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Live cases legal advice => Private parking tickets => Topic started by: Rage18 on July 10, 2025, 01:07:45 pm

Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: Rage18 on August 05, 2025, 05:43:32 pm
Update - Parking Charge Cancelled.

I just received an email cancelling the parking charge for Manchester Airport T2 drop-off.

Note to other readers who may have APCOA - I just followed the prescribed template on this forum and did not change it in any way.

Thank you for all your help and guidance - I really appreciate it
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: DWMB2 on July 10, 2025, 07:31:02 pm
Select keeper, yes. Provide the details of whoever is the keeper (so in this case the name of the company).

If appealing online provide an email address so that you receive notification once they've cancelled.
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: Rage18 on July 10, 2025, 06:42:40 pm
I'm at the APCOA payment/appeal portal. Where it asks for the Appellant details do I just use the drop down "Vehicle's Keeper" and leave everything else blank? Do I need to provide an email address or can I just assume its cancelled and leave any notifications to the postal service?
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: Rage18 on July 10, 2025, 03:28:44 pm
Thank you so much for all of the guidance I will let you know how I get on.

Very much appreciated!
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: DWMB2 on July 10, 2025, 02:11:27 pm
APCOA are one of the few operators who do just give up and cancel when they realise they've no chance of success.
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: b789 on July 10, 2025, 01:38:02 pm
Either of those two appeals will work. I have only ever used the one I provided and it has always been cancelled at first appeal without having to go to POPLA.

Doesn't really matter if the Company Secretary is responding as the representative of the company and uses the "I" or "we". There simply is no Keeper liability, irrespective of how it is phrased.
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: DWMB2 on July 10, 2025, 01:34:44 pm
If using b789's, change any I/me to we/us, as the appellant is a company rather than an individual. Or just use mine where I think I've changed all the relevant pronouns. Both work.
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: b789 on July 10, 2025, 01:33:05 pm
Meh! I've received two this week for pick-ups and drop-off's I made at Manchester Airport the pervious week.

Easy one to deal with… as long as the unknown drivers identity is not revealed. There is no legal obligation on the known keeper (the recipient of the Notice to Keeper (NtK)) to reveal the identity of the unknown driver and no inference or assumptions can be made.

The NtK is has been issued for an alleged contractual breach on airport land which is under statutory control and therefore there can be no Keeper liability, which means that if the unknown driver is not identified, they cannot transfer liability for the charge from the unknown driver to the known keeper.

Use the following as your appeal. No need to embellish or remove anything from it:

Quote
I am the registered keeper. APCOA cannot hold a registered keeper liable for any alleged contravention on land that is under statutory control. As a matter of fact and law, APCOA will be well aware that they cannot use the PoFA provisions because Manchester Airport is not 'relevant land'.

If Manchester Airport wanted to hold owners or keepers liable under Airport Bylaws, that would be within the landowner's gift and another matter entirely. However, not only is that not pleaded, it is also not legally possible because APCOA is not the Airport owner and your 'parking charge' is not and never attempts to be a penalty. It is created for APCOA's own profit (as opposed to a bylaws penalty that goes to the public purse) and APCOA has relied on contract law allegations of breach against the driver only.

The registered keeper cannot be presumed or inferred to have been the driver, nor pursued under some twisted interpretation of the law of agency. Your NtK can only hold the driver liable. APCOA have no hope at POPLA, so you are urged to save us both a complete waste of time and cancel the PCN.
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: DWMB2 on July 10, 2025, 01:15:03 pm
As Manchester Airport is subject to byelaws, it is subject to "statutory control", and as such, not relevant land for the purposes of Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act, meaning they cannot hold the keeper liable. The company as the RK could therefore appeal along the lines of the below:

Dear Sirs,

We have received your Parking Charge Notice (Ref: ______) for vehicle registration mark _______, in which you allege that the driver has incurred a parking charge. We are appealing as the registered keeper of the vehicle. There is no obligation for us to name the driver and we will not be doing so. We note from your correspondence that you are not seeking to hold us liable as the registered keeper, under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 ("The Act").

Even if you were seeking to do so, as the Manchester Airport Upper Drop Off Forecourt T2 is not "relevant land" as defined by The Act you are unable to recover the charge from us, the keeper.

We are therefore unable to help you further with this matter, and look forward to your confirmation that the charge has been cancelled. If you choose to decline this appeal, you must issue a POPLA code.

Yours,

If appealing online, make sure there are no drop down boxes etc. that force/trick you into revealing who was driving - you are appealing as the company (the keeper), and saying nothing about who was driving.
Title: Re: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Gre
Post by: jfollows on July 10, 2025, 01:13:27 pm
See https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/apcoa-manchester-airport-pcn/msg74812/#msg74812

The registered keeper, or someone authorised to respond for the registered keeper, can reply, surely? The Company Secretary for simplicity. Or one of the directors.
Title: APCOA parking charge - Manchester Airport (T2), accidently drove through "charged drop zone" looking for "Meet & Greet"
Post by: Rage18 on July 10, 2025, 01:07:45 pm
Hello, I need some advice.

The driver had a pre-paid Meet & Greet booking at Manchester Airport T2. Upon arrival, they were unable to identify the correct exit from the roundabout due to inadequate and unclear signage. As a result, they accidentally took the wrong exit and drove through the Pick-up / Drop-off zone, not realising it was a charged area.

The signage indicating payment requirements was obscured by tree foliage and blocked by large vehicles (vans/lorries) on the roundabout when entering the zone. The driver did not stop in the zone, but passed through it quickly, then re-entered the roundabout, took a different exit, and eventually found the correct Meet & Greet area, where they parked as intended.

The registered keeper of the vehicle is a Limited Company, and an APCOA Parking Notice has been issued to “The Company Secretary” for entering the Pick-up / Drop-off zone. The driver is one of the company’s directors (the company has more than one).

What is the best approach to get this cancelled?

1) Does the fact that the driver is a director of the company (and not a sole director) affect how we should respond or appeal, compared to other cases you've advised on?

The driver has photo evidence showing that: Signage was obscured by tree foliage so Terms and Conditions were not clearly visible, especially when blocked by vans or lorries

2) The driver also has receipts confirming their pre-paid Meet & Greet booking.

Given these facts, does this change the usual appeal process or suggested response you've recommended to others?

Thank you in advance for your help.


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