Apcoa multiple parking tickets

Nuffy2

Really not sure how this works but i have been reading endlessly all these posts.

My son (21 years old) parked his car for 6 days in a road that he thought had no parking restrictions, because he could not find a spot in his own parking permit area. He got 6 PCNs when he returned 6 days later.

He immediately emailed Apcoa on 19 November naively asking for mercy. He explained he is a poor university student and there were no signs anywhere, even the civil enforcement officer he met that had issued the tickets said so, and had he realised he was not parked legally he would not have left his car there for 6 days, etc etc.

Naturally Apcoa have written back (on 20 November) saying they will reduce the charges from £70 to £35 per ticket (6 tickets) to be paid within 14 days. The first ticket was issue on 10 November, the last on 15 November.

So in true young naive style, my son has worked out that he has one day to pay and has asked me if i can lend it to him. I have frantically read all these notes and am now asking has he blown it? He has revealed his name as the driver (i am the registered keeper) which i have read is the first mistake. He has pretty much admitted he was in the wrong but does put up a good case for poor signage which is definitely the case. I THINK it is a private road - but not sure - i don't live in the area. But my son is going there tomorrow to find out. It only has signs either end of the (long) road saying it was a 'parking permit zone - but no signs up the length of the road.

Apcoa responded to his letter referring to the tickets as PCNs. They used a reference number beginning with the letters GD and referred to Informal Challenge of Penalty Charge -Traffic Management Act 2004.

Any advice at this stage? I feel he needs to pay it becuase i can see that the correct procedures have not been followed according to the advice here on MSE. But I think he only has 24 hours left before he is out of the discount window? And £210 is huge money!!!
SON HAS JUST SENT ME A PIC OF THE PCN AND IT SAYS THE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY IS THE COUNTY COUNCIL. DOES THIS CHANGE ANYTHING?

Marktheshark

You need to go to:
http://forums.pepipoo.com/
You will need the tickets scanned, some pictures of the signs and road markings.
They may be able to get them all overturned at appeal panel stage.

Nuffy2

I have asked my son to go out and take photos of the street etc and to scan all 6 PCNs to me.
I have read the Pepipoo link and all good stuff and will craft an email.

Several questions though:
1 - Have i still got time? They (Apcoa) are treating each ticket seperately. First one issued on 10 November. Lat one issued on 15 November. They replied to my son's email on 20 November (date of letter). My Maths tells me he has until 4 Dec as they say the discounted payment is only valid up until 14 days from the date of their letter.
2 - I will look at the POPLA thing tomorrow re details. I am assuming this POPLA letter goes to the County Council rather than Apcoa ( i am sure this will all be obvious when i read through the POPLA links but i am conscious that i am running out of time if the appeal is to be submitted before 4 December. Can we email it?
3 - Is the student thing a valid excuse for waiving some of the tickets at least? it does seem pretty tough on my son as, not to mention the financial strain on him but the road where he received the PCNs has no signs anywhere along its length and it never occurred to him that he needed to look either end of the road for parking signs.
It is possible that some of these questions will be answered when i read more tomorrow but we have so little time to act now, i have to hurry on!

bazster

Hold on a minute, you can't use PoPLA for council tickets. We need to see one of these tickets (suitably redacted of personal details).

I for one cannot make out what it is we are dealing with here.

Nuffy2

Hi - i have copies of the PCN on my phone sent by my son but i don't know how to delete personal details on it and post it up here. If i describe it, it might suffice?
It looks like the normal parking ticket i am familiar with issued by County Councils but this one seems to be issued by Apcoa and is worded exactly as follows:

'Apcoa Parking' plus logo at top
Enforcement Authority - Gloucestershire County Council
Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)

The Traffic Managment Act 2004, s 78
Civil Enforcement of parking Contraventions (England) etc etc

Then it gives it PCN number which starts with GD
Served on date by Civil Enforcement officer - number xxx who had reason to believe that the following contravention had occurred and that a penalty charge isn ow payable:
Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit.

Code: 16
Date of contravention: 10/11/2014
Time: etc
Location: etc
Vehicle reg; xx
make: xx
colour: xx
tax disc: xx
Then it goes on to due usual stuff re £70 now payable but will be reduced if pay blah blah blah.

Does this help you identify what we are dealing with?

bazster

Right, so hie thee to PePiPoo as previously advised, they are the council ticket experts. You will certainly not be writing to PoPLA, they are irrelevant, if this is to be appealed to anyone it will be the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

Nuffy2

Great - thanks for your help. Will go to PePiPoo. I have only just discovered MSE and can't believe it - it's fantastic!!

Coupon-mad

Here is your thread to follow on pepipoo:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=95192

In post #11 here when you first posted, I spotted it was Council & said you would likely only be liable for ONE PCN, which is what pepipoo are also saying:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5121257

Most people win on pepipoo in the end. There is no reason to think any adjudicator is going to want you to pay 5 PCNs for one parking event where the car was not moved, especially if the signs are unclear. Let us know here when pepipoo help you to victory!