Dropping off charges

BayernLarge

Just successfully challenged a parking charge from Manchester Airport.  At T2 drop off they do not have any barriers, just signs saying to call or pay online and that “You must pay before midnight tomorrow.” I suspect they rely on people forgetting as you don’t really have any extra time to take photos of the signs with the number to call or website, or time to set a reminder on your phone.

The charge is £5 for under 5 minutes and I was there for 3 minutes 29 seconds dropping someone off.  This was a Monday and so I had until midnight on Tuesday to pay.  Just as they hope, I forgot and it suddenly came into my head very late on the Wednesday that I had not paid.  I immediately went online to pay (it had now ticked over to Thursday morning) but their system is set up so that when I entered the date and time of dropping off, as it was after their time limit for paying, you cannot pay online.  It was now 12.15am so I emailed them asking them to call me in the morning so I could pay over the phone.  I got an automated email reply saying they would be in touch with 5 working days.  I calculated that to be the following Wednesday.  

14 days later I received in the post their parking charge notice (dated 7 days before I received it) asking me to pay a £100 charge, or only £60 if in paid within 14 days.  I immediately challenged this charge explaining I had attempted to pay before they issued their notice but they had not contacted me and that I was still willing to pay the £5.  A few hours later I got an email from them in response to my initial email.  It had taken them 11 workings days to reply.  (Perhaps time limits weren’t as crucial as they claimed).  They were asking for more information before they could investigate.  I told them I had already challenged their parking notice and have heard nothing from them by way of email since. 

My challenge was rejected.  They said this was because my attempt to pay was outside of their payment window and so I submitted an appeal to POPLA.  A few weeks later they notified me that the operator (i.e. Manchester Airport) has told them they have withdrawn my appeal and explained what this meant as follows, “If you have not paid your parking charge, the operator has reviewed your appeal and chosen to cancel the parking charge. As the operator has withdrawn your appeal, POPLA’s involvement has now ended and you do not need to take any further action.”

Win, win!

Gr1pr

Given the fact that we never saw Manchester Airport threads until May 2025 or so, after they changed the system to Apcoa enforcement,  same as many other airports,  it just shows what a racket it is when you see the floodgates open since it was changed a few short months ago 

Nellymoser

Care to join the 1,798 people who are asking Govt to

Ban Drop-off charges at airports

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/724381

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