Ace Parking
Have you received a letter of demand from Ace Parking or Parking Patrols (Vic), Australian Recoveries and Collections, or Freedman and Gopalan? These pages explain the process of handling such fines. Do not blindly follow the appeal instructions on the back of your Ace Parking or Parking Patrols (Vic), or the appeal instructions on their websites. Instead, follow the instructions on this website.
Supreme Court Judgement against Ace Parking
On April 13th 2012 in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Associate Justice Gardiner handed down a judgement against Ace Parking, its subsidiary company Parking Patrols (Vic) and two of its directors who has been charged with misleading or deceptive conduct with regards to illegal fines that they had slapped on Victorian drivers windscreen’s between 2008 and 2011. The Supreme Court judgement found against Ace Parking and imposed penalties against them that limits the way they can conduct their business in the future. The court made orders for a refund of fines paid by the complainants to Ace Parking, plus $300 for compensation to each complainant for the inconvenience, indignity and anxiety. See the link further down the page to my coverage of the case.
LINKS
ABOUT ACE PARKING
Ace Parking manage car parks in Melbourne and they also fully own Parking Patrols Vic Pty Ltd. Ace Parking use Parking Patrols (Vic) to issue parking infringement notices to cars parked illegally in Ace Parking car parks. However, Parking Patrols (Vic) is fully owned by Ace Parking, and this business structure hides the fact that Ace Parking fully own Parking Patrols (Vic) Pty Ltd. That is, Ace Parking want drivers to think the fines are being enforced by a separate company. Another technique that Ace Parking use to try to distance themselves from the fines, is to use a debt collection company called Australian Recoveries and Collections and a law firm called Force Legal to chase unpaid fines. Typically the first reminder letter will come from Parking Patrols (Vic), the second letter from Force Legal, and subsequent letters from Australian Recoveries and Collections (see links to these entities further down the page).
ACE PARKING CURRENT OFFICE HOLDERS AND SHARE HOLDERS
- Registered office: Ingrams & Co, Level 1, 311 Toorak Road South Yarra VIC 3141 accounts@aceparking.com.au
- Principal place of business: 5 Paran Place Glen Iris VIC 3146
phone (03) 9886-0549, 0412-836-612, 0431-168-730 info@aceparking.com.au
- Company Director: Kevin John English (Glen Iris VIC 3146)
- Company Secretary:Kevin John English (Glen Iris VIC 3146)
- 33% Shareholder: Kevin John English (Glen Iris VIC 3146)
- 33% Shareholder: James John Allen English (Surrey Hills 3127 0412-836-612)
- 33% Shareholder: Carol Joan Lanyon (Glen Iris VIC 3146)
(source - ASIC register extract)
ACE PARKING CONTACT DETAILS
Office: 5 Paran Place Glen Iris VIC 3146
Phone: (03) 9886-0549
Email: info@aceparking.com.au
General Manager: James English 0412-836-612 , jenglish@aceparking.com.au
- Robert St Collingwood VIC 3066
- Allowah Terrace Richmond VIC 3121
- Prospect Street, Box Hill VIC 3128
- 823 Whitehorse Road, Mont Albert, VIC 3127
- Rosslyn St West Melbourne
- Albert St Richmond (near Victoria St/Pde)
- Jersey St Balwyn (near Whitehorse rd)
- 658 Church St Richmond
- 17-85 Gladstone St South Melbourne (near Kerr St)
- 14 Claremont St South Yarra
- 2 Bowen Crescent
- 8 Prospect Street Box Hill
- 19 Clifton Street Prahan
- 88 Wellington St Collingwood
- 64-72 Stanley St Collingood
- 1-7 Seymour Street, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia (enter off Ringwood St or Seymour St)
Supreme Court Judgement against Ace Parking
Australian Recoveries and Collections
What to do if I receive a letter of demand?
Car Park Compliance Services Pty Ltd
SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT
Ace Parking were taken to Supreme Court of Victoria by Consumer Affairs Victoria for engaging in the following conduct. There were found by the court to have engaged in:
- Misleading or deceptive conduct
- False or misleading representations
- Harassment and coercion
and were order to pay compensation to affected motorists.
For more information and to see my coverage of the Supreme Court judgement, please see this link.
BUSINESS PRACTICES CHALLENGED BY THE LAW
1. Ace Parking is accused of bullying drivers and imitating council fines for failing to pay or properly display tickets on dashboards and is being taken to court. Ace Parking faces legal action over claims of dodgy tickets and debt collection tactics, including threats to seize and sell vehicles or treating motorists like criminals. Consumer Affairs Victoria has launched a compensation fight on behalf of several drivers slapped with allegedly heavyhanded demands to pay up to $129.50 in charges, late fees and costs. The watchdog claims the private operator tried to pass off pieces of paper put under windscreen wipers as fines from official authorities, and unfairly threatened drivers with criminal prosecution. Read more...
2. Ace Parking faces legal action (by virtue of its 100% ownership of Parking Patrols (Vic) Pty Ltd) over claims of dodgy tickets and debt collection tactics, including threats to seize and sell vehicles or treating motorists like criminals. A representative for Ace Parking, which runs about 40 carparks in Victoria (including two in Box Hill), this week declined to comment.
3. Consumer Affairs Victoria is bringing legal action in the Supreme Court against car parking operator Ace Parking. The suit on behalf of motorists seeks compensation for alleged unethical business practices by the firm, which is said to have used fake council infringement notices and intimidation... See High Beam research. The trial against Ace Parking will resume in the Supreme Cort of Victoria is currently under deliberation and a result is expected in the next few of weeks.
ACE PARKING COURT CASES
23/07/2013 - Louis Norman Lalos - Case nbr C10849153 - Melbourne Magistrates Court - Pre-Hearing conference
08/07/2013 - Roads Corporation - Case nbr D11855042 - Melbourne Magistrates' Court - Vicroads - Applic for preliminary discovery
ACE PARKING CAR PARK LOCATIONS
- 545 Station Street Box Hill VIC 3128
- 2 Bowen Crescent, Melbourne VIC 3000
- 612 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
- 990 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill VIC 3128
- 128 Furlong Rd Sunshine North VIC 3020 (Sunshine Hospital)
Disclaimer: the author of this website is not a lawyer and this site does not constitute legal advice.