Evology / Parkingeye / DCBL - Hospital ER visit, app SMS error caused 1-minute camera variance

SAXONDAVID

Hi everyone,Looking for a quick sanity check on my timeline and next steps regarding a known Evology app trap at a hospital.Context: Attended Royal Preston Hospital Emergency Department (Location 302654) with my daughter for a serious head injury on 14 November 2025.Timeline:

• 21:02 - ANPR entry.
• 21:06 - Took photo of physical sign showing "PAY BEFORE EXIT" and "All tariffs include first 30 free minutes".
• 21:21 - Paid £4.90 for a 2-hour stay via official Evology App for VRM MM72 OEA.
• 23:06 - Received automated text from Evology stating: "Your booking for MM72OEA is due to expire in 15 minutes." This explicitly sets app expiry at 23:21.
• 23:22 - ANPR camera clocked exit (1 minute after the app's text deadline).

Procedural Status:

1. POPLA appeal was refused. Assessor Tina Mahoney ruled that because it's "Pay on Exit", the ticket backdated to entry (21:02), making it an overstay. POPLA ignored the fact that the operator's own app explicitly gave a countdown timer to 23:21.
2. In May 2026, Parkingeye issued a Letter Before Claim. I fully responded in time using the official Pre-Action Protocol Reply Form (ticked Box D to dispute, Box H for documents), attaching screenshots of the Evology text error.
3. Parkingeye ignored the Pre-Action response and passed the case to DCBL.
4. I have contacted the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Car Park Help Desk. They previously confirmed via PALS they can cancel if POPLA is closed. I emailed them on 11 August 2026 to request this but am still waiting for their final action.
5. I sent a formal dispute to DCBL, but they replied with a boilerplate email saying they have no hold instructions from Parkingeye and attached the ANPR images.

How strong is this as a consumer protection / estoppel defense the hospital has failed to pull it "saying they cant intervene a POPLA decision and DCB Legal issues a claim?Thanks in advance!

kryten3000

Parkingeye usually raise claims in-house. Any charges that they farm out to DCBL/DCB Legal are their "no hope" cases or if they are not authorised to make a court claim for PCNs issued at the specific location.

DCB Legal routinely discontinue defended cases. We'll help you with this if necessary.

Please do not pay the scam

SAXONDAVID

Just had a reply from the hospital help desk following my chasing email. They state that because POPLA has ruled, they are refusing to overturn it. So this is going to be a pure court track fight based on the Evology app defect.

yarpsnehpets

This would get laughed out if it ever went to Court so just follow the process.

There is clearly a mis-programming of the logic in the parking app but that is not something which you are responsible for.

Additionally, the term relating to the 'free period' of parking is not sufficiently (clearly) worded and would therefore be subject to contra proferentem.

This is just a bulling exercise for them now - they hope that you'll crack and pay up.

GrannyKate

Go back to PALS and ask them to escalate this to CEO as a formal complaint. Remind them that they are jointly responsible for the actions of their agents.

Coupon-mad

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82109219#Comment_82109219

POPLA doesn't 'rule'!

But you should never have tried it because ParkingEye - unfairly in my view, and not in good faith - refuse cancellations after POPLA has been tried because it's cost them £27.

It's another example of parking firms wielding too much control. Retailers, residential sites and hospitals in particular should ALWAYS be run on a 'consumer-first' fair basis where landowner cancellations for genuine shoppers, staff, residents and patients/visitors can ALWAYS complain to the landowner who cares about their interests and retains the final veto.

I can but dream!

"How strong is this as a consumer protection / estoppel defence the hospital has failed to pull it "saying they cant intervene a POPLA decision and DCB Legal issues a claim?"

They'll discontinue anyway. They discontinue defended claims so no worries.

SAXONDAVID

I'm quite sure that Parkingeye do not want this defect inthe evoloogy app to be known, its bringing in plenty of reveune for them. I would love this to go to court.

Car1980

21:21 - Paid £4.90 for a 2-hour stay via official Evology App for VRM MM72 OEA.

Things don't tie up as you say, but the text would amount to a variation of contract. They have extended the time agreed in the original contract. Acceptance on your part would be by conduct ie. you left in between the original timing and the new timing.

In theory you could make a claim against them on the basis of this contract variation. You've incurred cost in fighting their attempts to unlawfully enforce the original terms of the contract.

POPLA ignored the fact…

Yeah, they'll do that.

SAXONDAVID

UPDATE: SUCCESS! Just wanted to update the thread and thank everyone for their initial sanity check. Following the advice here, I bypassed the low-level car park help desk entirely and escalated a formal executive complaint to the Hospital Trust CEO and PALS team regarding the Evology app timer/ANPR synchronization failure. 

The Patient Experience and PALS Supervisor escalated it internally to senior estates management. I have just received a direct email confirmation from the Car Park Help Desk stating: "I can confirm Parkingeye have cancelled the charge." A victory for common sense against a predatory system trap. Thanks again to this board for giving me the confidence to sit back and fight it properly! 

yarpsnehpets

Great news - well done you for not getting bullied.

James_Poisson

Well done, they probably cancelled as you say because they don't want their greedy little scam letting out of the box!