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I was issued a PCN due to confusion over private parking in a public car park - how should I proceed?
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) owns and manages a multi storey car park opposite the train station. On the top two floors of the car park, there are about 50 designated car park spaces for rail users. These are clearly identified in red markings, and these parking areas are managed by Meteor Parking ( https://www.meteor-permits.com/secure/booking.asp?Page=3 ) on behalf of South Eastern Trains. Anyone using these parking spaces enters the car park on a different ramp and purchases tickets from a dedicated ticket machine, which issues tickets which have the Meteor logo on the ticket.
Recently when I used the rail parking I noticed on the back of the ticket there was an advert that said you could purchase tickets online, which saves you time in the morning. So I did this, I printed out the receipt to show I'd paid, I displayed this and parked my car in the rail users area. I returned that evening to find a PCN issued by TWBC - not Meteor parking. TWBC have rejected my appeal stating that only tickets purchased from the Meteor machine can be used in these areas and not Meteor e-tickets - yet there's nothing in the car park or on any of the websites which states this and indeed Meteor is still making available online 1-day e-tickets.
The clock is now ticking for me to pay this fine, which leaves me with insufficient time to challenge in detail what I believe is a flawed PCN. So I suppose I will end up having to do this otherwise I risk incurring huge additional cost. But what I find so frustrating is the fact that I purchased a ticket to park from Meteor and TWBC (not Meteor) are rejecting it. Is there any mechanism out there that allows one to challenge what appears to be a flawed PCN without having to go through the TWBC appeals procedure, which is time barred once they have given their decision?
Recently when I used the rail parking I noticed on the back of the ticket there was an advert that said you could purchase tickets online, which saves you time in the morning. So I did this, I printed out the receipt to show I'd paid, I displayed this and parked my car in the rail users area. I returned that evening to find a PCN issued by TWBC - not Meteor parking. TWBC have rejected my appeal stating that only tickets purchased from the Meteor machine can be used in these areas and not Meteor e-tickets - yet there's nothing in the car park or on any of the websites which states this and indeed Meteor is still making available online 1-day e-tickets.
The clock is now ticking for me to pay this fine, which leaves me with insufficient time to challenge in detail what I believe is a flawed PCN. So I suppose I will end up having to do this otherwise I risk incurring huge additional cost. But what I find so frustrating is the fact that I purchased a ticket to park from Meteor and TWBC (not Meteor) are rejecting it. Is there any mechanism out there that allows one to challenge what appears to be a flawed PCN without having to go through the TWBC appeals procedure, which is time barred once they have given their decision?
Asked on 21 March 2011 by GD, Tunbridge Wells
Answered by
Honest John
That is clear to me. You contracted to park in a private parking space managed by Meteor parking and you paid the fee, thus complying with the terms of the contract as printed on the back of an old ticked and as outlined on the website. But because there is some confusion over private parking spaces in a public carpark, I would suggest you first phone or email TWBC telling them you conformed to the terms of the contract with Meteor and if they require you to pay this penalty you will taker the matter via www.moneyclaim.gov.uk to the small claims track of the county court, reclaiming not only the penalty, but also court costs and a 'reasonable' amount for your wasted time. You may get further advice from www.appealnow.com/private
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