Debt collectors are being brought in to chase up unpaid parking fines for car parks across the north-east, a charity has claimed.
Citizens Advice Scotland say specialist parking debt firm Debt Recovery Plus Ltd has been enlisted to ensure outstanding fines are paid.
According to the charity, the Inverurie Garden Centre, Morrisons in King Street, Aberdeen and the Beach Boulevard Retail Centre are using the firm.
In the first six months of the 2015/16 financial year, nearly 20 people sought advice from CAS every day about parking tickets – a higher rate than ever before.
CAS said letters seen from Debt Recovery Plus Ltd demanded payment for tickets sometimes in excess of £100.
And last night the charity warned motorists to be aware that £100 is the maximum that the two industry bodies – the British Parking Authority and Independent Parking Committee – is allowed to be charged.
A spokesman said: “The letters go on to say if payment is not made the company will ‘recommend to the creditor that court action should be taken to recover what you owe’.”
Last night however, Debt Recovery Plus insisted they had followed the rules and that the cost of the fine was within the guidelines.
A spokesman said: “We operate under and comply with both British Parking Association and Independent Parking Committee codes.
“Both codes allow for debt recovery action after the parking operator has unsuccessfully tried to collect a parking charge.
“The original charge will never be for more than £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within the first 14 days).
“We only add our fees after action by the parking operator has resulted in non-payment of the charge.
“This is not a new practice as we and other debt recovery companies have been collecting unpaid parking charges for over seven years.
“Local authorities also add fees and charges where a parking ticket issued by them remains unpaid.”
CAS’s consumer spokesman Fraser Sutherland urged motorists to look out for signs advising of time restrictions and charges before leaving their car.
He added: “The best way of avoiding these things is to check the signs on the car park so you don’t end up being hounded by these firms.”
He was echoed by the team at South West Aberdeenshire Citizens Advice Bureau, who said: “While the bureau has a degree of sympathy for businesses whose car parks are being used for the wrong reasons and denying their customers and employees space to park, some of the tactics used by parking companies have been unfair or misleading.
“The bureau has examples of car parks where there has been not enough signage, or signs at a height impossible to read, or tiny signs which look unimportant, or those which used the wrong laws to support the penalty notices.”
The man who took on a parking company
Banchory businessman Nigel Bowker successfully took on a national parking company following a parking charge.
Mr Bowker began his fight against ParkingEye – a subsidiary of Capita which operates more than 900 car parks in the UK – last May when charged for exceeding the four-hour limit at the Beach Boulevard Retail Centre’s car park.
Mr Bowker argued he did not spot any signs warning him he would be fined and had delayed his departure due to “torrential rain”.
His £135 fine was passed onto a debt collection company with Mr Bowker vowing that he would go to prison before paying it.
But, a letter from the British Parking Association pressure group revealed the fines could not be enforced if a clear sign wasn’t displayed at the car park entrance.
Mr Bowker then visited the site and found all ParkingEye signs had been removed.
He encouraged people who had received charge letters to challenge the fee.
Mr Bowker also offered to help anyone who had been given charges at the Morrisons car park in King Street, Aberdeen.