Is parking fine unfair?

SKHN

Hoping someone will be able to advise me.
I parked in a Britannia car park and paid using PayByPhone.
A few days later I received a Penalty Notice. I appealed and sent a screen shot of my Parking Summary Details from the PayByPhone app.
My appeal was rejected - it turns out that I had entered an incorrect location number.
Obviously, Britannia is within it's rights as technically I had not officially paid for the car park I was in.
However, it's annoying because it's not as if my car could have been in two places at once and I wasn't trying to avoid paying.
Do I have a leg to stand on - is it worth taking this further?
Any advice would be appreciated.

Redx

I suspect that you received a PARKING CHARGE NOTICE, not a PENALTY NOTICE, plus its not a "FINE" either , its an INVOICE

The only way to avoid paying this is to win on a technicality, the NEWBIES FAQ sticky thread tells you all about it, including an initial appeal template in blue text, then popla appeal examples

the technicalities could be

NO LANDOWNER AUTHORITY
POOR SIGNAGE
POFA 2012 errors
BPC CoP errors

etc


unfair or fair doesnt change the facts

MistyZ

You can take this as far as you wish. Word on here is that judges take a dim view of parking charges issued due inputting incorrect numbers etc. Payment was made, presumably in good faith, and ended up in Britannia's ample coffers so I wouldn't waste any breath or electricity on Britannia being within their rights. Focus on the injustice whilst acknowledging that it's not a defence. I would imagine that this is very winnable at POPLA or at court though there are no certainties. There's also an outside chance that Britannia will fold at the sight of the first appeal, though probably not.

Send the blue text appeal if you wish to proceed. At the very least that gets you a POPLA code.

If this car park serves a shopping centre or suchlike, find out who the landowner or land management company is and send a complaint to them with a strong request for cancellation. Send the same to the CEO of any particular store to which the car park is attached. May be worth trying a manager first, that seems to work better with some businesses than others. Complaints need to be done ASAP, before or at least at the same time as the appeal to Britannia.