Parking Poker - Highview Parking take on The Prankster

Highview Parking have started a new tactic against The Parking Prankster. Rather than proceeding directly to POPLA, they have decided to play Parking Poker. This is probably because their success rate at POPLA is pants. The Prankster puts this down to their preference to have a jolly good rant in their case notes, rather than bothering to put a proper case together, or even exerting themselves to the extent of sending in maps and pictures of the correct car park. He wouldn't go so far as to call Highview Parking 'lying and evasive', but he does note their responses bear no resemblance to serious POPLA case notes, and he might even go so far as to say that their case notes make a mockery of the whole POPLA process.

The latest game of Parking Poker started when The Prankster double dipped his local car park. Like many people all over the country, he found he needed to visit Tesco more than once in a single day. He doesn't usually expect to have to pay £80 for the privilege of doing this; Highview Parking thought otherwise.

They started a game of Parking Poker by chucking £2.50 into the pot, and getting The Prankster's details from the DVLA. It probably irks them to do this, because they no doubt have The Prankster's address burnt into their computer monitors by now, but they have to play by the book. They then sent off their Notice to Keeper to The Prankster.

The Prankster is equally prepared for Highview, and has a template letter in his word processor ready and waiting, just needing a few details filling in. He therefore matched their bet and raised them, telling them they needed to give him a POPLA code if they wanted to see his hand. Normally Highview bend over and drop them at this point, sending a POPLA code and waiting to be spanked at POPLA. However, this time events took a new and exciting twist; Highview totally ignored The Prankster's letter, and instead raised him with a Charge Notice Reminder.

I suppose The Prankster should have expected Highview Parking to do something different at some point. After all, one definition of insanity is to keep repeating the same actions and expecting a different outcome; and after all, Highview Parking are certainly not mad, (although some commenters have thought they might be hopping mad.)

The Prankster counter-betted with a letter enclosing his previous appeal, saying that as Highview had not  responded within the BPA Ltd stipulated time limit of 14 days he considered his appeal to be accepted.

Highview upped the stakes again, replying that they had not received his previous letter but that he could if he wanted, appeal within 14 days. The Prankster considered that he had already sent in his appeal letter twice, and so sat back to wait for the 35 timer to elapse.

Highview panicked and betted out of turn, throwing in a Legal Action Pending letter. No doubt they expected that using red ink and scary words would cause The Prankster to fold.

Your ability to obtain credit in the future may be affected if we have to take this matter to our solicitors for further action.

The Prankster graciously accepted their new bet anyway, and continued to let the timer tick. After 35 days had elapsed from The Prankster's second letter, (which Highview had admitted receiving), he went all in and wrote to Highview explaining that the 35 day timer had expired.

The new letter.

The annotated appeal letter.

The Prankster fully expected Highview to fold at this point, as they were clearly over the 35 day limit. However, to his surprise they matched his bet, throwing in £27 of their own chips and £100+ of the BPA Ltd's cash to see his hand at POPLA.

Unsurprisingly, The Prankster turned over his cards to show a Royal Flush; Parking Company not responding to appeal within 35 days. According to the rules on the POPLA web site, this is an unbeatable hand at Parking Poker, and the Parking Company have to cancel all charges.

The Prankster has therefore appealed to POPLA on these grounds and eagerly looks forward to October when the appeal will likely be heard given the current delays.

Happy Parking

The Parking Prankster