ES Parking Enforcement – Should I Pay or Appeal?
Have you got a private parking fine from ES Parking Enforcement and are unsure about what to do next? You’re at the right place. Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website seeking advice on fines and parking tickets, which comes as no surprise, as over 19,000 parking fines are issued each day in the UK.1
This article will give you simple and helpful information on:
- Who ES Parking Enforcement Ltd are
- The meaning of an ES Parking Enforcement parking charge notice (PCN)
- Whether you must pay ES Parking Enforcement fines
- How to appeal against an ES Parking Enforcement parking fine
- What could happen if you don’t pay ES Parking Enforcement Ltd
We know that dealing with a parking fine can feel like a big task. But don’t worry; we’ll help you understand your choices and decide the best thing to do.
Not sure what to write in your parking appeal?
The form asks for contact details to deliver your free MoneyNerd template.
Add your notice details, reasons for disputing the charge and relevant evidence.
General information, not legal advice. Follow your notice’s instructions and deadlines; adapt the wording to your circumstances. No outcome is guaranteed.
Do You Have to Pay?
In many circumstances, you could appeal your ES Parking Enforcement fine.
It’s a bit sneaky, but last time I had a parking fine I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.
Not only did I save £50 on solicitor fees, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.
Click here to get the trial offer with JustAnswer.
Should I pay them?
You should pay ES Parking Enforcement if you want to guarantee that you won’t be taken to court to pay. However, Parking Charge Notices aren’t considered real fines, so you don’t have to pay until a court order tells you to do so.
Parking Charge Notices are more like an invoice from the car park management company. They are within their rights to send a parking ticket when you don’t pay or break other terms and conditions of using the car park.
You may hear advice online telling you to ignore private parking tickets. Indeed, some people ignore them and are never taken to court, so they never pay. But this is somewhat risky and you might be taken to court.
I was recently featured in The Sun about parking tickets, where I encouraged everyone to check whether the ticket was issued by a member of a trade association. If they aren’t, then they probably can’t get your details from the DVLA to pursue you. So, instead of just ignoring the ticket, my advice would be to make sure it can be linked to you.
What to include in your parking appeal
The form asks for contact details to deliver your free MoneyNerd template.
Include the notice reference, your reasons, supporting evidence and the action you want the issuer to take.
The correct process depends on the notice and where it was issued.
General information, not legal advice. Follow your notice’s instructions and deadlines; adapt the wording to your circumstances. No outcome is guaranteed.
What happens if you don’t pay?
You’re given 28 days to pay or appeal your ES Parking fine. If you do neither, the firm is likely to contact you and ask you to pay and add late fees. There are rules about what fees they can and cannot add.
You’re also likely to receive a Letter Before Action. This is a letter that tells you they’re considering taking legal action if you don’t pay. It can be a scary letter to receive, but sometimes they’re only sent to scare you into paying. It’s impossible to know whether they are willing to take you to court or not.
You may also receive the above letter from a debt collection agency. Sometimes a car park management company will outsource the recovery process to these companies. But be aware that these debt collection businesses aren’t bailiffs and should not come to your home.
If you are taken to court and lose the case, the judge will order you to pay. At this point, you should pay the fine to avoid having to deal with real bailiffs (and their expensive fees!).
Parking tickets are becoming an increasing issue, as the RAC found that the number of parking tickets being issued is up by nearly 30%! The report also found that misleading and deliberately confusing signage in private car parks is part of the problem.2
Consider appealing your PCN instead
Instead of weighing up the options of paying and ignoring the ticket, you could consider appealing it when relevant.
You have 28 days to appeal the parking ticket in writing. Your appeal can be sent in a letter or it could be uploaded to the appeal portal on ES Parking Enforcement’s website.
Your letter should include the reason you think the parking ticket is unfair or incorrect. And you might need to support your claims with evidence.
For example, you might state that you were late back to your vehicle because you were a witness to an incident and had to speak to the police. You’d then probably need to provide ES Parking Enforcement with the police incident reference number.
The Process
Typically there’s a standard process that must be followed to appeal a parking ticket. To better understand it and the steps that go along with it, please check out the table below.
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| On receiving a council PCN | Read the notice, keep it, gather evidence and note all payment and challenge deadlines. |
| Windscreen or handed-to-driver PCN | An informal challenge may be available before the Notice to Owner. Early challenge can preserve a discount under the authority’s policy; 14 days is not a universal final appeal deadline. |
| Postal PCN or Notice to Owner | Normally make formal representations within 28 days as stated on the notice. Do not assume there is an extra informal stage. |
| Representations rejected | The Notice of Rejection explains how to appeal to the appropriate independent tribunal, normally within 28 days. |
| Appeal unsuccessful | Pay by the deadline given in the decision or obtain advice on any available review. Further statutory charges can follow if you do neither. |
| Other ticket type | Private parking charges and FPNs use different procedures; follow the actual notice. |
Further guidance: Traffic Penalty Tribunal; Citizens Advice.
Free parking appeal letter template
The form asks for contact details to deliver your free MoneyNerd template.
Explain what happened, why you dispute the charge and include relevant evidence.
General information, not legal advice. Follow your notice’s instructions and deadlines; adapt the wording to your circumstances. No outcome is guaranteed.
How do you write a letter to challenge it?
To write a professional PCN appeal letter, the letter should include:
- Your contact details
- Your vehicle registration number
- Your PCN reference number
- A full explanation of the events of the day
- Your argument(s) against the ticket
- Supporting evidence
Make sure your letter is clear and polite. Even if you’re angry or frustrated, try not to make this the overwhelming message of the letter. The letter should be written to make your case only.
Paid legal information: Continue to JustAnswer
Advertisement. Paid general legal information from JustAnswer. Memberships renew automatically until cancelled. Check the initial price, renewal price, billing interval and cancellation terms. The standard service does not create a solicitor-client relationship. No successful outcome is guaranteed. MoneyNerd may receive a referral fee.
What is the best excuse to appeal a ticket?
The best excuses to appeal a parking ticket are that they have made an error and you did pay, or that you only overstayed by less than 10 minutes. Private car park companies must give you a 10-minute grace period to get in your car and exit the car park.
Online reviews
Like many parking management companies, ES Parking Enforcement has bad online reviews. Some of their recent reviews suggest the company has a lack of empathy. See here:
“These guys are ridiculous. I have a bowel disease and needed to use the bathroom urgently so I had to stop on the side of a road and use the bathroom in the restaurant and they gave me a ticket for it. Showed them my disabled badge too but they literally didn’t even care.”
- Salman Patel (Trustpilot review)
“My disabled wife [was] charged £60 for forgetting to put her blue badge on the dashboard of her Motability car! […] money grabbers!”
- Mralanwilliams Senior (Trustpilot review)
Prepare your parking appeal
The form asks for contact details to deliver your free MoneyNerd template.
Replace the examples with your own facts and check the recipient before sending.
General information, not legal advice. Follow your notice’s instructions and deadlines; adapt the wording to your circumstances. No outcome is guaranteed.
References
