On 21 May 2016 at 5:00am Douglas Williams wrote:
On the Laura Ashley web site for the Lewes Store it looks as if it has customer parking. As I park ,by luck I read a sign 3 mt above head hight on the Laura Ashley wall. unable to read it check with the store to be told not for customer parking. I move away and get a £100 demand for parking. Why are Laura Ashley not warning cutomers on the web page?
Why are the signs on Laura Ashley wall? Why are Laura Ashley unable to put a sign in the window at car head hight to warn customers? Why do customer services put the phone down when you try to get help? We had moved from London this was our first shop on our 46 wedding day. Welcome to Sussex??
On 21 May 2016 at 7:37am Oldbutintouch wrote:
John Lewis Partnership/Waitrose own the site - protest to them
On 21 May 2016 at 7:48am Gotta Waywithit wrote:
I have been in that "car park" recently on foot and can say definitely that the signs are higher up and smaller script than they used to be - in fact you can see the remnants of the glue where the signs used to be. I got away with my car being there a while ago because I parked next to the (lower) sign - got out and stood reading it then got back in and drove off - whereas you went into the store to ask. I rest my case,
On 21 May 2016 at 8:11am Jen wrote:
Total scam. If the landowner really minded people on this scrap of land they would put a larger sign at the entrance to the site or they could even put a bollard, gate or fence there. Instead they print and install tiny signs which you can only see once you have parked and they have installed a costly cctv system to the record hapless motorist who accidentally drive onto the land. It cannot be that cost of a bollard or larger sign at the entrance to the site would be more expensive than installing, maintaining the cctv system, having someone watch the tapes and the admin cost of getting the drivers address and sending a fine. We can only conclude the fines this landowner is sending out is making a nice income - enough to pay for all of that plus a profit. A very nasty business. Laura Ashley should protect their customers by installing their own sign to warn shoppers of this and directing those driving to where they can park.
On 21 May 2016 at 8:34am townie wrote:
Why is it a scam? Maybe we should all come and park on your driveway or front garden. Why do people think they have a god given right to park where they want? There's a carpark no more then 50 yards from Laura Ashley.....why not use that one? Oh yeah, because you thought you could save yourself a couple of quid.
Pay the fine, get over it and move on.
On 21 May 2016 at 9:26am Tipex wrote:
Who is actually allowed to use the car park? Presumably it's rented by one of the high street shops?
On 21 May 2016 at 9:29am Jeff wrote:
@Townie So many people get caught out because it's made to look like a car park, it is a trap duh!
This tricking people into parking and then serving them with a ridiculously extortionate fine has been going on for ages.
@Douglas Williams There have been many posts about it on here just ignore the demand for payment and forget about it.
On 21 May 2016 at 9:56am Lewes Voter 3 wrote:
Across the entrance to the whole area, painted on the road in letters two feet high, in white, is the word "PRIVATE". What on earth do you not understand about that?
On 21 May 2016 at 10:20am Douglas Williams wrote:
Lewes Voter you can not see the private when turning right!! Also all customer car parks have private signs as you go in.Tonie I do not wish to save a few bob I moved to a pay and display. I am from London first trip out in Lewes sat nav in use.
On 21 May 2016 at 10:43am Mavis wrote:
Why doesn't the council fence the highway off from this 'car park' that would be clearer and end the scam. Maybe it's owned by a councillor ! Get Maria Caulfield onto it !
On 21 May 2016 at 10:52am Ben wrote:
Don't pay it. Simple. As mentioned already it is cleverly designed to trap the hapless motorist. Lots of stores even in central London have a few spaces for customers only parking. It is not unusual to expect to park for free directly in front of the store you are visiting in spite of the rest of the area being pay and display. Very few of the victims in this case have been trying to save a few quid on free parking, they are just doing instinctively what most human beings will do and this is preyed upon by the c••ts behind the cameras. I think this has gone on long enough now and its time to bring it to the attention of a few bonfire boys for their consideration, if you get my drift.
On 21 May 2016 at 10:58am Jonny wrote:
For the last time! Don't pay it ! Ignore everything they send you. They will not and cannot take you to court. I have at least 10 or more of these "tickets". Never paid, never will. Be brave and don't be intimidated by these scumbags.
On 21 May 2016 at 12:11pm sfsg wrote:
What is the company name to which payment is made? Also, the account no and sort code. We could have some fun couldn't we!
