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Help needed!!! Do I pay this APCOA parking fine?

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Dw91
Dw91 Posts: 3 Newbie
in Parking tickets, fines & parking
Hi all. Some advice would be greatly received. I parked my car in a train station car park but the the machine wasn't working. With no time to spare as I needed to catch my train, I wrote a note with my number and said that the machine was out of order when I arrived and to call me to be able to pay over the phone. I have come back today to find a parking fine from APCOA saying it's £80 or £40 if I pay within 14 days. The fine says I can contest this in writing. Should I ignore this or contest? Or give them a call and explain the machine wasn't working on arrival?

Comments

  • Quentin
    Quentin Posts: 40,405 Forumite
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    Before starting a thread everyone is politely asked to first read up on this in the newbies faq thread near the top of the forum


    Go there now to learn the game you are caught up in and how to deal with it


    Also search for many similar threads regarding parking at railway stations & apcoa


    (Definitely don't call them!!)
  • KeithP
    KeithP Posts: 37,926 Forumite
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    You really must not give away any clues to the driver's identity.

    Everything that happened on the day of the event happened to the driver.

    Everything since then involved the keeper.

    For example, your third sentence should perhaps look something like:
    A driver parked my car in a train station car park but the the machine wasn't working.
    Review the rest of your post and adjust similarly.

    There is no place for the words 'I' or 'my' when describing things that happened on the day.

    This isn't just pedantry - parking companies trawl these forums just waiting for people to trip themselves up and can use your posts against you.
  • Umkomaas
    Umkomaas Posts: 41,527 Forumite
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    Do I pay this APCOA parking fine?
    Spluttered Pinotage has just soaked my keypad! No one should be volunteering to pay any PPC, let alone APCOA. Leave that instruction to a judge.

    Trouble is, APCOA never trouble a judge!

    http://www.bmpa.eu/companydata/APCOA_Parking_UK.html

    Almost a quarter of a million tickets issued in the past 3 years, and only ever been to the small claims court once - and I can almost guarantee that that case wasn’t a parking one!

    Do you feel lucky punk?
    Please note, we are not a legal advice forum. I personally don't get involved in critiquing court case Defences/Witness Statements, so unable to help on that front. Please don't ask. .

    I provide only my personal opinion, it is not a legal opinion, it is simply a personal one. I am not a lawyer.

    Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

    Private Parking Firms - Killing the High Street
  • Coupon-mad
    Coupon-mad Posts: 132,849 Forumite
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    Wow, a poster asking whether to actually PAY money to APCOA, despite the fact as keeper they cannot be held liable, and beating APCOA (when the driver is NOT identified) is like shelling peas!
    PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
    CLICK at the top of this/any page where it says:
    Forum Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD
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