I know this may have been covered before, but my daughter has received a parking penalty notice from APCOA because she entered an empty rail station car park and practiced a few parking manoeuvres in the bays, ahead of her driving test. Cant have been there more than 10 mins. Should we be paying this - the offence given is use of a private car park without making a valid payment? Thanks!
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[Help] Parking charge - for practising manoeuvres
- Thread starter Jovis
- Start date
A mex eyecan
Well-known member
- Nov 3, 2011
- 3,315
interesting one?
i guess if it’s private land and provided for parking for a fee then i would imagine they are within their rights.
i guess if it’s private land and provided for parking for a fee then i would imagine they are within their rights.
Sounds like they are within their rights to issue the penalty notice (there will be a time limit stated in the Ts & Cs for entering & leaving without paying - it's usually about 10 mins I think), but it's one of those situations where applying a bit of common sense would see the notice withdrawn.
It will have been issued by an automated process, so it's worth appealing, even though there are no grounds to have it overturned other than common sense (assuming she did stay over the allowed time)
Sadly there is no guarantee that the person who reads your appeal will have the requisite common sense, or even authority to cancel it for that reason. In fact, they will probably be incentivised to make as big a percentage of the penalty notices stick as possible.
Good luck!
It will have been issued by an automated process, so it's worth appealing, even though there are no grounds to have it overturned other than common sense (assuming she did stay over the allowed time)
Sadly there is no guarantee that the person who reads your appeal will have the requisite common sense, or even authority to cancel it for that reason. In fact, they will probably be incentivised to make as big a percentage of the penalty notices stick as possible.
Good luck!
How did she get a ticket if she didnt park? ie leave the car.
Torch the station and make sure the barriers are down so the pikeys move in. that'll learn em.
Torch the station and make sure the barriers are down so the pikeys move in. that'll learn em.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
Sounds fair to me. You can't just drive on to private land and use it for driving practice without permission. Worth an appeal though.
Half Time Pies
Well-known member
Dont do anything without taking some proper advice and don't admit to being the driver!
This is a private parking operator who's out to maximise their profit, if you appeal to their better nature you will get nowhere.
Ive had a few of these over the years and never paid any of them (most of these cars parks are run by dodgy companies who dont adhere to the rules), there is however a set process that you need to follow to get them cancelled. There is a poster on here Lady Seagull who may be able to help but at the very least go to money saving expert and read the advice on there before doing anything: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/parking-tickets-fines-parking
This is a private parking operator who's out to maximise their profit, if you appeal to their better nature you will get nowhere.
Ive had a few of these over the years and never paid any of them (most of these cars parks are run by dodgy companies who dont adhere to the rules), there is however a set process that you need to follow to get them cancelled. There is a poster on here Lady Seagull who may be able to help but at the very least go to money saving expert and read the advice on there before doing anything: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/parking-tickets-fines-parking
GT49er
Well-known member
Bunch of dodgy dealers (IMHO), Good luck!
nickbrighton
Well-known member
- Feb 19, 2016
- 1,926
whilst its always a pain to get a ticket, especially for such a short time, I don't understand why so many people want things not to apply to them.
There were undoubtedly T and Cs displayed laying out the charges. If your daughter couldn't be bothered to check, or checked and thought Ill do it anyway, well sorry - thats the way it goes .
I do not see that there is anything wrong in the ticket being charged, she could easily have paid for an hours parking if she wanted to, and maybe the owners do not want learner drivers using the car park as a free practice space, any more than they would want it used as a skate park,or boy racers play ground
There were undoubtedly T and Cs displayed laying out the charges. If your daughter couldn't be bothered to check, or checked and thought Ill do it anyway, well sorry - thats the way it goes .
I do not see that there is anything wrong in the ticket being charged, she could easily have paid for an hours parking if she wanted to, and maybe the owners do not want learner drivers using the car park as a free practice space, any more than they would want it used as a skate park,or boy racers play ground
Dick Knights Mumm
Take me Home Falmer Road
It's an outrage. It's extortion. It sounds like a good idea to practice reversing in a quiet car park. I know I did it - and I did it with my kids. These parasites are unable to turn a blind eye when they can screw some money out of someone. A plague on their houses.
theboybilly
Well-known member
You usually get 20mins. It doesnt matter if its to sort out payment, dropping somebody off or just changing your mind. Are you absolutely sure you were there no longer than this. That said, there are better places to practise manoeuvres in my opinion.
studio150
Well-known member
If only your daughter had chosen a supermarket car park, she would have probably had the best part of three hours to practice parking into bays, and no ticket.
Hope she passes her test when the big day arrives.
Hope she passes her test when the big day arrives.
Surprised people are still posting stuff like this nowadays, I thought these parking scammers had all been found out?
I'm not even one of the (several) people on here that goes round fighting these things, but as far as I know:
This may be the case if the 'fine' was proportional to any wear and tear on the car park - I'm guessing it wasn't.
Unless his daughter has signed a contract then the 'Ts and Cs' are irrelevant.
Because they don't, it's a scam.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jul/12/shell-issues-60-penalty-after-woman-stops-to-breastfeed-baby
When 'consumer champions' in national newspapers don't give the kind of advice that you've mentioned there regarding these spurious parking charges, it's hardly surprising that an average schmo like me isn't all over it...
Good to know now though, so thanks for the info
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Not sure the last sentence is well thought out or pc, given what's been going on for 16 months
If I were the OP I'd challenge this right up until a CCJ or the equivalent was mentioned. Give the ***** a run for their money
schmunk
"Members"
That's absolutely not true in the slightest.
A contract acceptance can be oral, by action, or even by inaction.
The point is that the signage would have to be extremely clear for it to be accepted that the motorist knew what they were 'signing up' to.
nickbrighton
Well-known member
- Feb 19, 2016
- 1,926
its a railway carpark, not a scam. wtf should you not have to pay to use a legitimate carpark. All they had to do was pay the appropriate parking fee when they should have. its not like it was a bit of waste ground with a tiny little notice hidden away somewhere. Railway carparks have big **** off signs at the entrance, exits, and throughout saying what is and isnt allowed.
Dont like the car park rules- go somewhere else to practice parking- which they in all probability shouldnt have been doing in the car park in the first place
theboybilly
Well-known member
Nevertheless there should still be a 20min grace period. The OP says they were there around 10 minutes. You dont have to give an excuse as to why you were there in the first place. You are perfectly entitled to drop passengers off. I do it at Shoreham most weeks. The OP could have been looking specifically for a space that suited their needs (whatever they may be) but decided somewhere else offered better choices. If they didnt overstay the 20 minutes they shouldnt have got a ticket. It should be thrown out.
nickbrighton
Well-known member
- Feb 19, 2016
- 1,926
did i miss something where they said there was a twenty minute grace period? If that is the case then yes, of course it should be contested- but I have just re read the OP and nowhere is a grace period mentioned. That being the case have you just plucked a twenty minute grace period out of the air? in which case why 20 and not 30?
Brighton station has a drop of point and you get however many minutes, but perhaps they were not in the drop of place-but the short or long stay car park.
Car Parking charges are a pain in the neck- we all know it, but if you wilfully misuse a car park,( driving around practising driving manoeuvres isn't using the car park properly) and don't pay the fee why come on here complaining when you get found out.