Should I pay my Parkingchargepayment or Appeal?

Did you get a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) that you’re not sure about? Each month, over 32,000 people like you visit this site for advice on parking tickets and fines. It can feel a bit scary and puzzling, but don’t worry, we’re here to help.

In this easy-to-understand guide, we’ll explain:

• What Parkingchargepayment.com is and why they send out PCNs.
• How to appeal a Parking Charge Notice and possibly beat your ticket.
• What happens if you don’t pay your Parking Charge.
• The reasons you would receive a Parking Charge Notice.
• How to find more help if you need it.

Our team has seen many situations like yours, so we know it’s not nice to get a ticket, and we want to help you make sense of it. So, take a breath, and let’s dive in to learn what you can do about your Parking Charge Notice.

How to avoid paying Parkingchargepayment parking tickets

If you want to avoid paying a Parkingchargepayment parking ticket then you’ll need an airtight appeal.

The best way to perfect your appeal is getting a little advice from a Solicitor. I’d 100% recommend spending a fiver to get a trial of JustAnswer.

You can explain your situation in their chat and they’ll connect you with a Solicitor who can advise you and give you the best chance to win your appeal.

Click here to get the trial offer with JustAnswer.

Why would you get a Parking Charge Notice?

You risk getting a Parking Charge Notice for not obeying the ‘rules’ set out by an operator when parking on one of their sites.

Chances are the alleged parking violation was caught on camera because many privately owned car parks use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).

The trouble is that ANPR often gets it wrong which results in Parking Charges being wrongly issued! So, it’s always worth checking every little detail on the parking ticket before you pay it!

Check out this message one motorist posted on a popular forum:

Source: Moneysavingexpert

The main reasons for getting a Parking Charge Notice are:

• Failing to pay the correct fee to park in a car park operated by a private company
• Overstaying an allotted time or the time you paid for
• Parking badly over two bays
• Parking in a bay designated for families with children or the disabled
• Not paying to park

How long before a Parking Charge is sent?

A Parking Charge Notice shouldn’t arrive through the post any later than 14 days after the parking violation happened.

That said, if the DVLA takes its time to respond to an operator’s request, it could take longer.

Do operators have to allow a grace period?

Accredited car park management companies must allow you a grace period before issuing a Parking Charge Notice.

If the parking ticket is issued before ten minutes have expired, you could challenge things and have the ticket cancelled!

Should you pay the Parking Charge straight away?

It’s always worth checking every little detail on the Parking Charge Notice. For instance, is the vehicle registration yours? Did you break the operator’s rules?

In short, it’s worth establishing the following before you pay a parking ticket on private land:

• Were the signs at the car park clearly displayed?
• Did the operator abide by the Code of Practice when issuing the parking ticket?
• Are there any mitigating circumstances?
• Did the operator allow you a grace period before issuing the parking ticket?

How much is a Parking Charge Notice?

Operators can’t charge you more than £100 for breaking their parking rules. Why? Because the amount is capped at that amount. However, you’d pay more in London.

Also, if you settle the parking ticket early, you get to pay a discounted fine which is often 40% less!

Should you appeal the Parking Charge?

You have the right to appeal a Parking Charge. Moreover, it prevents the operator from escalating the matter when you do.

There are some valid excuses for challenging the ticket which operators must consider!

As an added bonus, it costs nothing to appeal the ticket both with the operator and then with the independent appeals service.

You may want to take a look at my post about writing an appeal letter template.

In short, appealing parking tickets on private land gains you time if nothing else.

Join thousands of others who got legal help for a £5 trial

Getting the support of a Solicitor can take a huge weight off your mind.

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What if the operator rejects your appeal?

All is not lost if the operator rejects your appeal because you could escalate your appeal to an independent appeals service.

In this instance, the appeal should be addressed to the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) because GroupNexus is a member of BPA.

According to a POPLA annual report published in 2020, 1 in 2 motorists had their Parking Charge Notices cancelled when they escalated them.

Can parking charge notices be ignored?

Private operators will tell you not to ignore Parking Charge Notices because you’d miss out on paying a lesser fine.

In reality, you shouldn’t ignore a parking ticket on private land because it may have been issued incorrectly. Maybe, the ANPR got it wrong or maybe the details on the notice aren’t yours?

Ignoring a Parking Charge Notice won’t make the ticket go away and you could end up having to deal with a debt collection agency. In a worst-case scenario, you could end up in court!

What Happens when you don’t pay a Parking Charge Notice?

When you don’t pay the operator on time, things escalate quite quickly. For example, you’d receive lots of payment reminders followed by ‘demands’.

Each letter is more threatening than the one before. Eventually, the operator could pass your details on to a debt collection agency which is never a good experience!

Ultimately, the operator or the debt collector could take you to court and have a CCJ registered on your credit file by default!

What’s Parkingchargepayment contact number?

I’ve listed ways to contact parkingchargepayment in the table below. However, you’ll see that there’s no telephone number!