Hello guys, I hope someone can help.
On 12th May 2025 at 14:11 my car entered Luton Point Central & Market Car Park. The driver hadn't been there before and was confused as to the system of payment. after parking they wandered around looking for signage but found no machine and so presumed parking would be carried out on exit.
At 16:40 the car left but the driver couldn't see any way to pay at the exit. There was a sign with a QR code which led to a website which wasn't much help other than offering an email address. An email was sent to "support@parkjockey.com" explaining the situation and offering to pay for the parking.
“Good afternoon,
I have just been parked in Luton in a carpark attached to the mall and arndale house. I arrived about 2.30 I ish and departed at 4.40. I had presumed I would pay on exit but I didn't. I am willing to pay but don't know how.
My registration is **** ***. Please advise.
Regards,”A response was received on the same day, 12th May 2025 from Park Jockey.
“Hello,
Thank you for contacting ParkJockey. Please be advised that this email is now only to support our US locations. We have forwarded your request to our UK team. If you require support moving forward for a UK location please email uksupport@reefparking.com.
Thank you,”It was presumed that the UK team would be as swift in a response as their US colleagues however there was no response.
A letter was received dated 9th June 2025 advising of the PCN and an appeal was made immediately.
“It was my first time using this car park and it was not clear to me how to pay. I could see no machine and I had presumed I would pay on exit, At the exit there was still no information but there was a QR code which I used. This was also no help at all but it did give a telephone number where I still got no help. When I arrived home I sent an email to support@parkjockey.com explaining my situation, my willingness to pay and included relevant details of my registration. I am still awaiting a response.”A response has been received today, 11th July 2025
“Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your correspondence relating to your Parking Charge.
The Charge was issued and the signage is displayed in compliance with The British Parking Association’s Approved Operator Scheme Code of Practice and all relevant laws and regulations.
Clear signs at the entrance of this site and throughout inform drivers of the requirement to pay for parking and it is not possible to access any part of the premises without passing multiple signs.
In light of this, on this occasion, your representations have been carefully considered and rejected.
We can confirm that we will hold the Charge at the reduced rate of £60 for a further 14 days from the date of this correspondence. If no payment is received within this period, and no further appeal to POPLA is made, the Charge will escalate and further costs may be added.
Please find below the payment options:
Online: www.groupnexus.co.uk/pcn
By Telephone: Credit/Debit cards via our automated payment line: 0844 371 8784
By Post: Cheques or Postal Orders to: PO BOX 14836, London, NW3 1WT
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You have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure. This correspondence represents our final stance on the matter and we will therefore not enter into any further correspondence.
CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED FOLLOWING THE REJECTION OF AN APPEAL WILL NOT CHANGE THE OUTCOME OR EXTEND THE DATE IN WHICH PAYMENT SHOULD BE MADE.
Although we have now rejected your appeal, you may still have recourse to appeal to Parking On Private Land Appeals (POPLA), an independent appeals service. An appeal to POPLA must be made within 28 days of the date of this letter. POPLA will only consider cases on the grounds that the Parking Charge exceeded the appropriate amount, that the vehicle was not improperly parked or had been stolen, or that you were otherwise not liable for the Parking Charge. To appeal to POPLA, please go to their website http://www.popla.co.uk and follow the instructions. If you would rather deal with this matter by post, please contact our Appeals Office and we will send you the necessary paperwork.
Your POPLA reference number is: **********
Please note that if your appeal does not relate to the above criteria or is rejected by POPLA for any reason, you will no longer qualify for payment at the reduced rate. POPLA will not consider any cases where payment has been made. You must pay the charge or appeal to POPLA, you cannot do both.
By law we are also required to inform you that Ombudsman Services (www.ombudsman-services.org/) provides an alternative dispute resolution service that would be competent to deal with your appeal. However, we have not chosen to participate in their alternative dispute resolution service. As such should you wish to appeal then you must do so to POPLA, as explained above.
Yours faithfully,
CP Plus Ltd”The reply clearly shows no mention of any details of my appeal, it doesn’t even address me properly even though their own form had previously shown my prefix and name.
More importantly the line:
“If no payment is received within this period, and no further appeal to POPLA is made, the Charge will escalate and further costs may be added.”
This indicates to me that as long as I appeal then the charge will not escalate?
However, in the same email:
“Please note that if your appeal does not relate to the above criteria or is rejected by POPLA for any reason, you will no longer qualify for payment at the reduced rate”So am I to presume that unless POPLA decide in my favour the reduced rate is gone? Ie pay up or we double it no matter what? Their criteria is also ambiguous at best, adding to the pressure. It all seems automated and impersonal to me and feels like appeals are a waste of time.
Do I stand a chance, considering I have proof that I at least tried to pay and my email was acknowledged and replied to, even though it led nowhere?
And is it worth appealing to POPLA? Or should I just pay the reduced fee while I still can?
I hope my post is clear enough. Please help and advise. Thank you all in advance for your time.
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