Parking Fine Deadline

D_P_Dance

You were asked not to condescend, that's not hostile.

Well, bordering on it.   

This is a complicated subject, involving contract law, property law, and consumer protection law.  It is NOT a fine, nor is it a penalty, it is an invoice for an alleged breach of an alleged contrac, compensation for the damage they alleged they suffered due to you behaviour.  It is only payable if a judge so orders it in the County court.  Many/most companies will take you to court if they think that they win, we show people how to avoid that.  

Alexfwalker81

Ok, in that case, I apologise unreservedly. I appreciate that tone of voice is often lost when using the written word.

Please tell me what information you need in order to help me with this? 

Nellymoser

Alexfwalker81 said:

I don't know, how do I find out which company is involved?

Here's a few ideas to help you find which company is involved. Don't know about your pcn but mine has a name in bold letters at the top and throughout the notice the postal address gives this name as does the Registered Office details. I assumed this was the name of the company involved, to confirm validity I searched Google for the name and the car park where I parked and checked BPA website as the notice stated they were approved BPA operator. 

You may find it helpful to read the NEWBIES FAQ, Announcement threads can be found at top of first page. Lots of info and advice there. 

Coupon-mad

Alexfwalker81 said:

Ok, in that case, I apologise unreservedly. I appreciate that tone of voice is often lost when using the written word.

Please tell me what information you need in order to help me with this? 

OK.  I'm new to this thread and we want to help so let's do that.  I can see you have posted about a private 'PCN' from Civil Enforcement Ltd. Nasty ex-clamper firm.

It isn't a fine.

It's an unsolicited invoice.

No appeal will likely 'work' anyway (doesn't matter: you don't pay these things) but you have 28 days to appeal, not 14.

Ignoring the 14 day bribe - it is irrelevant - is one of the first Q&As in the Announcement thread NEWBIES PLEASE READ THESE FAQS FIRST.  That is also where the advice on what to do is set out, including a template appeal to stop new posters from saying who was driving and telling their 'story'.  Nonono!

All is explained there.

See my signature. No extra links back needed because you have two...

fisherjim

You are dealing with greedy muppets, no appeal was going to work, they are an unregulated private parking company that hit on ways of devising rules to trap people into a commercial contract they say you owe for breaching their terms of parking.

This particular crew of dimwits have hoodwinked you by calling themselves "Civil Enforcement" as if they are masquerading as an authority which they most definitely are not.

Don't get upset with the helpful folk on here they will help, you will garner far more condescending bullying threatening rubbish in the next weeks and months, from bottom feeding so called debt collectors, even though you don't actually have a proven debt, and solicitors that are so useless they paddle in the murky cess pool of parking scams rather than something more challenging because this is easy money. 

1505grandad

As above  -  MPs comments highlighted in the Newbies announcement when you read that thread:-

"Private charges are based on contract law and allege that the driver breached a contractual term (e.g. an implied promise, such as to display a permit or not to overstay a 2 hour free period). Such contracts can be enforceable in the county court, but are defendable (see post #2 all about small claim defences). Charges are not 'illegal' but this industry is skating on thin ice. These are some of the comments made by the MPs in Parliament concerning the unregulated parking industry (Feb 2018):

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-02-02/debates/CC84AF5E-AC6E-4E14-81B1-066E6A892807/Parking(CodeOfPractice)Bill

''Rip-offs from car park Cowboys must stop''; unfair treatment; signage deliberately confusing to ensure a PCN is issued; ''years of abuse by rogue parking companies''; bloodsuckers; ''the current system of regulation is hopeless, like putting Dracula in charge of the blood-bank''; extortionate fines; rogue operators; ''sense of injustice''; unfair charges and notices; wilfully misleading; signage is a deliberate act to deceive or mislead; ''confusing signs are often deliberate, to trap innocent drivers''; unreasonable; a curse; harassing; operating in a disgusting way; appeals service is no guarantee of a fair hearing; loathed; outrageous scam; dodgy practice; outrageous abuse; unscrupulous practices; ''the British Parking Association is as much use as a multi-storey car park in the Gobi desert''; and finally, by way of unanimous conclusion: ''we need to crack down on these rogue companies. They are an absolute disgrace to this country. Ordinary motorists and ordinary residents should not have to put up with this''.

These are the exact words used, so you should quote them to your MP in a complaint."

Alexfwalker81

fisherjim said:

This particular crew of dimwits have hoodwinked you by calling themselves "Civil Enforcement" as if they are masquerading as an authority which they most definitely are not.

This is precisely why I was confused about Gr1pr's question - I didn't realise that this involved any sort of company. The masquerade is very good, I was under the impression that it is some sort of enforcement authority.

I fear that I may have scuppered my chances of doing anything though, as I made my 'appeal' today which explained why the car was parked where it was. Having now read the 'Newbies' instructions, I seem to have done exactly what I shouldn't have done and effectively admitted liability.

Coupon-mad

Doesn't matter.

Nobody loses v CEL in the end.

Coupon-mad

Alexfwalker81 said:

I received a parking charge notice

 my reason for appealing is that the PhoneAndPay app failed to work properly. It repeatedly would not accept the valid data that I entered, so they think that I paid for parking 30 minutes after I entered the car park. That's true, I did, because the app wouldn't work - it took 30 minutes to resolve! Do they ever consider failure of the payment methods that they provide as a valid reason to appeal PCN?

Your thread was started before Christmas but you may want to have a read of this thread:

News on the "5 minute rule" — MoneySavingExpert Forum

and the MSE article about the ban in this unfair term:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/02/private-parking-charges-five-minute-rule/