I fucking hate NXEC today. So much so that I am now seriously considering showing how anoyed I am by doing the only thing NXEC might, just might, pay attention too and that's switch to FCC.
After nearly 4 years of parking my scooter in the same place, I got back this evening to find I've incurred a Parking fine of £30 if paid within 14 days or £60 if not. Why have I got a parking fine? I'm not sure and from the useless conversations with the many equally useless NXEC employees I've spoken to today, neither do they.
Very near to where I park, there are 2 signs clearly stating that parking is prohibited in that area. What's not clear is exactly what area is covered by these signs so being the good honest person that I am, I never park anywhere near the signs. What's also not clear is what will happen if you do park there. It doesn't tell you if they will clamp or issue a fine. I know the answer now alright.
There are a number of issues that have insensed me today. Firstly, NXEC have without warning enforced a parking restriction in an area that to my knowledge, has never been enforced before. Secondly they have done this without warning. Thirdly, There is no warning what the penalties are or if indeed there is a penalty and i'm not sure if it legal to do that. Also, it's obvious to one and all that the people parking there are commuters who spend far more money with them than 90% of their other customers. Therefore they done this to their most valuable customers, again without warning. Next comes the many useless cunts I've had the mispleasure of speaking to today who quite frankly and quite obviously couldn't give a toss about customers and service. First there was the useless tosser in the ticket office, then there was the useless prick on the platform, then there was the useless twat in customer services, then there was the useless knobhead on the switchboard at head office and i'm sure there would have been a useless cunt at NXEC debt recovery had they bothered to pick up the phone.
As there were roughly 30 bikes parked there today, all of them regulars, that's £900 minimum they've raked in. I urge each an everyone of you who read this blog to ring or write to David Franks, Managing Director of NXEC. He can be contacted on 08457 225 333 or write to David Franks, Head Office, National Express East Coast, Station Road, York, YO1 6HT. Don't forget to mark it private and confidential so it stands a better chance of him actually reading it.
All in all a very, very bad and sour experience.
NXEC - Stick it up your fat arses your complete and utter bastards.
Parking 'fines' on privately owned land are not fines at all. It is an invoice and should be treated as an unsolicited request for payment. Ignore the scary language that NXEC or their stooges use.
If you pay the fee then it will almost certainly not be possible to recover it in practical terms.
I think the best option is to invite them to pursue the ticket through the courts (which they are very unlikely to do). Under no circumstances should you just pay up.
You have committed no offence and have been ticketed by a private company whose tickets have no validity unless a case is brought at the expense of the issuer in a civil court.
The "charge" is alleged under contract law. What you have is an "invoice" (which you can contest) from a private parking company who allege you have breached their terms and conditions by parking and/or overstaying on one of the sites they manage. It has no status in law.
The reality is that they will almost certainly not be able to enforce against you and will not seek to do so. Instead they will use debt collectors who will endlessly threaten imminent litigation, references to credit agencies, personal visits, bailiffs and the sky falling on your head.
In fact they can only enforce it in law by bringing litigation in a civil court against the driver and proving a breach of prominently displayed terms and conditions. You have no responsibility to tell them who was driving (even if it was you).
Don't put up with this crap.