Do I Have to Pay Parking Eye Fines or can I Appeal?

Got a fine from Parking Eye? You’re not alone – every month, more than 32,000 people come here for guidance on parking tickets and fines.

In this article, we’ll help you understand:

• Who Parking Eye is and why they give out fines.
• How to appeal a Parking Eye fine and possibly beat your ticket.
• How much a Parking Eye ticket might cost you.
• What happens if you decide not to pay or can’t pay your fine.
• How and where to get more help if you need it.

Our team knows a lot about things like tickets and fines, as we’ve offered guidance to lots of people in the same boat as you. We know how it feels to get a fine, and we’re here to help. Let’s get started and learn how you can handle your Parking Eye fine.

Do you have to pay a Parking Eye fine?

As mentioned, Parking Eye fines are not really fines at all. They are invoices that fall under ‘contractual law’ for a breach of contract. The only way Parking Eye can enforce a Parking Charge Notice is to win a case in a small claims court.

In short, only a judge can order you to pay a parking ticket on private land. An operator can’t lawfully demand payment without a court order in place.

How much would a Parking Eye infringement cost you?

You may have to fork out up to £100 for a parking infringement on a site managed by Parking Eye. For the moment operators can charge this much for a minor parking violation.

But the government has plans to introduce a cap on the amount you could be charged by a private operator. Unfortunately, the cap won’t come into effect until 2023.

The operator should offer you a discount of 40% when you pay the amount within two weeks!

How do you pay Parking Eye fines?

You can pay Parking Eye fines by going on the operator’s website. There are various payment options which include:

• Debit card
• Credit card
• PayPal

Other ways to pay are listed here:

• Pay over the phone on 0330 555 444
• By cheque through the post to Parkingeye Limited, PO Box 117, Blyth, NE24 9EJ

However, you should only pay a parking charge when you know it was served correctly and the details on the ticket are correct!

You must provide the following information when you pay a Parking Eye fine:

• Your vehicle registration (VRN)
• Parking charge reference number
• Payment method

Should you appeal Parking Eye fines?

Yes. You should appeal Parking Eye fines when you feel they are unjust or wrong. You have the right to contest a parking ticket on private land but you must follow the operator’s appeals process!

You have 28 days to appeal a parking ticket on private land. But you should try to file an appeal within two weeks. Like this, you get to pay a reduced amount if the operator rejects your appeal. It’s 40% less than the original amount!

Once the operator gets your appeal, they can’t chase you for the money while they assess things. In short, you gain time when you appeal a parking charge on private land which could be as long as a month plus!

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How do you appeal Parking Eye fines?

Parking Eye’s appeals process can be daunting. First, you have to appeal in writing to the operator providing reasons why the fine should be cancelled. It helps if you’ve got witness statements to support your appeal!

With or without evidence, Parking Eye has a reputation for rejecting appeals against parking charges!

What happens if Parking Eye rejects your appeal?

Parking Eye sends out a letter of rejection which must provide information on how to escalate or pay the amount owed. You should opt to refer your appeal to the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA).

First, it gains you time because once you send POPLA an appeal, the operator must keep things ‘on hold’. It can take up to 3 months for POPLA to assess and decide whether to uphold your appeal or reject it!

The downside is that if POPLA rejects your appeal, you’d have to pay the full amount.

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What happens when you don’t pay Parking Eye?

Parking Eye chases you for the money when you don’t pay the parking charge within 28 days. First, the operator sends payment reminders. Second, you’d get a payment demand followed by threatening letters!

You could receive a Letter Before Action (LBA) or the operator could ask a debt collection agency to recover the amount! The debt collectors the operator often uses are Debt Recovery plus – an example is included here:

Source: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5944603/parking-fine-from-debt-recovery-plus-ltd

The threat of legal action may only be a tactic to get you to pay, but there’s never a guarantee the ‘threat’ is not genuine. 

Could a Parking Eye fine get you a CCJ?

No. The parking fine itself won’t get you a CCJ. However, if a default judgement is registered against you, then you’d get County Court Judgement recorded on your credit report.

How do you get in touch with Parking Eye?

I’ve listed the contact details for Parking Eye here: