The Parking Prankster has been made aware of a freedom of information request to the DVLA, asking about the number of complaints about private parking companies from 1 Oct 2012 to the the present day.
The list does not contain complaints which are solely on the lines of 'how dare you release my private data to this company'. It only contains complaints where there was a breach of the relevant code of practice or some other complaint.
The result is available here.
The DVLA has registered 55 complaints, together with another 14 complaints not contained in the document.
Unfortunately for the DVLA The Parking Prankster has previously asked motorists to contact him if they have complained to the DVLA regarding a private parking company. The Prankster therefore also has a list of complaints, and it is substantially different to the list released by the DVLA.
The Prankster wonders why the DVLA's list is so different from his. Perhaps it is all some innocent mistake. Surely the DVLA is not trying to fake the figures so that it can report back to the government that all is well in the parking sector, and that there are hardly any complaints?
Have you made a complaint to the DVLA about a private parking company? Was it on the list? If not, please contact the prankster - prankster@parking-prankster.com - if you have not already, to tell him the name of the parking company, the brief nature of the complaint, the date of complaint and the date of resolution (if any).
If you think the DVLA are trying to bury your complaint, please contact the head of the DVLA to make him aware of your concerns. oliver.morley@dvla.gsi.gov.uk
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The Parking Prankster
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I suspect that the DVLA has a definition of "complaint" that falls outside the FOI request. I wonder how many "concerns" they have recieved ? Power to your elbow PP :-)
ReplyDeleteI have made numerous referrals.
ReplyDeleteOne was specifically headed...COMPLAINT RE SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES
Not on the list.
Other referrals have not had the word COMPLAINT in the heading...I susopect they may not count these...
Perhaps we need something that shows the referrals about Parking Companies etc...
The fact that the DVLA/BPA and associated Bodies are always supportive of the parking companies undermines their whole purpose.
Here is a reply I got last year: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/134361/response/331929/attach/2/FOIR3147%20Clive%20Elsdon.pdf
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Prankster should ask the DVLA why they are supplying information to companies whose business model could be construed as fraudulent.e.g. If Mr Bloggs has his car damaged by Mr Brown and the cost of repair is estimated at £500 but Mr Bloggs contrives to extract £1500 from Mr Brown thus making a £1000 profit from the damages - that would be construed as Insurance fraud - since most likely Mr Brown's insurance company would pay.
ReplyDeleteNow if a company inflates its Genuine pre-estimate of loss to make a profit - that could also be construed as a fraudulent claim. In passing the information to a company to aid in an extraction of the fraudulent profi,t the DVLA could be said to be aiding and abetting the misdemeanour.