When the parking operator doesn't publish info online?

irked_mse2025

Sorry if this is a dupe - I've searched but can't find anything similar!

TLDR: I paid what I thought was the right operator, but it was the wrong one. It's confusing because the "right" operator operates a small section within a larger council car park and doesn't publish any details online. Do I have any chance of winning an appeal? 

Full thread:

• I parked in Rowcroft car park in Stroud in an area that offers 90 mins free parking for people visiting Rowcroft Medical Centre, and paid parking for longer stays. I went to the medical centre and after a bit realised I needed longer, so decided to pay for parking.
• I googled for "rowcroft medical centre car park", found the details online (checked maps on parkopedia, then the car park details on the council website) and paid for 3 hours' parking on MiPermit. I left the car park within 3 hours of my original arrival time.
• A week later, I got a fine notice from CE. I sent them the MiPermit receipt, but they rejected it saying they didn't recognise the receipt. 
• Confused, I went back to look at the signs, and realised although Rowcroft car park is run by the council, a small area within it for the medical centre is run by Civil Enforcement. But Civil Enforcement don't publish any details about it online! The only way I could have found out how to pay would be to have walked back to the car park and physically checked the signs.

Do I have any chance of winning an appeal? I tried to pay in good faith based on the information published online, and have a receipt covering my parking time.

But would POPLA / the law say I should have physically returned to the car park to read the signs, and it's fine for the operator not to publish any details online?

I haven't complained to Rowcroft Medical Centre yet, am loath to bother the GPs with this.

Gr1pr

Definitely complain to the Practice Manager at Rowcroft ASAP,  plan A in the newbies sticky thread in announcements 

CEL are a private parking company so dont have to publish online,  its an unregulated industry  !

Although you paid for parking to the council,  its irrelevant to your CEL pcn,  so popla would likely state that the private pcn was correctly issued 

So plan A is always the best option 

fisherjim

Plan A must be your first step.

But I think you are totally mixed up here.

Council run car parks cannot use ANPR systems it is not allowed by the government, I do not believe you paid anything to park where you parked that's why the PPC has no record of your payment.

You paid the council to park in Merry Walks car park Rowcroft, not the Rowcroft Retreat car park which is private and in a different place.

Confusing, yes and that's probably the way the PPC likes it, it gains them money from people that are duped.

You cannot be expected as a motorist to rely on on line websites, the parking signage makes the contract not a website, and if this is what it's like today the signage is as usual rubbish (see below).

No reason to pay these scammers, they are just chancers, follow the newbies advice on here you only have a speculative charge not a fine.

Nellymoser

Not sure why you're loathed to bother GPs with this. It's likely GPs and the practice manager are responsible for contracting CE to manage the car park. 

irked_mse2025

Thank you all. I'll complain to Rowcroft. 

@fisherjim thank you. Yes that's right, I paid the council - but I didn't go into Rowcroft Retreat, that's a third and separate car park. The Rowcroft Medical car park that I parked in has the same entrance and exit as the council car park (the same as the one shown on your screenshot, it's just a separate area in the same car park).

Super confusing as you say and yes I'm sure it's deliberately so!

Thanks again!

fisherjim

irked_mse2025 said:

Thank you all. I'll complain to Rowcroft. 

@fisherjim thank you. Yes that's right, I paid the council - but I didn't go into Rowcroft Retreat, that's a third and separate car park. The Rowcroft Medical car park that I parked in has the same entrance and exit as the council car park (the same as the one shown on your screenshot, it's just a separate area in the same car park).

Super confusing as you say and yes I'm sure it's deliberately so!

Thanks again!

Right got it so you paid the council who have nothing to do with that area, you won't get anywhere with that line of approach, it's all down to the surgery and the signage etc

Coupon-mad

Musing : why do drivers google for parking apps instead of reading what the sign on site says about how to pay and the location code or app to use? I don't understand why we keep seeing this happen.

Never google for a a parking app location! Always likely to be wrong. Anyhoo it's happened now:

Don't get me wrong - I'm completely in your side and we all fight these scams every day - but no appeal will work.

This is why you MUST complain to the GP Practice Manager:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/QndXRm3X5x8fjTrw/

Watch the video. It's about CEL and what they did to patients and the GP practice at Yarm

Press articles in the months leading up to that GP having to take time out make a public apology on FB first of all showed the GP practice actually BLAMED PATIENTS for getting angry about CEL.

Then the penny dropped...

Email that link and tell them to get out of the contract immediately. Ask them to listen what happened to Yarm, who involved their lawyers but had STUPIDLY signed up to the 'outrageous scam' operation for two years, with no free exit clause.

BTW the 90 mins free was only for people who input their VRM in the surgery waiting area.  Did you do that? Did they make it clear and obvious?