Pay or Appeal? Vars Parking Charge Notice Contact Number

Have you received a Vars parking charge notice and are wondering whether to pay or appeal?

You’ve come to the right place. Every month, over 130,000 people visit our site to understand their fines and parking tickets.

This article will give you simple and straightforward advice on:

•  Deciding if you need to pay Vars parking fines
•  Learning how to appeal a Vars parking charge notice
•  Knowing what happens if you don’t pay a PCN from Vars
•  Finding out if a parking charge can affect your credit score

Research from Which? found that the rise in fines can be attributed in part to unclear rules and the variety of payment methods offered in private car parks¹ — something we’re no strangers to.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the process, don’t worry. We have plenty of handy tips and examples ready to guide you. 

Please keep in mind that this article is for information only; we know that every situation is different. Always check with a legal professional if you’re unsure about your specific case.

Do You Need To Pay a VARS Parking Fine?

A private parking charge is not a fine. It is nothing more than a bill, asking you to pay the fee for breaching a contract.

If you disagree, you are well within your rights to query payment if you believe the PCN was given to you for inappropriate reasons.

Private parking firms are notorious for slapping people with parking fines for any and every reason.

They are, after all, in the business of making money from parking.

Also, these kinds of companies try to disguise the parking charge notice as an official-looking document, that you absolutely must pay.

So, the main question here, is are private parking charges legally enforceable?

In general, they are not.

How To Pay VARS

You can make a VARS PCN online payment.

You will need to have:

• A valid credit or debit card
• The PCN number

VARS seems to offer no way to pay by telephone or to pay by post. You also cannot pay in instalments.

How To Make an Appeal

You can make a VARS PCN appeal online via the company’s website.

You’ll need to provide the following:

• Evidence to support your appeal
• The parking charge reference number

Something to keep in mind though, is even if the company sends you the PCN long after the offence took place, this won’t be grounds for overturning it.

Appeal Process Steps

Appealing a Parking Charge Notice is often confusing as shown by this message posted on a popular online forum.

Source: Moneysavingexpert

But don’t worry! We’ve put together this quick table to help you better understand the appeal process.

If you require further advice or want to learn more about the steps you should take, be sure to check out our complete guide.

Further guidance: Traffic Penalty Tribunal; Citizens Advice.

Reasons to appeal a Vars ticket

Challenging a VARS parking ticket is your right if:

• The parking ticket arrived over 14 days after you parked
• You didn’t commit a parking violation and were parked correctly
• Road markings and signs were unclear
• There was no way for you to pay
• The charge was over the capped amount (£100 as of July 2023)
• You were not driving when the parking charge was issued
• There were mitigating circumstances that prevented you from getting back to your vehicle
• You were broken down and had to wait for assistance
• The ticket was issued before the grace period had expired

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.

Get the free template

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?

Janine Marsh, our financial expert, says not to ignore private parking tickets as it leads to escalating issues like constant letters and debt collectors’ visits.

If you dispute the ticket, appeal directly to the parking company.

Often, private parking firms use strong-arm tactics to try and scare people into paying. Don’t fall for this trick.

Remember, it’s just an invoice, not an immediately enforceable fine.

Will VARS Take You to Court for Payment?

In some instances, a private parking firm may not take you to court to collect the fine, VARS might be different.

In general, most private parking firms will hound you with ever-increasing threats of further action if you don’t pay. But eventually will stop short of the full debt collection process, as they then face the expense of paying a debt collection agency, and potentially funding a court case.

It simply doesn’t make financial sense to follow this process for such as mall amount of money.

But VARS might take things this far.

As we mentioned at the start of this post, VARS operates its own debt collection agency. So, the process of turning your debt over to a collection agency is simpler and far cheaper for VARS.

In this case, it may be that VARS could take you to court, and a CCJ from unpaid parking fines would impact your credit score.

The takeaway here should be that VARS, unlike many other private parking operators, has access to the legal infrastructure needed to pursue the parking charge beyond simply sending you threatening letters.

References

1. Which? – The rise of private parking fines