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Parking fine for South Mimms Meet 14th July

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:13 am
by cebul
Hi, strange thing, I've just received a parking fine form Parking Eye, photo of my car has been taken on South Mimms on that day when we have had South Mimms Honda Meet on 14th of July.

Is anybody received that as well??

I know in the past all participants need to book their registration numbers in hotel, but from last year that been change and nobody who attend in the meeting do not need to book reg number.

I've read some info about that in net and people say just ignore that, but I would like to solve that before they will send another notice, or have some background confirmation about permission for parking there on that day.

So if anybody have some contact number to people who organize that meeting please post it here.

Also what would you do - live it as it is or contact with them??

They send that ticket and photos of my car via normal post, not signature required, so there is no confirmation that I received that, but when I will call them they will now the I have this letter.

Thoughts???

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:37 am
by Confused
Most motorway services have a 2 hour parking limit - I imagine that by supplying your registration number to the hotel on the previous occasions, they have provided this list to ParkingEye to say "they are our customers, they can stay longer than 2 hours"

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:44 pm
by wurlycorner
Not received a fine from Mimms yet, no.

The instructions on whether to register or not, were on their facebook event page, so suggest checking back on that.

With this one, I think you will need to contact them to resolve it. I've spent a lot of time looking into private parking fines (because I got one and wanted to work out what to do myself.)

In summary;
  • Private parking fines in this country can be legally enforced under civil law.
    As long as there are adequate signs up stating what the parking restrictions on the site are, then they can reasonably claim you entered into a binding contract with them.
    That means that they can take you to court for breaking that contract.
    The key point though, is that because it's civil law, what the claimaint has to prove is that they suffered damages as a result of the defendants action. So basically, they have to prove they suffered, for example, loss of earnings.
If the signs at Mimms say 2 hours free and then after that you must pay £x and you stayed longer than 2 hours but didn't pay £x, then they can demonstrate loss of earnings and if they took you to court, it could be found against you. In which case, you are better off contacting them to sort it out in advance.



So to finish this off (why I looked into it)...
In my case, it was a private residents parking area, where visitors had to show a visitors permit and I forgot on this occasion. It was adequately sign posted. However, there was no charge for parking and no charge for residents getting a visitors permit, so therefore as far as I'm concerned, they might be able to prove I broke the contract, but they aren't able to demonstrate any loss of earnings.
As a result, I've just been ignoring them (for 6 months so far), during which time they've must have written at least 10 times, with varying degrees of insistence and theats of going to court, the fine yo-yoing up and down with offers of reduced settlement and then surcharges etc and having gone through 2 different 'independant collection' agencies - who strangely enough when you look up their address or details at companies house, are based at the same place as the parking company and owned by the same group company... ;)

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:39 pm
by indigolemon
Maybe we can play that game too. Can I represent in you in a non legally binding unofficial and unsanctioned way and write to them for you wurly? Loss of earnings due to the time taken to read the letters?

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:44 pm
by taz8520
Just ignore it, I have had delt with about 3 private parking firms in the past, you will get letters for about the next 6 month but just ignore them eventually they will stop ;) :twisted:

Below is the event page on facebook though if needed :)


Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:28 pm
by Sailor
If the correspondence comes from a private/commercial organisation and presents itself as a fine, it's illegal. Fines result from court judgements.

If the piece of paper is in effect an invoice, it has to explain what it's for. As Wurly writes, there must be demonstrable loss of earnings. There aren't, in this case. If the car is moved within the 2 hours and its space is taken up with a new vehicle, the space earns no money.
As others have written, the amount being asked for will vary over time. Typically, it goes up and then starts to drop again. It can't be an invoice, then, can it?

Re: Odp: Parking fine for South Mimms Meet 14th July

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 5:27 pm
by cebul
Just spoken with them and lady on other side of the phone said I need to give her all details of that event writen as official explanation and that should be taken off me so we will see how it will go.