Should I pay the reduced £20 rate I have been offering by Parkingeye?

Justglory

Hello!
I recently received a Parking Charge Notice from Parkingeye after visiting a Vue Cinema at The Kassam Stadium in Oxford, where I was entitled to four hours of free parking.

Unfortunately, I was not informed that I needed to register my vehicle and I believe the signage was insufficient in explaining the necessity of vehicle registration for free parking (both my friend and I missed it and there are many complains online). Parkingeye has now offered me the option to pay £20 as a reduced charge. Given that I was a legitimate customer and there was no clear signage or staff guidance regarding registration I wonder what I should do? From the comments online it looks like appealing to Popla is just a waste of time.

This is the letter I received following my appeal (but I have not confirmed being the driver)

Parkingeye Ltd, PO Box 117, Blyth, NE24 9EJ 06 March 2025 Reference: Parking Charge Notice - 228348/XXXX POPLA Ref: 606065XXXX

 Dear Sir / Madam, Thank you for your appeal in relation to the Parking Charge incurred on 19 February 2025 at 20:58, at The Kassam Stadium, Oxford car park. The signage located at the above car park instructs motorists to enter their full, correct vehicle registration into the payment machine or terminal on site. After reviewing our records, we are unable to locate any vehicle details that match your vehicle registration. We believe this is due to either a major keying error taking place, or no vehicle registration details being entered at all. The Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice recognises that with the increased use of technology in place at car parks, that this requires motorists to correctly enter their vehicle registration. The code further states that where these terms haven’t been followed, by issuing a PCN the operator will incur fees and processing costs. We would like to offer you the opportunity to pay a reduced amount of £20.00. This will be on a without prejudice basis and will be available for the next 14 days. Please click here to make payment www.parkingeye.co.uk/payments You can also make payment by calling our automated payment line on 0330 555 4444 or by sending a cheque or postal order to Parkingeye Ltd, PO Box 117 Blyth, NE24 9EJ. Alternatively, if you wish to have your case independently assessed, please be advised, there is an independent appeals service (POPLA) which is available to motorists who have had an appeal rejected by a British Parking Association Approved Operator. Contact information and further information can be found enclosed. See also www.popla.co.uk As we are not in receipt of sufficient evidence to confirm that the terms and conditions were not breached, your appeal has been unsuccessful on this occasion. You have reached the end of our internal appeals procedure, and no further appeals will be considered. Please kindly review the options available to you taking note of the timescales. Important Information: If an appeal to the independent appeals service (POPLA) is submitted, the £20.00 offer will no longer be available, and the full amount of the charge will be due. Parkingeye Limited, 40 Eaton Avenue, Buckshaw Village, Chorley, PR7 7NA, Registered in England, Registration No. 5134454 Furthermore, if you submit an appeal to POPLA and your appeals is unsuccessful, the full charge amount will be pursued. By law we are also required to inform you that Ombudsman Services (www.ombudsmanservices.org/) 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. Yours faithfully, Parkingeye Team POPLA administered by The Ombudsman Service Limited Registered Office: POPLA, PO Box 1270, Warrington, WA4 9RL. Registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4351294 VAT registration number: 798 3441 79 The quickest and easiest way to submit your appeal is online. This usually takes 15 minutes. Simply visit www.popla.co.uk to get started. Grounds for appeal The grounds under which you can appeal a parking charge notice are: 1. My vehicle was stolen. 2. I wasn’t improperly parked. 3. The amount requested on the parking charge notice isn’t correct. 4. I wasn’t the driver or the registered keeper of the vehicle at the time of the alleged improper parking (not valid for Scotland or Northern Ireland appeals) 5. Extreme circumstances prevented me from parking correctly. 6. Other How to appeal to POPLA Once you’ve appealed directly to the Operator about your Parking Charge Notice, they’ll give you a 10-digit verification code that enables you to bring your appeal to us. You must use this within 28 days of the date of the Operator’s rejection notice. The quickest and easiest way to submit your appeal is online at www.popla.co.uk. The benefits to submitting your appeal online include:  The process begins immediately and takes 15 minutes.  You can manage and track the status of your appeal online.  You’re able to instantly upload supporting information and view what the Operator submits.  You’ll get a faster decision.  