To not pay parking fine

[DrMarkGreenesGlassescase]

My OH has just had a letter through the post from Britannia parking saying that we parked up at one of their sites and because we didn't sign in at reception we now owe them £100 (£60 if we get a move on and pay in 2 weeks). We did indeed park there (for 18 minutes according to their letter) because my 6 mo daughter was screaming on our way home and we stopped so I could breast feed her.
Anyone had a fine like this from Britannia before? It was dark so we didn't notice signs etc if there were any. To be honest she'd been screaming so long and so loudly I was just praying for a quick death and not on the lookout for info on fines etc. Seems mad when we weren't there 20 mins. I've looked today and the site has a bar, Premier Inn and a McDonalds on it. Any advice would be very welcome?

You must have been in the hotel parking - gosh 20 mins wouldn’t be long to get checked in though

your only defence could be there wasn’t adequate well lit signage - if there was I’d pay it

Regardless of why you were there, you admit that you were. If you had gone into any of the business there was probably a machine to use to show you're a customer, and so not have to pay. I don't think it would be worth the hassle of trying to appeal it.

I suppose the thing is I don't know if there was adequate signage- it was dark and I had a boob out! 😂

Agree, depends on how obvious the signs are. The mcdonalds part is weird -I've never seen one where you have to sign in to use their carpark.

Is it near you -can you go and have a look how clear the signs are in the dark? If it's not maybe find a local fb group for the area and ask them -it might be it's a well known "thing" that often catches people out there.maybe have a look at the Google reviews for the bar/mcd or Premier Inn to see if parking fines are mentioned, or ring them to ask what the situation is for their customers?

If you Google appeal parking notices there are a lot of people who specialise in advising people who get private parking notices including templates you can use to challenge them, etc.

They are in the business of making money
They won't back cancel it but there are ways to contest it. There is detailed info on Moneysavingexpert. Just be very careful you don't end up with a CCJ

I don’t think they will see that as a defence - surely you got out the car to get baby out - they will say you should have read signage

appeal anyway and see what the say if it means you don’t lose chance to pay early

Look on google maps for the signage is what I’ve done in the past

Oh the FB group is a good idea! I'll try that thank you. It was actually a bit of a dodgy spot- we saw a few people park up and scurry into other cars while we were there. It wasn't particularly close so it's not a quick nip round to check- also I'm a bit worried I'll get fined again if I do!

I've looked- sadly its from April 2023 so it's likely changed since then . . .cant help but wonder if the Google car daren't go back in case it got fined last time 😂

They so rarely cancel them. You could
try appealing it and they might do a ‘goodwill gesture’ and reduce it to £20. We had to accept that once through gritted teeth as we got a fine for not buying a ticket. Sounds bad, right? The machine was broken and we spent ages trying to figure out how to get it to work eg trying different cards/phoning them etc.

Once we realised it wasn’t going to work, we decided to go and park elsewhere. By that time, more than 10 mins had passed (which is how long you get to buy a ticket) and we got a fine!!! After receiving a £100 fine, we appealed and it was reduced to £60 initially and then down to £20. They didn’t give a shit that the machine was broken.

I would just pay it. You parked there and didn't check for signs. So many places do this these days. I doubt saying you had a crying baby would make any difference. Save yourself the hassle and just pay the reduced amount before it increases.

Unfortunately you did park there - I doubt they will cancel it because you had a crying baby. Contesting it is going to be potentially a lot of hassle - if you hadn’t have parked there then fair enough but you did so you need to pay I think

it’s a car park, it’s on you to check the terms. You parked, you didn’t pay. Not really sure what your defence is? It is not a defence to say you weren’t long or were breastfeeding…

As much as it would piss me off, I'd just pay the £60 and have done. There's not much else you can do I don't think, it's not worth the aggro of pushing back.

I second the moneysavingexpert forum. There are posters on there who help people contest these invoices (they are not fines). They are very clued up and very willing to help.

You parked so you should pay? The reasons are irrelevant I’m afraid.

I understand why people say you should just pay it but why should these companies be allowed to make so much money off of people?!

They never ask for the cost of the parking which would actually be fair but an inflated cost due to the no doubt millions of made up people who couldn't park there due to the OP and left without spending their lottery wins in these establishments...

This.

If the person using the car park is using an associated business and inputs their registration the car park owners make nothing. If however someone uses their car park for 18 minutes and doesn’t put their registration in or use the businesses they get a bill. Do the crime, do the time. Just pay up and learn a slightly costly lesson.

When I had a parking fine (not britannia) I didnt feel it was justified however I still paid it asap to avoid it increasing then I wrote a complaint to them to say why I felt it unjust and they refunded me the £60.

Well for the same reasons fines apply for many things. Because you haven't followed the rules and there needs to be sufficient deterrents.

We have a pub near us (rural and a busy tourist-y area) who had to introduce this. Beforehand, their car park would be packed at weekend with people just parking up to go for a walk, leaving their car there most of the day and not even going in for a drink which stops customers being able to park so drives away actual business!

They introduced the scheme where you can park for free if you put your reg plate in when you go into the pub but so many people have tried it on using various excuses.

A polite letter explaining the circumstances and asking for the charges to be waived will most likely do the trick. Worked for me on 2 occasions. Most people involved in this kind of enforcement have some emotional intelligence.

I mean, it does seem a bit excessive of a fine but it really annoys me when parents use their kids as an excuse to break the rules or be inconsiderate asses.

just pay. If you park on private land the onus is on you to check.

for those asking the reason these companies are allowed to make such profit businesses will use a company if people park when not using their businesses. For example commuters or shoppers who don’t want to pay high parking charges in city centres. If the penalty isn’t pretty high it won’t deter.

Surely there should have been explicitly clear signage as you entered the site about parking charges and restrictions. Sometimes people just need to pull off a road for a few minutes (not to use a service) and charges can vary so much from site to site.....
FWIW I have a chronic illness and sometimes just need to stop in a journey to rest. Would expect signage to be clear rather than having to check - which with my disability is a hassle.....