Blue Badge - Extra Hour - PCN

mknapton

First time poster and I’ve read the newbie thread but not sure what to do.

Car parked at the Falmouth Maritime Museum in a disabled bay and displayed a valid blue badge. Ticket purchased for 5 hours; total time in the car park (according to the recently received PCN was 5hrs 15mins). Owner received notice.

However, the blue badge gives an extra hour which would’ve meant we were due 6 hours parking. Button on the machine wasn't pressed to get the extra hour. This is because many car parks don’t require a button to be pressed, you’re just automatically given an hours leeway by the parking attendants.


Is it worth appealing the £60 charge or should I just pay it?

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

LawlessGoose

Edit your post to remove me, myself, and I. E.g. "the driver parked". There is a legal distinction between the driver and the keeper. It's in your interest to make sure the parking company cannot identify the driver.

How was the time recorded? You should get 10 minutes grace both before and after in order for you to determine what the regulations are, find a space, pay, display the ticket, make your way to the exit, etc.

Edit: RE: Fruitcake's reply, does PCN stand for Penalty Charge Notice or Parking Charge Notice? Only the latter is dealt with at this forum.

Fruitcake

If this is a council ticket then you would be better off poring this on pepipoo.com as they are the council/police motoring experts, whereas we specialise in private parking charges here on MSE.

If this was a PCN from a private parking company, then do as advised above before reading the Sticky thread for NEWBIES then send the template appeal from The Keeper that you will find there.

Only ever refer to The Driver and The Keeper.

Also, if private, what is the name of the PPC please.

Coupon-mad

Premier Park have been infesting that site for many years:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186235-d288105-r298193235-National_Maritime_Museum_Cornwall-Falmouth_Cornwall_England.html

Complete rip off.

However, the blue badge gives an extra hour which would’ve meant we were due 6 hours parking. Unfortunately, and this is my mistake, I didn’t read the sign properly and didn’t realise that there was a button on the machine to get the extra hour.

Was the PCN received by day 15, please? Count the days and tell us, assuming it was a postal one.

PP will have (IMHO) hidden the wording about the button in small print, and this sort of tactic is deliberate by this scumbag industry. This is NOT your fault, so DO NOT wrote an appeal saying it was your error.

You need a template appeal to get a POPLA code like everyone else does, so use the one in the NEWBIES thread and add a copy of the blue badge of 'an occupant of the car' (NOT SAYING 'my' or who was driving/parked). State that the occupants of the car included a disabled person and were allowed more time, an extra hour, and complied with that allowance.

Say nothing about a button.

And phone up the Manager of the Maritime Museum on Tuesday (not on BH Monday in case he/she is not there) and COMPLAIN. If they can be bothered they can get this cancelled or get it reduced to a tenner, that we would say THEY should pay, not you.

mknapton

Thanks for the help so far. Here are a few responses:

1. The time in the car park was measured on entry/exit by automated cameras;
2. The PCN is Parking Charge Notice;
3. PCN is from Premier Park;
4. PCN received by post 7 days after the event;

Fruitcake

So it's back to the NEWBIES to copy the template appeal you will find there, then paste it in to the keeper's appeal before sending it off.
Take screen grabs/proof of submission. Don't miss the deadline.

Complain to the landowner and your MP about this unregulated scam.

If/when the initial appeal is rejected, start reading up on how to beat this at PoPLA.

mknapton

Is it worth asking Premier Park for a copy of the ticket as we believe we paid the correct amount to cover the parking? We threw the original ticket away when we cleaned our car out after returning from holiday.

Redx

read this from 18 months or so ago

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2017/05/throwing-pay-display-ticket-away-use-cost-100/

now kick yourself and keep them in future

you can issue PP with an SAR under the GDPR and request all info , docs and evidence they have on your vehicle etc , including their copy of this ticket (if it exists)


do this asap AFTER you have lodged the KEEPER appeal by using that template you were told to use earlier

Coupon-mad

You could send them a SAR (Google it) at the same time as or straight after the appeal is lodged, as a separate letter, specifically asking for the data records held by the machine regarding the payment made for this VRN (or a very close match VRN) and/or a tangible copy of the PDT itself. And a copy of the decision made by a human when checking the ANPR data, and why they decided a PCN was to be issued despite payment having been made.

Be careful not to say who was driving, so not /'me' or 'my payment for parking'!

DO NOT use Recorded Delivery! Get a free certificate of posting from your local PO.

mknapton

Submitted the template response and received the following:

We write to acknowledge receipt of your recent online appeal, on behalf of the driver, appealing against the issuing of a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) to the vehicle.

We note your comments and must refer you to the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA) 2012, Schedule 4 - Recovery of unpaid Parking Charges. This is available to view online at:

We must therefore request that the details of the driver of the vehicle at the time of the contravention are supplied; this must include their full name and serviceable UK postal address. If you are unwilling or unable to provide these details the registered keeper of this vehicle will remain liable for this PCN. This information should be provided by 19th September 2018. Please note, Premier Park Limited will not reply to any correspondence until after the above date, if the requested information is not provided.

If we do not receive this information by the date given, the registered keeper of the vehicle at the date of event will be held liable.

If you would like to view our photographic evidence, please visit ...

Please respond by return or by filling in the Transfer of Liability form on the reverse of the PCN and posting it to Premier Park, PO Box 624, Exeter, EX1 9JG.

What next? We still think we paid the correct amount for the parking.

We asked for details of our payment but they didn’t respond. I’ve just followed the link ‘Photographic Evidence’ and it says that the whole period of parking wasn’t paid for. This definitely wasn’t the case.

Should they have to provide us with the data readout from the machine as they seem to have ignored our request?

B789

OP, you have not edited your original post to de-identify who was driving and who was keeper, especially if your username on this forum is anything to do with your real name.

Unfortunately, and this is my mistake, I didn’t read the sign properly and didn’t realise that there was a button on the machine...

NEVER use “me” or “I” or “my”. ONLY refer to “driver” or “keeper”. Your original post still gives away who was doing what and, if your username is any reference to your real identity, the PPC only needs to see this thread and can use that information to identify you and who the driver was.

Identifying who was driving is a serious shot in the foot in most PPC appeals.