Author Topic: Airport  (Read 2529 times)

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Re: Airport
« Reply #31 on: »
Can someone help me with this please. Earlier in thread a poster said in the event of this coming someone would help me with it. It's a bit worrying isn't it I'd really appreciate someone's help with how to respond.  :)

Thanks
Dave

Re: Airport
« Reply #32 on: »
Do please be patient, this is a busy forum run for free by volunteers.

I should be able to take a better look at this on Sunday. In the meantime, if you search for any other cases involving VCS at airports (they also operate at Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon) you may find some similar cases.

Your defence will be relatively brief, a concise admit/deny/unable to admit or deny to each of their points, with reasons as to why no money is owed. The main points are likely to be (1) That no contract was formed (due to no consideration offered by VCS) (2) That even if the terms were capable of forming a contract (which is denied) they were impossible to comply with (a driver must be able to stop for safety reasons etc.) and (3) VCS do not know who was driving, and cannot recover the charges from the registered keeper using PoFA, as the airport is not relevant land.

Re: Airport
« Reply #33 on: »
Thank you. Please write more on Sunday. I'll do those things for now..

Dave

Re: Airport
« Reply #34 on: »
Hopefully you have found some similar threads. Your defence is yours, but you could make some of your points using wording along these lines as a framework:

(1) The Defendant denies that the Claimant is entitled to relief in the sum claimed, or at all.
(2) It is admitted that the Defendant was the registered keeper of the vehicle at all material times, but liability is denied.
(3) It is denied that a contract was entered into with the Claimant by conduct. To form a contract, there must be an offer, acceptance, and valuable consideration. The signage the Claimant relies on is entirely prohibitive, containing no legitimate offer to park on certain terms. Accordingly, it is denied that any contract was formed between the driver and the Claimant.
(4) Even if a contract was formed (which is denied), it is submitted that the alleged contractual terms relied on, namely a blanket prohibition on stopping, including stops borne out of necessity/safety, are impossible to safely comply with and therefore cannot give rise to liability due to being unfair under the Consumer Rights Act (2015).
(5) As the Claimant does not know the identity of the driver of the vehicle in question, the liability of the defendant must be considered in his capacity as the registered keeper of the vehicle. It cannot be assumed that the keeper was also the driver (VCS Limited v Ian Mark Edward (2023) [H0KF6C9C]).
(6) The land in question is covered by the Leeds Bradford Airport Byelaws (2022) and as such is not relevant land as defined in paragraph 3, Schedule 4 of Protection of Freedoms Act (2012). Accordingly, the Claimant is unable to recover any charges from the Defendant in his capacity as the registered keeper, under the provisions of Schedule 4 of Protection of Freedoms Act (2012).
(7) Whilst liability for the entire claim is denied, the Defendant further denies liability for the additional costs of £70, vaguely referred to by the claimant as "contractual costs", above and beyond the £100 parking charge. The added costs are an attempt at double recovery of capped legal fees (already listed in the claim) and are not monies genuinely owed to, or incurred by, the Claimant.

An example of something you may wish to add, is a point between (3) and (4), briefly outlining what actually happened (e.g. the vehicle stopped out of necessity).

Re: Airport
« Reply #35 on: »
An additional point worth adding is the unfair nature of the techniques that VCS use to force drivers in to alleged contracts;

VCS place a sign on the access road which drivers have no choice but to drive past - driving past this sign is their basis for claiming 'contract through conduct' - but drivers have no choice, they have to pass this sign as there is no other alternative route. This appears to represent a 'pressure sales technique' as outlined in the DMCC Act (2024).


When I have time, I will look at the DMCC in more detail but there is definitely mileage in this angle.

Re: Airport
« Reply #36 on: »
Be careful in any thing you submit to these people it will be the "Keeper" that appeals.

Re: Airport
« Reply #37 on: »
We're beyond the point of appeals Dave, the OP is drafting his defence having received a Claim Form from the court.

Re: Airport
« Reply #38 on: »
Noted,
It will be interesting to see how far this goes.
I`m still looking out for any at Newcastle airport, they seem to have been silent for a while.

Re: Airport
« Reply #39 on: »
Noted,
It will be interesting to see how far this goes.
I`m still looking out for any at Newcastle airport, they seem to have been silent for a while.

I don't think Newcastle Airport is VCS controlled?

It will be interesting to see how other operators get on with the Red Route / no stopping enforcement. In particular, will they try and follow the VCS 'model' of claiming contract with drivers as they enter the airport. The VCS approach has been spectacularly unsuccessful at the court hearing stage with many cases going against them on the grounds of no legitimate contract and/or totally unenforceable blanket terms.

I haven't seen any cases yet where consumer legislation has specifically been used to defeat a parking operator who tries to enforce a 'no stopping zone' but it is only a matter of time.

VCS's claim of contract (as you enter the airport) is made out of necessity rather than any legally recognised contracting process which a consumer would ordinarily encounter. In most cases I strongly suspect that drivers passing the signage would have absolutely no idea that a contract was even being offered in that split second.

In the OP's case, it seems to me that the County Court claim is a fishing exercise. As DWMB2 has shown, the PoC is defective as it states that their case is made against the vehicle keeper - obviously this is not possible at this airport location since PoFA is not available to the operator - the claimant is hoping that the driver will be revealed during the court process.


Also worth noting that the DVLA are coming under increasing pressure to tighten up their 'reasonable cause' definition on the supply keeper data to parking operators. One of the key questions being pushed forward is whether 'reasonable cause' can be used at non-PoFA locations as there can never be any transfer of liability to the keeper - therefore, why does the parking operator need the keeper details?

Re: Airport
« Reply #40 on: »
I'm mindful of this topic not drifting too far away from the key topic in hand, which is helping the OP defend his present case. For any more general discussion of DVLA data and 'reasonable cause' I'd politely suggest a separate topic (probably in the Flame Pit) would be appropriate.

I try not to read too much into how VCS operate - they seem to be happy to take the financial 'risk' of taking cases to court regardless of their chances of success, 'judge bingo' means they presumably win the occasional one and make it worth their while. It is perhaps no coincidence that several of the persuasive appeal rulings we cite being with "VCS v ____".