Adli and Parking Eye - recovering fine paid

wookie66

Two weeks ago overstayed at local Aldi store (2hr limit) after did my weekly shop and within few days received a Parking Eye ticket for £40 through the post

Being the law abiding citizen I am and without thinking things through properly or researching Parking Eye I duly paid the £40 online using my Mastercard. Was taken in by official looking design and wording of the ticket which is very similar to that use by Local Authorities when handing out fines

I have now become aware that I should have just ignored the ticket and let matters take their course

Has anyone managed to get a refund on a ticket that they have already paid or can offer any advice if I would have a chance of recovering the £40 by writing to Aldi direct?

Would normally let this go but feel rather foolish in that I paid up straight away and though i don't deny I overstayed reading through the various forums this does seem like a money grabbing scheme and an extremely excessive overcharge

Any advice would be appreciated on what approach I can take that would be most likely to succeed in recovering the fine paid from my learned forum colleagues

Coupon-mad

The only way to possibly get it back is to appeal to POPLA. And you may as well, nowt to lose! But first you have to appeal to Parking Eye.

So write an appeal letter to Parking Eye saying that you have paid under protest but still wish to exercise your right to appeal and take the matter to POPLA as you feel this ticket is unfair. Say that paying it has made you feel aggrieved and as you were an Aldi customer it's making you and your family think twice about ever shopping there again.

Do not say who was driving but say that 'the driver' didn't see the signs and was shopping in Aldi at the time, and as the registered keeper you were shocked to get a 'parking ticket' in the post and paid it out of fear. Enclose a copy of 'the driver's receipt' and state that you now understand from 'Aldi staff' that you could have had it cancelled as you were a genuine shopper. Parking Eye do sometimes cancel fake PCNs when presented with a receipt over £30.

It doesn't matter if they do or don't because you will still get a POPLA code if they reject (because you are still in time for that option!).

Then get forum help and read up in detail about winning POPLA appeals!