Dear Sir
I have received a parking fine from Smart Parking for parking at Camber Sands.
I have provided evidence that I used the phone and pay system (phone bill) and my bank have verified that I made payment.
I have appealed on this basis and this has not been accepted. I have now approached POPLA [Parking On Private Land Appeals].
Do you have others raising similar concerns?
It strikes me that this is a money-making scheme that is based on the hope that people will be intimidated into paying rather than face a higher fine.
I would be interested to hear.
Sally Williamson
If you have definitely paid for the correct time, and you have evidence of this, then why not let the company pursue you through the courts?
Of course it’s a money-making scheme, the parking company are in the business to make a profit. But the business must operate in a legal and morally acceptable way. If there is evidence that the correct fee for the duration of parking has been paid then the company cannot enforce the payment of a further fee for exceeeding this period. (It is NOT a ‘fine’, it is a penalty charge, as overstaying in a car park is not a criminal offence.)
I understand that nationally one third or more of such penalties are waived when challenged, and rightly so. Challenge it if you are incorrectly charged, for goodness sake!