Birmingham Odeon Broadway Plaza - Apcoa – Huge Parking Fee!

Gymworks

(My first ever post on forums, so apologies in advance if I do something wrong, …no intention to I assure you)

Car Park - APNR - Broadway Plaza, Odeon Cinema Car Park, Birmingham Five Ways. (3 Hrs Free Parking)



Hi all.


I would be so grateful if anyone could help me on this absolutely crazy fee of £221.50 between my first visit to cinema , July 2017 and a second visit a month later!

Ive been charged a fee of £221.50 between my visit to cinema in 25.07.17 and 16.08.17! (22 Days).
Only found out on the second visit. Yet I’ve had no letter or confirmation or anything in between those dates. Nothing.

25.07.17 – During the first visit to the cinema with my sons (Dunkirk…so I was well within my 3 free hours).
Upon leaving the cinema, I confirmed my car reg into computer payment kiosk. All ok. No extra payments message showed up. Nothing. Perfect. Got to car and left.
The computer pay kiosk screen is positioned on the foyer, same floor as where you buy tickets. I put in my car reg’. I pressed ‘Proceed’. That’s it. …There was no message of any kind asking for any payment.
(Any extra payments above the 3 free hours are usually then paid outside, at a second computer pay kiosk, which is downstairs at the car park levels).
But….during second visit (22 days later)
16.08.17 - Second visit (War of the Planet of the Apes, …so parking between 2015hrs – 2255hrs and still within 3 hrs.
Upon leaving, I put in my car reg details in to the computer screen. But this time it showed up a message saying a fee to be paid at the next screen, downstairs. Confused as im still with in my 3 hours! So at the second machine I entered details again and it suddenly showed a fee of £221.50!! From the previous months visit on 25th July!
Yet since that visit in July, to this visit in August, nothing has been mentioned to me, no letter no fine nothing!
Surely the APNR system would have said or notified me in some way. Would have seen my car entering and the leaving?!
So right there and then, I phoned a number. Security guy came around and said, car park staff all gone home, but will mention this and my car reg to them next morning. I could ring them in the morning also. I have not contacted them since, until I seek help and advice and some research first.


(Did read something else on another thread somewhere and yes..my reg does have number '0' in it).



My worry is now….
I have not been notified from them or anything since July! (I’m self-employed and use my car to travel around everyday).

Do I have to do anything at all?
Should I contact them at this stage / any stage?

I would be VERY GRATEFUL if someone could help me with anything on this as Ive no idea and it seems crazy. As if I could afford to and be stupid enough to leave my car there non-stop for 22 days!!
Both my sons very concerned (Bless them) and totally ruined our few hours out together!

Please could someone help or guide me in any direction?
Thank you so much in advance.

Redx

wait for any NTK (s) to come in the post from APCOA , then follow the BPA advice in the NEWBIES sticky thread

Coupon-mad

I think there is a DPA breach here, but the situation and £200+ sum makes no sense.

The driver is liable, in the first instance, for any parking charge (not that you pay these!). But they can't programme a PDT machine to tell driver #2 on screen that the unknown driver #1 from last month, owes £221.50.

Also, driver #1 can't owe that sum, because it's not even a 28 days since the first parking event yet, and the BPA have a £100 ceiling on PCNs. It makes no sense, but one parking event can't display the purported 'charge' relating to another parking event just because it's the same car. If APCOA are doing this, they need to be stopped. Each event is a separate event and only the business of the driver within the first 28 days.

I would email the BPA without talking about who parked the car, so none of your 'me/myself and I' !! and complain and ask them to investigate what APCOA are playing at, especially since no PCN has been received.

Just to check, is your V5 address with the DVLA up to date from any recent(ish) house move? Or is it a company car, or leased? I would have expected APCOA go have sent a PCN to the keeper by now if they allege money is owed.

pappa_golf

I think it has timed the days/hrs since arriving the first visit and exiting the second visit ,
CrApcoa will claim that you entered the wrong VRN when leaving the first time , and they were unable to check a non existent VRN

as the "offence" is now completed , they should send you a NTK within 14 days

Gymworks

Sorry all..this was my first reply to my first post so still getting my head around which REPLY button to hit and who it goes to and what is included!!

But just a quick thank you here Redx for quick reply and guidance.

Will wait for NTK and then figure out how to contact BPA etc..

Thank you again.

The_Deep

Double Dipping, read this


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5550336

Gymworks

Coupon-mad wrote: »

I think there is a DPA breach here, but the situation and £200+ sum makes no sense.

The driver is liable, in the first instance, for any parking charge (not that you pay these!). But they can't programme a PDT machine to tell driver #2 on screen that the unknown driver #1 from last month, owes £221.50.

Also, driver #1 can't owe that sum, because it's not even a 28 days since the first parking event yet, and the BPA have a £100 ceiling on PCNs. It makes no sense, but one parking event can't display the purported 'charge' relating to another parking event just because it's the same car. If APCOA are doing this, they need to be stopped. Each event is a separate event and only the business of the driver within the first 28 days.

I would email the BPA without talking about who parked the car, so none of your 'me/myself and I' !! and complain and ask them to investigate what APCOA are playing at, especially since no PCN has been received.

Just to check, is your V5 address with the DVLA up to date from any recent(ish) house move? Or is it a company car, or leased? I would have expected APCOA go have sent a PCN to the keeper by now if they allege money is owed.

Thank you Coupon-Mad.

OK..so..wow.. all new to me.
I think I understand what you are saying about charges from one car to another.

I will email BPA. But since have not done so before (and at the risk of sounding a bit thick asking these questions below... :-
1. Will a google search reveal BPA contact details?
2. Is there any sort of template to follow for this contact to BPA, explaining situation or just a general email stating what happened with a particular car, on certain dates but without offering details of my/myself/I etc.
3. Do i mention car reg? Time, Dates etc?
4. So a bit like my original post but just leave out certain details of myself driving?

V5
Yes V5 is all up to date, car is my own.
Yes i too would have thought they would have sent PCN by now.

Thank You again. Very grateful.:)

Gymworks

pappa_golf wrote: »

I think it has timed the days/hrs since arriving the first visit and exiting the second visit ,
CrApcoa will claim that you entered the wrong VRN when leaving the first time , and they were unable to check a non existent VRN

as the "offence" is now completed , they should send you a NTK within 14 days

Thanks Pappa Golf....

You could be right I dont know..but
Im pretty sure i put in the right VRN the first time but also, if ..if i did put in a letter 'O' instead of a number '0'...surely it would have said something on the screen as not recognised etc...i dont remember any issues or problem first time.....Would it not have flashed up a message or somethign on screen im wondering.



If that was the case though, and they claim entered wrong VRN.. what would be best course of action please, given that had i not gone for a second visit I would have no idea what so ever, as no NTK etc?


Thank you again for your help and guidance.

Gymworks

The_Deep wrote: »

Double Dipping, read this


Thank you The Deep..

i will most definitely read this also and try work through it all.

Very much appreciated again.:)

pappa_golf

await a NTK thru the post , you have not been "charged" with anything yet (in writing)

if the company are so stupid as to pursue this , they are idiots!

all you need is ONE receipt for the car between 25/07 and 16/08 showing its whereabouts , ie , garage service , speeding fine , council parking ticket , etc etc and they would be publicly ridiculed


however: expect them to state that you entered the wrong VRN into the machine the first time


sit back , do nothing ,DO NOT ring them , if they are so thick , let them be ridiculed

Umkomaas

Complaints to the BPA can be emailed to:

aos@britishparking.co.uk

or (if posting)

British Parking Association
Stuart House
41-43 Perrymount Road
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH16 3BN

I would also copy in David Dunford, Data Sharing Manager at the DVLA, as this case has potential DPA breach issues.

david.dunford@dvla.gsi.gov.uk

Use the kind of information from your first post as the basis of the complaint.