Parking Fine - I did not exceed the limit

[MissyPants]

Hi, just wondering if anybody is able to shed some light on why I have been issued a fine please.
In October (not the day the clocks went back) I went to KFC drive through, it was busy, however I was in and out of the drive through within 24 minutes. I didn't park up or anything.
A few weeks later I received a civil enforcement from a parking company saying I outstayed the 60 minute free parking, when I didn't?
The proof they sent me states my 24 minute duration - And the timing was between 23.55 - 00.19am - so is it because it crossed over into midnight?
I have appealed stating this as my reason however my appeal has been rejected based on the reason of outstaying the 60 minute time limit?
KFC have said they can't help with it and have said I have to go through the parking agent. I can now still pay the £60 which was the initial payment but I don't feel I should have to as I didn't do anything wrong?

Many thanks!

You email back clearly stating that you were only on the premises for 24 minutes as they themselves have confirmed.

They you ignore all further correspondence.

They will either drop it (most likely) or (extremely unlikely) issue you with a Letter Before Action - which you can respond to again with your same letter.

If (vanishingly unlikely) they actually take you to court, you write to the court enclosing the initial correspondence from the parking company showing you were only onsite for 24 minutes. The case is then dismissed with court costs awarded against the plaintiff and a bollocking from the judge.

But the latter won't happen as the parking company's solicitor will never let it get that far because clearly they don't have a hope.

My partner once got a ticket for stopping for 5 mins on an industrial estate outside a Royal Mail collection office which I was outraged by. I fought it successfully using very tenuous legal arguments that I’d found on the internet. Took months and was quite draining.
A few months after it was settled the same company sent me another ticket for a very spurious claim. I wrote back immediately saying I’d be delighted to take this all the way to court and waste more of their money since their ticket was clearly invalid. I never heard another thing from them.

Don’t pay at all, you will NEVER have to pay this - if you’re 100% sure of the timings and can prove it then the judge WILL find in your favour. Go all the way to court.

I have done this successfully with bully parking companies three times - I always win.

Here we are - this is on my letter!

Did you by any chance also visit earlier on Friday or later on Saturday?

It’s reminiscent of Fawlty Towers, ffs.

That's hilarious. I would be almost willing to take them to court so I can see the judge's reaction!

Their "proof" literally proves that you didn't exceed the limit. Either their system or the person reading the times is an idiot.

Have you tried CAB?

I'd be tempted to send them a picture of a clock face with the times 55 minutes to 18 minutes coloured in with an arrow pointing to it saying 24 minutes elapsed, 24 is less than 60.

I've attached the timings of my letter, just waiting for it to be reviewed.

Good luck!

No, I don't even go to KFC ever. it was just a stop off as I finished work so late and couldn't be bothered making food.

You can 100% appeal this, but there are certain steps you need to follow, for the best advice go to the money saving expert websites forums (as in Martin Lewis' website) and post the details on their parking tickets & fines board - there are some amazing people who will tell you exactly what to do - and firstly don't worry, you will be able to challenge this, however don't do anything else until you have posted there.

Thanks to that forum I was able to remove a CCJ from my credit file for a wrongly issued parking ticket - honestly they are INCREDIBLE.

So yeah, head to the forum, read the pinned FAQ post first and then if you need, post a thread and someone should reply to you with what to do - however you might get all the information you need from the FAQ pages which are very, very detailed!

Good luck! I'll link the forum I used below (I am not sure on the rules of linking stuff but hopefully this works!)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/parking-tickets-fines-parking

Take it to Court !!!! Do NOT pay !!! Any normal person looking at that will see it’s not over an hour so don’t stress about it . Ignore it and if they contact you again tell them to take you to court .

But you can't be rejected because they agree it was 24 minutes. Stand your ground.

Seems like it’s a system thing that it goes to the next day at 12am so would think you have been there for over a day but they are just using it to try and get money. Don’t pay. You haven’t gone over the 60 minutes. Do the appeal to POPLA and then go from there. It doesn’t matter about the 2 weeks where it’s cheaper you won’t ever have to pay that anyway in the long run so don’t. Most likely it will get passed onto a company like DCBL who are another scum bag money theiving debt collector company they are the “can’t pay we take it away” tv show people. You can tell them the same thing also that you haven’t gone over the 60 mins therefore don’t need to pay 😂

I cannot abide this type of incompetence, I would not even consider paying the idiots.

