Autocorrect resulted in ticket!

Theta99waves

Hi everyone (I'm new here!)

Bit of an odd one here re: parking charge notice. My partner recently parked in a ParkingEye-regulated car park, which costs £2 to park all day. The ticket machine was out of order and she was rushing for a train, so she followed alternative instructions on the machine to pay by texting REG and her registration plate number to a five-digit phone number.

Unfortunately, her phone corrected REG to REF and she didn't notice. Under the impression she had paid, the first we knew of the issue was when we received a parking charge notice for £100 from ParkingEye through the post.

We have appealed to ParkingEye and they refused to overturn it. We also offered to pay the outstanding £2 and they did not accept. We have now appealed to POPLA and are awaiting the outcome. If that also fails, we are not sure whether to pay or carry on fighting it.

Realistically, do we have a leg to stand on? It was an honest mistake but owing to the autocorrect typo I suppose she technically did not pay on the day.

Can anyone advise please?

Thanks in advance

Umkomaas

We have appealed to ParkingEye and they refused to overturn it. We also offered to pay the outstanding £2 and they did not accept. We have now appealed to POPLA and are awaiting the outcome. If that also fails, we are not sure whether to pay or carry on fighting it.

What did you say in your POPLA appeal? If it's based solely on autocorrect malfunction, I'm afraid you'll likely lose, and before you know it PE will be issuing county court papers to sue your partner.

Was this actually a railway station car park (or a private one close to the station)? Not usual stomping ground for PE.

Theta99waves

Thank you for your reply. It's a car park just out of the city centre but a short walk from the station.

In our POPLA appeal we argued we HAD followed payment instructions and attached a screenshot of the text sent on the day. Today she went back and took a photo of the ticket machine so she could prove she had followed the instructions. It was only then that we realised the autocorrect mistake.

So assuming the appeal now fails, I guess we just have to pay up? £100 charge for a £2 fee though - ouch!

Fruitcake

Theta99waves wrote: »

Thank you for your reply. It's a car park just out of the city centre but a short walk from the station.

In our POPLA appeal we argued we HAD followed payment instructions and attached a screenshot of the text sent on the day. Today she went back and took a photo of the ticket machine so she could prove she had followed the instructions. It was only then that we realised the autocorrect mistake.

So assuming the appeal now fails, I guess we just have to pay up? £100 charge for a £2 fee though - ouch!

If that is the only appeal point you used, I expect you will lose. The next stage is probably a small claims court claim where you can win with help from this forum. Nobody here will suggest you pay scammers.

What happened when you complained to the landowner? That's the best way to get this cancelled.

You should also complain to your MP, Mrs May, and Andrew Jones MP. You might suggest that your vote is dependent on them helping you.