My appeals for 2 parking fines have been dismissed by IAS

[DownOnLuck]

Last Autumn, I took my son to an English tutor to help prepare him for his impending 11+ exam. The estate consisted of many high rise apartments and I called the tutor to help me find which building was hers. She came down and guided me to her car park and said it would be ok to park there. I did not notice any signage and she was unaware of the signs either (as she does not own a car). I subsequently received 2 Notice To Keepers and was stunned. I appealed both on the grounds that I was unaware and didn’t see the sign as it was positioned too high, not lit and the wall it was situated on was covered in scaffolding. The appeals went back and forth for months. It went to adjudication and I have been advised that my cases have been dismissed and I have to pay £200 by today, or else I get late payment fees of £120. They stated that there were plenty of other signs on the estate but they are in other car parks or in places you just drive past, trying to avoid oncoming vehicles as after cars have parked on the actual street, it only allows one way traffic at a time. *What should I do, as £200 is a lot of money to me? I’m a single parent on a low income.

[ostell]

The IAS will reject any appeal.* Who are the parking company?

Can you get pictures of the car park and the lack of visible signs?

Ask the tutor if she has the right to parking for herself and visitors written into her lease
*

[DownOnLuck]

Thanks for your reply. They are the VCS. If I call them and ask them to put the case in hold whilst I seek legal advice, are they obliged to do so or will they stick the charges on top? I’ve asked the tutor to check her lease. Thanks for your help.

[ostell]

Don't phone any parking companies !* Just get the info if you can and we'll go from there

If the tutor had the right to park the VCS possibly can't claim from you

[DownOnLuck]

Hi,

Despite texting the tutor several times and her agreeing to check her lease, she is ignoring me again.

Today I have received two invoices with added late payment charges, totalling £320.

What shall I do now?

[ostell]

So did you go back there and take photographs to show the lack of signs?

[DownOnLuck]

Hi Ostell, I’ve finally heard back from the tutor. Her lease mentions the permit parking.
I returned back just to measure how high the sign was but didn’t take photos. It’s a 45 minute drive away. In my appeal, the VCS attached a Word document containing page upon page of close up signs (which I think was very misleading). They also attached photos of the wrong car park (which I made them remove) and the wrong position of my car. Shall I return to take those photos?

[DownOnLuck]

Hi, I returned to the car park at the weekend and took photos. Would you like to see them? Thanks again

[ploddertom]

Hi, I returned to the car park at the weekend and took photos. Would you like to see them? Thanks again

Of course we do.

[DownOnLuck]

[DownOnLuck]

[DownOnLuck]

The photos above are for the second time I parked there. My car was parked in the first spot where you walk onto the road’s pavement and through the front of the building.*

[DownOnLuck]

[DownOnLuck]

When I asked VCS why someone had taken photos of every aspect of my car but not given me a ticket, they said DVLA advised them to abolish ‘soft ticketing’. DVLA have advised me twice that they have nothing to do with private parking laws. Soft ticketing is apparently where they issue a note on your car to say that you ‘may’ have been caught parking illegally and to check. My argument is that if I had received a ticket on my car the first time, I would never parked there again, especially not 3 days later.