UKPA Wrong Reg Entered

Hi, looking for some advice/help.

The driver parked in The Marlowes shopping centre, Hemel Hempstead. They paid at the normal pay station just before returning to the car. As they were driving towards the exit they realised they had paid using the registration for a different car by mistake (they had borrowed mine) so they stopped to the right of the exit & went to the help area, pushed the button for assistance, waited several minutes, but no one answered. They then rang the Marlowes Centre number, but were told they couldn't help them and they would need to contact the parking company directly. As the driver was in a hurry and had to be somewhere they went to the pay machine near the exit & paid again putting in the correct registration of JH21 JAA, so they actually paid twice for parking there, albeit for 2 different vehicle reg's @ £3.50 for each vehicle. The machine does not issue receipts so the only proof of payment is on the card that was used, but that obviously doesn't show the vehicle reg details.

Do you think it's worth appealing on this point and is the pcn fully compliant?

Thanks for any advice.

If you appeal on the basis of a keying error, see https://www.britishparking.co.uk/write/Documents/AOS/Sector%20Code%20Templates/sectorsingleCodeofPracticeVersion1.1130426-2.pdf, they will agree to settle for £20. Your mistake has cost them time and effort in sending you the invoice and in reconciling the two different numbers in due course.

Or you can appeal on the basis of non-compliance with PoFA 2012 if the driver is not identified, for reasons including no "period of parking" is given on the invoice. This will not be accepted, and may or may not be accepted by POPLA.

Can't see POPLA agreeing that a notice containing an ANPR entry and exit time does not "specify the period of parking". Would be a hard sell to some judges, too.

No reason why you can't appeal on both grounds - if they don't offer the £20, you can point this out too in any POPLA appeal.

You’re right, I incorrectly read “at 1218” to be the time!

Should i quote the code of practice regarding keying errors in my appeal to them?

If you appeal on the basis of a keying error, see https://www.britishparking.co.uk/write/Documents/AOS/Sector%20Code%20Templates/sectorsingleCodeofPracticeVersion1.1130426-2.pdf, they will agree to settle for £20. Your mistake has cost them time and effort in sending you the invoice and in reconciling the two different numbers in due course.

I'm not sure that is correct.

The OP has stated that they paid a second time (entering the correct VRM) before leaving the site - this means that a PCN should not have been issued - this was a rule change after a high profile case involving Excel who attempted to enforce a 'pay within 5 minutes of entering' rule at a car park up north somewhere (forget which one but it may have been in Leeds area).

I would appeal as the keeper stating that the driver actually paid twice - explain the circumstances of the two payments - clearly and concisely point out that the second payment was made (covering the entire stay) BEFORE the vehicle left the car park. If they then fail to cancel the PCN the operator would be in clear breach of the Code of Practice.

This would then be an easy win at POPLA plus a complaint to the CMA highlighting the operator's misconduct.

They definitely paid for the correct registration before leaving the car park, so I'll put that in the appeal. 

I strongly suspect that the PCN was issued (and not correctly manually checked by parking operator staff) because their software still implements a form of 'pay on arrival' logic. Paying as you did, at the end of the stay, has not been picked up by the operator.

It will be interesting to see if they admit their error.

Of course, they may even try and persuade you to pay the £20 based on the mis-keyed first ticket purely to cover costs (whilst carefully tiptoeing around the second ticket!

Let's see what happens!

Is this ok to submit or should i mention code of practice too?

I am appealing this Parking Charge as the registered keeper of vehicle JH21 JAA. The driver made a genuine mistake by keying in the wrong vehicle registration, that being of a vehicle belonging to the same household.

The driver parked in The Marlowes shopping centre, Hemel Hempstead. They paid at the normal pay station, but keyed in the registration BT14 OYO by mistake just before returning to the car. As they were driving towards the exit they realised they had paid using the registration of the wrong car (as they had borrowed mine) so they stopped to the right of the exit & went to the help area, pushed the button for assistance, waited several minutes, but no one answered. They then rang the Marlowes Centre number, but were told they couldn't help them and they would need to contact the parking company directly. As the driver was in a hurry and had to be somewhere they didn't have time to make the call, so they went to the pay machine near the exit & paid the relevant amount of £3.50 for the period they had been parked, but this time entering the correct registration of JH21 JAA before leaving the car park. Therefore the period of parking was actually paid for twice, albeit for 2 different vehicle registrations @ £3.50 for each vehicle. The machine does not issue receipts so the only proof of payment is on the cards that were used, but that obviously doesn't show the vehicle registration details. I trust UKPA will be able to trace and match the payments to the relevant vehicles and the dates/times they were paid.

I have uploaded screenshots of both payments made to Hozah Parking Ltd on 29/8/26 which are as follows:

HSBC credit card £3.50 for BT14 OYO
Halifax credit card £3.50 for JH21 JAA

I would add a single line at the end which reads;

"To be clear - full payment was made before the vehicle left the site which satisfies the requirements set out in the Code of Practice."

Thanks, will do. Will submit appeal today and update when i get their response.

Just received UKPA's response. They haven't cancelled even though i did put in my appeal that the correct vehicle reg was entered and the appropriate payment was made before leaving the car park, so actually paid twice for the same period of parking! I can't seem to find anything in the code of practice relating to the driver paying the correct amount for the correct vehicle before leaving the car park, only reducing the charge to £20 for a major keying error so will i just have to pay up?

Do you have a receipt for the second (correct) payment?

Check Annex F of the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice (link under my post):

Parking charges must not be pursued in relation to vehicles where evidence is provided
that they are identified as: [...]

j) a vehicle parked in a car park managed by fixed camera technology (ANPR and/or
CCTV) for which payment has been made for the full period of parking prior to the vehicle
leaving the car park

The machine doesn't issue receipts, but i did supply proof of payment to Hozah Parking Ltd from 2 seperate credit cards (mine & husband) for £3.50 each on the date charge was issued. The credit cards don't show time of payment, just dates, but these payments were made within minutes of each other as soon as mistake was realised. I also gave the names of both reg keepers, who live in the same household (hence mistake with keying error) relating to both vehicles for which payment was made, the one entered wrong and the correct one. I assume they have been able to trace and confirm all of these details through their own system which led them to offer the reduced rate payment. So, they must know the payment was made before the vehicle left the car park.
I know it's only £20, but on principle, the parking was paid for twice, so there is no loss to anyone really!