Smart Parking not responded to appeal

tan86

Hi all,

After some advice I received a PCN from Smart Parking, Alleged contravention date 26/10/23, issue date 15/11/2023. I appealed immediately following receipt of the PCN stating that the signs clearly showed parking was free for customers and provided a copy of the receipt for what I purchased. I recieved a response from smart meters on the 24/11/2023 saying they had recieved my appeal and would endeavour to respond with in 35days. I never heard anything else until yesterday when I recieved a letter from Debt Recovering Plus asking for £170 for insufficient paid time to Smart Parking. There is no contact number to ring Smart Parking. I found a complaints email address and have emailed them with my complaint. 

From reading reviews and other posts on this forum this seems to be a regular occurrence with Smart Parking. 

Is there anything else I need to do? How long do I need to allowe them to respond before contacting BPA?

Thanks

Fruitcake

Plan A is always a complaint from the keeper to the landowner and the keeper's MP. Have you done this yet.

I hope you didn't reveal the driver's identity in your appeal or communications with Smart because the NTK was not PoFA compliant and incapable of holding the keeper liable.

Debt collectors are powerless and can do nothing except send you poor quality bog paper.

Never, ever 'phone an unregulated private parking company nor any of their agents, ever.

Umkomaas

Is there anything else I need to do? How long do I need to allowe them to respond before contacting BPA?

Complain now to the BPA. Use the complaints portal of their website. I wouldn't be too optimistic about any helpful reply, but it will occupy them and possibly Smart in formulating a reply. You might squeeze a POPLA code from Smart via a bit of pressure from the BPA.

Coupon-mad

You can only complain to the BPA after hearing back from a PPC about your complaint to them.

Coupon-mad

tan86 said:

Hi all,

After some advice I received a PCN from Smart Parking, Alleged contravention date 26/10/23, issue date 15/11/2023. I appealed immediately following receipt of the PCN stating that the signs clearly showed parking was free for customers and provided a copy of the receipt for what I purchased. I recieved a response from smart meters on the 24/11/2023 saying they had recieved my appeal and would endeavour to respond with in 35days. I never heard anything else until yesterday when I recieved a letter from Debt Recovering Plus asking for £170 for insufficient paid time to Smart Parking. There is no contact number to ring Smart Parking. I found a complaints email address and have emailed them with my complaint. 

From reading reviews and other posts on this forum this seems to be a regular occurrence with Smart Parking. 

Is there anything else I need to do? How long do I need to allowe them to respond before contacting BPA?

Thanks

Same as all these:

Something of a pattern, eh?  Especially as the same has happened to your friend:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6524609/smart-parking-major-keying-errors-appeal-no-response-debt-recovery-plus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80511826/#Comment_80511826

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80511533/#Comment_80511533

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80719312/#Comment_80719312

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6514685/smart-parking-pcn-not-received-escalated-to-debt-recovery-within-a-month

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6506021/smart-parking-and-debt-recovery-plus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80514282/#Comment_80514282

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6489447/smart-parking-ltd/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6489424/smart-parking-didnt-responded-for-appeal

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6525173/smart-parking-penalty-error-and-now-debt-collector-letter

I suspect this might be DR Plus causing it.  Smart have blamed DR Plus before. I suspect they do the back office appeals for Smart and just deliberately or negligently, they (or Smart) drop the ball in a lot of cases and overlook appeals.

Smart Parking had a similar 'problem' once before, and had to admit it to the BPA.

Coupon-mad

Short notice but please do this survey now (and then a short & friendly video call next week) to tell the Government's consultancy outsourced firm your experience of 'appealing' and being told 'we sent you a rejection letter' (but you didn't get it...no proof they ever emailed it, and given we've seen 20 or so cases like yours we think they never sent the POPLA Code at all.

Please earn yourself £60 and help regulate the parking industry.  This is an official thing and MSE Towers has agreed I can share it...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6528490/official-dluhc-paid-research-have-you-ever-appealed-a-parking-charge-notice#latest

URGENT

Please earn £60 and help us push the regulation of the parking industry and new appeals service over the line.

There should be appeal (ADR) available at ALL stages to keep cases out of court.

And proof of actual date of posting or emailing rejection letters.