Vcs

A question about : Vcs

Hello,

I hope someone can advise on this as my husband is disabled and received a postal NTK from VCS an IPC member. My husband would struggle to deal with this himself due to his health so I am trying to deal with it.

I had just a few days ago paid parkingticketappeals for help however it seems from their site going missing and the posts on here I have likely lost that money.

I think VCS took over the car park and decided a car with a disabled badge ca be charged without many people realising as other disabled badge holders I spoke to also had no idea.

I have uploaded a copy of the sign as I read in some other threads that the wording may not be up to the IPC standard... though I guess that may no longer help. imgur com/a/0uJZs (not sure how to upload to a post so I hope this link works, just needs a . before the com)

If I post a link to the NTK should I remove all identifying information?

Thanks in advance,

Shell.

Best answers:

• yes you should redact any personal info from any paperwork or scans that you link to , including any references
  bear in mind a BB doesnt apply on private land, but the EA2010 does
  read the NEWBIES sticky thread on how to deal with these matters, but bear in mind that VCS have moved to the IPC so dont expect to win any appeals
  after that it could be 6 years before it "goes away" , sue to the small claims court rules
  this isnt as easy to deal with as when it was popla and the BPA
  ideally you should also complain bitterly to the landowner and get the charge cancelled , or threaten a counter claim under the EA 2010 with that landowner
• https://imgur.com/a/0uJZs
  parkingticketappeals did get a lot of charges cancelled in the early days, and may well have succeeded with this vcs one.
  I suggest that you contact VCS at cpo@vehiclecontrol.co.uk
  Dear VCS,
  I paid parkingticketappeals to handle my appeal, but am concerned at their current status. Please confirm if they have filed an appeal on my behalf. If not, please contact me and I will file an appeal within 7 days.
  If this will take me past any appeal deadline I will instead appeal on generic terms
  1) The charge is not a genuine pre-estimate of loss
  2) The signage does not form a contract with the motorist
  3) You have no authority to issue charges
  4) The equalities act 2010 applies as I am registered disabled
  5) The terms of the car park have changed and you did not obey the IPC code of conduct by clearly warning about the changes.
• Thank you both for your responses I will have a read around the forum to see what others have sent to the landowner then contact them as advised.
  I will also contact VCS to ask if anything had been done as yet.
  Here is a link to the NTK with personal details blocked out:
  imgur com/3dlDM46
  Again I really appreciate the help, I would like many people be lost without this forum and its contributors.
• NTK
• Many private car parks do not allow disabled badge holders to park free of charge. The NEC at Birmingham, for example, is one. I would always advise checking with the signs as the parking fee is much less hassle than the problems faced when the PPC decides to hit you with their extortionate charges.
  The answer to your point about charging is that, currently, PPCs have every right to charge disabled drivers the same as able-bodied motorists, until some case law overturns this.
  Equally, you have the same rights to tell them where to put their charges !!
• Thanks for the responses and posting my links.
  Regarding the charge for disabled people, it is more that it was a sudden change. The car park signs specifically stated that disabled people with a blue badge were exempt from charges till one day the signs suddenly changed, obviously we did not notice. A small sign above head height which had not changed for years is not something you tend to think about reading when you are helping a disabled person out of a car.
  I feel like the sudden change of rules was an attack against disabled people as there was no advanced warning and this seemed to be the only change to the existing rules. I am well aware these companies don't exactly go out of their way to be reasonable. However they or the landowners should be putting up additional notices to state the terms have changed especially were vulnerable people are involved. Though hopefully that's where EA 2010 comes in, probably wishful thinking.
  Obviously in future I will certainly double check in other car parks, I don't object to paying, that is not the issue in my mind.
• it may be worthwhile getting in touch with the land owner/car park owner.
  its highly unlikely that VCs own the car park, they will most probably be nothing more than agents acting for and on behalf of the landowner.
  this means the landowner can be held accountable for the actions of their agents.
• As this is not a v.a.t. invoice, they would struggle to claim that it is a contractual charge, (which attracts v.a.t.), as the signs suggest. They would therefore be open to a challenge that GPEOL must apply.
• Thank you for your responses everyone, just to update I have contacted the land owners who have asked for some additional information.
  I almost get the feeling from what was asked they did not know VCS had started charging disabled people... though perhaps more wishful thinking on my part.
  I still have ample time on the VCS appeal process so I decided to give it another day for the landowners to hopefully give me some good news.
• Hello all,
  I finally have an update on this... granted a rather annoying one.
  Firstly the landowner simply stopped responding to me after some very friendly and polite initial emails, I can only assume VCS stepped in and told them to ignore us.
  I emailed VCS as advised above, including a signed statement from my husband explaining that myself and my son are allowed to handle this for him.
  Today we got their response in the post which is to deny our right to appeal as they claim we are outside of the window to appeal the PCN. We clearly appealed based on the NTK both the email title and the first line of the email mentioned this. Which they have ignored. Moreover they pretty much ignored most of the appeal points in there response.
  Obviously they are now demanding payment within 14 days, so where do I go from here? (Obviously not going to pay) Contact them again or complain to the IPC they refused to hear the appeal? (I know kangeroo court etc).
  I am also aware of the Bevis case but clearly we wont know the outcome of that for a while and if the judgement will apply here.
  The email I sent was as follows:
  Quote:
• I think a counter claim should be started under the EA 2010 , against both VCS and the landowner , by the disabled person (even if you are doing all the work and he is only signing it)
  fight fire with fire
  so an LBC from him to landowner and VCS, threatening court under the EA 2010
  the land registry will give you the landowners details for a small fee
• Thanks Redx, would you also advise disputing the fact VCS are refusing to hear the appeal even though it was well within the 21 days of the NTK?