Help - Parking Charge for 10m45s over 5h limit

Ruzza1180

Hello!

Hoping to get some advice on how to approach this, I got a parking fine from Euro Car Parks from parking in Crawley Leisure Park. The max time stated is 5 hours and I was there for 5h10m45s. I was using the restaurants and cinema there and lost track of time (not a valid excuse I know) but wanted to know if I should appeal this or pay and if I should appeal what should I say (I have the template but need to know what else to add).

The pictures included are ANPR on the site entry & exit, does that give me anything to say that my parking time was within reason? I also have receipts from the places I used during my time parking. Should I include these in the appeal?

Thank you :)

DE_612183

Have you read the newbies thread?

have you asked one of the sites that you visited to get the PC cancelled?

Ruzza1180

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81924741#Comment_81924741

I have yes, I can't find the land owner but I have emailed the various companies who reside on the land in an attempt to help

Vitor

The alleged overstay is only 10 minutes 45 seconds, and the evidence mentioned is ANPR entry and exit images. ANPR usually records time on site, not the moment the car was actually parked in a bay or the moment it physically left the parking area after driving out of the bay and queuing to exit.

The BPA guidance says ANPR is commonly used to record when a vehicle enters and exits the site, and its current code requires minimum consideration and grace periods. For a public car park with free parking of 1 hour or more, the table shows a minimum consideration period of 5 minutes for sites under 500 spaces, or 10 minutes for sites over 500 spaces, plus a 10 minute grace period at the end.

Appeal on the basis Euro Car Parks must allow the required 5 min consideration period on arrival and 10 min grace period on departure under the BPA code before claiming any overstay. Keep it factual and do not rely on ‘lost track of time'.

Umkomaas

If you follow forum guidance and defend this robustly, read how every one-off ECP ticket ends up!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377263/dcb-legal-record-of-private-parking-court-claim-discontinuations

Ruzza1180

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81924768#Comment_81924768

Thank you Vitor, this is very useful information, I will appeal on this basis :)

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81924780#Comment_81924780

"Thank you Vitor, this is very useful information, I will appeal on this basis :)"

It isn't, because that advice is incorrect and (whilst I'm sure it is well intended) it doesn't come from a regular in this board.

DO NOT APPEAL ON THIS BASIS:

Appeal on the basis Euro Car Parks must allow the required 5 min consideration period on arrival and 10 min grace period on departure under the BPA code before claiming any overstay.

Nope. A common misconception.

The two periods don't apply added together.

@Ruzza1180 just appeal with receipts and saying the time shown of 5 hours 10 minutes is indisputably in the region of the ten minute Code mandated 'grace period' and the supposed extra 45 seconds is 'de minimis' and unproven because the 'in and out' cameras are separate devices, placed right at the end of the entrance/exit road (not fairly positioned at the boundary of the car park) and not synchronised to the second.

Ruzza1180

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81924985#Comment_81924985

Thank you! I've just been reading a 2018 thread (which it looks like you were a key participant in :)) which talked about this, so I will appeal on the basis of what you have said instead and update with the response.

Appreciate it!

Ruzza1180

UPDATE: They cancelled the charge as a ‘gesture of goodwill’

Thanks for the advice :)

Coupon-mad

Yay! Glad it worked. 🙂