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APCOA Parking Fine - worth paying ?
RT964
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi all, complete newbie here in need of advice !
I have been parking in the same station car park for the past 18 months with no problems. Today, I returned to my car to discover a parking ticket on it. At first I thought there must be some mistake as the ticket was stuck on my windscreen within 2 inches of where I was displaying a valid parking ticket. However, when I removed the ticket, it said that I had received a penalty notice because I was parked "over 2 bays", whereas I was in actual fact parked across one bay, with my tyre on what would be a white line (if they'd bothered to paint entire lines as opposed to those silly "T" shapes to indicate a parking space). I have a photo on my phone to prove it !
The question is, do I take apcoa up on their kind offer to reduce the enforcement charge of £80 to £50 if I pay within 14 days ?
I'm not sure if the land is private or rail company owned (will check tomorrow), but on the back of the ticket it says (IN BIG CAPITAL LETTERS) "should payment not be received within the specified times, a summons will be issued in the county court where judgement may be sought for debt to include any and all costs incurred in recovery". Also, although the electronic ticket has a parking attendants code name on it, the ticket itself is not signed or initialed - does this affect it's validity ?
Many thanks in advance for advice, guidance and similar stories (hopefully with a happy ending !).
RT
I have been parking in the same station car park for the past 18 months with no problems. Today, I returned to my car to discover a parking ticket on it. At first I thought there must be some mistake as the ticket was stuck on my windscreen within 2 inches of where I was displaying a valid parking ticket. However, when I removed the ticket, it said that I had received a penalty notice because I was parked "over 2 bays", whereas I was in actual fact parked across one bay, with my tyre on what would be a white line (if they'd bothered to paint entire lines as opposed to those silly "T" shapes to indicate a parking space). I have a photo on my phone to prove it !
The question is, do I take apcoa up on their kind offer to reduce the enforcement charge of £80 to £50 if I pay within 14 days ?
I'm not sure if the land is private or rail company owned (will check tomorrow), but on the back of the ticket it says (IN BIG CAPITAL LETTERS) "should payment not be received within the specified times, a summons will be issued in the county court where judgement may be sought for debt to include any and all costs incurred in recovery". Also, although the electronic ticket has a parking attendants code name on it, the ticket itself is not signed or initialed - does this affect it's validity ?
Many thanks in advance for advice, guidance and similar stories (hopefully with a happy ending !).
RT
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Comments
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APCOA are known for untruthfully mentioning railway byelaws within their tickets. Is this the case on yours?
This ticket is clearly nothing to do with railway byelaws, or any case would proceed in the Magistrates' Court.
What you have received is more likely than not the usual PPC ticket (I'm assuming here that it's not a railway byelaw issue, as the County Court is mentioned), which can be filed away in a drawer and ignored. Do be aware, however, that you will receive a number of reminders - ever-more threatening, in the hope that you'll pay up.
Lack of signature has no bearing on the ticket's validity, because it's not a penalty charge notice - it's just an invoice.0 -
APCOA don't issue fines, they merely supply invoices..
It is not a fine and has no legal weight, they are just a private company sending you an invoice for a contract they are alleging you entered into with them.====0 -
There's no mention of the railway at all on the ticket - even the name of the car park does not mention the fact that it's at a railway station. I'll check the notices at the station tomorrow to see if there is any mention of either the railway byelaw or of it being an offence to park on the white line of a parking bay.0
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There's no mention of the railway at all on the ticket - even the name of the car park does not mention the fact that it's at a railway station. I'll check the notices at the station tomorrow to see if there is any mention of either the railway byelaw or of it being an offence to park on the white line of a parking bay.
It doesn't matter. Don't waste your time. File it away and get on with your life.0 -
I concur wholeheartedly with the above advice.0
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Sounds like good advice. What should I expect in terms of "correspondence" from APCOA ?0
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I would describe it is as laughable, inept, poorly written and probably fraudulent.0
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