to not pay this parking charge?

[MrDobalina]

was sent a parking charge notice for parking whilst at work back in May. I didn't even read the letter properly because i use the car park regularly (maybe 2x a month) for the last 5 years (although it changed ownership/management a few years ago) and I always pay by text £6.50 for the 6 hours i am there; I assumed there had been a mistake and they would catch up with themselves and all would be forgotten

I've been referred to debt collectors and am expected to pay £115

I phoned the company and they say that I paid at 11.30am by text, the parking charge notice was issued at 11.02am and therefore it stands

I can see that I was wrong to pay late (I got distracted as i entered work and forgot) but surely they can see my intention was to pay/ i always pay/ i DID pay?

they are refusing to waver the charge

AIBU or are they?

its a scam blu there is LOOOOOOOAAAAAAADS of stuff about it on MSE and other consumer sites!

I didn't realise that the law was changing!

28 mins isn't an hour and a half.

It's a scan because £115 isn't legally considered a reasonable amount. It's a scam as they send out carefully worded notices that look like real court papers to the untrained eye but are just different enough to get away with it.

I'm going through this at the moment it's happened twice, genuine mistakes both times. Don't even both ringing or writing, just ignore the letters, they will send 3/4 vaguely threatening ones, then you will hear nothing else!

Just thinking... what would happen if the advice given on these forums turned out to be misguided.

(I'm certainly not saying it is here in these circumstances)

i did pay, but I paid late...i paid for the full time I was parked

but the scam is...they are not legally allowed to 'fine' anyone for parking on private land...they can take you to court to recover losses, is all...so they could take me to court to claim £6.50 to cover the parking charges and probably interest over 5 months on £6.50

In my case though there are no losses....because i paid

very good point bran

I wish i hadnt sent them the email now...apologising for late payment

Sorry, I misread the op and thought shed paid 28 mins after parking.

Good point about the text may have taken time to go through. They can't prove that without getting a court order against your mobile phone operator. Ain't going to happen.