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Parking Charge Notice (x 2) whilst vehicle with Meet & Greet Airport company

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  • Parking Charge Notice (x 2) whilst vehicle with Meet & Greet Airport company

    Hi

    First of all, thank you for your time to read the following and any advice will be gratefully received.

    Basically, I have fallen foul of unsavoury tactics used by a Meet & Greet airport company which I booked through ezybook.co.uk (who act as Agents). Needless to say, the reviews for one of their Clients whom I selected was 'glowing', but would appear in hindsight to be false reviews as there are literally hundreds of negative reviews posted elsewhere on the web which I did not notice until it was too late.

    As said, I booked online via ezybook.co.uk and selected one of their Clients and paid for a 'Meet and Greet' service at LHR. They arrived after a 45 minute telephone chase activity, and my vehicle was eventually collected by their driver. Although late, I put it down to traffic, and thought no more of it and did not cause me any worry over my 14 days holiday. Unfortunately, the events which unfolded upon my return still leave me shocked to the core (1.5 hrs constantly being told '10 mins away', phone being slammed down, discourteous attitude which culminated in my vehicle being delivered on an upper level (contrary to their own T&Cs instructions). Vehicle was abandoned, no driver in attendance, after midnight and was told my keys were on my front passenger tyre! Very large scratch (key) across my bonnet, dashboard changed to km (was usual miles), navigation data cleared. Turned out they had done 170 miles in my vehicle. They do not know that I took a very detailed walkround video when I arrived at their appointed zone at LHR, and also a snapshot of my odometer. So I definitely know it was damaged whilst in their possession, and used for 170 miles.

    So, the following is really the advice I am seeking (the above is just history leading to it).

    On arrival in early hours at home, I opened my mail and saw that I had received 2 x Parking CHARGE Notices.

    The first is from APCOA Parking at Heathrow Airport dated 4 September. Date of issue is 9 September and states that parking charge is £90, or reduced to £45 if paid within 14 days of date of issue. Notice states alleged contravention is that 'parked without payment of the parking charge at Heathrow MSCP5 Terminal 5' and shows a date/time stamp which is AFTER the time I left the vehicle with the driver. For whatever reason, it would appear that the driver had exited the airport without inserting the parking ticket which he had me pay at the Payment Booth on Level 4 and then presented to him. Coincidentally, I actually found my paid parking ticket receipt on the floor of my car. It clearly states I entered Level 4 Short Term Car Park at 19:06 and paid the fee at 19:32 of £5.30. The date stamp on the APCOA Parking PCN shows it exiting at 19:54 (some 22 minutes AFTER I paid and handed the driver my keys and ticket).

    The second is from Parkingeye, another Parking CHARGE Notice. This is dated as 5 September, time was late pm at the Radisson Red and Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre, London. The date of issue is 12 Sep and requests payment of £100.00 within 28 days of date issued (by 10 October), or reduced to £60 if paid by 26 September. Clearly I was overseas on holiday at this time.

    The other worry, is that I am suspecting that due to their 170 miles of unauthorised usage, I may well have a few more PCNs and/or speeding tickets enroute to me.

    Please note that at this time, I have NOT entered into any conversation of any form (phone, email etc etc) with either of these Parking companies as I noticed this advice many times on your forum. I decided to post and ask for advice on how I should handle this.

    For the record, the Meet & Greet company are abusive, unhelpful and not in the least interested. Hence I am not even considering any action on the large key scratch on the bonnet or the mileage done, etc and am prepared to just take this on the chin 'lesson learned'.

    I do already have both the PCN ready for posting if required, and fully redacted.
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Write to the parking companies and tell them that you are the registered keeper but the keeper at the relevant time was the meet & greet company. Any claims should be directed to them.

    Comment


    • #3
      Thank you for your suggestion. My only concern is that on the back of the Notice issued by APCOA Parking it states 'if you were not the driver of the vehicle at the specified time, please provide us with the name of the driver and their current serviceable address and pass this notice on to them.'

      Unfortunately I do not have the name 'of the driver' as no paperwork was handed over. All I have is my receipt for the booking of the service, which shows the name of the company (but not address). However, if I check company house I can see that they have a 'registered address' which looks like the usual 'address service' facility for companies and not their actual location. (Actual location is unknown and not shown on any paperwork).

      Would an address such as this be suitable for me to supply to APCOA Parking and to forward my Parking Charge Notice to?

      Comment


      • #4
        Tell them what you can!
        Lawyer (solicitor) - retired from practice, now in academia. I do not advise by private message.

        Litigants in Person should download and read this: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/..._in_Person.pdf

        Comment


        • #5
          Have a read of POFA. They can only transfer liability from the driver to the KEEPER. As I said you are the regiserd kieeper but not the keeper at the time. POFA provides transfer of liability to the keeper and assumes the registered keeper unless the contrary can be shown.

          You don't have to forward the notice, it's up to APCOA if they want to take it further.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by ostell View Post
            Have a read of POFA. They can only transfer liability from the driver to the KEEPER. As I said you are the regiserd kieeper but not the keeper at the time. POFA provides transfer of liability to the keeper and assumes the registered keeper unless the contrary can be shown.

            You don't have to forward the notice, it's up to APCOA if they want to take it further.


            Thank you once again. So, despite them asking that I forward the Notice to the 'driver' of the vehicle (bearing in mind I do not have their personal details, only the company details) I don't need to do so.

            This morning I appealed online to APCOA stating that I was not the driver at the time as it was in the care of the Meet & Greet company and submitted proof including a copy of the companies invoice showing the booking dates etc; also a copy of my British Airways booking and a copy of the actual paid ticket from the airport parking machine which was handed to the driver to enable to exit. The video evidence that APCOA sent me clearly shows the driver exiting without stopping to insert ticket (close behind vehicle in front and barrier still raised). As mentioned previously, by sheer coincidence I found the parking receipt on the floor of the vehicle upon my return.

            I also sent online appeal to the PCN issued by Parkingeye for use of the Hotel carpark (24 hrs after I had left the country!). Again sent proofs such as flight booking, meet and greet company invoice/booking dates etc.

            Comment


            • #7
              You have to make it quite clear to them that you were not the keeper at the time of the event and therefore have no liability under POFA

              Comment


              • #8
                Thank you again. I consider that I have sent enough proof to them that I was not the driver at the time of the event. I notice you use the phrase 'not the keeper'? I am obviously the registered keeper, but the argument is that I was NOT the driver at the time, yes?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Your argument is that although you are "the registered keeper" you were not "the keeper" at the time of the incidents.

                  PoFA defines keeper:
                  • “keeper” means the person by whom the vehicle is kept at the time the vehicle was parked, which in the case of a registered vehicle is to be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to be the registered keeper;
                  note the italicised part. Argue and prove that you were not the keeper at the relevant times

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    OK thanks DES8, and understood. Is it too late now that I already completed my online appeal and stated that I was not the 'driver' at the time of the incidents. Or that I have messed up now by not using the term 'driver'? Or is it ok that I have emphasised and sent proof that I was not the 'driver'. Just wish I had used the term' keeper'.
                    Chances are that they will turn down the appeal anyway, as that seems to be the norm and then I have to escalate it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Parking companies as a general rule reject appeals (if they accepted them they would never make a profit), so you will probably have to appeal to PoPLA.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by des8 View Post
                        Parking companies as a general rule reject appeals (if they accepted them they would never make a profit), so you will probably have to appeal to PoPLA.
                        Lol!!! Never a truer statement and thanks to all for your help. I will just await their rejections and then appeal to PoPLA. Really appreciated!

                        Comment

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