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What’s wrong with using your mobile data….. I’m sure you cannot get any mobile plan (Inc PAYGo) without data now.
My mum didn't. Her ancient monthly contract wouldn't even allow MMS.
In any case, it's perfectly plausible to run out of a monthly data allowance.
It’s pretty niche to have a car park located where there is no data access [how do you think the ANPR system sends it’s data?]
It's pretty common in more rural areas. There was a thread on here the other week with someone on a National Trust site having exactly this issue.
And again, if your credit has run out then it doesn't matter how much signal you have.
Bottom line is it’s private land, the land owner sets the Ts & Cs, the parking company enforces them.
It still has to be reasonable and fair. Otherwise the T&Cs could be forty pounds a minute with a mind-changing grace period of eight seconds.
I was at Wythenshawe hospital today. Parking was a complete bunfight and it wasn't a large carpark, maybe 100m long and two cars deep. From paying for parking inside to actually getting off site took maybe 15 minutes.
The grace period AFAICT does not, because if you advertise that then people will then start treating 2 hours of parking to really be 2:10 or whatever. It’s supposed to allow a bit of leeway, not be actively used. From your legalistic PoV you are liable for a ticket once your ticket expires, the fact you don’t know how much extra they’ll give you before ticketing doesn’t materially impact your decision on whether you accept the contract terms.
That being the case, the OP paid for 4 hours and parked for 3?
I'm being a pedant now, but...
The consideration period has to be defined, as detailed in Annex A
...Is 'Annex A' printed on the sign in full? if not, how long is reasonable to look up 'Annexe A' and understand it fully, before entering into a contract?
Also consider your phone battery might be dead, or you don't have a mobile phone on you for whatever reason, what can a reasonable person do? walk to the local library (if there is one) and see if you can use the internet there to spend an hour or so to consider the T&C's before making a choice?
Go and read the CoP if you really want to know. No, it isn't in full but it has examples of the info/phrases you have to use, such as the ones I put in my post.
‘Charges apply after 15 mins’ or ‘Parking Period commences 15 mins after entry’
which gives you the information you need in an understandable format. Along with various others such as the costs, and any penalty for non-compliance, etc.
It still has to be reasonable and fair. Otherwise the T&Cs could be forty pounds a minute with a mind-changing grace period of eight seconds.
Strictly, that could be the case for the first part, however as I said before Annex B outlines the minimum consideration period (not grace, grace is the extra they allow for minor overstays) and 8s is below the minimum except for some very specific circumstances (even then I think the min there is 1 minute with signage having to be explicit - in normal situations it's at least 5, if not 10 minutes - it's all in the CoP). That gives you the time you need to decide you aren't paying £40 a minute and leave again, before parking is deemed to have started.
That being the case, the OP paid for 4 hours and parked for 3?
Apparently yes, trouble is that they paid for 4 hours starting 40 mins after they parked, so outside the consideration period detailed on signage as per the CoP, and hence in breach of the parking T&Cs.
If they explain no evasion has taken place and that the 40 min delay was due to technical issues, they might have a chance. If they go all belligerent and tell APCOA to **** off, possibly not.
Also consider your phone battery might be dead, or you don’t have a mobile phone on you for whatever reason, what can a reasonable person do? walk to the local library (if there is one) and see if you can use the internet there to spend an hour or so to consider the T&C’s before making a choice?
You don't need to access the T&C by phone or internet, the relevant points are on the signage. Would you believe, it's all detailed in the CoP.
And as for phone not working so unable to pay (the OP's issue) - guess where?
NOTE 4: where a parking tariff is payable the operator should provide at least one
alternative means of payment, e.g. cash or credit card, cash or pay-by-phone etc.
or failing all else, don't park and leave within the consideration period.
Seriously, if I turn up at a shop and my battery has gone dead so I can't use my Google wallet, the shop's not obliged to let me have goods FOC, they want cash or me to produce a card. If you don't have a valid means of paying, don't park.
or failing all else, don’t park and leave within the consideration period.
Scenario:
My phone battery is dead, I'm already in the car park, how do I find out what the 'consideration period' is before I decide if I want to enter into a contract?
Seriously, if I turn up at a shop and my battery has gone dead so I can’t use my Google wallet, the shop’s not obliged to let me have goods FOC
You're not trying to complete a contract of sale, for goods as a consumer in this scenario, you are considering if you want to enter into a service contract... how would I do that with a dead phone, and do I need to look up 'Annexa A' or 'CoP'...what even does CoP mean in this context?
These signs are gonna need to get really big!
My phone battery is dead, I’m already in the car park, how do I find out what the ‘consideration period’ is before I decide if I want to enter into a contract?
You read it on the sign. It's required to be on it. To be a BPA member you agree to the Code of Practice (CoP) and that states in the annex what has to be on the signage, in clear text and language (it even tells the types of fonts!) so a user can make an informed choice.
You might need a phone to pay (but as above, they should offer an alternative such as a machine) but you don't need a phone to access the relevant T&C's.
I really don't understand what is so hard, and what you don't get.
I really don’t understand what is so hard, and what you don’t get.
It’s because people think they are a special case.
A mobile is an essential tool today but hey I’ll not bother getting any data or making sure my phone is charged because it’s someone else fault for not catering to my lack of planning. In the scenario above simply don’t park and take it as a life lesson to be better prepared next time.
If they go all belligerent and tell APCOA to **** off, possibly not.
😀
Really got under your skin that hasn't it? As you've mentioned it in just about every post since.
