Parallel Parking ltd - Should you Pay or Appeal?

Do you have a private parking fine from Parallel Parking Ltd and wonder if you should pay or appeal?

You’ve found the right place for help. Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website to understand parking fines and tickets.

In this article, we’ll give you simple and clear details about:

Who Parallel Parking Ltd is.
If you must pay Parallel Parking fines.
How to appeal a Parallel Parking fine.
Tips to avoid a Parallel Parking fine.
Why you may not have to pay a parking fine.

Which? found that, despite 78% of members deeming private parking fines unfair, many don’t contest due to low confidence in appeal success.¹ Don’t worry; we have loads of helpful tips and examples to guide you through the process.

56% of Ticket Appeals Succeed

In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your parking fine.

It’s a bit sneaky, but the last time I needed legal advice, I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.

Not only did I save £50 on solicitor feeds, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.

Chat below to get started with JustAnswer

Ask a question, get an answer ASAP!

*According to Martin Lewis, 56% of people who try to appeal their ticket are successful and get the charge overturned, so it’s well worth a try.

Parallel Parking Ltd – should you pay or appeal?

Before paying a Parallel Parking Ltd fine, make sure you establish it is justified. It costs you nothing to appeal, and it prevents further action from being taken until the matter is resolved. It would be a mistake to ignore a Parking Charge Notice because things get much more expensive and harder to settle when you do.

You could end up with a County Court Judgement (CCJ) if the operator takes you to court. In addition, they could instruct debt collectors. Therefore, I strongly recommend you don’t let things get to this stage!

Thank you for reading this post on fines issued by Parallel Parking Ltd. I hope the information helps you decide whether to appeal or pay the Parking Charge Notice. Remember, you have 28 days to appeal. But only 14 days to pay the fine to benefit from the lower amount!

Can you appeal a private parking fine?

The RAC reports that the majority of complaints regarding private parking companies stem from exorbitant fees and unreasonable conduct by private parking companies.²

So, if you believe the parking fine was unfairly issued, you have the right to make an appeal.

You should:

Do not pay the fine if you believe it is wrong or you’ve been unfairly charged. Paying the Parking Charge Notice is an admission of guilt – you won’t be able to appeal!
Gather proof at the car park. Take photos of where you were parked, when you got back to your car, signs and road markings
Lodge an appeal with Parallel Parking Ltd, which you can do on the Parallel Parking website’s appeals page. You must provide car registration details and the Parking Charge Notice number

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

Appeal Process Steps

I’ve put together this table to help you better understand how you appeal your Parallel Parking ticket. If you want to learn more about PCNs or the steps you should take to make an appeal, please check out our detailed guides.

Process:	Steps you should take:
When you receive the ticket…	You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued.
If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car…	You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If it was posted to you…	You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If the informal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms.
If the formal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal.
If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal…	You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity.

What happens when Parallel Parking Ltd rejects your appeal?

You’ll get a letter of rejection from the operator. However, Parallel Parking Ltd is not a member of the British Parking Association. Therefore, you won’t be able to take the matter to POPLA. They only deal with appeals issued against BPA members!

Note: You could take your case to the Ombudsman Services!

You could challenge a Parking Charge Notice if:

You got the parking ticket more than 14 days after you allegedly committed a parking infringement
You did not break the Terms & Conditions for using the car park
Road markings and signs in the car park were unclear or hidden by vegetation
You could not pay because the machine was not working
The parking ticket is over £50 (the cap is £50 but it’s £80 in London)
You had a good reason for not returning to your car on time. Maybe you are pregnant, disabled, or had a young child with you
You were waiting for a vehicle recovery truck because your car broke down
You were under 10 minutes late back to the car park but still got a parking fine
There weren’t any surveillance in operation signs in the car park, yet you got the parking ticket through the mail

Parking management companies have the right to issue Parking Charge Notices to motorists who break their rules. But, as a member of IPC, Parallel Parking Ltd must follow the Code of Practice!

Successful Appeal Case Study

Situation

Initial Fine	£100
Additional Fees	£171
Total Fine	£271

The Appeal Process

Scott used JustAnswer, online legal service to enhance his appeal. The trial of this cost him just £5.

Total Fine	£271
Cost of legal advice	£5

JustAnswer helped Scott craft the best appeal possible and he was able to win his case.

Scott’s fine was cancelled and he only paid £5 for the legal help.

Get started

In partnership with Just Answer.

What is a fair grace period?

Parking management companies have been known to hand out parking fines when motorists are only a few minutes late. Parallel Parking Ltd should respect the 10-minute grace period before issuing a fine. If they did not, and you got a ticket, you could have grounds to contest the fine.