Cheltenham Spa parking fine

JaseC

In November I went to pick kid up coming back from Uni. His train was late and ended up spending 44 mins beyond the anpr cameras.

It was carnage in the free 20 min waiting area and the main car park was closed so couldn't park even if I wanted to. I ended up spending some time parked in the 20 min free and some time driving around it, but didn't really keep track of times.

It was dark so didn't even know it was anpr controlled and was concentrating not driving into other cars which were all over the place.

Appealed to APCOA and it was rejected. Is it worth appealing with POPLA? as I note I can't pay the reduced cost fine if I do.

Thanks.

B789

Did you receive a "Penalty" Charge Notice or a "Parking" Charge Notice? When you first appealed, did you identify the driver? Have you read, re-read and actually understood the advice in the **NEWBIES!! PRIVATE PARKING TICKET? OLD OR NEW? **READ THESE FAQS FIRST!** thread at the top of this forum?

Once you've read, re-read and started to comprehend the advice given in the Newbies thread, you will know the procedure. It doesn't appear that you have read the Newbies thread and if you have, it appears that you may not have comprehended the content.

Almost everything from here on in will hinge on the 3 items I've highlighted in bold above and you would know that if you had read and comprehended the Newbies post at the top of the forum.

So, is it a Penalty or a Parking Charge Notice and did you identify the driver when you appealed?

Coupon-mad

Obviously no paying or ringing them.  If it's a fake 'Penalty charge notice' it times out within 6 months of the incident.  Nothing happens.  It isn't a real fine.

Ignore £170 debt demands of course but you'll already know that from reading the NEWBIES thread 4th post.

JaseC

So it is a Parking Charge notice and I did identify myself in the appeal to APCOA although I have since realised it wasn't actually me driving it was my wife. We both had been to pick up from the station on different dates around that time as both kids were returning from Uni.

I hadn't seen this forum before my appeal was unsuccessful so I can see I have already broken some basic rules... 

Coupon-mad

A parking charge not a penalty charge?  Unusual for APCOA at a station.

Do a POPLA appeal saying at the start that you've looked at the evidence and realised it wasn't you driving but your wife (DO NOT NAME HER).  As such you can't be liable because this isn't a byelaws penalty and it is a typical non-POFA APCOA parking charge (no keeper liability is possible in law).

Then add all the usual APCOA POPLA points seen in an APCOA Airport POPLA appeal (I say that because you said this is a parking charge notice, so it's more similar to an Airport APCOA POPLA appeal.

Copy one!  Just add what I said at the start.

JaseC

Sorry to say that the wife saw the parking charge notice on the side picked it up and paid it..... Words have been had and education has taken place.

Thanks for replies though and I now know what to do for next time; should there be one.

Coupon-mad

What a waste of money!

KriegFontaine

I've just had a bizarre encounter with APCOA parking at Cheltenham station. back in October I picked up a work colleague from the station - I was stationary for approximately five minutes. We then drove to our office in Tewkesbury and had a few meetings. My colleague stayed with my family and I dropped him back at the station next day - again stationary for five minutes. A few days ago a received a demand from a debt collection agent for £340? APCOA claim I parked in the car park for two days. They are adamant that their technology is infallible despite the fact I can prove my car was elsewhere. Has anyone else fallen fowl of this scam? 

fisherjim

KriegFontaine said:

I've just had a bizarre encounter with APCOA parking at Cheltenham station. back in October I picked up a work colleague from the station - I was stationary for approximately five minutes. We then drove to our office in Tewkesbury and had a few meetings. My colleague stayed with my family and I dropped him back at the station next day - again stationary for five minutes. A few days ago a received a demand from a debt collection agent for £340? APCOA claim I parked in the car park for two days. They are adamant that their technology is infallible despite the fact I can prove my car was elsewhere. Has anyone else fallen fowl of this scam? 

Yes hundreds, but why have you hi-jacked this unrelated thread?

Please start your own thread where you will get all the help you need!

Fruitcake

KriegFontaine said:

I've just had a bizarre encounter with APCOA parking at Cheltenham station. back in October I picked up a work colleague from the station - I was stationary for approximately five minutes. We then drove to our office in Tewkesbury and had a few meetings. My colleague stayed with my family and I dropped him back at the station next day - again stationary for five minutes. A few days ago a received a demand from a debt collection agent for £340? APCOA claim I parked in the car park for two days. They are adamant that their technology is infallible despite the fact I can prove my car was elsewhere. Has anyone else fallen fowl of this scam? 

It's called double dipping and is caused by ANPR scamera software being set to capture and retain first in and last out images and delete all record of any "orphan" images taken in between.

Plan A is always a complaint to the landowner (train operating company or Network Rail) and your MP.

Where CRAPCOA is concerned, it is safe to ignore them as they don't do court, or if you don't want to ignore (I wouldn't because it costs them money) appeal as keeper then appeal to PoPLA.

If you need more advice than is available in the sticky Announcement for NEWBIES, then please start your own thread, but do please make the complaints first. It's the only way this scam will ever be stopped.

LDast

Ignore the powerless debt collectors. Ignore everything to do with this. It will all die down and nothing will happen. APCOA are benign and will not take you to court.

Or, you can start your own thread and receive advice on how to make a forma complaint to the DVLA and get APCOA into hot water for breaching the terms of the KADOE contract by unlawfully requesting your DVLA data, which also leaves them open to a claim for compensation for breach of your GDPR under the Data Protection Act.