Don’t simply accept unfair parking charges – complain
PRIVATE parking charges are back in the news as politicians address the costs of hospital charges for staff and people with disabilities.
No-one likes parking charges and it’s unlikely anyone is going to throw a parade for the parking companies, but a lot of the time these companies are just following the landowner’s instructions – so if you have a complaint, don’t forget to make it to the landowner too!
Private parking tickets often look similar to council parking fines. However, there is one significant difference – if your ticket was issued by the council, it will typically be called a Penalty Charge Notice. Anything different – such as Parking Charge Notice – is most likely issued by a private parking firm.
The good news is that new rules are under discussion about private parking charges – The Parking (Code of Practice) Act will bring in a new independent code and appeals process. But it’s not in yet... and problems still abound.
In the last 18 months, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of complaints from motorists who’ve been hit with charges due to automated parking machines – the type where you enter in your license or payment details and can be encountered at the parking bays or through automated telephone lines.
A particular issue seems to be the confusion around the letter ‘O’ and the number ‘0’ which is relatively easy to mix up on the keypad. Resolver has seen over 500 complaints about incorrectly entered digits, so motorists beware!
If you’ve been hit by a charge as a result of an incorrectly entered number or letter, then make a complaint.
Get in touch with the firm as soon as possible and notify them that you intend to dispute the ticket. Ask where you can send you complaint (you can do this by email through Resolver). I should say that when the ticket has been issued fairly, you will usually be charged less if you pay within 14 days. If you appeal, the charge won’t go up while the matter is checked.
Private parking firms have their own code – so if you feel a firm has treated you unfairly you can appeal. They can add on additional charges or use debt collectors, so make sure you tell them to suspend debt collection if you’re making a complaint.
The firm will also tell you the name of their dispute resolution scheme so you can take the matter further.
The best way to appeal an unfair charge is to turn detective. Photograph the parking machine if you can and highlight if it’s hard to read the buttons or understand how it works. Make sure you take notes of damage or scuffed instructions that might mean you couldn’t see important information. This is particularly important if the machine isn’t working. If this is the case, it makes sense to call the firm to say the machine is playing up, so you’ve got something to fall back on if you get charged. Pop a note inside the windscreen to say you’ve reported the fault.
When you raise a case with a parking company, they should generally reply within seven days. You have 28 days to appeal the fine. We’ve had reports of companies claiming they’ve received no contact within this period, meaning the time limit has expired – so keep a record of your complaint.
If the issue isn’t sorted, you will be given a code so you can go to POPLA (Parking on Private Lands Appeals) for BPA members or The Independent Appeals Service for IPC members. It’s a free service, but don’t delay – make your complaint straight away.