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Friday, October 05, 2012

As it happens, the defendants at Hove Crown Court aren't the biggest criminals I've heard from this week. I had a letter yesterday from Ethical Parking Management. And here it is...


According to EPM's own rules, if you submit an appeal within 28 days, and supply a stamped addressed envelope, "you will receive correspondence within 14 days (allowing for post)". That letter took 25 days to arrive. So either Ethical failed to abide by their own rules, or Royal Mail took a week and a half to deliver a first class letter.

I'd like to think the delay was due the EPM Appeals Committee's lengthy and exhaustive analysis of the evidence, but after more than three weeks of waiting, the letter they've sent me is clearly just the standard response they send to everyone, regardless of the circumstances of the clamping or the validity of your appeal.

They don't name the location of the clamping, don't know if I supplied any evidence, and don't state which parking regulation I'm supposed to have broken. The bit about "extenuating circumstances" is clearly just the platitude they hand out to everyone. After all, you wouldn't be appealing if you didn't think there were extenuating circumstances.

I was legally parked in a visitor's space and displaying a valid visitor's permit, but the reason for immobilisation given by the barely literate clamper was as follows:


Lisa's Mum has spoken to the manager of the sheltered housing complex who has confirmed that if I was parked in the correct space and displaying a valid permit (neither of which are disputed by Ethical), then my departure to get shopping for my mother-in-law is irrelevant, and I shouldn't have been clamped.

I was back at the sheltered housing today, as I am two or three times a week, so I took a photo of Ethical Parking Management's regulations for the site, which confirm what the manager says...


"Vehicles must clearly display a current valid permit in the windscreen and be parked correctly in bay/space only". Those are the only terms and conditions stated, and I complied with them in full.

Unfortunately, having ignored the facts completely, and made a "full and final" decision with no basis in truth, EPM are "unable to issue further correspondence regarding this matter either directly with you or any third party". Meaning they're unlikely to respond to the manager who's about to phone them on our behalf, or indeed Brighton & Hove City Council. Making their provision of the complaints department address entirely pointless.

The word on the street is that the council have already decided not to renew the contract with Ethical Parking Management, and will shortly be taking over control of the car park at the sheltered housing themselves. Which perhaps explains why EPM feel they can clamp the innocent without fear of reproach, and be as unscrupulous as they please. I will be writing to the council, but my hopes of ever getting my money back from a company who break their own rules, disregard the facts, and have an ironic lack of ethics, are rapidly approaching zero.

7 comments:

A Passer-By said...

Unless EPC have a local office with a window overlooking where you parked, how do they know you "walked of(off) site"?!

Phil said...

They have spies everywhere...

Big Sis said...

I am a little outraged and think you should write to the Argus right now!! You could be on the front page next week... 

Phil said...

After what happened last time, I think that's what puts me off.

Phil's Mum said...

With all your jury experience, I think you should take EPM to court.

Poirot said...

Anthing here that can help?

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=60

The really gutting thing is that claming has been outlawed from October first  so double bad luck.

Friends of Rozi and Zita said...

Contact Watchdog and National papers -somebody will pick up on this.  Make this the hardest money they have ever "earned".  By calling themselves "ethical" doesn't mean they are -what an abuse.  And go to the council, find out the head of the department responsible for the contract and INSIST on a face to face meeting, people hide behind letters and the time it takes.  Put them on the spot just as you were when they unlawfully clamped you and held you to ransom.