ParkingEye Appeals

Introduction

This website provides step by step instructions on how to successfully appeal if you’ve received a payment demand from Parking Eye, from Parking Eye’s debt collectors, or from Parking Eye’s lawyers.

This site provides free step by step instructions on how to:

• Appeal a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) or Parking Eye fine you have received from Parking Eye.
• Defend any legal action that Parking Eye has brought against you.
• Contact Parking Eye

The site also answers questions on its FAQ page such as:

• What is a parking charge notice.  Who issues one and how are they enforced?
• What is the difference between a “Parking Charge Notice” and a “Penalty Charge Notice” or ”Parking Fine”?
• Can I ignore a Parking Eye PCN and get away with it?
• How did Parking Eye find out my name and address?
• What information do I need to include in a PCN appeal?
• Who is POPLA – what is their role, and can I trust them?
• I thought only police or council could issue parking fines?
• Do I have to pay Parking Eye fines?

If you have receivd a Parking Charge Notice from ParkingEye, it is very important that you act within certain time frames.  These time frames are explained on the relevant pages of this website (mainly on the FAQ page).  Once those times have expired, you can lose your right to appeal the Parking Charge Notice and may have to fight it in court.  Although Parking Eye is a private company, legislation exists today that gives the company certain rights to obtain your details and to demand from you the name of the driver.  Again, this is explained on this website on the FAQ pages.

Who is ParkingEye

ParkingEye is the United Kingdom’s largest private parking company.  The company has turnover in excess of £25 million per year.  Parking Eye is employed by large retail chains and shopping centres such as Aldi to issue parking charge notices to vehicles that exceed the time limit or break the car park’s parking rules.  Parking Eye issues more than half a million Parking Charge Notices per year, and has issued County Court papers to thousands of drivers and keepers.  According to a Freedom on Information request, Parking Eye issued 30,000 County Court claims against motorists in 2014 alone.

How to beat Parking Eye

It is perfectly possible to beat Parking Eye at their own game.  But make sure you don’t blindly follow the Parking Eye appeals process that is described on the official Parking Eye website.  Instead, make sure you following the instruction on my website, or similar websites that have been created to assist the driver/keeper in their Parking Eye appeal.  If you make your ParkingEye appeal exactly as described on this website (see FAQ pages link at top of page), then you have a great chance of beating them.  So make sure you read this site before you contact Parking Eye.

Parking Eye ticket appeal

Click on the “Appeal Guide” button at the top of this page for a full step by step description on how to appeal your ticket.

Beavis Supreme Court Result

On 4th November 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in the Parking Eye versus Barry Beavis appeal, that Parking Eye can charge 85 pounds for parking, and that it is not an unfair term. The Supreme Court is the highest court in England and there is no further right of appeal.

This result serves to highlight the importance of chasing the land owner (e.g. the managing agent of the retail park if it is a shopping centre). In ninety percent of cases, this is a sure fire winner to get your Parking Eye fine withdrawn. In the case of a retail park, its pretty straight forward to find out who owns or manages the land, as you will find a sign somewhere with the name of the managing agent. In smaller car parks, you sometimes have to be a bit more creative and ask in nearby shops if they know who owns the car park. Once you’ve found the land owner, you ask them to contact Parking Eye to have your fine cancelled. If you can convince the land owner that you were a genuine user of the land, then 95% of the time the land owner will write to Parking Eye for you to have your fine cancelled.  Also, there are other aspects to appeal on, such as inadequate signage, not just the cost ifself being unfair.  In fact, inadequate signage is the number one reason for wining appeals at POPLA and/or in court.

Parking Eye Fine

The best way to beat your Parking Eye Fine depends on your circumstances.  If  you were parked in a car park that provided free parking, and you were a genuine parker (e.g.  you were a shopper at a  retail park, or perhaps staying at a hotel serviced the by the car park), and you have a receipt or evidence that you were a genuine user of the facilities provided by the car park, then you need to merely forward your parking eye fine notice number and a copy of your receipt to parking eye in your appeal.  However, if you don’t have a receipt or p perhaps were parked there whilst you traveled to work or something, then you are advised to make a technical appeal to Parking Eye based on points of law.

POFA 2012

Parking Eye frequently miss the 14 day deadline for mailing out parking charge notices.  In these cases, when you make your appeal, it is important not to give away who the driver is.  You should refer to the driver in the third person, and not refer to “I”.  For example, “the driver parked the vehicle at 10.15am” rather than “I parked the vehicle at 10.15am”.

Contact Parking Eye

Before you contact Parking Eye, remember that Parking Eye will only give you one shot at an appeal, before they put up the amount of the charge, so you want to get it right.   If  you are basing you appeal on shopping you have done at a retail park, then make sure you include a copy of your receipt, bank statement, or other proof if you have it.  All appeals must be placed on Parking Eye’s website, using the form on Parking Eye’s contact page.  They will take up to 35 days to respond to you appeal.  If you were staying at a hotel, then you should include your hotel booking receipt.  If you were parked at a venue for a conference when you received  your Parking Eye fine, then you should have a form or email inviting you to that conference – make sure you include this.  It is not possible to contact Parking Eye by phone, so if you have a question for them, you will have to submit it using their form on the contact page of their website.

Equita Ltd – PE’s new debt collector

Parking Eye have a new debt collector called Equita Ltd.  Do not be fooled by Equita Ltd though.  Equita Ltd is owned by the same parent company that own Parking Eye – that is Capita Ltd.

Latest news

A woman in Scotland lost a case against Vehicle Control Services and recevied a court order to pay £24,500 in private parking charges.  This case drives home the importance of appealing on time.