APCOA PCN at St Albans Station - POPLA Dilemma (£60 vs £100)

12itagb

Hi all,

Hoping you can offer some advice on a PCN from APCOA and whether it's worth the risk of a POPLA appeal.

Date of parking: 24th August 2025 at St Albans Station (APCOA, railway land).

    The Contravention: Parking without a valid payment/permit. The parking fee was only £3.60.

 What happened: I tried to pay via the APCOA app when I arrived, as I usually do. The payment failed because I accidentally entered the wrong CVV, but I didn't realise this at the time, I likely entered the CVV from the wrong card. I have a screenshot from my banking app which clearly shows the attempted payment and the 'Incorrect CVV' decline reason.

The Story So Far:

I appealed to APCOA, explaining what happened and providing the screenshot to show my intent. They've now rejected that initial appeal with what looks like a standard template letter and have issued a POPLA code.

My Dilemma:

The failed payment was my error, of course, but as I'd shown a clear intent to pay I was hoping it might be forgiven in good faith (I know, very hopeful thinking!).

Now I'm stuck. My 14-day window to pay the discounted rate of £60 ends in just a few days (around 1st October). My other option is to appeal to POPLA, but if that fails, the charge goes up to the full £100.

This is where I could really use your expertise.

Firstly, do you think it is worth appealing to POPLA with the evidence I have? Or should I just pay the £60 and call it a day?

If so, I'd be very grateful for any advice on what I should write in the appeal. What are the key arguments I should focus on? Is there any specific wording or technical ground for appeal that has proven successful in cases like this before?

Also, has anyone had a similar experience with an appeal for a simple payment error like this?

Thanks so much for any guidance you can offer.

ChirpyChicken

Of course you dont pay. Just forget about paying. Why would you.

kryten3000

There is no dilemma. 

The £60 discount is a bribe to get you to pay up quickly and without questioning the charge.  Payment is an acceptance of liability and the parking company will consider the matter closed.

Refunds are hard to obtain (but not impossible) which is why we always say not to pay if the charge is disputed.

Umkomaas

Is this a Penalty Charge Notice, or a Parking Charge Notice?

ChirpyChicken

kryten3000 said:

There is no dilemma. 

The £60 discount is a bribe to get you to pay up quickly and without questioning the charge.  Payment is an acceptance of liability and the parking company will consider the matter closed.

Refunds are hard to obtain (but not impossible) which is why we always say not to pay if the charge is disputed.

Other wise known in these parts as the "mugs discount period"

DjangoUnchained

 Had a couple of so called penalty charges from potters bar station apcoa, both times they issued popla codes and once my defence was put in they pulled out within 2 weeks so don't be intimidated, hold tight and don't give in.

12itagb

Thank you all the great advice.

It was a Penalty Notice, not a PCN, my mistake.

I've had a couple 'Penalty Notices' before and always got them cancelled by appealing straight to APCOA with proof of a simple mistake (e.g typo in my reg, payed late but fee covered the time of parking etc, machine not working etc etc). This was the first time they've ever rejected one, which is how I ended up here. Info I found on the forum was a real eye-opener.

Anyway, I submitted the POPLA appeal yesterday using info and templates found here. Feeling pretty good about my case now, but I'm not holding my breath. 

But now I know what to do if it fails, and what to do in the future if I do ever get another one.

Thanks again for all the help, really appreciate it. If by miracle POPLA sides with me, I'll post an update.

Coupon-mad

Do nothing if it fails.

In the future you won't be able to get PNs at railways stations - see the thread I started about the relevant land' PoFA amendment.

12itagb

Good news! Got an email from Popla yesterday afternoon. 

"The operator has contacted us and told us that they have withdrawn your appeal" 

Thank you everyone for your help! 

kryten3000

As predicted

12itagb

Thought I'd post the appeal I submitted to POPLA, hopefully it'll be helpful to someone who encounters a similar issue. I will also be posting it in the POPLA decisions thread later. Thanks again to the forum members for their input 

I am appealing Penalty Notice (PN) [Penalty Notice Number] issued by APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd. I contend that the PN is invalid as it has been issued improperly and without the necessary legal standing. I request that the appeal be allowed for the following primary reasons.

Primary Grounds for Appeal

1. POPLA's Jurisdiction and Statutory Penalties The Penalty Notice was issued for an alleged breach of Railway Byelaws. As railway land is not "relevant land" under the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA) 2012, this is a statutory matter. The correct enforcement route is via a magistrates’ court, not a civil appeals service. APCOA's decision to use POPLA for a statutory penalty is a significant procedural error.

2. Operator's Improper Financial Gain from Statutory Penalties Fines resulting from a conviction under Railway Byelaws are paid to the public purse. By processing this matter as if it were a civil charge, the operator has created a mechanism for its own financial enrichment from a statutory penalty scheme. This represents a misuse of process.

3. Lack of Landowner Authority to Issue Penalty Notices I require APCOA to provide strict proof of their legal authority to operate on this land. Specifically, they must produce a complete and unredacted contract with the landowner that explicitly authorises them to issue statutory Penalty Notices (PNs) under Railway Byelaws. A contract that only permits the issuing of contractual Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) is insufficient to validate the notice in question. The absence of this specific authority would render the Penalty Notice invalid.

4. Bypassing the Correct Enforcement Mechanism The statutory route for a byelaw contravention is prosecution, which carries a high burden of proof for the prosecutor. By using the civil appeal process, the operator is circumventing the correct legal channels.

Supporting Context: Appellant's Good Faith and Mitigating Circumstances

For the assessor’s reference, the alleged contravention was not an act of deliberate avoidance.

The incident was the result of a genuine attempt to pay which failed due to a minor 'Incorrect CVV' input error. Evidence of this attempted payment was provided to the operator during my initial appeal. My history as a motorist shows consistent compliance with parking regulations; this was an isolated and unintentional mistake.

Furthermore, I have ... which is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. This condition can impact tasks requiring detailed data entry. This information is provided as important context regarding the unintentional nature of the error and the operator's duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Conclusion

For the primary reasons outlined, the Penalty Notice is fundamentally flawed due to significant procedural errors and a lack of proven authority. Furthermore, the supporting context demonstrates that the incident stemmed from a genuine error, not an intent to breach the terms.

I respectfully request that the assessor finds in my favour, allows this appeal, and directs APCOA to cancel the charge.