Even if this is entirely caused by a computer not understanding different dates, what kind of moron has written the code that way?!

Absolutely don’t pay. Stand your ground and they will work out they are idiots fairly soon (at least before taking you to court).

I would also suggest your email the CEO of KFC as this is awful for their reputation too. Might not do anything but probably only takes 5 minutes .

Online suggest the email address for their MD is [email protected]

Good idea. You could contact your local rag too, keep a copy of any correspondence and send a copy to the Official Institute of Thieves.

There are a lot of forums that assist with this.

Have a look around for the correct wording for your appeal.

This is the AI suggestion:
[Your Name/Registered Keeper's Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Contact Number]
[Your Email]
[Date]
[Name of parking company or council]
[Address of parking company or council]
Subject: Challenge to Parking Charge Notice / Penalty Charge Notice No: [PCN Number]
Vehicle Registration: [Your Vehicle Registration Number]
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to formally challenge the above-referenced Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) / Parking Charge Notice (PCN) dated [Date of PCN].
I dispute the charge on the grounds that the alleged contravention did not occur. My vehicle, [Vehicle Registration Number], was parked for a total period of [Total duration, e.g., 3 hours and 45 minutes], which is within the maximum permitted stay of [Maximum permitted time, e.g., 4 hours] for this location.
The vehicle entered the car park at [Time of entry] on [Date of entry] and departed at [Time of exit] on [Date of exit]. I believe the fine has been issued incorrectly because the ANPR system (if applicable) or the enforcement officer has treated the period across midnight as two separate parking events/days, rather than one continuous period of parking.
I have enclosed the following evidence to support my claim:

• A copy of my valid pay and display ticket/receipt showing the period covered.
• Photographs of the car park signage (if unclear or misleading regarding the midnight rule

• (if unclear or misleading regarding the midnight rule).
• A letter from a witness (if available) confirming the times of arrival and departure.

I request that you review this evidence and cancel the Penalty Charge Notice. If you reject my informal appeal, please provide a 'Notice of Rejection' and the necessary details to escalate my appeal to the independent appeals service (POPLA for private companies or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal or London Tribunals for councils).
I understand that by appealing within the initial discount period (if applicable), the discount should be frozen until a decision is made on my informal challenge.
I look forward to receiving confirmation that the PCN has been cancelled within 28 days.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]
Key Steps

• Do not pay the fine yet: Paying the fine usually means you forfeit your right to appeal.
• Act quickly: Note the deadlines on your ticket. You often have a short window (e.g., 14 days) to make an informal appeal and potentially still qualify for a 50% discount if your appeal is rejected.
• Keep copies: Make copies of all correspondence and evidence you send.
• Send proof: Use recorded delivery if posting documents, or keep a screenshot/confirmation of an online submission.

I got a fine for not putting a registration number into the machine at Aldi a few years ago.
I was within the time allowed.
I replied that I refused to pay and that if they took me to court they would lose because they had not lost any income as I had not exceeded the parking time allowed.
Thry backed down.

@MissyPants if it went to court it would be thrown out as you have not affected their income as you have not exceeded your allowed parking time.
I think It’s a technical error on their part.

Absolutely agree. Those saying it's only £60 well £60 is a lot to some people and personally I would fight it if it was £5. I hate this sort of injustice. Even if the small print says it must be the same day, these t&cs must be very clear and visible. I successfully fought a parking fine when the t&cs were at floor level so I didn't read them.

I appealed a parking fine, and while they did not accept the appeal they did extend the time that they would accept the lesser payment

That is hideous. They prey on people and bank on people not being brave enough to take them on. Please don't let them get away with this. We'll all back you if necessary!

Are you on FB OP? There is a useful group Challenge Your Private Parking Ticket

Hi OP, have a look at the British Parking Association (BPA) guidelines. I have appealed to parking tickets citing BPA guidelines.