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#Post#: 116400--------------------------------------------------
Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min total
(60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: Tawatac
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:12 am
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I received a debt recovery letter regarding a Smart Parking PCN,
but I never received the original PCN / Notice to Keeper
beforehand, so had no chance to appeal or pay earlier.
The incident was at a church car park. I arrived at 16:34. There
was an issue with the payment machine, so I went inside an
adjacent church for assistance. Staff helped me make the payment
60 minutes at 16:53.
The paid session expired at 17:53. The vehicle exited at 17:58,
so only 5 minutes after the paid time ended.
Smart Parking are relying on total ANPR site time 84 minutes and
say there was insufficient paid time, then passed it to Debt
Recovery Plus. I contacted the church to cancel but they said
they don't own the car park so can't make the request. They
rejected the complaint and said their grace/consideration
periods were applied. They've now referred me to The IPC for
making a further complaint. Any advice please.
Final email from Smart Parking Below
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your email.
Complaint Ref: ####
Having considered the comments raised in your complaint, we
offer the following response.
We can confirm that your PC was issued via post on 18/04/2025 -
please find attached a copy of this.
Smart Parking Limited have no hold over the postal service and
if this has not been received, we would advise you get in
contact with your local post office regarding your undelivered
post.
We can confirm that the Parking Charge was issued due to
insufficient paid time. Our payment system shows that 60 minutes
was purchased against vehicle registration ##### however, your
vehicle remained on site for a total of 84 minutes. Additional
time can be purchased at any point during your stay, before
exiting the car park. As your vehicle was parked in excess of
the parking time purchased, the advertised terms and conditions
have been breached.
Smart Parking’s grace and consideration periods are compliant
with The Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice June
2024. Appropriate time is afforded for motorist to enter the car
park, identify and comply with the tariff, restrictions, terms
and conditions, find an available parking space or decide
whether they wish to stay and comply or leave the parking site.
Neither the grace nor consideration periods are time for free
parking. We can confirm that your vehicle duration on site
exceeded the applicable grace/consideration period.
Please be aware that the car park is monitored by an Automatic
Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. All accessible entry and
exit points in this car park have a ANPR camera in place which
takes an infrared image of the vehicle registration, as the
vehicle passes by. The system then identifies the vehicle
registration mark (VRM) from these images, after which the total
time the vehicle remained on site is calculated, recorded and
compared with any parking time purchased/the advertised terms
and conditions. Furthermore, regardless of whether the vehicle
was left unattended or not: by parking, waiting or otherwise
remaining in the car park, you agree to comply with the
advertised terms and conditions.
Due to the length of time the parking charge has been open, it
has now been passed to a debt recovery agency.
Should you wish to discuss the charge further, please contact
the debt recovery agency directly.
We must inform you that you have the right to escalate your
complaint further with our Accredited Trade Association. They
can be contacted at
HTML https://portal.theipc.info/login/complaints
Please note, you will need to upload a copy of your final
complaint outcome from Smart Parking Limited, as part of your
evidence submission. Any complaints escalated to the IPC’s AOS
will not be considered without a copy of your outcome.
We do not believe that there is any further action required from
your complaint and therefore we now consider this complaint
closed.
You have now reached the end of our internal complaint’s
procedure.
For any future queries, please contact info@smartparking.com via
email, who will be able to assist you further.
#Post#: 116401--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: jfollows
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:14 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Please read
HTML https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/read-this-first-private-parking-charges-forum-guide/<br
/>and, in particular, post the PCN you have now received and
give
information about dates.
#Post#: 116404--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: Tawatac
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I never received the original PCN only the debt recovery letter.
#Post#: 116405--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: jfollows
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:22 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Tawatac link ---
>
> I never received the original PCN only the debt recovery
letter.
>
--- End Quote ---
You said
--- Quote ---
> We can confirm that your PC was issued via post on 18/04/2025
- please find attached a copy of this.
--- End Quote ---
#Post#: 116408--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: Tawatac
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:40 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Apologies, had to dig it out from earlier emails as they hadn't
actually attached it to this email.
PFA
HTML https://ibb.co/W43ZDnNr
HTML https://ibb.co/3542TzMp
#Post#: 116409--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: jfollows
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:43 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Did you identify the driver in your correspondence with Smart?
If not, the PCN was issued too late to transfer liability from
the unknown, unnamed driver to you, the registered keeper.
Date of contravention: 8/4/25
Date of PCN: 23/4/25, deemed delivered 25/4/25, more than 14
days later.
#Post#: 116416--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: Tawatac
Date: April 20, 2026, 7:19 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I didn't directly confirm it was me but may have done so
unintentionally as I was responding back saying I never received
it and sent proof of the ticket I'd purchased.
#Post#: 116430--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: jfollows
Date: April 20, 2026, 8:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
You may, then, have metaphorically shot yourself in the foot.
The “consideration period” only applies if you don’t park, but
decide not to accept their terms and leave.
The “grace period” is on the end of parking time paid for.
The driver entered into a contract by parking according to the
terms displayed. If the signs were not clear you might have a
defence.
Otherwise what do you say to the IAS? You stayed for much longer
than you paid for. They frequently reject good appeals, but even
more often if you don’t have a good appeal. If you go down this
route, what do you say in your court defence in due course?
#Post#: 116460--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: Tawatac
Date: April 20, 2026, 10:24 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I'm not following. They are saying I overstayed by 24mins but I
only overstayed by 5mins, the first 19mins they are saying I
overstayed were at the start and this was due to the parking
machine not working and I had to go into the church and have
someone help me pay manually.
Entered car park 16:34
Paid parking - 16:53-17:53
Exited car park 17:58
My question is how to deal with the IPC as I know they have got
a record to side more with the operator.
#Post#: 116508--------------------------------------------------
Re: Smart Parking - Final Rejection - IPC Referral - 84 min
total (60 paid) - 5 min overstay - Grace Period Dispute
DIR By: ixxy
Date: April 20, 2026, 3:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
When you paid for the parking is not relevant, this is not pay
and display. Your parking (as far as the parking company is
concerned) started when the driver passed the camera and ended
when they exited. To avoid a PCN the driver needed to pay for
the entire stay (less the 10 minute grace period). Your argument
based around when the parking was purchased will not win an IAS
appeal.
The only defence I can see here is if you still have the ticket
from the machine and it does definitively state an expiry time
as opposed to the duration of parking paid for. Probably still
won't win an IAS appeal but would give you a reasonable defence
in court.
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