The Student Room Group

£50 parking charge!!

Hi i parked in a sainsburys car park (entered by getting a ticket and barrier opened) parked then went off to local area came back 6 hours later went to pay ticket screen comes as £50 DAM!!! then i see the sign above saying 2 hour max, over 2 hour is £50.
in all fairness it is my fault,
when i tried to pay my card was refused then the attended took a picture of my licence plate and said he will send me a bill and opened the barrier . i tried to plea with him but he wasnt having it i was close to getting violent so left it and was with company , this was today. so i have a week until i get the bill but there must be some way i can avoid paying it i might appeal saying that i turned into the carpark via roundabout and had no chance to see the sign or something (safety first right :P).
i really have limited cash so will be hit hard if i have to pay it as im not working at the moment.
any advise ?the carpark is sainsburys in chiswick, west london if that helps.
Reply 1
I doubt you'll get out of it because you "accidentally" stayed there for 6 hours. I think the best offer I've ever seen was "3 hours free parking" at a shopping centre. 6 hours is just pushing it. You might be able to get out of a 50p barrier charge through turning around, but 6 hours, really?
Reply 2
If you get a letter from a private parking firm demanding X amount of money within X amount of days then I would ignore it. They will threaten you with court or even say if you pay within half the time scale it will be £50 instead of £100 etc but the bottom line is they have no powers to demand money from you. It's not a 'fine' as they have no authority to be dishing out fines (unlike the police). It's actually a speculative invoice.

There's loads online about this, had it happen personally and to friends and I've never known one person to be taken to court or have anything come of the matter.

They'll send you countless letters threatening court, then a final demand letter in which case you reply politely asking them to stop harassing you or you will seek legal action and bluff your solicitor has a copy of all communications. You will more than likely never hear from them again. After all, they are not going to take someone to court for £50 as it would cost 5 times that in legal fees.
Reply 3
Ignore it and bin all correspondence relating to it - do not communicate with them in any way
Reply 4
Ignore rig just pay it, they're likely to send it to a debt collector otherwise... Sainsburys are dicks like that and the ones in chiswick are little hitlers :colonhash:
Reply 5
Original post by cl_steele
Ignore rig just pay it, they're likely to send it to a debt collector otherwise... Sainsburys are dicks like that and the ones in chiswick are little hitlers :colonhash:


It costs too much and takes too long too go through the civil courts

It also has to be proven in court that a contract was agreed to etc etc

This is why sensible drivers ignore it and parking companies do not follow up with enforceable legal stuff

Just google for similar situations and you will see that I am correct
Reply 6
Where was the sign to this located? Inside or outside the car park?

And also, don't pay it, I certainly wouldn't, they won't take legal action.
Reply 7
Original post by ROG.
It costs too much and takes too long too go through the civil courts

It also has to be proven in court that a contract was agreed to etc etc

This is why sensible drivers ignore it and parking companies do not follow up with enforceable legal stuff

Just google for similar situations and you will see that I am correct


I never said anything about legal action I said debt collectors who are much nastier...
Reply 8
Original post by cl_steele
I never said anything about legal action I said debt collectors who are much nastier...


Debt collectors have as much legal right to demand money as I do. If you're considering paying the £50 charge then I suggest you pay me too. PM me for my paypal details ::smile:
Reply 9
thanks guys, ill look forward to the letter and shove it up my arse (figuratively).
will post the updates in due time. thanks again.
Reply 10
Original post by Juno
Debt collectors have as much legal right to demand money as I do. If you're considering paying the £50 charge then I suggest you pay me too. PM me for my paypal details ::smile:


Maybe but debt collectors can also break into your house and sell off your stuff...
Reply 11
Original post by cl_steele
Maybe but debt collectors can also break into your house and sell off your stuff...


No they can't. Or they can, but only in the same way that I can.

Bailiffs can enter your home if they can do so peacefully - ie if a door or window is open. But bailiffs have to be sent by a court, and you have to have defaulted on your CCJ. A parking charge is probably not going to get that far.
Reply 12
Original post by Juno
No they can't. Or they can, but only in the same way that I can.

Bailiffs can enter your home if they can do so peacefully - ie if a door or window is open. But bailiffs have to be sent by a court, and you have to have defaulted on your CCJ. A parking charge is probably not going to get that far.


youd be suprised... the mother ignored one from the local train station to find 3 very unfriendly goons standing on our doorstep last year, needless to say she has payed the parking fines since :tongue:
Reply 13
Original post by matt123roll
If you get a letter from a private parking firm demanding X amount of money within X amount of days then I would ignore it. They will threaten you with court or even say if you pay within half the time scale it will be £50 instead of £100 etc but the bottom line is they have no powers to demand money from you. It's not a 'fine' as they have no authority to be dishing out fines (unlike the police). It's actually a speculative invoice.

There's loads online about this, had it happen personally and to friends and I've never known one person to be taken to court or have anything come of the matter.

They'll send you countless letters threatening court, then a final demand letter in which case you reply politely asking them to stop harassing you or you will seek legal action and bluff your solicitor has a copy of all communications. You will more than likely never hear from them again. After all, they are not going to take someone to court for £50 as it would cost 5 times that in legal fees.


That's all changed now I thought because of the no-clamp rule. And if they took you to court, the fine would be considerbly more than £50.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 14
Original post by cl_steele
youd be suprised... the mother ignored one from the local train station to find 3 very unfriendly goons standing on our doorstep last year, needless to say she has payed the parking fines since :tongue:


Local train station will be different to Sainsbury's. Train station tickets are usually under byelaws, whereas Sainsbury's will be a private company that has no legal right to money. Still, if they were just debt collectors and not bailiffs there are limited in what they can do - they can't force entry and can't remove belongings.
Original post by ROG.
It costs too much and takes too long too go through the civil courts

It also has to be proven in court that a contract was agreed to etc etc

This is why sensible drivers ignore it and parking companies do not follow up with enforceable legal stuff

Just google for similar situations and you will see that I am correct


Surely it is easy to proof a contract was agreed to, as a ticket was taken to gain access to the car park however - and then the driver gave his name and address to the security guard with the knowledge he would be charged the £50. He could quite easily be taken through the small claims court, and I would think it would be difficult to prove that a contract wasn't formed.
Reply 16
As said, ignore it. What they gonna do? I wouldn't try and park there again though.


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