cost of living

Published 01 May 2025

8 min read

Dosh dilemma – A £100 fine after a quick coffee break? Adeel’s parking fine fiasco!

Adeel popped to a retail park on his lunch break to grab a quick coffee. There were plenty of empty spaces and a sign clearly said: “Two hours free for customers.”

Written by: Gabrielle Pickard Whitehead

Lead financial content writer

Published: 1 May 2025

He sat in the on-site café, drank his coffee, drove off and thought nothing more of it.

A week later, a £100 fine dropped through his letterbox.

The letter claimed he should have entered his car registration inside the café. It was supposedly mentioned on a sign at the entrance, but he hadn’t seen it.

Now, he’s wondering: can he appeal the ticket?

You’re not alone, Adeel

Well Adeel, it’s funny that you should reach out with this dilemma, as it comes as the AA has described private parking companies as ‘shark like’.

An AA survey of nearly 14,000 drivers found that one in 20 people pay fines they shouldn’t have received in the first place.

Even more worryingly, more than half (53%) said they’d rather just pay up because appealing takes too much time or effort. A lack of faith in the system is putting people off fighting unfair tickets.

From supermarkets and fast-food outlets to train stations and retail parks, more and more sites are using private parking operators and complaints are rising fast.

Drivers are reporting confusing signage, hidden conditions, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

The AA study follows research by the RAC which found that, in just six months, parking firms made 7.2 million requests to the DVLA for driver details. That’s around 41,000 per day, just so they can issue fines.

Worse still, just five companies are responsible for almost half of these.

What’s the government doing about it?

In March 2019, a bill to allow the introduction of a government-backed code for private parking companies was passed under the then Conservative government.

But in June 2022, the code was withdrawn after a legal challenge, from the parking companies themselves.

The government says it’s still committed to tightening the rules and will be bringing forward a new, stronger code.

But for now, it’s still a bit of a Wild West out there.

You’ve got rights

Firstly, it’s important to know that getting a ticket after parking in a private cark park doesn’t mean you’ve committed an offence.

But if you refuse to pay, the parking company could take you to county court to try to recover the money. That’s the only way they can force payment.

And you can challenge a ticket if you think it was wrongly issued.

How to challenge a parking ticket

Check if the company is part of an accredited trade body

Look up whether the parking firm is a member of either:

British Parking Association (BPA)

International Parking Community (IPC)

Only companies that belong to one of these can legally get your address from the DVLA.

If they left a ticket on your car and they’re not an ATA member, don’t contact them, as they probably can’t trace you. Just wait and see if they send a letter.

But if they do write to you, they’ve likely accessed your data. If they’re not an ATA member, that could be illegal and you can report them to the DVLA.

Gather your evidence

To appeal successfully, you’ll need to build your case. Helpful things to include are:

a valid pay and display ticket, if you had one

photos of signs that are unclear or hard to spot

a witness statement from someone who was with you

a repair receipt, if your car broke down

permission from the landowner if they allowed you to park

If the company is a member of the BPA or IPC, start by contacting them directly. Explain why you think the fine is unfair and include your evidence.

If they reject your informal appeal, you can take it further and it won’t cost you anything.

If they’re a BPA member, appeal to POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals). You have 28 days to do this after your appeal is turned down.

If they’re an IPC member, go to the Independent Appeals Service. You get 21 days free or you can appeal up to a year later for a £15 fee.

These independent bodies may see things differently and often side with the driver, especially if the signs or terms weren’t clearly displayed.

In Adeel’s case, for example, the requirement to enter his car registration inside the café wasn’t obvious. If the signage wasn’t clear or easy to see, that could be strong grounds for the appeal body to cancel the fine.

What happens if you don’t pay

If don’t win your appeal and don’t pay your fine, the company might take you to court.

If they do and you lose:

you’ll have to pay the original fine (which may have gone up)

you might also have to cover court costs

But if you win:

you won’t have to pay the fine

the company could be ordered to cover your costs

If you think you’ve been treated unfairly, you can complain to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service.

We hope this helps Adeel. Getting a parking fine is stressful, especially when it feels unfair. But don’t assume you have to just pay and move on.

You’ve got rights. And a growing number of drivers, campaigners and organisations like the AA and RAC are calling for change.

Written by: Gabrielle Pickard Whitehead

Lead financial content writer

Gabrielle is an experienced journalist, who has been writing about personal finance and the economy for over 17 years. She specialises in social and economic equality, welfare and government policy, with a strong focus on helping readers stay informed about the most important issues affecting financial security.

Published: 1 May 2025

The information in this post was correct at the time of publishing. Please check when it was written, as information can go out of date over time.

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Written by: Gabrielle Pickard Whitehead

Lead financial content writer

Published: 1 May 2025