Excel Parking: Car park owner to review lease at Ecclesall Road site with dodgy computer
The owner of a Sheffield car park says he will look at how long the contract with the operator has to run after complaints.
Nasir Sherazi said “quite a few” people had come to him about Vehicle Control Services - part of Sheffield-based Excel Parking - which runs the site off Ecclesall Road at Banner Cross.
He said he had also received “two or three” Parking Charge Notice letters demanding £100 after using the car park himself.
Mr Sherazi, of Sherazi Property Management on London Road, added: “Let me check how long the lease has left. I’ve had quite a few people come to me in the last four or five months.”
He commented after complaints about an e-permit system at the site which is ‘set up to fail’ drivers, it is claimed.
Customers park for free if business owners allowed to use the car park input their registration number into a website to obtain an ‘e-permit’ for them.
Sophie Culf received a demand for £100 after hairdresser Carla Hackett had problems with the system. It rose to £170 after her appeal was unsuccessful. VCS later cancelled the charge after being contacted by The Star.
Carla said she now recommends that customers avoid the car park.
Business owner Paul Hood, of Fellas hairdressers, said they had paid PCNs worth £1,000 on behalf of customers to maintain good relations.
Nine local businesses pay £150 annually for the use of the site and its ‘e-permits’, it is understood.
They are tenants of Sherazi Property Management, which owns the buildings.
Mr Sherazi said the site is managed by SMC Brownhill Vickers, based on Campo Lane in Sheffield city centre.
A spokesperson for SMC Brownhill Vickers said: “We are aware the scheme has been in place for a long period of time and is there to assist the tenants by providing a free parking service and to ensure only customers and staff can use the facility.
“The landlord does not receive a cut of any of the PCN income.
“The PCNs are only issued when the registrations are inputted incorrectly and the tenants are aware that if the system is down there is a generic email to send these to.”
Vehicle Control Services is part of Excel Parking, based in Tinsley.
When the firm cancelled Sophie Culf’s PCN it said the site behind 949 - 965 Ecclesall Road is for the “exclusive use of e-permit holders only” and the adjoining salon (Carla Hackett) has an online portal to create them for customers.
The firm added: “Despite claims the portal was not working on the day in question, we can confirm it was working.
“The salon e-permit portal was used to enter a vehicle registration that resembled Miss Wilson's vehicle, but did not match.
“We are however satisfied that Miss Wilson’s visit to the site was genuine and have withdrawn the charge.”