This report in the Banbury Guardian details how ParkingEye tried to scam a couple out of £100 for parking 6 hours at Morrisons. However, there vehicle was having an MOT at the time, so luckily they were able to prove they were not there, forcing ParkingEye into having to drop the fine.
Morrisons report this as due to a technical fault. The Prankster can confirm this was due to ParkingEye's cameras being connected to a source of electricity. Every time this happens, the cameras start to issue a series of fake tickets, trying to scam motorists out of their hard-earned cash.
The scam is well-known, and works like this. A vehicle visits a ParkingEye car park and the camera records them arriving once the software recognises the number plate. When the vehicle leaves, if its number plate is obscured, perhaps due to a closely following vehicle or pedestrian, no record exists of its leaving. Sometimes the number plate is not obscured but is misread. Although ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) is billed as infallible, in practice only 85% accuracy is required for the system to be certified as working.
If the vehicle visits again later, the system then issues a ticket for the period between first entry and last exit.
Although the chances of this happening in any individual case are low, the vast number of cars parking each day mean that this will happen several times a day up and down the country, generating a nice little earner for ParkingEye.
The motorists this time were luckily because they had proof they were not there. In general, people do not have such proof. In these situations ParkingEye's department of misinformation swings into action, generating pages of irrelevant information about how good their system is, without actually providing any information at all.
ParkingEye have even taken motorists to court on the back of this scam. Although many judges are wise to this and have thrown out the claim, some unfortunately are fooled by ParkingEye's lies and have enforced charges for times when vehicles were not even there.
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Parking Eye's technology undergo nineteen different checks, and are used by institutions such as Buckingham Palace..... yeh right.
ReplyDeleteI suggest a twentieth check as nineteen does not seem to cut the mustard. The Prankster could be employed to conduct the twentieth check as he has a firmer understanding of ANPR technology than the Parking(sh)Eye(sters).
DeleteThey used to boast that their time-clocks were checked against the Rugby standard time broadcast. Once small snag, Rugby closed down in 2007. The transmitter is now located in Cumbria and is called "NPL".
ReplyDeleteHow are PE not convicted of fraud..?
ReplyDelete