November 30th 2024.
A woman named Rosey Hudson is facing a court date in the next six months due to a series of unfortunate events surrounding parking charges. It all began when she took more than five minutes to pay for parking, resulting in a hefty bill of £1,906. Rosey, who is a professional bodybuilder, explained that she had to leave the Derby's Copeland Street car park each time she wanted to pay the daily rate of £3.30 due to poor phone signal. However, this led to her receiving 10 parking charge notices from Excel Parking Ltd, who claimed she was responsible for her own misfortune.
Initially, Rosey received a letter asking her to pay £100 within 28 days, with a reduced rate of £60 if paid within 14 days. She tried to explain her situation to the company, but they insisted that she pay the full amount. Despite her efforts, she ended up paying for all 10 charges. This added up to a total of £900, which has now more than doubled due to additional charges from Excel Parking, including debt recovery fees, interest, and court fees.
When asked about the situation, a spokesperson for Excel Parking stated that the car park had clear signage indicating a five-minute time limit for purchasing parking. They claimed that it was the driver's responsibility to read and understand the terms and conditions. The spokesperson also suggested that Rosey was responsible for her own misfortune.
Rosey, on the other hand, believes that the company's five-minute rule is unreasonable. She explained that the app she used did not process payments immediately, leading to the extended time to pay. She also noted that the only pay machine she saw on-site was out of order and later replaced. Despite the disagreement over who is at fault, Rosey hopes that the matter can be resolved as it has been causing her a lot of stress for over a year now.
Unfortunately, Rosey's situation is not unique. Nikola Slovakova, manager of a neighboring business called Jumpin Fun, shared that they have received numerous complaints from customers who have received parking charge notices even after entering their details for a period of free parking. They even installed a touch-screen tablet for customers to use, but they still received PCNs. This has caused harm to their business and has led people to believe that they were cooperating with Excel Parking.
Excel Parking has faced criticism in the past from two MPs, Lola McEvoy and Abtisam Mohamed, who have raised concerns about the way the company fines people at other car parks they operate. The company defends their five-minute rule, stating that it is necessary to prevent abuse from people who use the car park for dropping off and picking up passengers from nearby retailers.
Despite her efforts to resolve the issue through mediation, Rosey will now have to face a court hearing within six months. She remains hopeful that the judge will understand her case and see things from her perspective. She also hopes that her case will bring attention to the issue and prevent others from going through the same stressful situation.
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