Parking Charge Notice from APCOA (Birmingham Airport)

jameslane

Firstly I want to apologise in advance as I know there have been several threads about this and I've tried my best to go through it but there's a lot of information! If anyone can give me some advance I would really appreciate it.

So my car is a leased car and yesterday I received a letter from the lease company which was a forward of this parking charge notice from APCOA parking.

I stopped for 30 seconds on the road outside the carpark (at Birmingham Airport) and it says the parking charge notice is for "BA02 - Dropping off / Picking up outside of a designated parking area". The charge is £50 if I pay within two weeks, then it goes up to £100.

So I was just wondering, what should I do first? Should I reply to APCOA parking? If so, what should I say and does it matter that my car is leased? Thanks very much for your time

bazster

Yes, best reply to stop them hassling the lease company. Lease companies have a nasty habit of simply paying these things and then charging you, with a hefty admin fee on top.

Read the Newbies thread and send a challenge to APCOA. Don't admit who was driving: as the lessee you are effectively keeper of the vehicle, so you are challenging as the keeper.

jameslane

bazster wrote: »

Yes, best reply to stop them hassling the lease company. Lease companies have a nasty habit of simply paying these things and then charging you, with a hefty admin fee on top.

Read the Newbies thread and send a challenge to APCOA. Don't admit who was driving: as the lessee you are effectively keeper of the vehicle, so you are challenging as the keeper.

My lease company said "It is not our company policy to process the payment of the offence, but to issue the relevant authority with the name and address of the lessee for the vehicle in question".

My lease company have also put "Shortly you will receive the relevant information from the authorities regarding the offence, but if it is a parking charge, you may wish to pay the fine or contact them using the attached copy to avoid any additional charges should the issuing authority fail to get in touch."

Do my lease company think it is an actual PCN (Penalty Charge Notice), rather than a "Parking Charge Notice", which have the same initials!

bazster

jameslane wrote: »

Do my lease company think it is an actual PCN (Penalty Charge Notice), rather than a "Parking Charge Notice", which have the same initials!

Well if they're not going to pay it it doesn't really matter what they think it is does it?

Redx

no fine was issued

no offence was committed

just appeal to APCOA as KEEPER , using the template letter from the NEWBIES sticky thread

then follow almost the same path as all the other appeals , except as keeper and not as Registered Keeper (leasing the car makes you the keeper)

jameslane

Thanks Redx. Am I definitely the keeper and not the registered keeper? How would I find out?

Grimble

Registered Keeper has DVLA V5 in their own name, my own car I am the registered keeper but my son uses the car more than me as I am abroad some of the time he is therefore the keeper.

Redx

as above ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

you cannot be the RK if your name and address are not on the V5C

how would you know ? - easy,

you dont have the V5C

it was never registered in your name with the DVLA

jameslane

Thanks so much guys. One last thing, when sending the challenge, can I do it online or does it have to be by post? And if by post should I pay extra to send it signed for? Thanks.

Umkomaas

jameslane wrote: »

Thanks so much guys. One last thing, when sending the challenge, can I do it online or does it have to be by post? And if by post should I pay extra to send it signed for? Thanks.

You send it as per instructed in the NtK.

If it is by post, don't waste money on 'Signed For', just get free certificate of posting from the Post Office - has the same standing as 'SF' in these cases, but the PPC doesn't have the opportunity to refuse the 'SF' delivery - some do, so you don't give any of them the chance!

bazster

jameslane wrote: »

Thanks Redx. Am I definitely the keeper and not the registered keeper? How would I find out?

As the lessee you are indubitably the keeper. If you were asked to prove it (you will not be) a copy of your lease would suffice. You know you are not the registered keeper, because if you were APCOA would've written to you, not the lease company.