CP Plus LTD parking fine

monsterjoe

I recently received a parking fine of £60 for parking in a car park and not buying a ticket. I appealed this fine as online it stated I did not have to pay from 18:00-00:00. I was there within this period between 19:26-19:58. I received a email back from the appeal saying that my appeal would be reviewed and I would receive a response in 35 days. I had no response. Last week I received another letter saying that my fine was now £170 and it was too late to appeal and that the fine should be paid within 7 days to avoid it being passed onto the legal team. I replied to the initial response I received from the appeal I told them I did not receive a response from them within 35 days as I was told I would. They told me they did respond and that the appeal was rejected and attached the letter which they sent me. Which I never received. They said they would keep the charge at £60 for another 2 weeks. I said I was happy to now pay the £60 as paying that would be better than the £170. However when I went online to pay the charge it only showed the charge as £170. I emailed them back stating this but received a response that they would get back to me in 28 days. I had no option but to pay the £170 fine we ain’t didn’t want it to escalate any further. However I received no confirmation that the fine had been paid. When I checked online at www.parkingchargepayment.com it still showed the fine but at £60 even though I’ve already paid the fine associated with the same PCN number at £170. I am now worried that I would still have to pay the £60 too which would mean I would have paid a total fine of £230. If I do have to pay the £60 then I want CP Plus LTD to refund me with £110. I have tried phoning them but can’t seem to find an actual person to talk to. Can someone please offer any help on this? 

KeithP

Paying them anything, let alone £170, was a big mistake.

Having paid them £170, I can imagine them sitting back thinking "we don't need to waste any more time with this guy".

The word 'refund' isn't in their vocabulary.

monsterjoe

Surely they can’t get away with this. Am I able to stop the payment by informing my bank?

Castle

monsterjoe said:

Surely they can’t get away with this. Am I able to stop the payment by informing my bank?

How did you pay?

monsterjoe

Online at parkingchargepayment.com

Castle

monsterjoe said:

Online at parkingchargepayment.com

Was it by Credit card?

monsterjoe

Debit card

Coupon-mad

You can't reverse that payment. We have no idea why you paid them anything. This is s scam and there was no reason to pay.

If you are sure that the sign says what you think, go & take a photo and put in a formal complaint online with CP Plus, first.

LDast

How to Deal with Your Parking Charge Overpayment

First things first, let's acknowledge the elephant in the room—you’ve admitted liability by paying that £170. I know you were pressured into it, and it seemed like the easiest way to avoid further hassle, but by doing so, you’ve effectively undermined any chance of disputing the original "fine" (which it never was). However, you’ve still got a couple of options to recover the overpayment if you want to pursue this further.

1. Breach of Agreement

You had an agreement with CP Plus LTD to pay £60, which they later reneged on by not updating their system and forcing you to pay £170 instead. This puts them in breach of their own terms. You could argue that by failing to honour their agreement, they acted unfairly and pushed you into overpaying.

Main Points:

• You made every effort to pay the agreed £60 within the deadline.
• Their system didn’t reflect this agreement, forcing you to overpay.
• They breached the agreed terms by failing to provide you with the promised payment option.

You can formally complain to CP Plus LTD on these grounds and request the refund of £110. If they refuse, you could escalate the complaint to the British Parking Association (BPA).

2. Unfair Practice and Pressure

CP Plus LTD placed you in a situation where you felt obligated to pay £170 to avoid further legal escalation. This tactic might be considered an unfair practice, particularly as you were willing to pay the lower amount agreed upon.

Even though you paid the higher amount, the argument here is that you were forced into it by their mishandling of the case. This could strengthen your position when asking for a refund of the overpaid amount.

3. Unjust Enrichment

Here’s a legal term for you: unjust enrichment. Essentially, CP Plus LTD has gained an unfair benefit by receiving more money from you than they were entitled to. If they don’t refund the £110 difference, you might be able to argue that they’re profiting unfairly at your expense.

To pursue this legally, you could consider sending a Letter Before Action. This is a formal legal letter demanding the refund of the overpaid £110, with the threat of small claims court action if they don’t comply. If CP Plus LTD still refuses to refund the difference, you could file a claim for the overpayment.

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What Could Happen if You Went to Court?

Let’s be honest here—you’ve admitted liability by paying the £170, and a judge might view that as the end of the matter. But, if you have clear evidence that CP Plus LTD agreed to £60 and you were effectively pressured into paying more, the judge might sympathise with your situation. You could make a case that the extra £110 was an overpayment due to their failure to manage their systems properly and honour their agreement.

If you win, CP Plus LTD would have to refund the £110, plus possibly cover your court fees (£35). If you lose, you’d likely only be out of pocket for the court costs (£35).

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Summary of Options:

1. Complain and Request Refund: You can file a formal complaint with CP Plus LTD about their breach of agreement and request a refund. Escalate to the BPA if needed.

2. Small Claims Court: If they refuse to refund the overpayment, you can issue a Letter Before Action and take them to small claims court for the £110. This will involve some costs (£35), so weigh it up carefully.

3. Let It Go: Accept that you’ve already paid more than you should have and move on. Sometimes the hassle of dealing with these companies isn’t worth the stress and time. But if you feel strongly about getting your £110 back, the above steps are worth considering.

monsterjoe

Thanks for all your responses, especially Ldast. I have been speaking to my bank and this has been raised as a dispute. As I do have clear evidence from them stating that the charge would be kept at a £60 for a further 14 days. However they did not update their systems. 

Coupon-mad

But you shouldn't have agreed to pay anything and none of us can understand why you did.  You don't pay scam parking charges.