PCN in an office carpark where the company has been dissolved

Toriacus

I received a PCN from Parking Control Management when I parked in an office car park for 5 minutes to pop to the post office on a Saturday afternoon. The bays did have PCN signage but the age old story I thought I would be fine to park there for a few moments without causing anyone any major disruption seeing as it was an office carpark on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of a pandemic.
I appealed hoping that they could drop the fine at their discretion, as a £100 fine for parking in a totally empty office car park for 5 minutes on a Saturday afternoon seemed totally unfair. It was rejected.
The bays all have signage for a company which used to inhabit the office, but I have since found out this company has been dissolved. I have contacted the company who now reside in the office and asked them about the spaces. They claim they do not use the spaces as they have a different car park they use with a code and barrier and as far as they are aware do not contract out anyone to ticket vehicles.
Do I have a right to contact PCN and ask for evidence that the contract is still in existence, considering the company that previously used the spaces (and still has their signage up) no longer exists? Or should I take another course of action?

Umkomaas

You won't get sight of any contract unless and until this goes to court, when the PPC produces their Witness Statement. You are at least 6 months from that, and maybe even as much as 6 years away.

Please read the NEWBIES FAQ sticky, first post, about how to deal with the charge, noting that PCM UK are IPC operators. 

You should do your utmost to try to find the identity of the car park owners, it may well be a remote organisation who lease out the land to the occupiers of the building. Google, local authority (ask who pays the non-domestic rates), ask other nearby property occupiers, or, for £3 you can get the information from the Land Registry. 

Toriacus

Thank you. I have read through the thread and lots of good information on appealing, but wasn't sure I had any grounds to appeal. I saw the signage clearly and it was directly in front of my car so hard to say I didn't see it or it wasn't clear. I understand now the rules have changed and you can't appeal on grounds that there was no loss of profit to a company anymore either, so wasn't sure if it was better to just pay up and deal with it!

Coupon-mad

No-one is going to suggest you pay the likes of ex-clampers, PCM:
http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2015/05/is-it-pcm-uk-who-make-up-stuff-all-time.html

Also, taking PCM to the IAS sometimes causes them to give up, maybe due to being short staffed.  All the more likely now, so I'd take them to IAS as long as you know it's a kangaroo court and if PCM don't back down, you will probably lose.  They do sue people, using Gladstones, but we beat them 99% of the time or they discontinue.

Surely to take something to the Post Office you could just park on a double or single yellow line on-street?  It is one of their legit uses.  You are allowed as long as it is only for a few minutes and taking a package to the PO, if that's what you were doing, is exempt unloading. 

The message is YOU DO NOT NEED TO SEEK OUT A CAR PARK to do normal stuff that you could stop on street to do.