APCOA Luton Airport POPLA advice

Gilcrist · 6 March 2018 at 5:19PM

Good afternoon,

As the keeper of the vehicle, I received a PCN by post from APCOA dated 24-8-17 for contravention of Dropping off or picking up outside designated areas at Luton Airport.

My appeal was emailed to APCOA on 27-9-17 and an automated reply received.

Next, I received by a letter from APCOA by post, dated 4-1-18. This says ‘as we have not received a payment or an appeal’ . . . ‘Should you wish to dispute the issuing of this PCN you can do so within 28 days from the date of this notice of this letter.’

I emailed APCOA to appeal again on 31-1-18 and explained that I had already appealed on 27-9-17 and that an automated reply had been received by me.

Today, 6-3-18, I received an email from APCOA saying, ‘ As we can see from your case history an appeal has already been submitted and deemed unsuccessful and a letter was sent on 10-10-17 confirming this.’ This letter was not received by me and the email contradicts the APCOA letter of 4-1-18 saying they hadn’t received an appeal. A PDF of the letter (that I didn’t receive) of 10-10-17 is attached to today’s email from APCOA. This letter says, appeal unsuccessful and that I have 28 days from 10-10-17 to appeal to POPLA. It has always been my intention to appeal to POPLA once the appeal to APCOA was rejected. Given that the 28 day period has expired, should I still appeal to POPLA explaining what has taken place and that it is only today that I have received a POPLA verification number and learned of my unsuccessful appeal to APCOA?

Any advice will be most gratefully received.

Umkomaas · 6 March 2018 at 5:26PM

POPLA won't deal with it without a current verification code.

You need to complain to the BPA and copy to the DVLA. Make a clear report of what has happened, especially emphasising APCOA's 'change of story to suit' (aka caught them lying!). Ask Steve Clark to intervene and either get the charge cancelled or force APCOA to finally issue you with the POPLA Code you are entitled to.

steve.c@britishparking.co.uk

david.dunford@dvla.gsi.gov.uk

(I understand DD has moved on within the DVLA , but I don't have the email addy of his successor - but DD's old one will hopefully get your complaint re-routed appropriately).

The_Deep · 6 March 2018 at 5:52PM

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of contracts for alleged parking offences.

Parking Eye, Smart and a smaller company have already been named and shamed, as has Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (who take hundreds of these cases to court, and nearly always lose), who have also been reported to the regulatory authority.

The problem has become so rampant that MPs have agreed to enact a Bill to regulate these scammers. Watch the video of the Second Reading in the HofC recently.

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41

and complain in the most robust terms to your MP. With a fair wind most of these companies may well be put out of business by Christmas.

Coupon-mad · 6 March 2018 at 7:39PM

Charges are not 'illegal' but this cowboy industry is skating on thin ice in 2018. These are some of the comments made by the MPs in Parliament concerning the unregulated parking industry (Feb 2018):

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-02-02/debates/CC84AF5E-AC6E-4E14-81B1-066E6A892807/Parking(CodeOfPractice)Bill

''Rip-offs from car park Cowboys must stop''; unfair treatment; signage deliberately confusing to ensure a PCN is issued; ''years of abuse by rogue parking companies''; bloodsuckers; ''the current system of regulation is hopeless, like putting Dracula in charge of the blood-bank''; extortionate fines; rogue operators; ''sense of injustice''; unfair charges and notices; wilfully misleading; signage is a deliberate act to deceive or mislead; ''confusing signs are often deliberate, to trap innocent drivers''; unreasonable; a curse; harassing; operating in a disgusting way; appeals service is no guarantee of a fair hearing; loathed; outrageous scam; dodgy practice; outrageous abuse; unscrupulous practices; ''the British Parking Association is as much use as a multi-storey car park in the Gobi desert''; and finally, by way of unanimous conclusion: ''we need to crack down on these rogue companies. They are an absolute disgrace to this country. Ordinary motorists and ordinary residents should not have to put up with this''.

These are the exact words used, so you should quote them to your MP in a complaint and ask him/her to contact Sir Greg Knight MP if he wants further information about this scam.

Also, send an email complaint to Steve Clark at the BPA, who to his credit, has always investigated and sorted out complaints well and is the least likely person at the BPA to fob you off with the usual bleat ''this is not a breach of our code, the letter probably went astray and we don't require AOS members to prove posting, so get lost you unwashed motorist and pay our beloved member some money you are not liable for, as keeper, but we won't tell you that bit, as you are NOT at the heart of our thinking...''

steve.c@britishparking.co.uk

Include a link to this thread, as Mr Clark reads MSE and calls a spade a spade, as do I. Honesty is key.

Show him the letters in your email and concentrate on the CONTRADICTION, which might just make a person smell a rat that - perhaps, just perhaps - the October letter either never existed at all, or was never posted, and that the POPLA code was never actually allocated to you (allegedly, maybe).

The contradiction gives the game away. I hope the BPA can pull their socks up and see through the way some of their beloved AOS members appear to 'play the system'.

POPLA code allocation should be foolproof and the paper trail SHOULD prove that code was allocated to you and on what date, and PPCs should be able to prove the *letter* was actually printed, and when (and ideally prove it was posted, and when). But sadly the BPA expect no such thing and these firms COULD just say ''look, here's a letter we created earlier'' and get away with it.

No wonder MPs have had enough.

So have the UK public, the entire industry is stinking rotten and cannot be turned around. Should be illegal to operate like this with ANPR cameras dishing out unwarranted, enormous and punitive fines and then not accounting for letters sent or POPLA codes allocated.

Wouldn't you all hate it, if one of your family members actually decided to *work* in the PPC industry?

Gilcrist · 9 March 2018 at 12:12PM

Thank you all very much indeed for your advice. I have today emailed BPA with chapter and verse and cc'ed it to DVLA. I will also be writing to my MP. Kind regards to all, Gilcrist.

Gilcrist · 21 March 2018 at 6:10PM

Just received an email from Steve Clark informing me that he has persuaded APCOA to cancel the charge. Many thanks yet again for the advice.

Umkomaas · 21 March 2018 at 8:16PM

Well done (once again) to Steve Clark who does come up with the goods when there is clearly a situation where the operator is [STRIKE]lying[/STRIKE] absolutely in the wrong. :T

forgotmyname · 21 March 2018 at 9:45PM

Seems an issue for APCOA.

I appealed online and received their confirmation email, yet i received a letter stating i had not appealed and that the full price was now payable.

Mine was at Birmingham Airport, my car was borrowed by a family member to drop someone off at the Hotel there. Car clearly parked in the hotel drop off zone yet they sent me a ticket.

The picture they sent me, clearly show my car parked with the hotel dropoff sign clearly visible. Not so visible are the parking terms and conditions. Thos cannot be read in the pictures.

No POPLA code provided as yet.

Coupon-mad · 22 March 2018 at 12:10AM

Poor APCOA.

Perhaps they need the expert service of an internet engineer, or whatever title such people bandy around.

forgotmyname · 24 March 2018 at 2:27AM

Do you think they need someone to point out where the open/read email button is?

If your from APCOA and reading this, please tell us what email client your using.

Maybe post in the Techie Stuff section and ask for help on reading emails.

Maybe they just need Specsavers and its not an IT issue?

Cannot wait for letter number 3

APCOA Luton Airport POPLA advice

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