[Help] Parking charge - for practising manoeuvres

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Just apply a little common sense. Perhaps there was a better place to park - but a short visit to practice parking should not result in a penalty notice.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

, but if you wilfully misuse a car park.

Ha ha. Brilliant. Will no-one think of the car parks

 

[Jovis]

did i miss something where they said there was a twenty minute grace period? If that is the case then yes, of course it should be contested- but I have just re read the OP and nowhere is a grace period mentioned. That being the case have you just plucked a twenty minute grace period out of the air? in which case why 20 and not 30?

Brighton station has a drop of point and you get however many minutes, but perhaps they were not in the drop of place-but the short or long stay car park.

Car Parking charges are a pain in the neck- we all know it, but if you wilfully misuse a car park,( driving around practising driving manoeuvres isn't using the car park properly) and don't pay the fee why come on here complaining when you get found out.

Err, I must have missed the bit where I was complaining? Just posted asking for advice, much of which has been very helpful.

I have appealed, asking for more information on the grace period agreed by the landowner and the period they allege the vehicle was there for. It’s not mentioned on the notice and the time codes on the photos aren’t readable. We’ll see how we go.

Thanks all for your comments and advice.

 

[Brok]

Just tell them your daughter tried out a few of their parking places, didn't fancy any of them, so left.

 

[swindonseagull]

its a railway carpark, not a scam. wtf should you not have to pay to use a legitimate carpark. All they had to do was pay the appropriate parking fee when they should have. its not like it was a bit of waste ground with a tiny little notice hidden away somewhere. Railway carparks have big **** off signs at the entrance, exits, and throughout saying what is and isnt allowed.
Dont like the car park rules- go somewhere else to practice parking- which they in all probability shouldnt have been doing in the car park in the first place

I tend to agree. Car parks are not meant to practice parking manoeuvres
You can get hold of some bollards and do that anywhere , I don’t like the idea of L plate drivers practicing reverse parking next to expensive card that are paid for to be in that car park for safe keeping.

 

[Icy Gull]

its a railway carpark, not a scam. wtf should you not have to pay to use a legitimate carpark. All they had to do was pay the appropriate parking fee when they should have. its not like it was a bit of waste ground with a tiny little notice hidden away somewhere. Railway carparks have big **** off signs at the entrance, exits, and throughout saying what is and isnt allowed.
Dont like the car park rules- go somewhere else to practice parking- which they in all probability shouldnt have been doing in the car park in the first place

Not offence intended but, to me, you are coming across as a bit of a jobsworth

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

We got a parking ticket in the car park up the side of Starbucks in Broadwater. I was already in grabbing the drinks, when my girlfriend entered said car park, turned around and picked me up outside. Barely even stopping. Two weeks later we got a letter with about 40 photos attached of me carrying coffee to the car!

 

[Half Time Pies]

its a railway carpark, not a scam. wtf should you not have to pay to use a legitimate carpark. All they had to do was pay the appropriate parking fee when they should have. its not like it was a bit of waste ground with a tiny little notice hidden away somewhere. Railway carparks have big **** off signs at the entrance, exits, and throughout saying what is and isnt allowed.
Dont like the car park rules- go somewhere else to practice parking- which they in all probability shouldnt have been doing in the car park in the first place

If only life was that simple, dig a little deeper and you find that most of these parking companies have a business model that reliant on them receiving fines in order to make money. Think about that for a minute, no fines, no profit! Its a business model where the operators actually want to find an excuse to hit you with additional charges!

Its unsurprising therefore to find that a lot of the signage is pretty unclear and the T's and C's are pretty confusing and that even legitimate appeals are waved away with little regard for the circumstances surrounding them. If the original posters daughter was aware of the potential charges would she have entered the car park? I very much doubt it, so how can anyone say with confidence that she wilfully entered in to a contract with them?

 

[Timbo]

My wife was recently taken to court by Parking Eye, it was telephone thing and all she did was sit there while the judge tore Parking Eye a new one. One of the thing's he threw it out on was that Parking Eye didn't even have permission to administer charges in the car park, they just had an email from the hospital that said 'yeah that's fine, go ahead'. So that's always one thing worth checking.

 

[nickbrighton]

Not offence intended but, to me, you are coming across as a bit of a jobsworth

no offence taken, and i may have come across sounding harsh, my point was simply-that on the information given in the OP, the driver went onto a private car park, didn't pay the amount required, there is no mention of a free period, and then wonders why they get a parking ticket.

i hope if they appeal they win, but for the life of me (unless the signs say free period, or are well hidden, but given it is a railway car park thats unlikely) why is anyone surprised or thinks they should not have got a ticket? Car parks are notorious for the very aggressive way they adhere to the rules.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I tend to agree. Car parks are not meant to practice parking manoeuvres
You can get hold of some bollards and do that anywhere , I don’t like the idea of L plate drivers practicing reverse parking next to expensive card that are paid for to be in that car park for safe keeping.

