Hi
I got a parking charge notice near Uxbridge Shopping mall. I am the keeper / owner of the vehicle plate and vehicle was driven by an acquaintance of mine from USA. I checked with him post receiving the notice and he said that street parking looked full, so he turned into an area where there were parking bays. He stopped the car, got out the car, read the notice, understood that its a no parking private area and he drove off. Whole episode may not have taken more than about 90 seconds in total.
I wrote back to the private parking company (Parking Direct UK) explaining the same. I received a letter today denying my appeal and they are saying that as soon as you enter the premises some sort of a contract is breached and my acquaintance should not have parked in the empty bay to read as signs and notices were prominently displayed everywhere and he should have called a number on notices if in doubt. Essentially to me that translates to, while one is driving, they must read notice without stopping. Second thing they have mentioned that my acquaintance dropped off a passenger.
I checked with him and he said that yes, after reading the notice and establishing he could not park their as it was not publicly available parking, he dropped his wife so that she can get on while he goes around the area to find another parking place. This drop off of a passenger is also held against him from the response.
I as owner of the vehicle have no idea as I only gave my car. What are my rights here as owner of the car but also to me, trusting the gentleman whom I gave the car (who resides in NY USA), I am convinced that he hasnt done anything wrong here. He being a foreigner has drove into a place seeing parking bays, stopped in a bay to read the notice, decide to let his wife get out of the car while he immediately drove off within 2 minutes to find another slot.
In my original letter I said to company that grace period should cover the whole episode but aparently in their response they say that grace period was observed but dont say how much is grace allowed and from pictures they are showing, its all within 90 seconds so I trust the driver here and I dont think he has violated anything here.
Driver also told me, he did notice a girl standing pointing a smart phone at his car and he was not sure because he only wanted to read notice and decide, he ignored here and carried on, read the notice, asked her wife to drop off and walk and he drove off to park somewhere else around.
In the response, now the company says either pay reduced £60 or go to IAS and challenge it. They are saying once I go to IAS, I will loose £60.
Kindly guide. Honestly speaking, I am finding the whole thing outrageous that someone can not even stop to read the notice and fact that while they read the notice by parking cleanly in a bay so no one is obstructed and decided that they can not park and ask wife to get off the car makes them breach some sort of a contract (all for under 2 minutes?).
Please guide. Many thanks in anticipation.
I got a parking charge notice near Uxbridge Shopping mall. I am the keeper / owner of the vehicle plate and vehicle was driven by an acquaintance of mine from USA. I checked with him post receiving the notice and he said that street parking looked full, so he turned into an area where there were parking bays. He stopped the car, got out the car, read the notice, understood that its a no parking private area and he drove off. Whole episode may not have taken more than about 90 seconds in total.
I wrote back to the private parking company (Parking Direct UK) explaining the same. I received a letter today denying my appeal and they are saying that as soon as you enter the premises some sort of a contract is breached and my acquaintance should not have parked in the empty bay to read as signs and notices were prominently displayed everywhere and he should have called a number on notices if in doubt. Essentially to me that translates to, while one is driving, they must read notice without stopping. Second thing they have mentioned that my acquaintance dropped off a passenger.
I checked with him and he said that yes, after reading the notice and establishing he could not park their as it was not publicly available parking, he dropped his wife so that she can get on while he goes around the area to find another parking place. This drop off of a passenger is also held against him from the response.
I as owner of the vehicle have no idea as I only gave my car. What are my rights here as owner of the car but also to me, trusting the gentleman whom I gave the car (who resides in NY USA), I am convinced that he hasnt done anything wrong here. He being a foreigner has drove into a place seeing parking bays, stopped in a bay to read the notice, decide to let his wife get out of the car while he immediately drove off within 2 minutes to find another slot.
In my original letter I said to company that grace period should cover the whole episode but aparently in their response they say that grace period was observed but dont say how much is grace allowed and from pictures they are showing, its all within 90 seconds so I trust the driver here and I dont think he has violated anything here.
Driver also told me, he did notice a girl standing pointing a smart phone at his car and he was not sure because he only wanted to read notice and decide, he ignored here and carried on, read the notice, asked her wife to drop off and walk and he drove off to park somewhere else around.
In the response, now the company says either pay reduced £60 or go to IAS and challenge it. They are saying once I go to IAS, I will loose £60.
Kindly guide. Honestly speaking, I am finding the whole thing outrageous that someone can not even stop to read the notice and fact that while they read the notice by parking cleanly in a bay so no one is obstructed and decided that they can not park and ask wife to get off the car makes them breach some sort of a contract (all for under 2 minutes?).
Please guide. Many thanks in anticipation.
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