Carflow PCN - Debt collector stage

fivestarsamz

Coupon-mad said:

Yep that's fine.  They will offer settlement at £20.

Exactly what you said. I think at this point I would rather pay £20 and be over with it. You think that's wise?

POPLA Appeal Code: 083144XXXX

Dear XXX(Driver),

Thank you for getting in touch with Carflow. This car park is private land and Carflow has been engaged by the landowner to ensure that motorists pay the correct parking tariff.

You have suggested that this keying error was due to the payment machine printing a ticket before you had finished entering your Vehicle Registration Number (VRN). However, it is not possible to advance to payment without confirming the VRN that has been entered. As such, it is not possible that the machine advanced to payment, or that the transaction completed and a ticket was produced, without you validating your entry:

If you pay by cash, the process is as follows:
Cash
Enter registration → validate → insert coins → validate → take ticket

If you pay by card, the process is as follows:
Chip & Pin
Enter registration → validate → insert card → add time → validate → enter pin → validate → take ticket

WavePay
Enter registration → validate → add time → press for wave & pay → present card → take ticket

By entering and parking on this privately owned land, the driver entered into a contract with Carflow Limited and agreed to be bound by the terms and conditions, which are clearly displayed on the signs at the entrance and throughout the site. The full parking tariff must be paid prior to leaving the car park and the correct Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) entered. As the VRN was entered incorrectly on your ticket (C was entered on your initial ticket instead of CA1XXXX), a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) was correctly issued. This car park requires the FULL registration number to be entered. As the correct registration was not entered, we have no option but to reject your appeal. We understand your frustration but the parking tariffs are clearly displayed at the site and are in operation 24 / 7.

In relation to keying errors the BPA Approved Operator Code of Practice states:
“It is appreciated that in issuing a PCN in these instances, the operator will have incurred charges including but not limited to the DVLA fee and other processing costs therefore we believe that it is reasonable to seek to recover some of these costs by making a modest charge to the motorist of no more than £20 for a 14-day period from when the keying error was identified before reverting to the charge amount at the point of appeal.”

Considering the circumstances and as a gesture of goodwill we are willing to offer you to settle this parking charge at the rate of £20 for 14 days from the date of this correspondence. Therefore, payment can still be made at the rate of £20 until 07-Jun-23. This parking charge must be paid within 28 days of this correspondence (i.e. by 21-Jun-23). If payment is delayed beyond this date an administrative charge may be added for late payment and debt recovery or court action may be taken. Additional costs may also be incurred as a result of debt recovery or court action.

You have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure and you now have two options; you can either pay or appeal to POPLA. You cannot do both. If you feel you have not been given a fair decision from Carflow you have the right to appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals service (see attached form). Your POPLA appeal code can be found at the beginning of this correspondence. You must appeal to POPLA within 28 days of this rejection notice. The quickest and easiest way to submit your appeal to POPLA is online at www.popla.co.uk. If you appeal to POPLA, you will lose the opportunity to pay at the discounted rate.

By law we are also required to inform you that Ombudsman Services (www.ombudsman-services.org/) provides an alternative dispute resolution service that would be competent to deal with your appeal. However, we have not chosen to participate in their alternative dispute resolution service. As such should you wish to appeal then you must do so to POPLA, as explained above.

Payment Information
Carflow accepts payment by cheque and all major UK credit and debit cards including Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard and Maestro. We do not accept American Express.

Via the Internet
Please visit www.carflow.co.uk/pay-pcn and follow the instructions on screen. An e-mail receipt will be provided once payment has been made.

By Telephone
Please phone 0330 223 4174 and follow the instructions. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and are included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way. An option to have an SMS receipt provided is available once payment has been made.

By Post
To pay by post, please make a cheque or postal order payable to Carflow Limited for the correct amount and send it to the following address, quoting your PCN reference on the back:
Carflow Limited, PO Box 76433, London, EC1P 1BB.
If you are paying by post, the letter must be postmarked before the date the charge is due to be paid to avoid additional fees for late payment.

Kind Regards,

Carflow Team

Boat_to_Bolivia

Personally, I'd just, very reluctantly, stump up the £20 and be done with it.

*Dons tin hat and hides behind the sofa......*

fivestarsamz

Boat_to_Bolivia said:

Personally, I'd just, very reluctantly, stump up the £20 and be done with it.

*Dons tin hat and hides behind the sofa......*

To be honest, i agree. I'd still consider it as a win O_O