PR Stunt - Professionalism in parking

The industry, for that is what it is, not a service, wants the public to hold them in better regard. 

Together the aim is to change perceptions, challenge misconceptions about the parking sector and local government’s role and make the parking experience a better one for all concerned.

Their PR stunt isn't going to work until such time as they get their house in order.

Just look at this tribunal decision from yesterday, found in Mr Mustard's daily read of all Barnet Council decisions.

Mr Mustard has noticed that Barnet Council are very resistant to claims of cloning and other enforcement authorities are quicker to accept reality.

Clearly, the adjudicator thinks that Barnet Council are unreasonable but uses restrained language to say so.

The council had two chances to stop enforcement. The first one when the motorist wrote in to say the car had been cloned and the second when he lodged the Appeal with the tribunal. Someone then spent a couple of hours putting the evidence pack together. Mr Mustard would love to have a read of the case summary as he likes short works of fiction so if you know Arun Saroye please ask him to email mrmustard@zoho.com

It is of course really aggravating to have their car cloned and even more so when the council's representatives deny the blindingly obvious. 

That is the work of an amateur. If you want to be treated as a professional then you must act like one.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Not finished reading all the cases from yesterday yet but here is a second case of cloning which looks like it was blindingly obvious.

Sit down, there is PCN good news

Last Autumn Mr Mustard had a spate of PCN for mini-buses that were parked in contravention of the overnight waiting ban (yes, the one that no-one knew existed). One family, with 9 children if he has got the number correct, Mr Mustard has only seen some of the brood when he visited the parents, were at their wits end as they received 6 PCN in about a month. They had paid 3 before Mr Mustard pointed out that he could probably overturn them all. Mr Mustard set to with the 3 that were live. Two of them had representations refused and Mr Mustard was heading towards the tribunal having registered two Appeals at about the same time as another motorist got there and the adjudicator made this withering judgment

'Mis-directed itself' = cocked their case up

Mr Mustard then suggested to the council that they DNC (Do not contest) his appeals and quite close to the hearing date they did just that. They also DNCd the case for his neighbour who uses a brand new mini-bus for charitable purposes at his own expense.

On one PCN some paperwork went missing in the post and it was registered as a debt by default at the Traffic Enforcement Centre. Mr Mustard submitted a form TE9 (witness statement) to wind the process back and at the same time reminded the parking section that they owed him a reply to his email of 25 November in which he gave the council a chance to look good by cancelling every incorrect mini-bus PCN and refunding all payments received to which idea a deaf ear was turned. They did though agree to cancel the 6th PCN which had been registered as a debt (and the bailiff visit would have been the eventual outcome but for Mr Mustard's intervention).

Mr Mustard then asked the parking section to refund the 3 PCN which were paid before the family knew of Mr Mustard. Rather than resistance he received an instantaneous reply that this was being done.

Knock Mr Mustard down with a feather. What a result. He is feeling epic. He shouldn't because any council parking department that has done wrong should give the money back but they make limpets look like pathetic creatures in the hanging on to something stakes.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard