Free Traffic Legal Advice

It's an invoice but we would not recommend ignoring it as it can still have serious consequences, ultimately the keeper of the vehicle could get a CCJ which would seriously screw up their credit rating for 7 years.

You can lodge an appeal but you need good grounds for that to be successful. In this case there may be a number.

Was there a ticket on the windscreen or was this the first you've been notified of the PCN?

The immediate issue I can see with this is there is no period of parking stipulated, they needed to observe the vehicle for at least 5 minutes for a contract to have been formed, the driver could have legitimately left the vehicle to read the signs before realising they should not be parking there and driving off within the mandatory consideration period.

Second avenue may be signage but as there's a sign above the vehicle in the picture on the PCN we'd need to see an image of it to be able to advise if that is an avenue for appeal. Could also do with seeing the reverse of the PCN  letter.

The downside here is CPM are IPC members and the (not) Independent Appeals Service is the second stage appeal. Neither are likely to grant an appeal however well founded.

The PCN is definitely not PoFA compliant and several elements of Schedule 4 Paragraph 9(2) are not met by this NtK.

It depends, it's always worth appealing, you might be lucky, at the least it indicates you're going to challenge them and shows you acted in good faith should it get to court.

However most appeals we see here do get rejected, mainly because people generally have relatively weak grounds to appeal. Most people who have strong grounds, frustration of contract, car breakdown, medical emergency, genuine customer will often just naively appeal and depending on the private parking company have a reasonable chance of it getting cancelled.

For example getting into a detailed argument over whether the wording on the PCN is or isn't fully POFA compliant isn't going to win any appeals. Challenging the PPC regarding sufficiency of signage (with evidence) or not providing a consideration period are stronger grounds less open to interpretation. Unfortunately you are dealing with an IPC affiliated operator and the fact they've issued a PCN without a stated period of parking would suggest they see the rules as guidelines at best.

It would actually be a whole lot simpler if all of these parking companies simply made sure that their speculative invoices were fully POFA-compliant 

They would undoubtedly argue they are and the perceived wisdom on here is wrong

The point I'm trying to make is that people come here looking for help, sometimes the POFA compliance argument gives people false hope because of the way it is phrased that they will be able to win an appeal with it. We know that's not the case. With BPA / POPLA appeals there is more chance of succeeding so relying on stronger appeal points makes more sense if they exist or better still rely on plan A.

just received this from them today, can anyone advise how i should structure an appeal, do i say i dont know who was driving at time or just not mention any driver ?

It depends, it's always worth appealing, you might be lucky, at the least it indicates you're going to challenge them and shows you acted in good faith should it get to court.

However most appeals we see here do get rejected, mainly because people generally have relatively weak grounds to appeal. Most people who have strong grounds, frustration of contract, car breakdown, medical emergency, genuine customer will often just naively appeal and depending on the private parking company have a reasonable chance of it getting cancelled.

For example getting into a detailed argument over whether the wording on the PCN is or isn't fully POFA compliant isn't going to win any appeals. Challenging the PPC regarding sufficiency of signage (with evidence) or not providing a consideration period are stronger grounds less open to interpretation. Unfortunately you are dealing with an IPC affiliated operator and the fact they've issued a PCN without a stated period of parking would suggest they see the rules as guidelines at best.

Could i ask what you would do constructing an appeal ? i have seen some other appeals but dont think i can just copy and paste them, i need to get one in and i am going in blind right now, any help would be greatly appreciated, is there a general template knocking around for these crooks ?

So my appeal was rejected, how should i proceed with this ? we do not know who was driving at the time as the vehicle is used for my elderly mother for mobility reasons along with her blue badge, myself and my brother share taking her to appointments using this vehicle which i am the registered keeper of.

PCN REFERENCE NUMBER: 50915926
 
PAYMENT DUE DATE: 21st April 2026                     
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE: £100.00                 
       
Dear,   
                                                                 
Thank you for your appeal against the above Parking Charge Notice.
 
At UK CPM we consider all appeals on a case-by-case basis. We take each appeal very seriously and thoroughly investigate any evidence that has been provided. We appreciate your circumstances and understand this is not a situation anyone would like to find themselves in; however, these parking conditions have been put in place to ensure fair usage for all motorists and support the needs of our client. After careful consideration, it is unfortunate that I am writing to you today to advise that on this occasion, your appeal has been unsuccessful.
 
The decision to uphold your parking charge notice has been made on the following basis.
 
Whilst we note your comments and reason for appeal, we can confirm that you were parked in an electric vehicle only bay. Therefore, as your vehicle was parked in contravention of the terms and conditions as advertised on the signage displayed on site, this PCN has been issued to you correctly.
 
Either due to the reason for issue and/or the insufficient evidence provided to support the details of your appeal, we have considered this PCN and found that it does not fall under the category of Annex F the Appeals Charter of the Single Code of Practice. Therefore, if no further evidence is provided, we will deem this to be our final decision. 
 
You have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure and therefore you now have two options; either pay or appeal to the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) - you cannot do both.
 
To make payment of the total amount due as shown above, please use one of the following payment options;
 
Online: www.paymyticket.co.uk
Telephone: 0345 463 4040 (24hr)
Post: Payments & Collections, PO Box 3114, Lancing, BN15 5BR
 
Alternatively, if you do not agree with your internal appeal outcome and you wish to dispute the matter further, as you have complied with our internal appeals procedure you may use, and we will engage with, the IAS Standard Appeals Service providing you lodge an appeal to them within 28 days of this rejection.
 
The Independent Appeals Service (www.theIAS.org) provides an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme for disputes of this type. If you decide to appeal to the IAS, you will need to visit their website and use your PCN reference and corresponding vehicle registration. All PCN's will be uploaded to the IAS website by the end of this working day.
 
If you decide to engage with the Independent Appeals Service, any offer of a discount for early payment (if applicable) will be withdrawn. Should your appeal be unsuccessful or you chose to settle the parking charge prior to the appeal being determined, the full amount of the PCN will be payable. Please note that should you pay the parking charge prior to adjudication concluding, the appeal will be closed, and you will not be given a further opportunity to contest the charge.
 
If you do not wish to dispute the matter further and payment is not received within 28 days of the date of this correspondence then additional charges may be incurred, for which you may be liable. If the charge continues to remain outstanding, the matter may be later referred for litigation in the County Court which could result in a County Court Judgment being made against you; this may impact on your ability to obtain credit in the future.