer action group…
August 28, 2013 at 11:25 pm |
My son, who is Australian, received a ticket for 1 hour’s unwitting overstay on a Sunday whilst he was over here in April. After a few letters back and forth to the lovely PE people, they asked for his add in Aus. I gave them a minimal add thinking they wouldn’t pursue it, and told my son to ignore it. Unfortunately they chased immediately and he had already paid it thinking it might cause problems for me if he didn’t. I wrote to Morrisons saying this type of publicity surely wasn’t great for them, of course I didn’t receive the courtesy of a reply. Boycott Morrisons, I say, well the Reigate branch anyway.
April 21, 2015 at 9:30 am |
PLEASE NOTE
DO NOT IGNORE THE PARKING CHARGE NOTICE!
Parking eye are issuing their charges under POPLA and these can not be ignored. Go to the Moneysaving expert forums as linked at the top of this blog for advice. Read the NEWBIES “sticky” thread here..http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=163 first and than start your own thread.
April 23, 2015 at 5:31 pm |
Go to consumer action group for the best advice.