Parking Eye PCN - Is it worth appealing if I'm not prepared to go to court?

Stroma

Make sure you don't send off original receipts, and if posting anything get a proof of postage off the post office, its free

fisherjim

MonkeyJim wrote: »

Thank you. No I'm not disabled. I don't have any real excuse for outstaying the free time period in the car park. It was at a multi-store retail park, and we just got carried away shopping around. Didn't spend anything of great significance, and I doubt any of the stores would have the sway to get it waived as it's not just their car park?

You have a far too reasonable attitude to what is a very unreasonable way of scamming people out of money for no real reason!

The car park is their to attract people to visit and spend their cash, it's not your fault the time allowed isn't enough for you to complete your shopping, and you did spend money!

Please don't just give in to these money making parasites, they really are just scumbags!

Coupon-mad

MonkeyJim wrote: »

Funnily enough we spent just over £30 in one of the stores, so will be interesting to see if that gives us any lee-way with PE.

Thanks for all the advice - I'll send off an appeal to PE with a receipt from the store that we made a purchase in and see what happens.

If they say no then they have to give you a POPLA code and you must be ready to do a strong appeal to POPLA. So now's the time to spend reading other threads, many new threads discuss POPLA wording & give helpful links to examples of good POPLA appeals.

So happy reading. Let us know what happens. You won't be paying but do NOT fire off a POPLA appeal without help and reading up on it.

Guys_Dad

I agree that you should go the short appeal/POPLA route.

However, just a couple of points.

1. How long were you parked, what's the free time allowed and what reason was there on the letter?

2. If you have the receipt, try to get the store to get the ticket cancelled. Demand to speak to the store manager. Try this, if you can, before your soft appeal to the PPC.

MonkeyJim_2

Guys_Dad wrote: »

I agree that you should go the short appeal/POPLA route.

However, just a couple of points.

1. How long were you parked, what's the free time allowed and what reason was there on the letter?

2. If you have the receipt, try to get the store to get the ticket cancelled. Demand to speak to the store manager. Try this, if you can, before your soft appeal to the PPC.

It was a 2 hour limit and we were 45 mins over the 2 hours. The letter just said we exceeded the allowed time and therefore a parking charge applies.

Would a store manager be able to have a charge waived in a retail park environment, where much of the time we were there was spent in other stores?

Coupon-mad

MonkeyJim wrote: »

It was a 2 hour limit and we were 45 mins over the 2 hours. The letter just said we exceeded the allowed time and therefore a parking charge applies.

Would a store manager be able to have a charge waived in a retail park environment, where much of the time we were there was spent in other stores?

Yes - unless it's a retail park where the scammers were contracted by the landowner or managing agent of the place. But don't just politely ask, complain VERY assertively, this sort of treatment of paying customers is NOT ON is it?!

MonkeyJim_2

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Yes - unless it's a retail park where the scammers were contracted by the landowner or managing agent of the place. But don't just politely ask, complain VERY assertively, this sort of treatment of paying customers is NOT ON is it?!

Well being very assertive is not something I'm very good at. In writing no problem, but face to face, or over the phone, not so much... I'd probably be more confident if it was a store we shopped in a lot, but it's not. We don't even have one of their reward cards!

Stroma

It's not hard to be assertive if you are passionate about this, get angry with them, how dare they have unregulated parking cowboys in their car park to entrap you into this scam. Tell them that you ARE a customer, and you are being harassed by this company for shopping at their store!! Tell them that you will sue them for the actions of THEIR agents. If no joy do the same via email

Coupon-mad

MonkeyJim wrote: »

Well being very assertive is not something I'm very good at. In writing no problem, but face to face, or over the phone, not so much... I'd probably be more confident if it was a store we shopped in a lot, but it's not. We don't even have one of their reward cards!

Most people can be assertive if they need to be, even face to face. Dress smartly and be confident.

But to answer your very first question:

'is it worth appealing to POPLA if I am not prepared to go to Court?'

the answer is 'you'd be mad not to' because it's ignorers who PE have make claims against. So appeal and win with our help. I am not sure if you have had much specific 'appeal wording advice' yet, so see here regarding how to word a simple first challenge that doesn't name the driver:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/61647745#Comment_61647745

and here for a load of links I just gave someone to show examples of POPLA wording to include:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4653023

HTH

MonkeyJim_2

Just to follow up on this, I made a complaint by email to the store that we shopped in, and they've come back to say that they've forwarded my details to the parking company to have the fine retracted! Result!

Many thanks to you all for your help and advice.