MET Parking Services - Southgate Park, Stansted - Left Southgate Park premises ***Cancelled by Euro Garages/Starbucks***

[ZicoUK]

Afternoon all,

 

After being away from my flat for the last 2 weeks, I got back last night an opened up my post to find a parking charge notice from MET Parking Services from when I was at Stanstead on the 24th December 2022.

 

For PCN's received through the post [ANPR camera capture]

(must be received within 14 days from the Incident)

 

Please answer the following questions.

 

1 Date of the infringement: 09:07 24 December 2022

 

2 Date on the NTK [this must have been received within 14 days from the 'offence' date] 19 January 2023 - **Edit from checking online this would be either 27 calendar days or 16 business/working days from the offence date.

[scan up BOTH SIDES as ONE PDF- follow the upload guide] please LEAVE IN LOCATION AND ALL DATES/TIMES/£'s

 

3 Date received I was away from my flat so only got the post on the 4th February. Assuming the Date of issue is 19th January 2023, I very much doubt that it arrive in the post any earlier than 21st January
 

4 Does the NTK mention schedule 4 of The Protections of Freedoms Act 2012? [Y/N?] No - letter attached
 

5 Is there any photographic evidence of the event? Yes
 

6 Have you appealed? [Y/N?] post up your appeal] Yes - unfortunately I replied online stating that I did not leave site and visited the McDonalds, before I had realised this was the reason for the charge.
 

Have you had a response? [Y/N?] post it up Not yet. Only appealed late last night (4th Feb) so at the time of writing no response. I now expect a rejection to the appeal.
 

7 Who is the parking company? MET Parking Services

 

8. Where exactly [carpark name and town] 346 Southgate Park, Stansted. The physically single car park site at Starbucks + McDonalds
 

For either option, does it say which appeals body they operate under. POPLA - No reference to BPA or IAS
 

There are two official bodies, the BPA and the IAS. If you are unsure, please check HERE

Met Parking Charge-compressed.pdf

Edited February 5, 2023 by ZicoUK

[dx100uk]

Plenty of threads here on this location.

Find and read them so you are Upto speed 

 

Best idea now is to ignore everything until/unless you ever get a letter of claim.

 

Dx

[FTMDave]

Yes, we know this place very, very well.

 

The good news is that so far MET haven't dared take any Cagger to court.

 

When you appealed, did you out yourself as the driver?

[ZicoUK]

Unfortunately, I selected driver on my first appeal (it was late at night and I wasn't quite alert) but logged another appeal as the keeper afterwards. 

 

I'd only searched online and found this and other posts (and Joe Lycett's YouTube video) about this site.

 

I'm guessing that I've got myself off to a poor start.

Edited February 5, 2023 by dx100uk
unnecessary previous post quote removed

[FTMDave]

Don't worry.  Every single one of us on this forum have made mistakes when in legal dispute.  The important thing is to learn from them and get it right in the future.

 

I've just done a quick search and immediately 17 other cases popped up.  MET haven't done court in any of them.

 

Did you spend any money in Starbucks, and can you prove it (receipt, card payment)?

[ZicoUK]

Thanks for the reassurance @FTMDave.

I was going to go into Starbucks but changed my mind, and walked over to the McDonalds instead. I was completely unaware that the car park suddenly became two different 'sites'.

 

I only had my McDonalds receipt which I have already sent under my appeal.

 

I should add here (sorry should have said in my first post) that I have also emailed Starbucks to complain about MET.

[FTMDave]

OK, well done, in fact I was going to suggest contacting Starbucks' CEO.

 

Have a look at point 3.2 of the government Code of Practice  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-parking-code-of-practice/private-parking-code-of-practice#signs-and-surface-markings

 

Of course MET do none of this, because they're not interested in sensibly managing a car park and freeing up spaces for Starbucks' customers, in fact they want to encourage non-customers to park in Starbucks' car park so they can send out their PCNs.

 

Please let us know what Starbucks say.  If nothing much, you can throw the CoP at them.  Some time back one Cagger got the invoice cancelled by Starbucks.