Completely off topic but that's quite a lot of bollards to mark out a whole parking space. And what about going over the lines (or, in your case flattening bollards) when parking, which I'm given to believe is quite common on a forward bay park and wouldn't fail a test. I would have thought a car park is the perfect place to practice parking (a free one !) just like letting them drive on normal roads where there are also expensive cars is the perfect place to learn to drive.

I thought that was how everyone learnt

 

[swindonseagull]

Completely off topic but that's quite a lot of bollards to mark out a whole parking space. And what about going over the lines (or, in your case flattening bollards) when parking, which I'm given to believe is quite common on a forward bay park and wouldn't fail a test. I would have thought a car park is the perfect place to practice parking (a free one !) just like letting them drive on normal roads where there are also expensive cars is the perfect place to learn to drive.

I thought that was how everyone learnt

I would just worry about the learner reversing into parked cars..

I’m sure in this case the car was not dual controlled by the licenced driving school teacher if it was a pukka driving school I am guessing it would not be happening in a paid and camera controlled car park.

I get mega stressed if someone dinks my door with their car door let alone a learner reversing into my car when I’m not there..

As you said everyone has to learn somewhere but some cars ( not mine) are very very expensive and put in car parks for safe secure parking.

 

[drew]

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jul/12/shell-issues-60-penalty-after-woman-stops-to-breastfeed-baby

When 'consumer champions' in national newspapers don't give the kind of advice that you've mentioned there regarding these spurious parking charges, it's hardly surprising that an average schmo like me isn't all over it...

Good to know now though, so thanks for the info

Terms and conditions do not need to be signed but they do need to be displayed where they can be seen.

 

[drew]

I tend to agree. Car parks are not meant to practice parking manoeuvres
You can get hold of some bollards and do that anywhere , I don’t like the idea of L plate drivers practicing reverse parking next to expensive card that are paid for to be in that car park for safe keeping.

So you're quite happy that someone who has only ever practiced using cones, can leave a test centre with their pass certificate and park next to your expensive car!!! Truly bizzare.

 

[drew]

Completely off topic but that's quite a lot of bollards to mark out a whole parking space. And what about going over the lines (or, in your case flattening bollards) when parking, which I'm given to believe is quite common on a forward bay park and wouldn't fail a test. I would have thought a car park is the perfect place to practice parking (a free one !) just like letting them drive on normal roads where there are also expensive cars is the perfect place to learn to drive.

I thought that was how everyone learnt

Especially when, if you have to do a forward bay park on your test, it will be done in a public car park!!

 

[Worthing exile]

Terms and conditions do not need to be signed but they do need to be displayed where they can be seen.

and be fair and reasonable.

 

[Jovis]

I would just worry about the learner reversing into parked cars..

I’m sure in this case the car was not dual controlled by the licenced driving school teacher if it was a pukka driving school I am guessing it would not be happening in a paid and camera controlled car park.

I get mega stressed if someone dinks my door with their car door let alone a learner reversing into my car when I’m not there..

As you said everyone has to learn somewhere but some cars ( not mine) are very very expensive and put in car parks for safe secure parking.

Get your point, but as I said in the OP, the reason it was chosen for bay parking practice is because it was empty. Would normally be packed with commuter cars, but not for the last 16 months!

 

[sully]

Car parks are notorious for the very aggressive way they adhere to the rules.

Nope. Car park operators are notorious for making up fake charges and trying to bully people into paying them. It would help us all immensely if more people would fight their practices rather than saying “I can’t be arsed. It’s only £60”.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I would just worry about the learner reversing into parked cars..

I’m sure in this case the car was not dual controlled by the licenced driving school teacher if it was a pukka driving school I am guessing it would not be happening in a paid and camera controlled car park.

I get mega stressed if someone dinks my door with their car door let alone a learner reversing into my car when I’m not there..

As you said everyone has to learn somewhere but some cars ( not mine) are very very expensive and put in car parks for safe secure parking.

I'm probably just feeling overly protective to young kids with 'L' plates. Out driving this afternoon, I stopped at a mini roundabout as a learner driver had priority. They were a little bit slow pulling out so some **** coming from their right put their foot down hard and accelerated towards them so they could then 'bib' their horn at them.

It was some bloke, on his own in his 50s or 60s and I just thought 'why on earth would you do that to a young kid ?'

I have to say that in my experience, I find the worst drivers, in terms of aggression are men in their 50's and 60's and I say that as ..... ......... ...........you can guess the rest

 

[nickbrighton]

Nope. Car park operators are notorious for making up fake charges and trying to bully people into paying them. It would help us all immensely if more people would fight their practices rather than saying “I can’t be arsed. It’s only £60”.

or alternatively, just pay the 50p per 15mins or whatever the actual charge is in the first place then you dont have to be arsed to pay the £60 fine, or dont use the bloody car park in the first place if you dont want to pay or risk a fine for not

i agree the fines are extortionate but its pretty easy not to get one