APCOA parking charge letter for £100 at Derby train station on 29th May

starjasmine2026

Hello

I've done some research on my parking ticket and I wanted to make sure I've understood everything before responding.

On Monday I received a parking charge letter from APCOA regarding me parking in one of the car parks at Derby train station on Friday 29th May.

What happened was I parked there from just before 11am to just after 7pm. I checked the payment screen after arriving and it wasn't clear to me whether I paid then, or immediately before leaving. I concluded I would need to pay immediately before leaving.

When I got back to the car park that evening and went to the APCOA parking payment screen, I realised I should have paid beforehand. So i looked through and found the closest thing to a day payment which was the weekend tariff of 9.50, which I paid, and left within 5 minutes.

I then got this letter, with the parking charge amount being £100. I worked out yesterday I was short on payment by less than £1.

I understand the railway bylaw response does not apply anymore. So I'm not sure what to say as I do want to appeal as I didn't not pay and being short by tens of pence does not make £100 a proportional charge. It was a genuine error - I am agoraphobic and autistic and was incredibly anxious that day, and this definitely was why I wasn't taking things in properly. However I don't know if that's an acceptable reason.

Can anyone advise before I respond to them?

Thankyou in advance.

James_Poisson

Can you post on here an image of the NTK you received, APCOA don't usually use compliant PoFA paperwork so as long as the driver's details aren't divulged they cannot hold the keeper liable

ChirpyChicken

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82039467#Comment_82039467

They are pofa

cooldude255220

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82039497#Comment_82039497

This one (at pages 12 and 13) (from @AirportBandit's thread here) certainly isn't.

Have you seen one that is elsewhere @ChirpyChicken?

In the meantime, please do post a suitably redacted copy of both sides of the PCN @starjasmine2026, leaving the incident date and date of the notice, but redacting your name/address/VRM etc.

Edit: I've found another one in this thread here. It looks like they're using different ones for railway land, and I agree that those ones are POFA-compliant.

Edit 2: But it's still worth posting a copy of the PCN, or at least telling us the incident date and the date on the notice!

ChirpyChicken

Yes

The new railway ones are POFA ( post byelaw)

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82039525#Comment_82039525

I agree they are. Almost no point looking at this one but of course nobody pays.

The OP can just ignore it and not pay a private PCN from this unregulated industry.

starjasmine2026

Here you go. It relates to Friday 29th May, and I got the letter this Monday, 15th June. As yet I haven't responded.

cooldude255220

@starjasmine2026

It's out of time for keeper liability to apply so appeal as the keeper. DON'T mention who was driving.

I have known APCOA allow first stage appeals for this reason so it's worth appealing with the wording below.

A creditor only has the right to recover unpaid parking charges from the keeper of the vehicle under paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 4 where the criteria in paragraph 4(2) of Schedule 4 are met.

Paragraph 4(2)(a) requires that the conditions in paragraphs 5, 6, 11 and 12 (so far as applicable) are met.

Paragraph 6(1)(b) requires that a Notice to Keeper is given accordance with paragraph 9.

Paragraph 9(4) of Schedule 4 of POFA requires that, where the notice is sent by post, it is DELIVERED (not just sent) within the relevant period.

Paragraph 9(5) of Schedule 4 of POFA provides that the relevant period for delivery is 14 days, beginning with the day after the parking event.

The alleged parking event was 29/05/2026. Taking 30/05/2026 as the first day, that means 12/06/2026 is the 14th day - i.e. the last day on which the Notice could be DELIVERED and meet the requirement of Paragraph 9(4).

The notice is dated 11/06/2026. The notice is deemed to be delivered (unless the contrary is proved) on the second working day after posting.

The 1st working day after posting is 12/06/2026. The second working day after posting is 15/06/2026.

It is therefore presumed to have been delivered on 15/06/2026, which is after 12/06/2026 and therefore outside the permitted 14-day period for DELIVERY.

The Notice to Keeper was therefore not DELIVERED in accordance with paragraph 9(4) of POFA and therefore the right of recovery under paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 4 of POFA does not apply.

Please come back here and let us know how you get on either way.

Edit:

Please also show us the back, as it looks like it might be an old-style NON-POFA worded Notice too.

Coupon-mad

Ooh I take it back! That was not deemed served in time due to the date being a Thursday. Non-POFA.

Show us the back.

Castle

OP

Can you please post up a copy of the back of the PCN as the front page doesn't specify who the "Creditor" is.

(Yes; it was posted to late for POFA to apply).

ChirpyChicken

Oh this one is late. They normally are not now