On 21 May 2016 at 3:25pm Clifford wrote:
townie wrote: 'Why is it a scam? Maybe we should all come and park on your driveway or front garden.'
Townie, if you can't see the difference between an individual householder and a company that is obviously operating with the intention of trapping people then you have a strange view of the world.
On 21 May 2016 at 3:39pm townie wrote:
Not trapping people, Clifford....trapping "stupid" people. Maybe we'll all come and park on your front garden or drive, let's face it, if you're parked there, it must look like a carpark to some people.
Be careful Clifford....they're out there and they're walking among us!!!!!!!
On 21 May 2016 at 4:36pm Convenient wrote:
@sfsg what sort of fun will you have with a bank account number and sort code ? Unexpectedly surprising them by putting some money in maybe ?
On 21 May 2016 at 9:12pm Tipex wrote:
Whatever happens in the short term the site will be half a dozen £650k flats within 5 years.
On 21 May 2016 at 10:10pm Watcher wrote:
Just because it has what appear to be parking spaces marked out does not mean that it is a car park. As far as I can see, there is no way that anyone can park there without the owners claiming that a prohibitively large parking charge is due.
On 21 May 2016 at 10:32pm Belladonna wrote:
Why do Laura Ashley allow the parking company to fix its signs to the shop front ? Maybe they should countercharge the parking company .....
On 21 May 2016 at 10:38pm Jen wrote:
@ Townie - the people who get sent these fines have made a genuine error that should not cost them £100. If you accidentally drive into a private area, turn around and leave how can you justify being charged £100? If someone uses my driveway to turn around in do I have a right to run out of my house and demand £100 from them? If the land owner has a genuine issue or problem with people using the land as a car park then just put a bollard there so people cannot gain access. Fining people after the event does not prevent future people parking there. It just makes the land owner a profit. I know of person charged as her relative pulled in thereto collect her from work not realising it was not part of the shop car park. They were they for a minute. A minor error and someone is making a profit from this. It is unscrupulous.
On 22 May 2016 at 2:31am Fairmeadow wrote:
Key point. It is a scam. They cannot make you pay. You don't have too.
To help others, don't pay. It only encourages them.
They WILL threaten to take you to court but they WILL not do so, because if they did they would lose.
On 22 May 2016 at 9:38am Douglas Williams wrote:
Thank you Fairmeadow it is a scam and I want to warn others as it seem Laura Ashley do not care??
On 22 May 2016 at 9:50am Clifford wrote:
townie wrote: 'Not trapping people, Clifford....trapping "stupid" people.'
You seem very confident in your ability to avoid being conned Townie. I hope your luck holds out.
On 22 May 2016 at 10:19am Sfsg wrote:
You can do a lot with the bank details, damage their credibility and generally annoy them until they think its not worth the effort. Sign them up to all kinds of services so they will be bombarded with phone and junk mail etc. Just waste a lot of their time. Ask Weev.
On 22 May 2016 at 11:22am Townie wrote:
We live in a society where we blame everyone else for our mistakes. The days of being responsible for our own actions are long gone. It all started with the compensation culture which turned everyone into get rich quick, selfish money grabbers. We get a few grand for tripping over a fag butt and the lawyers get even richer.
On 22 May 2016 at 11:37am Clifford wrote:
Townie wrote: 'We live in a society where we blame everyone else for our mistakes. The days of being responsible for our own actions are long gone.'
So how do we get the scammers at the place we're talking about to take responsibility for their obvious crookery, Townie? A larger sign lower down would help, don't you think? Or to stop threatening people with legal action they know won't stand up in court.
'... turned everyone into get rich quick, selfish money grabbers.'
Yes, the scammers we're talking about. I'm always amazed how readily people will turn out to defend crooks. I assume you think 2008 wasn't the fault of the banks' greed too.
On 22 May 2016 at 11:54am Peeping Tom wrote:
You can all park on my drive for free if you leave your keys with me so I can periodically go and peep in your glove compartments while you go shopping.
On 22 May 2016 at 12:15pm Oldbutintouch wrote:
My final word - complain to the company that employs these gangsters, Waitrose/John Lewis Partnership
On 22 May 2016 at 1:03pm Townie wrote:
Clifford, they've done nothing wrong. You make your choice, you park there or you don't, If you do, you will get fined, if you don't park there, you won't. I've never parked there so ive never been fined.
