All you out there with a blue badge. Watch out for private parking. I went to my local matlan and my town had free parking except for matlan. They have a private company to run the car park. You have to tell the desk that you are parking and the register you car. I have been there a couple of times, over a few years. I parked in the disabled bay and went into the store and went to the desk. Told the girl I was registered she said ok. But was to busy to look now will do it later. So I shopped and went home. Guess what got a ticket. Call the store and complained they said they would look into it. I tried calling the parking people but they only deal with online emails. So I emailed my complaint and a copy of my blue badge. Guess what they said they don't take blue badges as a right to free parking and the cameras don't look at the bays and they don't have a person patrolling. So I have to appeal. I though the store may help but they said it was up to me to make sure the girl looked it up. In the end I had to pay £50 quid. I felt it was pointless to fight the big boys. They don't seem to care about use disabled. I won't be going to matlan ever.
Parking ticket: All you out there with a blue badge... - NRAS
Parking ticket
I would just bin it a friend has just been through the same someone in the car park said it always happening so he has took the advice nothing else happened that was 6 months ago
There do seem to be some which are questionable. I'd queried whether half a dozen disabled parking outside a local shopping centre were pay ones as they're on a road which only leads into the car park. I noticed some had paid but centre others not so I asked & was advised that as the road is still council owned the privately run car park cannot charge for the disabled bays though it's not clear on the charges board. I don't know if the following link refers to the car park by the Matalan you visited Brian but it's worth a read anyway ukipcheltenham.org.uk/campa...
The thing is ONLY THE POLICE AND THE COUNCIL CAN GIVE YOU A FINE that you must pay and the other one is only a reçiept from these shops. I had one for shopping at Asda and just ignored it they sent a bill about 5 letters in all. If you look on money supermatket and check them out.
Philip
Not quite true, unfortunately, Philip. Private carparks can charge what they like and can impose fines as well. Disabled parking rules dont apply to private parking. At least they didn't tow away as they can do that too. Many supermarkets now are also under the control of private carparking services and they get very nasty if you stay too long as well.
Mmm, not sure. According to CAB (for England anyhow) it depends on the type of parking ticket & if the company is an ATA (Accredited Trade Association) member, details here citizensadvice.org.uk/consu...
Likely irrelevant for Brian though as he paid the fine.
They can charge a million pounds if they want but they are NOT enforceable by a court and the wordinfmg intimates that you HAVE to pay, but you dont. Private parking tickets which are NOTICES not FINES can no longer be enforced.
Thanks for the warning.
Have you considered contacting your local paper about this?
Our local newspaper has printed these sort of stories to warn local motorists (and sometimes extracted apologies from shops where this sort of thing has happened, and parking policy changes) They don't like the bad publicity.
This might be of interest to you - northantstelegraph.co.uk/ne...
NO you did NOT have to pay them my friend, private parking "tickets" are notices, they are NOT fines and are NOT enforceable. Only a local authority or a police authority can issue a parking fine which is enforceable by a court. Read the clever very carefully and read what it actually says not what they want you to read. I repeat private parking fines are NOT enforceable by a court. Be aware that not all local authority run car parks have free parking for blue badges even if they have priority spaces. Im sorry you have been done.
In the centre of Inverness there is a privately operated car park which operates on same basis. The car park next to TK Max offers no concessions at all for the disabled. The car has no connection to the shop in this case.
You need to be careful when parking in private car parks. It is awful how these companies are making money out of the disabled.
yup i've been done twice in shopping centre private co. parking. appealed and 50 became token 10 quid .... however 80 fine had 2 be paid -arrived by post as photo of him in bus lane.... he'd just handed in hired w/chair so that cost us lol x
my blue card - renewed at end of june, cheque cashed 18 july and still waiting... they say there's abig backlog here ... so can use onstreet parking and hospital but anywhere else can expect a fine.
I don't think these private companies can do anything if you don't pay their dubious Fine.....can't imagine a Magistrate taking their side if you have been granted a Blue Badge.
Just give Matalan a miss....there are lots of similar shops who don't act that way!
I would have expected the shop to help. I wouldn't have paid in your case but quite a few of these schemes are there to stop people abusing private property. Unfortunately it's only the bad ones that get press time. Around here there are many places - including council - where blue badges have to pay.
gov.uk/parking-tickets/payi...
This is a very brief descriptive link, but not all council parking tickets are criminal and as with private parking they are civil debts only.
To join in with this don't use the Euro car park on the Hanworth Road, Hounslow, London as they have disabled bays but you still have to pay.
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