First time receiving a PCN from a private parking operator

Gr1pr

Loading and Unloading is not parking, so the Jopson case may assist you

Plus it was a legitimate short visit for business charitable purposes

Fight them in a court claim if you have to, they will likely fold pre hearing

Coupon-mad

Let's focus back on the possible appeal.

Please show a photo of the NTK both sides. Data, refs & QR codes redacted.

And did you admit to driving/parking?

mrochester

Yes I did park and yes I was the driver.

Coupon-mad

Thanks. We'll take a look.

Not what I asked: did you admit to driving in any early appeal or haven't you tried yet?

mrochester

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82046331#Comment_82046331

Oh sorry. In the appeal I submitted online I said I was a patron of the carriage pub.

Coupon-mad

OK well as it's an IPC AOS firm, there is no independent appeal (it's not impartial) so totally ignore the threatograms now.

Sit on your hands. Ignore.

Read the NEWBIES thread post 4.

mrochester

Here’s an update:

I heard back about my appeal, which was denied. However, they did reduce the penalty charge to £20 on the basis that they couldn’t prove/disprove that I was parked in one of the bays reserved for The Carriage pub.

I have paid the £20 charge, but I found an email address for Viking Solutions UK and sent them this:

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing with regards to PCN 113537037, registration XXXXXXXX received on 08/06/26.  

On the day in question I was acting in my role as a volunteer for a local charity (St Oswalds Hospice). My role requires me to visit premises that have one of the hospice’s charity collection cans, which I swap out and return the full can back to the hospice. 

On the 8th June 2026 I was undertaking a collection round in the Jesmond and Central Newcastle area for the first time having taken over the role from a colleague that had retired. I was visiting The Carriage pub to collect the charity collection cans that they display on their bar and as I parked outside the pub I noticed a sign saying bays 1-7 were reserved for patrons of The Carriage.  I did not see any other sign indicating a parking charge applied to these bays.  I assumed therefore that there was no fee to pay as long as I was visiting The Carriage.  

I visited the pub prior to opening to the public, and on this occasion, although the door to the pub stood open, I was not able to gain anyone’s attention inside the pub, despite calling out ‘hello’.  On that basis I changed the can over and left.  At no point whilst inside the pub did I notice any signs about the parking, nor did I see anyone who was able to inform me of the requirement to register/validate the parking on a tablet. 

25 minutes after leaving the car park at The Carriage pub I parked in another location in central Newcastle, where I did pay for parking as there was clear signage in front of the parking bays to indicate there was a charge. Please see attached picture showing parking paid at Newcastle Castle Garth car park on the same day (08/06/26) at 11:17 for car registration XXXXXXX.   St Oswalds Hospice reimburse me both mileage and parking costs when undertaking duties on their behalf and I had no intention of parking anywhere for free that would otherwise attract a parking charge.

At the time of lodging my appeal to the PCN I believed that informing you I was a patron of the Carriage pub was sufficient to waive the parking charge as at that point in time I was not aware of the parking arrangements due to the above circumstances. 

On rejection of my appeal I have reluctantly paid the £20 PCN as I do not want to potentially be penalised further whilst undertaking charitable work. 

On that basis, I would like to request that the £20 I have paid be refunded to me, or at the very least, given as a cash donation to St Oswalds Hospice so that some good can come from this situation. 

Yours faithfully. 

and their reply was:

Good afternoon and thank you for your e-mail.

We (the parking team here at Viking Solutions) are not in a position to re-consider any appeal decision made by our appeals team.  If you were not happy with the decision that was made, you did have the opportunity to submit an appeal to the IAS, but as the Parking Charge has been settled, that option is no longer available to you.

Looking at the appeal decision, it seems that the appeals team referenced a sign which the Carriage Pub placed on their entrance doors.  A photograph showing that sign has been attached to this e-mail for your information.

Talking generally about the Jesmond 360 car parking areas, it is a pay to park car park between 08:00 and 18:00 every day, but Carriage visitors can enter their vehicle registration into the on-site tablet to avoid making a payment to park.  Therefore, if you visit the Carriage in future to make a collection, please ensure that you enter your vehicle onto the on-site tablet.  If you are unable to do so, please let us know on the same day, so we can authorise your vehicle manually.

Regarding your final comment, about a donation to St Oswalds, we have made management aware of your request, so we will leave that in their hands.

So let’s hope they ‘do the right thing’ and something good comes of this and a charity is able to benefit from this mess.

Thanks for all your help.

Umkomaas

I liked your request for them to donate the £20 you’ve given them back to the charity. Puts them in a bit of a moral corner. I would advise the charity not to hold its breath!

Anyway, you’ve got Viking off the bottom of your shoe. Be wary of any private car park in future, check those signs very carefully, to avoid more crap from this unregulated, out of control sector.

James_Poisson

I like your style, and I am glad you have them off your back, but it wasn't a "penalty" it was a speculative invoice.

IMHO this statement shows they were thinking they might be on a sticky wicket: "they couldn’t prove/disprove that I was parked in one of the bays reserved for The Carriage pub" that's because they use ANPR as a money generator not for parking management.

I hope I'm wrong but I doubt you will hear anything more about any charity donation these are greedy scammers that even target the disabled.

mrochester

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82048218#Comment_82048218

Yeah I am not expecting anything to come from that, although I should be able to check on the hospice system to see if any donation came in from them.