Parking 'fines' for private car park

Do you still have the texts? If not, I don't know if you can get them from your mobile supplier. I think that's your best try - it's proof you had genuinly thought the payment had gone through. It's a pretty bad system if it doesn't let you know payment hasn't gone through.

I hope it all gets sorted for you.

I'd fight it. They probably wouldn't take you to court & if they did I'd argue that given you'd had a confirmation text from them you wouldn't have had the need to check that money had left your account. Plus sometimes it can take up to 4 days to leave an account anyway.

I use those text and park things and live in your area so that's worried me as it could happen to anyone and it's hassle no one needs!

Hope you get it sorted out.

Thanks both. Yes we have the text saying we had paid. We submitted a screen print of it with our appeal. But POPLA ignored it and just said we left the car park without making a valid payment as per the terms and conditions. even though we have a text receipt. I'm just worried a smalll claims court may not be experienced in the digital age of text parking and may not understand that we thought we had paid.

I will fight it. I'm in a fighty mood.

I definitely would not pay and fight all the way to court if necessary.

Private car parks don't have a leg to stand on and never take people to court. My W has fought back a few times when they've tried to take her to court, just keeps responding to their letters to say she contests it, then never hears anything again.

... she isn't in the habit of not buying a ticket, it's usually misunderstandings or poor signage which doesn't make the parking terms clear.

Agree with what other have said, keep contesting and they will give up. (Completely different to a council!!)

Plus in the very small chance that it would actually get to court, you have actual evidence to prove that you left your vehicle parked with what you thought was a valid receipt. You had no reason to believe that you had not paid. It is their system error and therefore their fault!

Definitely this.

My mother in law to be fought a supermarket car park (slightly different scenario but also a private company) and they not only backed off, they gave her goodwill shopping vouchers. The latter probably won't happen in this case, but still worth fighting.

And to think the government wonders why more of us don't use the train...

I would offer to pay the actual parking charge of the £7 odd so that you can show you've been reasonable then I'd fight it all the way.

MSE has some advice: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets