Please help with POPLA appeal letter

cheeseballs104

Please please could someone help advise me on what to write to POPLA appealing against a Parking eye charge given to me for wrongfully parking at a Retail Park in Chelmsford in February. I parked there from 8.30pm till 11.20pm and never had a clue that the 2hr parking rule applied after shopping hours and only parked there as it was very dark that time of night, I was alone and wanted to park in a well lit carpark for my own safety (Im female). There was a recent sexual attack near the area and friends advised me to be careful. There is a carpark situation nearby but the lighting there is considerably less efficient.
Have I got any grounds to win this appeal as I do feel that me assuming that parking was free after shopping hours was okay and probably weakens any case. Im furthermore rubbish at writing letters and again Ive a feeling to win these appeals being good with literature very much help. Any advice is gratefully received. Thank you.

bod1467

The "what happened" matters not one jot with respect to POPLA. Your appeal will be exactly the same as almost any other Parking Eye POPLA appeal - there are a few linked from the NEWBIES thread.

cheeseballs104

Sorry but I don't fully understand your reply. What do you mean by 'The "what happened" matters not one jot with respect to POPLA'. Whats one jot? Is it worth me appealing then and how would I word the letter? Ill research the forum more for information.

Dee140157

I assume you have already appealed to Parking Eye and had it rejected and have your POPLA code?
If not then you need appeal to a Parking Eye using the first template in the NEWBIE thread.
Appeals are won on legal reasons not (even though often very good) mitigating circumstances. That us why you need to follow the advice in the thread i mentioned.
And yes it really is worth appealing. PE have a habit of not turning up to POPLA appeals!

da_rule

What bod1467 means is that POPLA don't care that you didn't realise that there was a time limit, or that there was a safety concern etc. POPLA are interested in the legality of the PCN only. Have a read of the Newbies thread, specifically the section about POPLA, as it contains some template appeal letters you can use.

bod1467

Matters not one jot = it doesn't matter at all.

"What happened" talks about mitigating circumstances ... POPLA do not consider mitigation - AT ALL - they even say so on their website. That's why POPLA appeals talk about points of contract law etc. such as No Authority/Standing to offer contracts (i.e. issue PCNs), such as their claim not being a Genuine Pre-estimate of Loss (GPEOL in forum-speak).

As Dee (edit: and da_rule) rightly surmise - this is ALL covered in the NEWBIES sticky thread.

cheeseballs104

Thank you da_rule. Thats what I thought re POPLAs interests. What further reason can I then use to hopefully win my appeal as Parking Eye also didn't give a stuff about safety, the time I was parked there or it being my first offence. Ive never disputed a ticket fine before and a friend advised my too but its not as easily dismissed as some websites say.

cheeseballs104

Thank you. I'll have a look on the newbie section now.

Annie1960

cheeseballs104 wrote: »

Thank you. I'll have a look on the newbie section now.

Have you appeal to the PCN and been given a POPLA code? If so, read post no 3 in this link.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822

Redx

cheeseballs104 wrote: »

Thank you da_rule. Thats what I thought re POPLAs interests. What further reason can I then use to hopefully win my appeal as Parking Eye also didn't give a stuff about safety, the time I was parked there or it being my first offence. Ive never disputed a ticket fine before and a friend advised my too but its not as easily dismissed as some websites say.

PE only care about extracting the maximum amount of sterling from your wallet or purse

they do not care about mitigating circumstances , they do not care about you , your shopping or leisure habits , your clock watching , they do not care about their signs or rules or morals , CoP failures or anything else, they deliberately design the rules and other aspects to entrap motorists into facing these charges

so no they dont give one jot about you or your circumstances , neither do popla and popla dont allow for mitigation so wont rule in your favour on any explanations or sob stories

so once you understand this, you realise you learn the rules of the game and beat them at their own game , using legal arguments etc

that is why the NEWBIES thread is important to both read and to understand the processes and terms

so forget "what happened or why" , accept you received an invoice you feel is unjust and not valid and fight it by using the tried and tested formulas in that newbies thread

good luck

cheeseballs104

Thank you everyone that's replied. Due to 2 playful children Ive not had time to read more thread but as soon as bedtime arrives I will be having a good look.
Annie1960 no I've not appealed to PCN, (what does that stand for??) however I do have POPLA ref: given at the head on the ParkingEye letter.