Soldato
Any fight left in this parking ticket or best to just pay it now?
The driver went to a training event at a hospital which has recently changed to offer 4 hours free parking for all visitors. The signage also says an additional 4 hours is available if you sign up at the terminal. Exact wording from the sign: "Patients & Visitors - If your stay exceeds 4 hours please report to the main concourse or other reception areas and enter your full, correct vehicle registration into the terminal to receive an additional 4 hours"
The driver entered the site, reported to reception, confirmed with the staff to enter details into the terminal for the additional 4 hours, this was done as the intention was to stay for around 7 hours for a full day of training staff. After 6 hours 30mins on site the driver left the site and received a ticket within 2 weeks demanding payment for overstaying the 4 hours.
The appeal against the parking ticket was rejected stating the driver was not on the exemption list. After doing some investigating the website for the site has more clarification on the parking issue: "patient and visitor parking is available for four hours. If you exceed this time limit then you will need to register your number plate at one of the 40 terminals across site which allows you an additional four hours. "
This implies that to get the additional 4 hours you have to overstay the original 4 hours to begin with before entering your details into the terminal, and the additional 4 hours will only activate if your details are entered once you have overstayed.
For the POPLA appeal we asked if they could clarify their signage as the driver thought by entering their detais they would be allowed 4 hours plus an additional 4 hours to run consecutively, however it appears they ran concurrently therefore the vehicle was marked as overstaying the allowed time and no longer exempt. This has not been confirmed or denied by the parking company or the site.
The POPLA appeal completely ignored our request for clarification and just said "the driver overstayed, registered keeper has to pay up"
To me and the driver the signage is not clear as to the requirements of getting the additional 4 hours of free parking, it seems odd you have to overstay and break the parking terms to be granted an extension for parking, you cannot sign up in advance and the term "additional" is misleading if it can't be added on to your existing stay earlier on. We have tried to get clarity from the on site parking office but they are ignoring all calls.
With POPLA rejecting the appeal our only option now is to either pay up (£70) or wait months of threatening debt collection letters and probably a day in court which could be expensive if the judge can't be fluffed to accept a parking company might have screwed up. Is there any further advice?
The car park only has free parking for 4 hours and the additional 4 hours, no other options. The 92 pages of "evidence" supplied by the parking company to POPLA failed to present how the terminals work, signage at the terminals or how they apply the additional 4 hours. The registered keeper would probably end up paying it just to make the issue go away.
The driver went to a training event at a hospital which has recently changed to offer 4 hours free parking for all visitors. The signage also says an additional 4 hours is available if you sign up at the terminal. Exact wording from the sign: "Patients & Visitors - If your stay exceeds 4 hours please report to the main concourse or other reception areas and enter your full, correct vehicle registration into the terminal to receive an additional 4 hours"
The driver entered the site, reported to reception, confirmed with the staff to enter details into the terminal for the additional 4 hours, this was done as the intention was to stay for around 7 hours for a full day of training staff. After 6 hours 30mins on site the driver left the site and received a ticket within 2 weeks demanding payment for overstaying the 4 hours.
The appeal against the parking ticket was rejected stating the driver was not on the exemption list. After doing some investigating the website for the site has more clarification on the parking issue: "patient and visitor parking is available for four hours. If you exceed this time limit then you will need to register your number plate at one of the 40 terminals across site which allows you an additional four hours. "
This implies that to get the additional 4 hours you have to overstay the original 4 hours to begin with before entering your details into the terminal, and the additional 4 hours will only activate if your details are entered once you have overstayed.
For the POPLA appeal we asked if they could clarify their signage as the driver thought by entering their detais they would be allowed 4 hours plus an additional 4 hours to run consecutively, however it appears they ran concurrently therefore the vehicle was marked as overstaying the allowed time and no longer exempt. This has not been confirmed or denied by the parking company or the site.
The POPLA appeal completely ignored our request for clarification and just said "the driver overstayed, registered keeper has to pay up"
To me and the driver the signage is not clear as to the requirements of getting the additional 4 hours of free parking, it seems odd you have to overstay and break the parking terms to be granted an extension for parking, you cannot sign up in advance and the term "additional" is misleading if it can't be added on to your existing stay earlier on. We have tried to get clarity from the on site parking office but they are ignoring all calls.
With POPLA rejecting the appeal our only option now is to either pay up (£70) or wait months of threatening debt collection letters and probably a day in court which could be expensive if the judge can't be fluffed to accept a parking company might have screwed up. Is there any further advice?
The car park only has free parking for 4 hours and the additional 4 hours, no other options. The 92 pages of "evidence" supplied by the parking company to POPLA failed to present how the terminals work, signage at the terminals or how they apply the additional 4 hours. The registered keeper would probably end up paying it just to make the issue go away.