Reduce your carbon footprint by going paperless. If you’d prefer to submit your appeal to us by post, please use the enclosed form. The completed form and copies (not originals) of all supporting information (i.e. photographs or documents) need to reach us within 28 days of the Operator issuing their notice of rejection. We recommend getting a certificate of posting when you send your submission. Please be aware that nothing you send us can be returned. Late appeals can only be considered in exceptional circumstances, at the Assessors discretion. We’ll need you to include a clear explanation of why your appeal is late, either on the form or on a separate sheet. We’ll also need copies of any supporting information, the Operator’s rejection notice, and the envelope it was in (if it was posted). POPLA administered by The Ombudsman Service Limited Registered Office: POPLA, PO Box 1270, Warrington, WA4 9RL. Registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4351294 VAT registration number: 798 3441 79 Appeals about parking charges issued in Scotland or Northern Ireland We can now accept appeals relating to Parking Charge Notices issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland, if you’re:  The driver of the vehicle and the person who received the Parking Charge Notice, or  Appealing on behalf of the driver who received the Parking Charge Notice. If you’re appealing on behalf of the driver/ registered keeper, please include a letter from them authorising you to act on their behalf. If you require additional help and support We’re happy to provide additional support to anybody who needs it. Please contact us by phone where you’d find that helpful. POPLA administered by The Ombudsman Service Limited Registered Office: POPLA, PO Box 1270, Warrington, WA4 9RL. Registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4351294 VAT registration number: 798 3441 79 Grounds for Appeal and Supporting Evidence Providing evidence can help to support your case. When completing the form, please only select genuine grounds for appeal. Most successful parking appeals are made on the following four grounds: 1. My car was stolen  Your vehicle was improperly parked after being stolen.  This doesn’t include circumstances where the vehicle owner has given another person (e.g. a friend or family member) permission to drive their vehicle.  The fact that you told the driver they could only use your vehicle if they didn’t get a parking ticket is not grounds for appeal. Supporting evidence may include:  A valid Crime Reference Number  Police reports 2. I wasn’t improperly parked  The vehicle wasn’t parked where the parking notice said it was.  You were still within the time you paid for.  You didn’t overstay the free parking allowed in the car park.  You paid the correct amount for parking.  Your car parking ticket was clearly displayed.  The terms and conditions of the car park weren’t properly signed.  You were parked in an area where you were free to park.  You complied with the terms and conditions on the signage. Supporting evidence may include:  Evidence of payment, such as your parking ticket. 4. I was not the driver or registered keeper at the time (not valid for Scotland or Northern Ireland appeals)  You bought the vehicle after the alleged improper parking.  You sold the vehicle before the alleged improper parking.  You hired a car but weren’t the hirer at the time of the alleged improper parking.  You weren’t the driver at the time of the alleged improper parking.  You provided the drivers details, but the parking operator continued to pursue you. Supporting evidence may include:  A copy of the V5C for the vehicle  A copy of your hire agreement  A copy of your communication with the parking operator informing them of the driver’s details 4 3. The amount requested on the parking charge notice is incorrect  You’ve already paid your parking charge.  You’re being asked to pay the wrong amount. Supporting evidence may include:  Evidence that you’ve paid your parking charge and the date you paid.  Evidence to demonstrate why you believe the parking charge is incorrect. POPLA administered by The Ombudsman Service Limited Registered Office: POPLA, PO Box 1270, Warrington, WA4 9RL. Registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4351294 VAT registration number: 798 3441 79 Further Information POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) is the UK’s largest private parking appeals scheme, handling appeals about parking operators that belong to the British Parking Association (BPA). Since 2015, POPLA has been operated by independent, not-for-profit dispute resolution business, Flexible Resolution Services. Our role is to review the information and evidence provided, to make an impartial decision on whether a parking charge notice has been issued correctly. We consider appeals against relevant parking charge notices issued in England and Wales. We’re also able to consider relevant parking charges issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland where the person appealing has received a parking charge notice and is the driver. Receive your verification number. When a Parking Operator rejects a motorist’s appeal, they should send a 10-digit verification code with their rejection notice, enabling the motorist to use the POPLA service. If it’s not been provided, you should request this from the Operator. Prepare to share your evidence. Providing additional information and copies of evidence can help to support a successful appeal. This might include: a crime reference number (if the vehicle was stolen), photographs (if you think the signage was inadequate), your pay and display voucher (if you say it was displayed and had not expired) or any witness statements if applicable. Submit your appeal. Once you’ve completed the form and copied any supporting evidence, you can submit your appeal by post. We must receive this within 28 days of the Operator issuing their rejection notice. Please get a certificate of posting when you send it. The Assessor will consider all of the information and evidence provided by both parties alongside the BPA Code of Practice to determine whether your appeal should be allowed or refused. If the Assessor determines that you’re liable for the parking charge, they’ll refuse your appeal. Conversely, if they determine that you’re not liable for it, they’ll allow your appeal. About us How the appeal process works Our decision

Mark_d

Just pay the £20 rather than wading through all that text!

