APCOA Fine

Lynnh1

 Advice please.  Today I received a letter from a debt recovery agency relating to a parking charge notice from APCOA that i have not recieved.  It states that I have ignored previous correspondence, and its for £150 for Use of drop off zone without making a valid payment. I had got in the wrong lane for the short stay carpark 3 and had no option but to drive through the drop off zone, I did not stop, and carried straight onto the one way system to go round again to access car park 3 where I had meet and greet parking booked. Having spoken to the DRA on receipt of their letter they have advised they will request copies of correspondence from APCOA and email to me.  They also advised that I would need to follow up with Royal mail to find out what has happened to correspondence from APCOA.  APCOA system advises that I cannot pay the original fine or appeal as its been passed to the DRA.  Is there anything I can do?

KeithP

Hello and welcome.

Which airport?

Oh... and there is no fine. That word isn't used anywhere, is it?

Fruitcake

It is not a fine.

Never, ever 'phone a parking company or any of their agents. If they 'phone you, block their number. Did you reveal the driver's identity when you 'phoned? It's a shame but not fatal if you did, because APCOA NTKs are non-PoFA compliant and incapable of holding the keeper liable.

Debt collectors are powerless and can safely be ignored.

Plan A is always a complaint from the registered keeper to their MP and the landowner. Where did the alleged event occur; Heathrow drop-off car park by any chance, or a railway station?

Plan B is to appeal, but since you are past that stage you could either ignore it, or the registered keeper can appeal by post. Thankfully APCOA are benign and have yet to take anyone to court. They don't need to because so many people just pay up instead of challenging them.

Lynnh1

It was at LHR and on the DRA letter it states USE OF DROP OFF ZONE WITHOUT MAKING A VALID PAYMENT and states Parking Charge.  

Coupon-mad

Stop engaging with a DRA.  Ignore them.

It's also not a 'fine'.  You won't be paying.

Send a complaint to the Airport and APCOA but WITHOUT SAYING OR IMPLYING WHO WAS DRIVING.  Complain that they are penalising drivers who become lost in the lanes and drive right through without stopping.  This is not 'stopping or parking' so no parking charge applies and your keeper data should never have been obtained from the DVLA.  The PCN must be cancelled.

Copy in your local MP (not the one for Heathrow) and the Airport Manager / owner (whoever you can track down for complaints). And if it's not cancelled after this complaint to APCOA, then complain to the BPA about this (AGAIN, NO IMPLYING WHO WAS DRIVING).


P.S. We assume you forgot to update your V5C and the DVLA gave out your old address?  You need to put that right immediately online to the DVLA.

YankeeBrit

Lynnh1 said:

Having spoken to the DRA on receipt of their letter...

Coupon-mad said:

 (AGAIN, NO IMPLYING WHO WAS DRIVING).

I fear that the OP has already divulged who was driving and so thrown away the easy option of getting this cancelled. With a bit of luck, as they have only "spoken" with the useless DRA, there may be no actual record of the conversation and the "Keeper" can therefore deny liability.

Coupon-mad

Yes, I saw that and ignored that!