Parking Eye Watchdog – What You Should Look Out For

Are you dealing with Parking Eye and want to make sure you’re on the right path? You’re not alone. Every month, I guide over 32,000 people who are seeking guidance on parking tickets and fines. It might feel a bit scary, but there’s no need to worry.

In this article, we’ll guide you through:

• How to avoid paying Parking Eye parking tickets.
• If Parking Eye is a real and fair company.
• How Parking Eye uses ANPR in car parks.
• The common mistakes made by Parking Eye.
• How to win against a ticket from Parking Eye.

I’ve seen many situations like yours and understand how you might feel. Together, we can navigate through this. So, take a deep breath, and let’s learn how you can handle your dealings with Parking Eye.

Are ParkingEye legitimate?

Yes. ParkingEye is a legitimate business and is recognised as a British Parking Association (BPA) member. As such, they are part of the Approved Operator Scheme (AOS).

Does Parking Eye use ANPR in car parks?

As one of the largest car park management companies in the UK, Parking Eye uses ANPR in many of its sites. Their client base includes landowners in the commercial and private sectors like Aldi, Morrisons, and The Range.

The operator’s annual income is a huge £25 million which comes from issuing Parking Charge Notices to motorists!

Does Parking Eye make mistakes?

Yes. Parking Eye has a reputation for making mistakes when issuing parking tickets to motorists. Hence, the Watchdog reports about the use of ANPR and how the technology is flawed!

Two incidents were investigated by Watchdog. The incidents involved motorists who were issued fines for allegedly overstaying the time allowed in car parks. Both incidents resulted in appeals being made to the operator.

Parking Eye rejected the appeals and both motorists escalated them to the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA). Unfortunately, POPLA also rejected the appeals!

However, Parking Eye had to admit mistakes had been made – and so did POPLA!

The mistakes involved the ANPR in the car parks which recorded the wrong numbers and letters on the number plates. The result? The arrival times and departure times were incorrectly recorded by the ANPR.

The reason the two motorists had their parking charges overturned was that Watchdog got involved.

But there are plenty of other incidents where ANPR gets it wrong!

Why does Parking Eye ANPR get it wrong?

There are several reasons why ANPR technology gets it wrong and I’ve listed some of the reasons here:

• Adverse weather can impact the technologyDirty number plates
• Misreading number plates whether it’s numbers or letters
• Blurred or distorted images

Check out one Watchdog report here:

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1ymz3HRNNQxx5315qt38cDM/anpr

A BBC presenter made a crucial point that it shouldn’t be up to motorists to prove they followed the T&Cs to have a parking charge cancelled! It should be up to the operator to get it right!

What to watch out for when you get a Parking Eye fine?

As a result of the Watchdog report, motorists are advised not to automatically pay a Parking Eye fine. If you get one, you should check the following:

• Did the Parking Charge Notice arrive in the post? If so, check the details on the notice, the date of the alleged offence, and the date the fine arrived in the mail. If the fine arrived more than 14 days after the infringement, you could challenge it!
• Did the operator allow you a grace period? All accredited private operators shouldn’t issue a fine before ten minutes have expired on the time you paid for or when you are allowed to park for free. If the operator failed to give you a grace period, challenge the fine!
• Was the parking charge issued lawfully and according to the BPA’s code of practice?

How reliable is the Parking Eye appeals process?

Parking Eye’s appeals process is not that reliable because all too many appeals get rejected out of hand. Even when you have a genuine, valid reason for having a parking charge cancelled, the chances are it won’t succeed!

When you believe the operator issued the parking charge incorrectly or the details on the notice are incorrect, challenge it! Don’t give up just because Parking Eye makes it harder for you to dispute the charge.

Moreover, it could take up to 12 months to resolve the case!

Gather as much evidence as possible to support your appeal. But bear in mind that even with solid evidence, Parking Eye could refuse your appeal!

What should you do if Parking Eye rejects an appeal?

If Parking Eye rejects your appeal, you have two options. Pay the parking charge or escalate your appeal to POPLA. If you do neither, the operator could start legal proceedings against you!

Moreover, when you escalate your appeal to POPLA, it can take months for them to assess your appeal. Plus, it prevents Parking Eye from taking matters any further!

Does POPLA get it wrong?

POPLA gets it wrong as well when assessing motorists’ appeals. Both Watchdog and Which reported that POPLA rejects appeals that they should uphold!

Plus, POPLA receives a ton of negative reports on TrustPilot!

Parking Eye scam? Good to know

It’s your right to appeal a Parking Eye fine when you know it’s wrong! But the operator’s appeals process is pretty daunting. It’s up to you to prove why the operator should cancel the charge which in itself is thought to be wrong!

Plus, you need to provide witness statements with your appeal to increase your chances of success! It also goes without saying that when you have a heavyweight like Watchdog in your corner, you’d probably win an appeal.

But not everyone has that luxury!

How do you contact Parking Eye?

I’ve listed Parking Eye’s contact details here:

By post:	Parkingeye Limited, PO Box 117, Blyth, NE24 9EJ
By phone:	0330 555 4444
Online complaints (non-fine related):	https://www.parkingeye.co.uk/motorist/complaints/form/
Email:	[email protected]