Have I shot myself in the foot?

Algebal

Hi all,
Reading through the threads I get the impression you can get out of paying almost all of these kind of fines..... but after reading the threads i think i have shot myself in the foot and now will have to pay.

I received the PCN from Smart parking on the 7th December because I over stayed in a car park they oversee (chelmsford County Council Cricket ground in Essex) i thought i had a good case as i had a ticket and had tried to pay via their app and phone service but it failed multiple times.... this meant i wasn't able to buy my ticket until 30 minutes after arriving (which made me late for my event as well). Long story short... I appealed before I read any of these threads.... I confirmed to them I was the one driving and went down the route that it was due to their faulty service that lead to the delay in payment.....
They rejected it on the 22nd of December but i have been away over christmas and only just picked this up. As it has passed the "extended" early discount deadline of the 6th Jan I assume i cant complaint to the cricket ground.... and I'm now due to start looking at a POPLAR appeal that needs to be in by the 19th.
My question is, is there still a chance i can win the POPLA, even though I have confirmed i was the driver and mentioned nothing of the clarity of the signs or anything you have basically said to say in the initial appeal threads?
Any advise would be hugely appreciated.:(

Quentin

The deadline for complaining hasn't passed at all!


It's by far the easiest way to get this killed off.

You can still use everything in your popla appeal (except pofa arguments)

Algebal

Thanks Quentin for your very quick response

Would you say its worth complaining to the Cricket ground but also appealing via POPLA (as opposed to the first Smart parking appeal i did), or do i need to hold off on my POPLA appeal until i get confirmation from the cricket ground?

Sorry for questions that might seem obvious answered to you haha The complaints section does say do both at the same time but not sure if that includes a POPLA appeal....

Coupon-mad

do i need to hold off on my POPLA appeal until i get confirmation from the cricket ground?

Yes, complain first.

POPLA codes will last a couple of days past the 28 so hold off on that this week & next.

Algebal

Sorry for not responding sooner. I just wanted to thank you for your responses above and also to thank this whole forum as without it I would have been £100 lighter.
Due to the helpful comments above and on the forum, I did complain to the Cricket ground and held off on the POPLA (which I was thankful for as I'm not great with stuff like that dispite all the examples given on this site)
Today I have had confirmation they have contacted smart parking who have cancelled the PCN and therefore another example where contacting the owner of the car park should be one of the first steps in contesting a ticket.... I would have save so much time and stress if I had seen this forum sooner.

Thank you

Quentin

Good news


But don't give up on POPLA till you get it in writing from the PPC they have cancelled

Katy_roberts85

Algebal wrote: »

Sorry for not responding sooner. I just wanted to thank you for your responses above and also to thank this whole forum as without it I would have been £100 lighter.
Due to the helpful comments above and on the forum, I did complain to the Cricket ground and held off on the POPLA (which I was thankful for as I'm not great with stuff like that dispite all the examples given on this site)
Today I have had confirmation they have contacted smart parking who have cancelled the PCN and therefore another example where contacting the owner of the car park should be one of the first steps in contesting a ticket.... I would have save so much time and stress if I had seen this forum sooner.

Thank you

I’m in the same boat with the same car park - who did you apply/complain to?

thingamaBob

Katy_roberts85 wrote: »

I’m in the same boat with the same car park - who did you apply/complain to?

You are not likely to get a reply from the OP. This is an old thread and the OP has not visited MSE since April last year.

I am posting some potential contact details on your own thread.

The_Deep

Read what Pete Wishart, MP said about Smart Parking recently in the house of commons and complain to your own MP.

"I am sick and tired of receiving emails from people complaining about the behaviour of parking companies, telling me that they will never again visit Perth city centre because of the negative experience they had when they had the misfortune to end up in a car park operated by one of these companies. I have received more complaints about one car park in the city of Perth than about any other issue. That car park is operated by the lone ranger of the parking cowboys: the hated and appalling Smart Parking—I see that many other Members are unfortunate enough to have Smart Parking operating in their constituencies. It has reached the stage where one member of my staff now spends a good part of each day just helping my constituents and visitors to my constituency to navigate the appeals process.
…
The BPA does not have the ability to regulate these companies and has shown no sign whatsoever that it is trying to get on top of some of the sharper practices. The BPA gives a veneer of legitimacy to some of the more outlandish rogue operators by including them in their membership, allowing them to continue to operate. The Bill will oblige operators such as Smart Parking to amend their practices."

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for minor breaches of alleged contracts for alleged parking offences, aided and abetted by a handful of low-rent solicitors. Is has been suggested by an MP that some of these companies may have connections to organised crime.

Parking Eye, CPM, Smart, (especially Smart}, and others have already been named and shamed in the House of Commons as have Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (these two law firms take hundreds of these cases to court each week), hospital car parks and residential complex tickets have been especially mentioned. They lose most of them, and have been reported to the regulatory authority by an M.P. for unprofessional conduct

The problem become so widespread that MPs agreed to enact a Bill to regulate these scammers. Hopefully, this will become law by Easter .