Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Private parking tickets => Topic started by: 9pm on November 05, 2024, 12:12:46 pm
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Thanks very much for that. I shall indeed go down that route.
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Have you had any joy with Autoglass?
I would like to test this in court and have no concern over costs. How does that step work?
Regarding court action, the ball would essentially be in G24's court. If the IAS reject an appeal, the next step will be that G24 pass the matter onto debt collectors. They will send a series of scary sounding letters over a period of time, but they are powerless and can be ignored. They'll eventually give up and pass the matter back to G24. If they decide to sue, you will then receive a Letter Of Claim. If you receive such a letter come back here for advice.
They have up to 6 years from the date of the parking incident to raise a court claim (although there's no good reason for it to take that long and it usually doesn't). Nevertheless if you move house before October 2030 and the matter is not resolved, you should write to G24 to provide your new address.
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Hi there,
Thank you for the advice. Could you please elaborate slightly on the next steps?
I have appealed to G24 which was obviously rejected. I want to appeal to IAS but I cannot get the website to recognise the PCN number.
Assuming I can get that working and THAT appeal is rejected what are the next steps?
I would like to test this in court and have no concern over costs. How does that step work?
Thank you
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What have Autoglass said? Plan A is to always complain to the authorised business at the location or the landowner or their agent.
A Plan B appeal to G24 and a Plan C appeal to the (not) Independent Appeals Service (IAS) are unlikely to ever be successful. Unless Plan A works, you will be left with Plan D which is to challenge the alleged debt in the ultimate dispute resolution service, the small claims track of the county court.
If you really want to put in the time and effort in a futile appeal with the IAS, you could use some of the points below. Personally, I wouldn't bother and I'd get on with my life and wait and see if/when they decide to start litigation.
You can safely ignore any debt collector letters as they are powerless to do anything. Use them as kindling. You only need to let us know if/when you receive a Letter of Claim (LoC) that gives you 30, not 14 days to pay before they will issue a claim.
A claim, once issued, must be responded to but is easy to defend.
,Consider using the following points to challenge this charge nn your appeal to the IAS:
1. Customer of On-Site Business: Emphasise that you were a customer of Autoglass, located within the Homebase car park, and parked as directed by them to receive a windscreen replacement. You were not simply using the car park but were there for a specific service that required an extended period, which was beyond your control as a customer.
2. No Requirement Communicated: Point out that at no time did Autoglass inform you of any parking restrictions, payment requirements, or time limits. As a paying customer of an authorised business within the car park, you reasonably expected parking to be provided without additional costs.
3. Reasonableness and Fairness: Highlight that it would be unreasonable and against the spirit of fair treatment for G24 to penalise genuine customers of businesses operating within the premises. Emphasise that this parking charge fails to recognise legitimate usage tied to an essential service (the windscreen replacement), which could not have been completed within the limited time.
4. Signage and Ambiguity: Challenge whether the signage clearly states that parking restrictions apply to customers using on-site services and that there was no specific instruction from Autoglass to register your vehicle. Mention any lack of clarity in the signage regarding how Autoglass customers should handle parking requirements.
5. Requirement for Evidence: Request that G24 provide proof that they have informed Autoglass customers of parking restrictions and that they prominently display instructions advising such customers to register or obtain authorisation for extended stays. If they cannot provide such evidence, argue that the parking charge is invalid due to lack of clear communication.
6. Single Code of Practice Violation: Refer to the new Single Code of Practice (SCoP), which requires parking operators to act in a way that considers the interests of the landowner’s customers. By failing to take into account the extended time Autoglass required to complete your repair, G24 is disregarding this requirement and unfairly penalising a legitimate customer.
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Hi there,
I'm looking for some advice. I booked into Autoglass Lewisham to get a crack in my windscreen replaced. They are based in the Homebase carpark.
The replacement took about 2.5 hours. I was issued a ticket by G24 for overstay in the carpark.
This seems ridiculous as I was a customer and parked where I was told to by Autoglass. At no point did they say I would have to pay to park nor would I expect to as I was already paying to get windscreen fixed.
I appealed which they rejected in a reply without any mention of Autoglass.
Attached is original ticket and below is reply to appeal.
I will obviously take to independent appeals process so any help much appreciated.
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Thank you for your recent correspondence.
The terms and conditions of the car park are displayed in prominent locations throughout the car park. Any vehicle found in contravention of these terms and conditions is subject to a Contractual Parking Charge Notice. Vehicles entering and exiting the car park are monitored and details of their registration number and time of entry/exit are recorded. Your vehicle was logged entering the car park on the 17 Oct 2024 at 12:58 and exiting 17 Oct 2024 at 15:41. Photographic evidence of the breach of contractual term is provided on your Contractual Parking Charge Notice.
Your vehicle was not authorised to park on the date of the contravention. G24 provide a facility to supply an authorised list of vehicles. We can confirm your vehicle is not on the authorised list.
There are sufficient signs at the entrance to and in prominent locations throughout the car park displaying the terms and conditions. You are welcome to revisit the site to view the signage, we advise you to adhere to the terms and conditions of parking when you are visiting the site.
Our signage complies with the International Parking Community's Code of Practice.
The outstanding amount is £60.00 we look forward to your prompt payment within 14 days.
As your appeal has been rejected, any further correspondence may not receive a response, the options below are still open to you.
You now have one of the following options available to you:
1. Pay the outstanding Parking Charge. Payment of your Contractual Parking Charge Notice can be made via the payment line: 0333 733 3000 or by sending a cheque or postal order to G24 Limited, PO Box 3320, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8WT.
2. If you believe this decision is incorrect, you are entitled to appeal to The Independent Appeals Service (www.theIAS.org), The Independent Appeals Service provides an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme for disputes of this type. As you have complied with our internal appeals procedure you may use, and we will engage with, the The Independent Appeals Service Standard Appeals Service providing you lodge an appeal to them within 28 days of your first rejection.
3. If you choose to do nothing, we will seek to recover the monies owed to us via our debt recovery procedures and may proceed with Court action against you.
Appeals Team
G24 Ltd
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