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!

@Politicians247UnderwearExtinguishingService It’s a bureaucratic nonsense to make our lives as difficult as possible whilst trying to charge us for the experience.

I have no doubt Ii will end up not going to court, let's just see how far they are willing to go.
I'm appealing to POPLA tomorrow and I will update when they respond.
I'll also read all replies in the mean time!
Really appreciate all the support! Let's get the bastards! 🤩

You could mention to kfc that in your appeals process you will be writing a review of the parking place and mentioning that it happened while you were waiting in a queue for them to make your clearly not all that fast food if it took 24 minutes to do so.

Can you do the appeal online? I think you can.

Yes just gathering my evidence..which is effectively their evidence against me! 🤣
You can't make it up

lol, what a load of bollocks.

I know! Let them waste their time, money and sources.
If it gets to bayliffs I'll even invite them in for a cup
of tea!

They can’t send bailiffs. All they can do is take you to court.

If you didn’t then pay whatever the court decided you owed them then they could send bailiffs. But obviously it won’t come to that because it will be dropped before it gets to court because it’s obviously insane.

You may get threatening letters, but that’s all.

A newspaper consumer champion might be interested in writing an article on this because it’s hilarious and makes the parking shysters look ridiculous.

This isn’t true. My sister ended up court ordered to pay £600 because of advice like this.

I agree @EyeLevelStick . They need publicity humiliating.

It’s just an admin error. I’d contact the parking company again. . In writing. A short simple email AND letter is ok.

OP states:

Just because I can't quite believe they objected my appeal, so it's now being taken further.
Even my DP says it's ludicrous and surely is an error.
It's not like I haven't given them a chance to come clean either by originally appealing, I just feel POPLA may follow suit.
The only thing I can think of is that it got picked up automatically because it crossed over into midnight.
Is it real people that see these appeals?

You’d think a simple admin error would be dealt with without this nonsense, yes?

Exactly.

I was issued a parking fine for parking 66 minutes in an 120minute car park space.

Their ticket even gave the time! I rang and was told I have to appeal to get it quashed.

I said no way was I wasting my time and take me to court if they thought they had a case.

That was 15 years ago and I’ve heard nothing in all that time 🤔🤣

Yes, it's disgraceful when companies rely on a car park for running their business - whether they own it and subcontract it out to cowboys or not - and then just fob you off with 'nothing to do with us' when there's a problem.

I'd be inclined to go to the local paper about this and local Facebook sites. Warn them that cowboys are working at the car park/drive through bit at KFC and telling blatant lies in order to charge people hefty fines for fake offences and threaten them with court if they protest - KFC have been made aware of this but aren't interested.

If word spreads and enough locals hear about it and stop going there, I think you'd find that they suddenly would care about it.

So do I, but unfortunately, companies like this know that people hate them and they just don't care.

It's not like any member of the public ever actively chooses to use them; their whole scope of business is pouncing on unsuspecting people and ruining their day by charging them way over the odds for some (usually) petty infringement that doesn't really hurt anybody at all anyway.

I get if somebody parked up and just left their car there indefinitely, taking up a space; but if the odd customer did park there and stay for an hour and a half, would it really matter that much?

@breezyyyI agree, of course it shouldn’t have happened. It’s ok to go straight to POPLA but it might be easier for the OP to at least try calling or writing to the parking company again.

Yes, it’s a clever idea to make money off the backs of the public. I was looking at this

• Enforcement Process:
• The company sends reminder letters and may pass the "debt" to a debt collection agency.
• Debt collection agents do not have the powers of bailiffs and cannot seize your goods without a court order.
• Ultimately, the company's only recourse to force payment is to take you to a civil county court. If they win and you still do not pay, then enforcement action (like bailiffs) can be ordered by the court.

It’s a CIVIL action when on private property (such as a supermarket, KFC). It’s a bit like the mafia only on a smaller scale. It reminds me of the TV Licence goons.

Tried calling - automated voice service - it just tells you to submit online, the 'voice' said they don't discuss appeals over the phone.
However I do have an email address which I am going to email tomorrow as well as appealing to POPLA.

There aren’t any real humans then, they’ve been lobotomised.

I'd be keen to get the word out and publicly humiliate the company yes.
Soneone suggested admin error, which is fair enough, but the consequence's of an admin error are not, as it points to being made to pay £60.
Do I even have grounds to take action against them?!

Just stop engaging with them!!

Send them a response stating that as their own evidence proves you were there for less 60 minutes, you now consider the matter closed, and you will not be entering into any further correspondence with them.

Then forget about it.

Indeed, comparing their methods to those of the TV licensing goons is a very good analogy.

Even when they know or strong suspect that you aren't guilty of anything, they rely on fear, intimidation and threats of prosecution to make people pay up, just to make it go away.

Traditionally, extorting money from people who do not owe it - especially using lies and threatening tactics - is acknowledged as theft with menaces; but these people seem to get away with it.

I realise that there won't be any figures available, but I'd be very interested to know what proportion of people who were bullies at school end up working for parking cowboy companies and TV Licensing when they grow up.

They’re a private company so it’s unlikely you’d get anywhere. I agree with what @Politicians247UnderwearExtinguishingService said, they just don’t care. This is a company that hires thugs for collection duties. Scum.

IANAL, but I doubt it. They would need to have caused you harm in some way. Making you incandescent with rage probably doesn’t count!

There's nothing wrong with me. May I suggest you read my second paragraph and exercise some critical thinking rather being downright rude.