Parkingeye charged Credit Card without consent.

Coupon-mad

Have you received a PCN?

Checked your V5C doesn't show your old address and thus, a PCN has gone there?

midge69

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81978978#Comment_81978978

No. Only me and Mrs me have cards. Was neither of us

midge69

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979037#Comment_81979037

We have received nothing.

Car is correctly registered.

Something could have got lost in the post, but then we couldn't have paid it could we?

Coupon-mad

No.

It makes no sense unless your wife has opened a PCN, panicked, paid it and not told you.

If not, complain and demand an explanation.

midge69

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979065#Comment_81979065

The credit card transaction is against my card, the one used to pay for the parking.

Both our cards have different numbers.

Jame4ters

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81978942#Comment_81978942

I wouldn’t wait. Not only is it a good way of potentially getting your money back but it will flag Parking Eye up as a potential issue for their card merchant provider as I doubt you will be the only one impacted.

1505grandad

FYI - from RingGo website:-

https://ringgo.co.uk/how-it-works/behind-the-scenes

"We’re on your side

We don’t hand out fines, but we can help prevent them

You were only going to pop to the shops, but it ended up taking a bit longer than expected. The RingGo app helps you keep track of your parking session by sending a notification when it’s about to expire.

What happens in the unlikely event you get a parking ticket? If you've used RingGo correctly, and you have parked in accordance with the rules, your parking ticket will be cancelled by the enforcing authority. You'll find their phone number on signage in the car park, or probably on the charge notice itself. The enforcing authority alone administers violations, ticket payments and appeals. When you call them make sure that you mention RingGo and give them details of when you parked there and your vehicle registration number. It will help them clear things up more quickly for you."

midge69

Okay so four and a half months later I thought I'd update this.

I did report the transaction to the credit card company and they refunded me next day. No other fraudulent transactions appeared on the card.

Parkingeye however have been extremely unhelpful. I reply to their emails same day, they then take 3 weeks or more to reply asking same questions and telling me to report it.

Last week I got a final response from them stating that they had identified the payment for a PCN which was nothing to do with me and hence not sent to me. Final response, case closed, sorry for any inconvenience…

Far from case closed as far as I'm concerned. If they did not use my card details (and I still feel that they did) they are asking me to believe that someone else stole my card details and used them only to pay a PCN. Furthermore if PE know who they issued the PCN to then it surely follows that they stole my details if they were the only ones with the information needed to pay it. So Parkingeye either used my details without my consent or know who did…

Have reported Parkingeye to the BPA (for all the good that will do), but what else can I do?

OldBugger

From Gemini (I know folk on here don't like AI but this seems like good advice)

What the parking company did goes well beyond a simple administrative error—it is an unauthorized transaction, a breach of payment card industry compliance (PCI-DSS), and a breach of data protection law. While your credit card provider resolved the immediate financial loss, you have clear avenues to escalate this further:

1. Report to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Holding your financial details and processing a charge against your card for a completely unrelated third party without your consent is a direct breach of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

• Action: Submit a formal complaint to the parking company’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) demanding a full explanation of how your stored details were misused.
• Escalation: If they fail to provide a satisfactory explanation within 30 days, file a complaint directly with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO can investigate and sanction the company for unlawful data processing.

2. Complain to their Trade Association (BPA or IPC)

Most private parking operators belong to either the British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Community (IPC).

• Action: Submit a formal code-of-conduct complaint to the relevant trade body. Unauthorised processing of credit cards violates operational standards, and trade associations can issue penalty points or suspend an operator's access to DVLA records.

3. Report Unlawful Financial Activity to Action Fraud

Using stored card credentials to cover someone else's debt without authorization constitutes fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.

• Action: File a report with Action Fraud (or Police Scotland if you are based in Scotland). Keep the crime reference number as formal proof when communicating with regulators or the parking company.

4. Claim Compensation for Distress or Inconvenience

Under UK GDPR (Article 82), you are legally entitled to claim compensation for "non-material damage" (distress, anxiety, or inconvenience) caused by a data breach, even if you did not suffer a lasting financial loss.

• Action: You can send a Letter Before Action to the parking firm requesting a modest gesture of goodwill or formal compensation (e.g., £100–£300) for the breach and distress. If they refuse, you can take them to the Small Claims Court, though you should seek independent legal advice or consult Citizens Advice before filing a court cla

SacredStephan

I suggest you contact Radio4 Moneybox programme.