APCOA Appeal unsuccessful

EllaBella64

Hi,
I recently parked in an APCOA managed hospital car park which had the option to late pay.

I had used the car park before and I pay for the parking via the app once I have left the car park.

On this particular day when I returned home and went to pay via the app, their systems would not recognise my number plate and therefore I could not pay.

I called APCOA who told me I could not pay over the phone so I had to do it online & to try the website rather than the app.

I tried the website which also would not let me pay. I have screenshot and screen recordings of the error message.

I reached out to their live chat agent who informed me that they couldn't help and I would just have to appeal if/when I receive a PCN.

I explained all of the above in my appeal to APCOA and provided the screenshot evidence and the lice chat transcript.

They have today informed me my appeal is refused:

Having carefully considered the evidence provided by you, we must advise your appeal has been unsuccessful on this

occasion.

At the time the ANPR cameras observed the vehicle they noted that it had used the car park without a valid payment,

therefore it was parked in breach of the terms and conditions of the car park and a Parking Charge Notice was issued.

It is the motorist’s responsibility to ensure that they read the terms and conditions on the signage in the car park and that

they have a valid payment for the time that they use the car park.

Other payment methods are available at this site including our phoneline and onsite ticket machines which could have been

used to make a payment.

As your vehicle was parked in contravention of the terms and conditions of the site we are satisfied that the notice was

correctly issued in accordance with the BPA code of practice, and therefore not able to waiver the charge on this occasion.

Therefore you now have a number of options:

Pay the Parking Charge Notice at the discounted price of £30 within 14 days.

Please note that after this time the Parking Charge Notice will increase to £60.

How to pay

Online at ...

Or send a Cheque or Postal Order made payable to APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd to: APCOA PARKING, PO BOX 222,

LOWTON WAY, HELLABY, SHEFFIELD S98 1NX.

You have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure. You now have the option to make an appeal to POPLA -

The Independant Appeals Service. You can do this within 28 days of this letter by completing the online appeal form at

... quoting the verification reference number (Removed by Forum Team). Please be advised that if you opt for

independent arbitration of your case, the Parking Charge Notice will be considered at the full amount of £60. If you require a

hard copy of the POPLA form please contact our customer service centre on 0345 301 1151 where one of our customer

service agents will be happy to assist you.

By law we are also required to inform you that Ombudsman Services (...) 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.

If you choose to do nothing, we will seek to recover the monies owed to us via our debt recovery procedures and may

proceed with Court action against you.

Yours Faithfully

Appeals Department

APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd


Is it worth me appealing to POPLA??
If my appeal is refused again it sounds like I have to pay £60?

Its so infuriating, as their systems prevented me paying in the way I always had before!

Thanks in advance!

Coupon-mad

explained all of the above in my appeal to APCOA and provided the screenshot evidence. 

Oh dear... that's concerning ...we really wish you hadn't!

Why didn't you just appeal as keeper and win? You had a nailed on victory as registered keeper ... as long as you didn't talk about who was driving.  Why do people rush to tell a scammer the 'story of what happened' (and thereby implying or stating who was driving) which throws away the 100% win? I don't understand why posters do this; I guess you did this before Googling and finding us.

Even worse though, is thinking about paying! Please don't do that too.  No-one pays APCOA.  Literally no poster here pays them so make sure you follow our advice from now on.

There is no need to pay this at all and every reason to have a stab at POPLA with your evidence.  And still not pay (obviously not) if you lose (which you could not have done, had you come here first).

Grizebeck

Oh dear you lost the chance of an easy win 

patient_dream

Grizebeck said:

Oh dear you lost the chance of an easy win 

It is very wrong to tell people that they lost their chance of an easy win when they did not have a clue

That's rude

Coupon-mad

EllaBella64 said:

Hi,
I recently parked in an APCOA managed hospital car park.

Is it worth me appealing to POPLA??
If my appeal is refused again it sounds like I have to pay £60?

Its so infuriating, as their systems prevented me paying in the way I always had before!

Just coming back because we want to help, and to tell you:

- not to be put off. The fact you can't now use the 100% winning appeal doesn't mean you pay!

- do try POPLA with your evidence

-  do not pay APCOA

- next time, come here first!

- please could you show a photo of the sign there asking for £60/£30 and identify the Hospital, and post your image here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6463361/dluhc-private-parking-code-government-launches-call-for-evidence-discussion-thread/p57

That's an evidence thread that I will use for the Government this month, to help regulate rogue parking firms as part of the final steps in changing the law.

One of the types of sign we are collecting are Hospital signs with £50 or £60 as the PCN sum.

EllaBella64

Hi, I don't have any photos of the car park sign unfortunately.

I have appealed via POPLA today, though its very tempting to just pay the £30 as I really don't want to have to fork out £60 over this! 🥴

Should it happen again, I'll know its worth the 50 minute round trip to go back and pay at the machine when the app/website won't work to allow me to pay!

B789

Why would you pay a penny? The bribe discount is designed to get the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree to pay into their scam. APCOA are easy to defeat and are not litigious.

Coupon-mad

You don't PAY when you lose at POPLA!

Nothing happens with APCOA.  You could ignore them.

EllaBella64

POPLA have informed me that APCOA have cancelled my parking charge! 🥳

Fruitcake

Well done, and thanks for letting us know. 

Now we need your help.

If you can't get photos of the sign, please post a copy of the NTK that states the £60 charge on the DLUHC call for evidence thread linked above by C-m. Just redact your personal data but leave everything else showing. 

Coupon-mad

Yes please, only a couple of weeks left to submit this photo evidence:

please could you show a photo of the sign there asking for £60/£30 and identify the Hospital, and post your image here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6463361/dluhc-private-parking-code-government-launches-call-for-evidence-discussion-thread/p57
One of the types of sign we are collecting are Hospital signs with £50 or £60 as the PCN sum.

That's an evidence thread that I will use for the Government this month, to help regulate rogue parking firms as part of the final steps in changing the law.

PLEASE ASSIST US.