It's like all the do-gooders who blame the cash cow speed cameras for people speeding. You fcuked up, pay the fine. If you didn't speed, they won't get any money.
Sooooooooo simple to understand.
On 22 May 2016 at 1:07pm Ben wrote:
Yesterday I watched 3 poor sods avail themselves to the scam within 20 mins. That would be about 9 per hour on an AV weekend. Let's say 4 an hour during the week. Over an 8 hour day, assuming half of people pay up then these crooks are making £10k a week not including anyone that parks there in the evening.
On 22 May 2016 at 1:55pm Ross wrote:
Ive had 5 tickets from parkong there over the past 3 years. Never paid any of them. I got latter after letter threatening baififfs blah blah blah. I ignore them. Apparently i now owe nearly £1500 for all tickets. Ha ha yeah right. I havent heard anything now for around 6 months. Just ignore them and they will go away.
On 22 May 2016 at 3:34pm Douglas Williams wrote:
oldbutintouch
wrote My final word - complain to the company that employs these gangsters, Waitrose/John Lewis Partnership
Have spoken to John Lewis as I have been told they own the Laura Ashley building. Asking if they gave permission to put signs on the wall? Told they do not own it. Laura Ashley will not tell me who is the owner and unable to find out on Land reg site? John Lewis do not own the parking site?
On 22 May 2016 at 3:53pm Townie wrote:
Jesus fcuking Christ, just park in the carpark where the boot sale is. I do wander if people have nothing better to do in their sad little lives.
Just remember....you're a long time dead. get over it and move on.
On 22 May 2016 at 4:40pm Sfsg wrote:
If you have been sent a demand there must be some details of the company involved on it. A co number etc. should be possible to trace through companies house,find the director etc. it all takes effort of course. On the other hand I know where there is an old caravan that lots of people would like to see moved!
On 22 May 2016 at 8:19pm Sniper wrote:
Where is the camera? I can see one on the side of Laura Ashley but it's not covering the area in question. Is there another? My air rifle needs an outing and if the camera doesn't work no-one can be scammed.
On 23 May 2016 at 8:33am Merlin Milner wrote:
It was / is owned by Cheval Property Management Limited I believe.
The link below is to this forum in 2009 when they used to clamp cars.
Back then I spoke with Cheval suggesting that they have key operated bollards, but to no avail.
Check it out here »
On 23 May 2016 at 10:15am Douglas Williams wrote:
I refer to your email addressed to Mr Kwan Cheong Ng, Chief Executive Officer, to which I have been asked to respond.
I regret that the parking company has been unwilling to assist despite our contacting them to see if the fine can be removed. I understand that we have now changed the sign in our window and also the information we provide online.
I apologise that I am unable to offer any further assistance in this matter and hope that this incident does not deter you from shopping with Laura Ashley in future.
Yours sincerely,
Helen
Helen Richards
Customer Relations Manager
Laura Ashley
T: 01686 620355
Ext: 4050 reply from Laure Ashley
On 23 May 2016 at 5:03pm Jackie wrote:
I was caught loading a very heavy lamp purchased from the St. Peter and St. James shop for 2 minutes 23 seconds where their vans are frequently parked. I was not notified and therefore unaware for 8 days and another demand for the same alleged offence dropped through my door the next day. Both demands were for £60 each. The company Sussex Parking Enforcement have only an address in Western Road Brighton. They do not answer the telephone and have no email address to contact them. I appealed in writing and the appeal has been upheld. I have since lodged complaints with Sussex Police, The Trading Standards, Popla, East Sussex CC and LDC. There are no signs displayed on that part of this apparently private area only double yellow lines on the kerb. The company are not protecting their business which is legally allowed. It is quite simply entrapment. I have now registered a complaint the The international Parking Community at which Sussex Parking Enforcement are apparently registered. Outside the Charity Shop there are no warning signs and they have had numerous complaints from their customers. I would suggest that anyone taking or collecting items from the shop do not under any circumstances stop for a second and if you are unfortunate to have done that and receive a notice which is sent to your address so your complete identity is known. I would further suggest that you appeal in writing as I did and then complain to www.theipc.info where you can fill in an online complaint form. This type of intimidating, secret bully-boy tactics must be stopped. I have asked the CEO of St, Peter and St James Hospice to place a very large sign on the pavement or somewhere very visible to protect their customers and staff who are on the receiving end of the customers' anger.