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#Post#: 113756--------------------------------------------------
Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at which
we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: Mooshykins
Date: March 19, 2026, 1:28 pm
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I'll try and keep it short! Appreciate any help or advice anyone
can give.
Went to an event at a country house last summer, their car park
has about a 30 capacity, due to the busy event, high-vis staff
were directing people to park in a big field. ANPR was on the
entrance/exit to the grounds, but as the field was next to the
event, this was a good 100m from the car park surrounded by
trees with the Smart Parking signs in it. I'm sure i'm not the
only one that got done that day.
Went through the classic process of being rjected when i
appealed with Smart Parking then POPLA, it's literally pointless
appealing even with map evidence. I recieved a letter saying to
pay £155 within 28 days. However when i've tried to pay the
charge on the Smart Parking website OR using their automated
phone system, i recieve the same message.
"Your Parking Charge is currently in a state at which we are
unable to accept payment. Please contact the Parking Office."
There is no information on HOW to contact the parking office on
the website or the automated phone system. The letter i recieved
only gives the automated phone number and the website address.
I have emailed info@smartparking.com several times explaining
the issue, that i have tried to make payment several times
within the 28 day window, but each time i get a standard reply.
** We are currently experiencing a high volume of emails and aim
to respond to your query as soon as possible, please note this
means that we may be unable to fulfil the time period stipulated
below.**
Thank you for your recent communication.
Your query is being looked into and a response will be issued in
due course. Please be advised it may take up to 7 days for a
response to be issued or longer during busy periods.
If you have submitted an appeal to this email address, please
note this will not be responded to. This email address is for
general enquiries only. If you wish to submit an appeal, please
follow the correct process outlined on your Parking Charge
Notice.
Please note, this email is an automatic response, and your query
will be responded to directly in due course.
So what now? Even when i'm tring to give them £155 they don't
deserve, they won't accept it. I've taken screenshots and video
recordings of trying to make payment, i'm at the mercy of if
they want to reply to my email or not! Otherwise it's onto deby
collectors, who i don't fancy dealing with.
Keep fighting the good fight guys.
#Post#: 113763--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: InterCity125
Date: March 19, 2026, 2:53 pm
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Silly question, but why on earth are you trying to pay?
#Post#: 113798--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: Mooshykins
Date: March 20, 2026, 3:25 am
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--- Quote from: InterCity125 link ---
>
> Silly question, but why on earth are you trying to pay?
>
--- End Quote ---
Because i probably didn't word something exactly in the original
appeals, and i don't have the time to fight it, so i want it out
of the way.
#Post#: 113800--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: InterCity125
Date: March 20, 2026, 3:55 am
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The max they can demand is £100 - that's the law.
So take a screenshot of the operators payment screen and keep it
safe.
Then just wait for a Letter of Claim and defend it.
They'll soon drop it once it gets to the claim stage and you'll
have nothing to pay.
#Post#: 113989--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: Mooshykins
Date: March 22, 2026, 4:52 am
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Could i please have some advice on what my next step should be?
The original situation happened late last summer, following the
appeal and the POPLA appeal which was decided sometime in
january. The first communication i had after the POPLA decision
was a the letter mentioned originall, this was dated 23rd Feb.
FINAL REMINDER
AMOUNT OUTSTANDING = £155
WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN TO YOU ABOUT THE UNPAID PARKING
CHARGE DETAILED ABOVE. AS NO PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED WITHIN 28
DAYS OF THE PARKING CHARGE BEING ISSUES, THE CHARGE HAS NOW BEEN
ESCALATED.
FAILURE TO PAY WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS NOTICE WILL RESULT IN THE
PARKING CHARGE BEING PASSED TO A DEBT RECOVERY AGENT AND AT
WHICH POINT ADDITIONAL CHARGES COULD BE ADDED AND YOU MAY FACE
POTENTIAL LEGAL ACTION
As mentioned above, i tried to pay this charge on the
SmartParking website and automated phone service, several times
the 14th and 19th March. Each time i was met with "Your Parking
Charge is currently in a state at which we are unable to accept
payment. Please contact the Parking Office." So i emailed asking
why i wasn't able to pay the charge.
Today, still within the 28 day window, i received a reply to my
email from Smart Parking.
Thank you for your email.
Due to the length of time the PC has been open, this has now
been referred to Debt Recovery Plus Ltd, who are now handling
this on our behalf.
Please contact them directly if you wish to discuss this
further.
Website:
HTML http://www.debtrecoveryplus.co.uk/contact-us/
- Phone:
0208 234 6775 or 0141 301 2355
But they didn't accept payment on their own terms? Surely I have
some defence on this as i have the evidence that i've tried to
make payment several times.
Appreciate the help guys.
#Post#: 114058--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: Mooshykins
Date: March 23, 2026, 4:16 am
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Anyone able to give me some advice please?
#Post#: 114064--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: InterCity125
Date: March 23, 2026, 5:34 am
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Yes - the advice is in Reply #3
#Post#: 114065--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: Mooshykins
Date: March 23, 2026, 5:35 am
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--- Quote from: InterCity125 link ---
>
> Yes - the advice is in Reply #3
>
--- End Quote ---
Sorry i don't understand what the 'letter of claim' is? Is that
not what they have already sent me?
#Post#: 114126--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: DWMB2
Date: March 23, 2026, 11:52 am
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The Letter of Claim will say "Letter of Claim" on it, and will
be from a law firm representing Smart.
#Post#: 115456--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Parking Charge is currently in a state at
which we are unable to accept payment
DIR By: Mooshykins
Date: April 9, 2026, 9:51 am
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Hi,
I had an email reply from Smart Parking on 22nd March. This was
within their own stated 28 day payment period, this reply said..
Due to the length of time the PC has been open, this has now
been referred to Debt Recovery Plus Ltd, who are now handling
this on our behalf.
Please contact them directly if you wish to discuss this further
i've also received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus, dated 17th
March. Again this is WITHIN the 28 day payment window stated by
Smart Parking on their own letter dated 23rd February.
We are Debt Recovery PLus, we have been instructed to recover
your debt.
It doesn't say Letter of Claim on it, it just instructs to go to
their website and to pay £170, up from £155 which was on the
Smart Parking letter.
I would love some advice on what i should do now please? As it
seems they haven't followed their own rules. If there's a
particular process i need to follow to reply and get it right,
i'll do that.
Thanks!
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