Fined £400 after I paid to park 4 times
DRIVER WINS APPEALS AFTER NCP ADMITS SYSTEM ERROR
A NOTTINGHAM man says he will never again use a city centre car park after being fined £400 despite paying to park there.
Jonathan Martin said it was “appalling” he was sent four separate £100 parking tickets by NCP after doing his Christmas shopping.
Mr Martin, of Arnold, parked at the St James’s Street car park four times in December – and was fined £100 every time.
NCP has now apologised “profusely” and said the error was corrected as soon as the firm became aware of the issues.
But Mr Martin, 39, who works for a flood protection company in Colwick, said: “When I got the first fine I thought nothing of it. I thought that it must have been a mistake. I appealed it then put it in the bin.
“Then I got three more in the post. It really is taking the mickey.
“The fact that I actually paid for these tickets and now I have to take the time appealing them is so frustrating.
“Every time I receive a fine I’ve got to spend at least half an hour trawling through my emails to find receipts proving that I did pay. It’s not the best time to be getting fines at the moment. It’s appalling.”
Mr Martin had the receipts as he paid through his phone. He said three receipts were accepted by NCP, but one was rejected.
“NCP said they wouldn’t accept one of the receipts and the case was closed and I owed them £100,” Mr Martin said.
NCP has since approved all Mr Martin’s appeals.
But he is concerned about how many people would have thrown away paper receipts and would be forced to pay the fine.
He said: “The most annoying thing is the fact that they sent the fines four weeks after I had parked there.
“If I had a paper ticket I would’ve thrown it away by then. I think a lot of people will be slung with a fine they have to pay. I can guarantee I’m not the only one.
“On their website, there is no way of speaking to a human. The only thing you can do is ring a number which is automated to pay your fine.
“If you could just speak to a person then they could apologise for it.”
An NCP spokesperson said: “NCP became aware in early January that this site was showing an incorrect Paybyphone code on the system.
“Any parking charge notice (PCN) that was issued before January 6, and was appealed, was based solely on the appeal and not on the system error, as that was unknown at the time.
“As soon as we became aware of the error we corrected the system and any PCNS were cancelled. NCP has already approved the appeal of the fourth notice that this customer received.”
The spokesperson added: “We apologise profusely for the inconvenience that this caused and can confirm that it has been resolved and the systems are working correctly.”
It is so frustrating. On their website, there is no way of speaking to a human
Jonathan Martin