Hi all,
on April 1st 2026, I parked my vehicle in the car park of the above named public house.
I entered, I bought drinks. Those who were with me told me about the parking system and to enter my details to avoid a charge. I did so.
I was also in the same pub on April 8th and did exactly the same.
Since then, I have had a letter from Smart Parking issued 16th April telling me I had parked there and issued me a parking charge.
I have not had a letter for the 8th.
I took up the online claim option and provided proof that I was a paying customer in the establishment. I shared the transaction on my bank statement that indicated I had been in the establishment and had been a paying customer.
All transactions at The Whitehills come up the following day named against their sister pub, The Nine Pins.
Today I received an email telling me my appeal was unsuccessful and that I have some time to pay the charge.
This has happened twice to my wife also and she has had both appeals declined.
I intend to visit the public house (for probably the last time) to ask them to quash the charge. We used to be regular customers.
Should the publicans refuse to support us, or should Smart Parking try to proceed, I would be prepared to go to court over this.
I am trying to do all I can to be reasonable. Is there anything else I can do?
I will follow this up with a photo of the signage and redacted letters and the bank statement (once I have worked out how to).
This is the text of the decline reply (redacted):
Smart Parking Ltd
www.smartparking.comUnit 43, Elmdon Trading Estate, Bickenhill Lane, Birmingham, B37 7HE
My Name
My Street
My Town
My County, United Kingdom
PostCode
Dear My Name
Parking Charge: SPxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you for your recent communication.
27/05/2026
Having considered your appeal in detail we have decided to uphold the Parking Charge (PC) as we
believe that it was correctly issued in accordance with the terms and conditions advertised within the
area concerned. Please note you have until 26/06/2026 to pay the outstanding amount of £100.00
after which an admin fee of £10.00 will be added and the PC will be passed to debt recovery.
Having noted your comments, we are satisfied that the Parking Charge has been issued correctly and
your appeal is rejected.
We can confirm that the Parking Charge was issued due to insufficient paid time. Our payment
system shows that no valid payment was made for your vehicle registration MY REG for the 91
minutes that your vehicle remained on site.
As clearly stated on the car park signage, all motorists are required to purchase a valid ticket by
entering the full and correct vehicle registration mark into the payment machine or by using an
approved alternative payment method. A payment must be made to cover the full duration of the stay
from point of entry to point of exit. As no payment was recorded for your vehicle, the Terms and
Conditions have been breached.
You have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure and therefore you now have two
options, you can pay or appeal further with IAS – you cannot do both.
The Appellant has the right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Service, (IAS) using the instructions
below. Please note, should you decide to appeal to the IAS, and your appeal is subsequently
rejected, the option to pay a discounted amount will no longer be available and the full amount of the
PC will be due.
If the appellant decides to appeal to the IAS, they will need to visit the website,
The Independent Appeals Service provides the ability for people who have received a Parking Charge to appeal against it.
where further details of how to appeal can be found. The appellant has 28 days from the date of this
letter to submit an appeal to IAS.
Alternatively, your 3 payment options are:
• By Post: Please send a cheque or postal order (payable to Smart Parking Ltd) to Smart
Parking Ltd, Unit 43, Elmdon Trading Estate, Bickenhill Lane, Marston Green,
Birmingham B37 7HE.
• By Web: To make a payment online with a debit or credit card, please visit
www.smartparking.com and have your Parking Charge number to hand.
Smart Parking Ltd. Registered Office: 5 South Inch Business Centre, Shore Road, Perth PH2 8BW
Registered in Scotland. Company Registration No: SC138255
• By Phone: Pay via our 24 hour automated telephone payment service on 0330 057 6230.
Please have your Parking Charge number to hand. Please note that calls to this number cost
up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge.
Yours sincerely,
Smart Parking Limited
