Page 69 - Phonebox Magazine 2013

Right, well, we’re back on the Co-op parking. Whenever I go to shop at the Co-op in Olney, I’m very aware of the sign that says Maximum Free Stay 2 Hours For Customers Only. See sign right. I went to the Pancake Day last month and parked at the Co-op for two hours and a few minutes more. I would have got back in time except that I was waylaid at the Bull for a rather nice meal with the great and the good of Olney. Not quite sure how it came about that I should get in, but there you are. I was.
Anyway, when I returned to my car, I was aware that I had gone over for about 10 minutes but wasn’t worried as I wasn’t a Co-op customer that day, so as stated on the sign it clearly didn’t apply to me. It applies only to customers.
They tell you that there is an appeals procedure, but at the bottom they do what we in the ‘Nuisance Trade’ call the granny frightener, which is saying that if payment is not received they will issue proceedings against you and add additional costs, interest and fees to the claim. It’s to frighten old people. And all this before an appeal is even heard.
taking over the world but maybe it’s
because they don’t try and rob you in
the car park.
Ho hum, I’ll keep you informed of the
progress as it goes on. It really does
only take up a minute or so a week
folks, and is well worth doing, if only to
make sign writers buck up on their
grammar. I love the word grammar.
Reminds me of the Will Hay film. “It’s
your grammar boy, tell me what’s wrong with your grammar?” “There’s nothing wrong with me Grammar, she at ‘ome making the supper.”
The Pibworth Column
Imagine to my horror when two days later I received an invoice from a company called Civil Enforcement Ltd. I say an invoice as it isn’t a fine from the police or the local authority, it is a civil matter and can only be dealt with in a small claims court if you question the invoice. Apparently you enter a contract when you park there. Not a proper signed one or anything, just some flimsy assumed type of thing. This isn’t the case if you park illegally on the public road I might point out, but this is private so it is a totally different game. I wrote to them and explained that I wasn’t a customer that day and so although I would dispute the matter on various grounds in any case, it could all be dropped without wasting each other’s time any further.
They even try to make their correspondence look similar to the official ones sent by the police and the local council.
Having looked up the Co-op’s favoured money gatherer, I see that Civil Enforcement Ltd use a debt recovery company called Newlyn whose motto is ‘Great Collector of National Debts’. Not the catchiest one I’ve come across to be frank, but then I don’t suppose the people who design for these companies are the sharpest tools in the box.
Oh yes, a quick update from the Winchester Club which you may remember me talking about last month. We joined forces with the local Procrastination Club and since then nothing much seems to have happened, although I did get a sign made for the door, so we’re progressing albeit slowly and there has been some facebook activity and thanks for the jokes everyone. None of them are anywhere near printable but they were very funny.
I received a standard letter back with no reference to what I had written but just demanding the money.
Another interesting fact about Civil Enforcement is that they won’t accept emails. Emails are by far the easiest and quickest way of sorting things out but they won’t accept them. You have to write letters. You would have thought that a company used by the Co- op would have been against wasting paper. I thought they were supposed to have some sort of Green policy. You can hardly get a plastic bag out of them these days without them looking at you as if you’re a seal clubber, but obviously cutting down a load of trees is a price worth paying for a bit of extra cash. Funnily enough, I’m writing the first draft of this article in my car at Tesco in Milton Keynes while sipping a Costa Coffee. (Vanilla Latte, Mmmm.) People may drone on about how Costa and Tesco are
Anyway, ready for the April article, my pal Paul Kitchen and I are going round to see if the money used to do up the bogs (sorry, lavatories) on the Market Place was well spent. You may remember I did an article where we offered to do it at a good rate but no-one took us up on the offer. We were quite disappointed. Paul had even looked out his extension lead. Oh well, their loss......no wait a minute....it isn’t of course. It’s our loss as we all paid for it.
DODO UPDATE
Oh well, see you next month. Cheers for now. DP. Consultation on the opening hours of Olney Cemetery
We have had a variety of people contact us regarding Dodo Antiques which
As a result of some minor anti-social behaviour in Olney cemetery last summer, the council wishes to review the hours which the cemetery is open to the public. Cemeteries, unlike other public open spaces, are only open to the public during the hours permitted by the council, and being in a cemetery outside of the permitted hours is an offence.
The town council will shortly be erecting signage at the entrances to the cemetery to inform the public of the opening hours and of the offences that are prosecutable under the cemeteries legislation.
Before we do that, we would like to hear from members of the public what they think are the appropriate hours of opening. We are
people who may wish to visit the graves of their loved ones on a fine summer evening for instance.
recently closed it’s doors in Olney. Some of their customers knew they
The current hours of opening are:
MONTH OPENING TIMES January, February 8.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. March, April 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. May, June, July, August 8.00 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. September, October 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. November, December 8.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
had shut down and some had no idea at all. None of them has been able
to contact Dodo or a representative of the company. We have put together information we have discovered and will be passing this on to those concerned.
We will keep you informed of developments.
We would welcome the views of members of the public on the appropriateness of these times, and any alternative suggestions for opening hours.
PS If any other readers has had the same problem with Dodo Antiques you can get together via Phonebox with others in the same situation by emailing editor@phoneboxmagazine.com
The town council can be contacted on townclerk@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk or at The
conscious that we do not wish to prevent
Olney Centre, High St, Olney, MK46 4EF
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Phonebox Magazine 69