Wye Valley Visitor Centre ParkingEye POPLA Appeal

Coupon-mad

drbayleaf said:

Thanks @Gr1pr 👍
I've just taken the opportunity to write to my new MP about this, but specifically how this deliberate industrial wastage of court time should be banned.

Very good.  Contacting MPs is a must. You should also mention the excessive use of camera surveillance which is the main reason why there are now well over SIXTEEN MILLION* private PCNs issued per annum.

*edited due to underestimate:

- 15m are ones with DVLA data obtained; almost all PCNs issued by camera

- another 10% are windscreen PCNs

Gr1pr

Yep, its the Civil Court for these claims, but I was reading the news today regarding criminal cases being pushed back to 2026, 2027 or even 2028 and the current chaos inside the criminal justice system, the barristers are not happy with the situation and some victims are not getting justice 

Plus the private parking companies are currently issuing over 14 million PCNs per annum 

A few months ago Johnersh mentioned that these civil cases are taking over a year on average 

drbayleaf

Latest update is a letter of claim from DCBLegal requesting I pay up their bogus £170 in 30 days or else. I guess I stick with 'else' and perhaps get my witness statement ready...

Coupon-mad

drbayleaf said:

Latest update is a letter of claim from DCBLegal requesting I pay up their bogus £170 in 30 days or else. I guess I stick with 'else' and perhaps get my witness statement ready...

Yours is a '5 minute rule' case, isn't it?

"The driver of the car at the time was captured by ANPR cameras driving in to the car park at 11.19 and driving out at 15.35 on the same date.

They were unable to park immediately upon entering the car park due to fullness of the carpark. No mention is made of the 4-hour parking time purchased through PayByPhone on the PCN despite ParkingEye showing that information on their website.

As mentioned the purchase of the ticket was frustrated by payment authorisation in the PayByPhone app, and the driver believed in good faith that the parking had been paid for and made sure to leave before the end time as shown in the screenshot captured as they left the carpark at 15:35."

You'll win. This is an easy one.

You need to read this because you should reply and put pressure on DCB Legal to cancel it:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6586172/news-on-the-5-minute-rule/p1

Heavily lean on them now, reminding them:

Dear Sirs,

Re your laughable £170 threatogram dressed up as a LBC. Nice try.

The driver paid in full. No doubt you're hoping that I don't know that the '5 minutes to pay' rule has been identified as unfair and is now banned by both ATAs.

Even though that's news in 2025, it's nothing 'new' in consumer law. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the driver needed more time to pay, under the circumstances of a well documented flaky app at the notorious Wye Valley site.

The 5 minute rule is dead. Any chance of litigation is dead. Jog on and try 'extorting money from motorists' elsewhere. You'll need to find much lower hanging fruit than me. You and your ilk should be ashamed.

Yours faithfully,

kryten3000

Recent Tripadvisor reviews suggest the original issue has not gone away and people are still getting PCNs at this location.

SmallBoat

I live in the neighbourhood of this premises. The local Facebook groups are full of very little else.

As far as I can tell, though, nothing has ended up in court, so keep the brass neck and keep rebuffing the shady debt-collectors, and hopefully they'll go away.

drbayleaf

Thanks all for your responses. Sad to hear it's still ongoing there @kryten3000 and @SmallBoat

@Coupon-mad you're link was encouraging to read - sounds like good news to me, but I agree the whole scam "industry" should be banned. As ever I'm not brave enough to use your wording directly so I asked chat to help rephrase it:

Dear Sirs,

I refer to your recent letter demanding £170, which I consider to be an attempt at unwarranted and unjustified debt collection.
The driver paid in full. Your claim appears to be based on an outdated and now-banned '5-minute rule'—a practice already deemed unfair by both accredited trade associations (ATAs). While the latest clarification of this position has come in 2025, it has long been established under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that a reasonable period must be allowed for payment, particularly when dealing with unreliable technology, as is well-documented at the Wye Valley site.
Given that your claim is based on a flawed premise and has no legal standing, I will not be making any payment. Any attempt to pursue litigation will be vigorously defended and reported as an abuse of process.
Cease further contact regarding this matter unless you are issuing a fully compliant Letter Before Claim in line with the Pre-Action Protocol. Any further threats or misleading demands will be treated as harassment and reported accordingly.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

---

This version keeps the firm stance but removes unnecessary insults while reinforcing legal arguments. It also subtly warns them that you know your rights and will not tolerate intimidation. Let me know if you’d like any further refinements!

Coupon-mad

This ending makes no sense:

" Any further threats or misleading demands will be treated as harassment and reported accordingly."

I truly, utterly HATE CHAT GPT. It's rubbish.

Nellymoser

Have you signed the petition linked in the post below. Please do if you want to tell Govt to improve the Parking companies practice. Ask family, friends and work colleagues to sign too. Once your signature is confirmed use the shown link to 'Contact your MP to let them know you have signed this petition'. Our MPs are the ones to make this happen. 🙏

Good luck with your case.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81195013/#Comment_81195013

drbayleaf

Petition signed and shared. I slept on the wording an then tweaked and sent the email this morning, so we'll see what response I get if any.

Appologies for the use of chat, but for those of us with dyslexia, it can be helpful (but never as good as humans like you @Coupon-mad!)