KeithP

Yes, I can't see anyone else bothering to wade through that slab of text you have thrown at us.

ChirpyChicken

Yes pay asap

Not_A_Hope

Or before paying £20 you could go back to the cinema to complain and see if that works first. 

BikingBud

As much as I hate the thought of paying these leeches I feel I would take an offer of £20 knowing how consuming fighting the charges might become.

Obviously different people have different thresholds and principles but if that was the cost across the board then there might be far less time, effort and energy wasted. Much less angst for the consumer and perhaps recognition that they could do things different in the future. Instead we get an escalation out of all proportion to the occurence.

Perhaps everybody should directly and intially say £20 to go away. If you do not accept that will be considered unreasonable and I will seek to recover full costs for my time and effort in defending the claim.

Car1980

Slow down. Why would you give someone even a penny if their signage is insufficient?

There are plenty of reviews of other people getting stung, and I've never been to a cinema where you have to register your car. There are no signs on Google streetview, so it looks like a recent thing.

For such an onerous term they should be making is VERY clear that they want you to register.

The fact they're willing to take "only" £20 makes it sound like they have no confidence in their signage.

If you genuinely feel the signage is crap, tell them to stick their "offer".

They'd be daft to go to court because they've undermined their case by stating they'd accept a peppercorn sum.

Coupon-mad

Justglory said:

Hello!
I recently received a Parking Charge Notice from Parkingeye after visiting a Vue Cinema at The Kassam Stadium in Oxford, where I was entitled to four hours of free parking.

Unfortunately, I was not informed that I needed to register my vehicle and I believe the signage was insufficient in explaining the necessity of vehicle registration for free parking (both my friend and I missed it and there are many complaints online).

ParkingEye has now offered me the option to pay £20 as a reduced charge. Given that I was a legitimate customer and there was no clear signage or staff guidance regarding registration I wonder what I should do? From the comments online it looks like appealing to Popla is just a waste of time.

This is the letter I received following my appeal (but I have not confirmed being the driver)

Parkingeye Ltd, PO Box 117, Blyth, NE24 9EJ 06 March 2025
Reference: Parking Charge Notice - 228348/XXXX POPLA Ref: 606065XXXX

Dear Sir / Madam,

Thank you for your appeal in relation to the Parking Charge incurred on 19 February 2025 at 20:58, at The Kassam Stadium, Oxford car park.

The signage located at the above car park instructs motorists to enter their full, correct vehicle registration into the payment machine or terminal on site. After reviewing our records, we are unable to locate any vehicle details that match your vehicle registration.

We believe this is due to either a major keying error taking place, or no vehicle registration details being entered at all. The Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice recognises that with the increased use of technology in place at car parks, that this requires motorists to correctly enter their vehicle registration. The code further states that where these terms haven’t been followed, by issuing a PCN the operator will incur fees and processing costs.

We would like to offer you the opportunity to pay a reduced amount of £20.00. This will be on a without prejudice basis and will be available for the next 14 days.

Please click here to make payment...

blah de blah (snipped)
 

Did you pay £20 to make it go away, despite the hidden keypad not being drawn to your attention by staff or by sufficiently prominent signage inside the cinema?

It bothers me immensely that PPC World blagged 'not entering your VRM' past the DLUHC at 'higher rate' with no public consultation on that.  All the new (non council) private land contraventions sailed in at £100 in 2022.

That was a naive error by the Government. There's also no Annex in any Code (yet) protecting people who can show they were genuine patrons./ Why SHOULD you pay £20 for their failure to make the stupid keypad MASSIVELY prominent, as per Lord Denning's Red Hand Rule?

Lord Denning's "red hand" phrasing—and the idea that particularly onerous clauses (including but not limited to exclusion clauses) need sufficient notice if not incorporated by signature (or other means) has been widely referred to in a number of significant English cases subsequently including Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking Ltd where he said:

"I do not pause to inquire whether the exempting condition is void for unreasonableness. All I say is that it is so wide and so destructive of rights that the court should not hold any man bound by it unless it is drawn to his attention in the most explicit way. It is an instance of what I had in mind in J Spurling Ltd v Bradshaw [1956] 1 WLR 461, 466. In order to give sufficient notice, it would need to be printed in red ink with a red hand pointing to it – or something equally startling."

Not entering your VRM' is not a huge mischief to have to deter. 

What must be deterred is parking firms hiding keypads in premises and not having massive red arrows pointing to the obligation and warning of PCN risk.  In gyms, cinemas, hotels, restaurants and pubs they hide keypads anywhere in a corner, knowing full well that a % of people focussed on the facility they are going into, won't notice it..

pustit

Thanks, Coupon Mad, for bringing some gravity to this thread.