 

Not that it really matters because MET wet themselves when it's put up or shut up time and they have to decide whether to try their hand in court.

 

[ZicoUK]

Small update.

My email to the Starbucks CEO Alex Rayner was responded to by Starbucks customer care.

 

The business at Stansted is apparently a licenced business partner run by Euro Garages who they will be passing my details to.

Euro Garages - Extramile

EXTRAMILE.EUROGARAGES.COM

 

[lookinforinfo]

The PCN does not comply with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

 

It was sent out to late and there is no period of parking mentioned.

 

There will be times on the photographs but that probably reflects the time spent by the photographer taking the pictures which may only have ben a few minutes. 

 

Their is a grace period of a minimum of five minutes to read, understand and accept the T&Cs.

 

If the times on the photographs are les than 5 minutes they can be put to strict proof how long you stayed.

 

In any event the crooks are supposed to mitigate the loss by advising the customer leaving the premises on foot that they wil suffer a charge. 

 

There is a case  VCS v  Ibottson  which you can read and VCS lost because the contract was not drawn up correctly to allow them to sue motorists who left the premises.

 

In addition Joe Lycett's video shows that the car parks are an entrapment area that Met is aware of and has done nothing to clarify the position.

 

there are warning signs apparently at the bottom of their signage but the font is far to small to offer a contract.

 

Perhaps a call to the Local Standards office might get them looking at possible fraudulent behaviour. Refer them to the video.

 

[ZicoUK]

Thanks @lookinforinfothat is a really helpful post.

 

I had meant to update this thread the other day after I had the expected rejection to my appeal from MET, but in between then and now, the charge has been cancelled (letter attached).

 

After complaining to Starbucks CEO Alex Rayner, that email resulted in the details for Euro Garages being the owners, and my details being passed onto their customer support. They did contact me the same day and I advised them of my complaint and charge details. I left it with them for a few days, and in the mean time received the appeal rejection.

 

A few hours ago today, the Euro Garages customer support team came back to me confirming the charge had been cancelled and also the letter from MET in a separate email.

Cancelled.pdf

[honeybee13]

Well done!

 

And thank you for coming back to tell us. Well done also for getting it in writing.

 

HB

[FTMDave]

Well done on your victory! 

[ZicoUK]

Thanks for everyone's help.

update

Euro Garages wanted to include the CEO info (at the time of writing) if anyone needs to escalate matters with Euro Garages directly.  I didn't need to in my case as there support team resolved matters.

Euro Garages Limited
Zuber Issa	CEO

One final question, with the charge being cancelled, should I go back to their DPO email to request my data to be deleted/restricted or would that be pushing my luck?

Donation also made to the site for your help.

Edited February 9, 2023 by ZicoUK

[dx100uk]

..

 

[dx100uk]

Only if you can prove they unlawfully accessed it . 

 

Dx

[ZicoUK]

If I understood previous posts, if the initial date of issue was too late, I can complain to the DVLA for giving out my details to begin with, so therefore surely MET Parking Services shouldn't have had my details if the DVLA hadn't given them out?

 

I'm not too concerned now I have the letter of cancellation, just curious to know if requesting my data be deleted/restricted under the rights, would just give them admin work to deal with and perhaps take up time on dealing with my DPO requests, and less time robbing others?

[dx100uk]

Await the experts.

 

Dx

 

 

[lookinforinfo]

Well done for getting your PCN cancelled. Sadly you cannot complain to the DVLA  about the exceeding of the 14 day limit. All that does is to make the PCN non compliant but the DVLA still must give out the motorists  details.

[ZicoUK]

Thanks @lookinforinfo

I guess that I will leave matters as they stand.

[Nicky Boy]

Zico,

If all you were wanting was to pester the fleecers, it looks like you do have the right to have your data deleted.

 

The first reason on this list from the ICO website...

 

Your right to get your data deleted

ICO.ORG.UK

---

You can ask an organisation that holds data about you to delete that data and, in some circumstances, it must then do so. This is known as the right...