Challenging Heathrow drop-off fee PCN

pong28

Hi,

I recently dropped off a friend at Heathrow T5. The drop-off charge was not something I was previously aware of. I expected to pay at a barrier on exit, when that didn't happen I figured they'd just not finished setting up the new scheme and forgot about it until the parking charge notice arrived in the post 8 days later.

I tried to appeal explaining that I had no idea I was meant to pay online. The overhead sign I saw said '£5 per visit' - if it had said '£5 per visit pay online' I'd have followed up and paid.

I now realise that the wording of my appeal confirms that I was the driver. So I think many of the routes to appeal to me are now closed, e.g. POFA and NTK etc, that I read in the Newbies thread.

Do I still have a valid appeal approach based on Heathrow bye-laws? I don't really understand that bit.

This is the thrust of my appeal as it stands right now. Would it work with POPLA and would APCOA drop my case.

1. The signage is not clear on how to pay. The main sign when you drive into T5 mentions the £5 fee, but nothing on how to pay.
2. There are no signs on exit on how to pay.
3. My assumption was there would be a barrier at the exit to pay the £5, just like a car park or a toll road.
4. I've now read that there are signs on how to pay spread out every 10-20m at the drop off area. Given this is a drop-off zone, you are expected to not park up and leave the vehicle. Therefore, if you drop off away from a sign, you would not see it, and I didn't.

I'd be very grateful if someone could share a simple template to paste into the POPLA form. The blue writing in the Newbiesthread is well over the 2000 character limit imposed by the POPLA appeal form.

Thanks very much in advance.

Le_Kirk

The 2,000 character limit is for when you are rebutting what the PPC states its response to your initial appeal.  Use the words from the NEWBIE sticky third post and/or search the forum for other posters in a similar situation to yourself.

Coupon-mad

Just copy one of the dozens/hundreds of other APCOA Heathrow POPLA appeals on the forum this year.  Easy to search for.

KeithP

pong28 said:

I'd be very grateful if someone could share a simple template to paste into the POPLA form. The blue writing in the Newbiesthread is well over the 2000 character limit imposed by the POPLA appeal form.

But the NEWBIES thread says...