My girlfriend got a parking ticket in charlton retail park. She returned to her car and left the space within the permitted time scales but got stuck in traffic leaving the park. She received a parking fine, appealed and lost. The company is called smart parking.
Anyone experienced anything similar and what did you do. I've said don't pay it as we have photographic evidence of the traffic jam. How can you fine someone for being stuck in traffic?
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I'm sure you will receive better info on here than mine but if it was me I'd ignore it.
They send the registered owner the bill. If you're not driving tell them so and you don't know who was - can they provide photographic evidence of who the diver was?
It's down to them to identify whom they had the implied contract with - not you.
Fortunately, Smart Parking are a member of the British Parking Association. As such, you have a right of appeal to an independent adjudicator called the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service who will consider your appeal.
POPLA's website can be found at http://www.popla.co.uk/ The site clearly explains how you need to proceed with an appeal.
If what you say is correct, I should have thought it worth appealing. POPLA is an independent organisation and you will get a fair hearing but you will need to present facts to back up your case not just say it's unfair.
If you need anymore help, give me a shout.
In 2012, the Department for Transport strengthened laws around ticketing in private car parks, so unpaid charges can be claimed from the keeper of the vehicle, as well as the driver.
Claims that you owe money count as harassment if the matter is in dispute. I would guess it is more effort and cost than it is worth to get a Court judgement where you have a sustainable argument and the possibility of a friendly judge taking your side in debating whether you can be regarded as still using the car park when attempting to leave rather than park.
They prefer to chase the easy cases and likely to give up if they sense you are serious. Helps to write nicely to the MD of the store to say how much you like shopping there and how unfair this is and likely to change your view as a customer. The parking company are just parasites and the store can instruct them to cancel the claim.
Councils issue Penalty Charge Notices, Excess Charge Notice or Fixed Penalty Notice. Private
cowboysoperators issue Parking Charge Notices - which are just an invoice.Private operators have no official right to fine you, though they may try to make you think they do. All they're doing is sending you a notice for what they deem to be a breach of contract.
Bexley Council sent a baliff to my door just before November, I appealed via Northampton Court and won - had to pay original fine and not esclated fees.
If so, why not wait for the summons.
Personally, after providing your evidence, I would further respond to them saying you will wait your day in court and not to bother me any more as I will not be responding.
I imagine the T&Cs are for actual use of a space, not for simply driving into the car park (also it is impossible to consent to the T&Cs until you have actually parked and gotten out to look at the machine). I imagine that these fines are more or less unenforceable unless the CCTV can prove a car occupied a space for the allotted time.
I think this should go to the Supreme Court for a ruling to be known as Todd's Law.
Go IN through the OUT door (OUT door).
As long as it is safe to do so.
This 8 out of 10 cats one always made me laugh.
Don't know if it's been on here before, but worth a second airing anyway.
If not - bin it.
I parked up at Sainsbury's Eltham car park on Sunday, go do my shopping, and to my surprise come to find a parking ticket. Apparently on the 31st July it was changed so it was no longer free to park on a Sunday. Apart from changing the fee signs in the car park (which I do not read every time I go, because why would you when you have not thought anything had changed), the only advertising I could see explaining about the car park fees change was some small sign placed by an entrance to the carpark I do not use.
This is the first parking ticket I have ever received, am I going to have to suck it up and pay it, or would it be worth appealing on the basis that I have used the car park for years, and it was not clearly advertised that the fees/days were changing so was an innocent mistake?
I doubt you'd get very far with the parking enforcement company. In my experience those scumbags issue tickets, threats and intimidation even when you've parked legitimately and can prove as much as happened to me prior to my mother's funeral.
EDIT: I eventually 'won' but then I had paid!
This thread might have information to help.
http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/66236/travelodge-apcoa-parking/p2
Richard Hayes
Phone number
020 8859 8700
But (and I don't know the answer to this) is it actually a private car park which has issued you with a "parking charge notice" or local council owned, who would issue a "penalty charge notice" or maybe a "fixed penalty notice"? The answer to that question will inform on the options you have. If the latter Sainsbury's would not be able to help. (I do park in Eltham but always in North Park. That used to be free but busy. Now it's pay & display and almost always empty. I suspect the changes to the Sainsbury's car park will have come in at the same time as the pay & display system started.