Parking Eye

My wife and I received an official looking notice from Parking Eye after overstaying a 2-hour limit in the Solent Retail Park in Havant. It's worth doing some internet research before paying, which should reveal that, as long as you've paid for goods in one of the shops on the retail park, the shop managers should be able to get your fine cancelled. PE are simply trying their luck (most people pay). I hear that they won't actually go to court due to the cost and the fact that they need to prove who was driving at the time - which they can't unless you admit it. But if you don't want to be receiving harrassing letters for the next few years (yes, years!) and instead want the fine cancelled outright, do as we did and write to all the shop managers expressing your disgust and your intention never to shop there again unless they get the fine cancelled. Don't lie, though, and don't be rude. We headed our letters 'Without prejudice, private and confidential' so that the letters couldn't be passed to PE or cited as evidence that we were admitting to an offence. An exploitable fault in PE's approach is that they say that the keeper (owner) of the vehicle is liable for the fine, whereas in fact it is the driver who is liable in law. Unless they can prove through photographic evidence who the driver was, you're in the clear anyway. Just don't inadvertantly admit who was driving at the time of the alleged offence in any correspondence or phonecalls. We wrote to Hobbycraft, Laura Ashley, Next, Peacocks, Pets at Home and to Hargreaves - the company that actually runs Solent Retail Park (and who contract PE to enfore the parking). Of these, Hobbycraft, Laura Ashley and Next were most helpful, and all offered to get the fine cancelled without even seeing receipts. Pets at Home and Peacocks both asked to see receipts, though by that time, the fine had been cancelled. Hargreaves said that shop managers on the retail park all have the power to get fines cancelled, as long as the recipient has spent at least £30 instore! We did not actually write to PE, however, as they will absolutely not cancel any fine, and by writing to them, you risk inadvertantly telling them a) Who was driving, and b) That you admit to having been there at all. Never correspond with PE directly. There's a lot of good information out there about PE, and the consensus seems to be DO NOT PAY. Either wait them out and simply don't engage with them at all or, if you can prove purchases, get the fines cancelled via shop managers. It worked for us: We got an £80 fine for a 2.5 hour visit in September 2010 and, though we lost the entire following Saturday researching, writing and posting letters, we paid PE nothing at all. I will be posting this same information on other websites, to try to inform as many people as possible, so you may see this posting elsewhere. I hope this has helped you.