Parking Ticket in Sheffield - Been told to appeal to POPLA

OneFootEight1

I parked in Sheffield a few weeks back.  I'm not from Sheffield though I visit from time to time.  I've used this car park before and there was a machine where you could pay.  This time, the machine had gone.  I only had to pop to one place and was expected to be around 45 minutes.

When I couldn't find the machine, I went to the customer services window which was manned.  There was a queue and I ended up waiting around 20 minutes for my turn.  I was told that it was now all done online and I would need to download an app.  I started to do this but it was very slow and then I realised I'd have to enter credit card / debit card details which I couldn't do as I didn't have any cards on me.

I explained this to the staff member who told me not worry.  He pointed to a handwritten email address in the window and told me to email them and they would send me an invoice which I could pay.  I took a photo of the email address and went to the shop.  Later, I sent an email asking for an invoice (I was a bit annoyed as the queuing time at customer services put me over 1 hour which meant the charge went up to £7 from  £3.50, but that's a different story).

The email bounced back with an error saying it did not exist.  As I don't live in Sheffield I couldn't go back to the customer services point inside the car park.  A couple of weeks pass and I get parking "fine" of £100 reduced to £60 of I pay within 14 days.  I sent an appeal and have just had a rejection telling me that there was a phone number visible somewhere on site and that I should have rang them.  BUT there was a staff member onsite and I spoke to him.  He gave me the email address which didn't work.  Why would I ring a number when I spoke to someone who was there?  They have said I can appeal to POPLA but the "fine" will go up to £100 if I lose.

What do I do?  Normally I would pay, but this feels very unfair.

Thanks for any suggestions.  Do I go through POPLA?

fisherjim

It isn't a Fine" you have a speculative invoice from scammers, outlining that story to POPLA won't work either they don't accept mitigation, and they are a kangaroo court paid for by the parking company, go figure which side they fall on.

What did the site say when you complained to them about this ridiculous situation (you can phone or write to them)?

Who are the parking company?

Where exactly is this site it has probably cropped up before?

Don't pay the scammers anything.

Ignore the inevitable debt collection begging letters.

Coupon-mad

'Normally' you say you'd pay a private parking company invoice? Surely not! Why? These aren't fines.

And what a liar this guy was:

"I explained this to the staff member who told me not worry.  He pointed to a handwritten email address in the window and told me to email them and they would send me an invoice which I could pay."

That NEVER EVER happens. He lied.

Is this VCS or Excel maybe?

I know and have the contact details of the Sheffield Star journalist David Walsh which I don't think he'll mind me sharing:

david.walsh@nationalworld.com

You should tell him. He might even be able to get a colleague to go along and replicate what you did and get a photo of that handwritten note. Watch the scammers squirm.  

OneFootEight1

The company is Azure Parking and the car park was Arundel Gate.

OneFootEight1

Oh and I have a photo of the email address which was in the window.  I also still have the error email when my initial email to them bounc ed back.  I took photos of the sign with the hourly rates before leaving as well.  I wanted to pay but it was impossible.

Coupon-mad

Please show us the photo.

Azure and the nice-but-dim Shannon were the joke of the forum on other threads. Search!

OneFootEight1

I'll send it in the morning, had too much wine.  Happy New Year.

Nellymoser

Happy New Year hope you enjoyed the 🍷

Coupon-mad's work on Govt Private Parking Steering Group is ongoing I'm asking motorists to help keep the pressure on Govt by signing/share Stanley Luckhurst's re-issued petition (previous one closed early due to GE)

Bring the Parking Code of Practice into law, as per the 2019 Act of Parliament.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701453

The petition runs for 6 months closing 6 June 2025