Parking fine help needed

[riverm]

I drove to home bargains and found it not open. There were a few other cars parked outside and another car drove into the car park after me, so I waited in case it was about to open. Then checked the times on my phone and left. I’ve received a parking charge for using the car park for 7 minutes. I did appeal. I was honest and explained what happened, this was rejected. Apparently I can appeal once more through a different channel but will have to pay the full £100 if they don’t agree. Is there anything I can say to help my case? I didn’t notice the sign facing out onto the street, no exactly easy to see and read before you go in. The terms and conditions are on the signs inside the car park but the one facing the street does say not to use when the shop isn’t open but the store open hours are inside the car park so you have to go in to see them. Do they have to allow a certain amount of time to read the signs? I was there 7 minutes.

Parking Eye are members of the British Parking Association (“BPA”) and they should follow the BPA code of practice. It should also be followed by POPLA if you appeal to them. So that’s where you need to look for bases to appeal.

https://www.britishparking.co.uk/write/Documents/AOS/Sector%20Code%20Templates/sectorsingleCodeofPracticeVersion1.1130426-2.pdf

The COP does allow for a “consideration period” - a period to allow you to read signs etc and decide if you want to accept the parking terms and park. Annex B sets out the minimum which looks to be 5 minutes in your case. You were there 7 minutes so just over. Unfortunately, if you admitted that you were waiting to see if the shop opened rather than just taking the time to read the signs, you have probably undermined any argument you should be considered as within that consideration period and since you were over the minimum 5 minutes you might have had difficulty arguing that you needed that long to consider the signs regardless.

There are obviously lots of bases to challenge a private parking ticket eg around signage etc or the way you were ticketed / contents of the notice but no more from what you have said that I could suggest drawing on in a further appeal.

The guy who runs this FB page can generally get you off the fine for £15 ish

CHALLENGE YOUR PRIVATE PARKING TICKET