Parking Eye Watchdog – What You Should Know 

Are you stuck with an ANPR private parking fine and not sure what to do? This is the right place for you. Every month, more than 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

In this article, you’ll find simple and clear answers on:

•  Who Parking Eye is, and what they do.
•  How Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) works.
•  If Parking Eye fines need to be paid or if they can be appealed.
•  How to make an appeal if you think your fine is not right.
•  Tips on how not to get a private parking ticket in the first place.

We know that getting a private parking fine can be very annoying. But don’t worry, we are here to help you understand your fine and what to do next.

Parking Eye scam – what you should know

If you have a wrongly issued parking ticket or if you’re unhappy with the way Parking Eye is treating you, you can make an appeal or file a complaint.

However, dealing with the Parking Eye appeal process can be a daunting experience in itself.

You must prove you are in the right if you want a Parking Charge Notice cancelled.

And it is more than just a question of providing enough proof. You need witnesses to support your side of the story to stand any chance of success.

It also helps when you have Watchdog on the case. According to the British Parking Association’s CEO, Parking Charge Notices are handed out according to the available information.

Question: So why do private parking companies get it so wrong?

POPLA can get it wrong too

As Watchdog and Which identified, POPLA can get it wrong too.

Appeals are rejected when they should be upheld.

Two cases were only upheld once Watchdog got involved. But what happens to the motorists who don’t have someone to fight in their corner?

Adverse weather affects ANPR technology

The British Parking Association recognises that ANPR technology is not full proof. Even though it’s been around for around 15 years!

Weather conditions, dirty number plates and other things affect the technology.

But as the BBC presenter pointed out, motorists should not have to prove they did not break the rules to get a Parking Charge Notice cancelled.

It should be down to the operator and the technology they use to get in right in the first place!

Is it worth appealing to POPLA?

As I mentioned, it can take 6 to 8 weeks for POPLA to assess an appeal.

That said, about 41% of appeals made to POPLA are successful. So, challenging private parking fines could be worth it. Here’s what a normal appeal process looks like.

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.

To strengthen a case against private charge notice, consider using a solicitor if the total amount owed is excessive.

But I suggest you calculate whether the cost of a solicitor is worth it.

What happens when an appeal is rejected?

Parking Eye issues threatening letters and tells you they will take you to court and refer the matter to a collection agency.

Getting these letters is stressful, especially when the parking ticket is wrong!

The system, as it stands, puts the onus on the motorist to prove the ticket is wrong.

Plus, they can start court proceedings once the operator rejects an appeal. Unless you contact the independent appeals service POPLA.

It can take anything from 2 to 3 months for POPLA to review an appeal.

This is months of stress over something you did not do! It does, however, stop any further action from being taken until POPLA comes to a decision.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

GDPR and Car Park Management Companies

Car park management companies must respect your privacy when collecting your data.

Data protection in parking enforcement is of paramount importance.

In short, private operators must follow GDPR rules at all times. If a company fails to protect your data, you could have grounds to take them to court.

Parking Eye Contact Details

Address:	40 Eaton Avenue, Buckshaw Village, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 7NA
Appeals:	www.parkingeye.co.uk/appeal
Website:	https://www.parkingeye.co.uk/

References

1. Sky News — Parking Tickets Statistics