I'm beginning to think you work for a ticketing company and you've taken it as a personal attack.
I don't think it is reasonable to insist that anyone wanting to park needs to have a working mobile phone. OTOH if they don't, they need to have some other means of payment available. Just walking off and aiming to pay at some later time seems a bit foolish and 40 mins is pushing your luck I'd say but I accept no intent to defraud so maybe you'll get away with it.
On a slightly different note but sort of related. One of the car parks I use (its subsidised on home match days) can be a bit hit or miss. They have pay machines and also the use of the app.
There have been a couple of instances where the machines are out of order so you have to use the app but the area has poor signal so you have to go else where to get a decent enough signal and pay.
Then you find that they really are out to get you as
1) you find that the app will charge you a booking fee in addition to the parking fee
2) that after 18.00 until 06.00 the machine charge overnight is £1 whereas the app will charge you the hourly rate for the overnight stay and also the additional booking fee.
Luckily enough I've not had a PCN from them.
Really got under your skin that hasn’t it? As you’ve mentioned it in just about every post since.
I’m beginning to think you work for a ticketing company and you’ve taken it as a personal attack.
I don't, but I am perhaps seeing this from a different angle on the basis of past experience which is why comments like yours annoy me.
As well as finding them reasonable when approached reasonably, I had a need to contract with a firm in a previous life. I've told this before but:
I managed a firm that had it's own car park for employees just outside the town centre.
This was used by residents out of hours and at weekends. We had a good arrangement, as long as they vacated weekdays by 8am, etc.
Then some people started pushing the rules - so we'd have to go and ask people to move so we could park. If we couldn't find them, I ended paying for parking on expenses for my staff to park in the town centre car parks.
Then they got pushed some more. It reached a head when i was threatened with violence for getting cross with someone when they'd pushed it one too many times. The police told me it was a civil matter on private property and recommended contracting a PPC, or putting barriers in (in which case everyone gets penalised for the actions of a few, when we lock the gate at 5pm and weekends) When I spoke to some of the PPCs, I was impressed by the rules and CoP they have to adhere to, hence why I am a bit more clued up on it.
If people didn't push the boundary of fairness, paid for the facilities they use, follow basic rules, then we wouldn't need PPC. People don't, so we do.
So when someone clearly has not followed the rules (taken 40 mins to pay) and now got pinged for it, to have your response to tell the PPC to **** off over some imagined technicality (which I still don't entirely believe, I've answered a few PCN threads before and commonly the OP often hasn't been entirely truthful about the details) says more about your approach than mine, I think.
so I made the assumption that there was a facility to set the time within the app.
I think most apps don't allow this for the reason @tjagain points out. Scenario: you park (with no intention to pay), get ticketed for not paying, go to the app, backdate your start time, and voila you're in the clear, it's not what you tried to do obviously, but you just got swept up in the by the rules to stop people who do.
Wow, this appears to have blown up when I wasn't looking....
To answer a couple of the specific questions:
The PCN only has a single time, and no additional info like arrival and departure times. The time given is probably the departure time and is within the start/end time on the ticket receipt.
There are no payment machines etc, however, as required, there is an alternative payment method. That method is to pay up to 24 hours later via their website. It was this that made me too relaxed about immediate payment, after all, if you can pay 24 hours later, surely 40 minutes isn't a problem? This issue is that this retrospective payment isn't available via the app, this limitation isn't clear on the signage and of course, you can't see it on the app until after it's downloaded.
Or tell them you are Harry Buttle and you seem to have received a PCN for Tuttle by mistake
Unfortunatly, no flies on the typewriter, the name is correct so I can't use that argument.
If people didn’t push the boundary of fairness, paid for the facilities they use, follow basic rules, then we wouldn’t need PPC. People don’t, so we do.
To a point, but the issue is these companies are run by scumbags who use lies and intimidation to get you to pay.
I once got a ticket for parking a new car in a very small carpark and entering a wrong digit (from my reg) on the app. It must have been absolutely clear to them that I was entitled to be there and it was a genuine mistake, but even when I pointed this out they rejected my appeal. Luckily the Dr's surgery I had parked at intervened on my behalf.
Fairness works both ways..ever since then my attitude has been fxxx you..they won't get a penny out of me if it's at all avoidable.
I don’t think it is reasonable to insist that anyone wanting to park needs to have a working mobile phone. OTOH if they don’t, they need to have some other means of payment available.
If they won’t cover the cost of alternatives it’s likely a business decision that the additional revenue of non mobile users doesn’t cover the investment in machines. Council run parking may decide otherwise but no one is forced to park.
I once got a ticket for parking a new car in a very small carpark and entering a wrong digit (from my reg) on the app. It must have been absolutely clear to them that I was entitled to be there and it was a genuine mistake, but even when I pointed this out they rejected my appeal. Luckily the Dr’s surgery I had parked at intervened on my behalf.
Fairness works both ways..ever since then my attitude has been fxxx you..they won’t get a penny out of me if it’s at all avoidable.
Not disputing but when was this? They are regularly updating their best practices and the CoP now requires
Where the terms and conditions require the driver to supply their vehicle registration mark
at an on-site machine, by telephone or online, the parking operator must have and follow a
documented policy and procedure to avoid issuing or enforcing a parking charge in respect
of accidental keying errors. This should include the adoption of technologies that reduce
keying errors.
NOTE 1: Some common keying errors can be accommodated within the registration
system, for example confusing the letter “o” with the numeric symbol “0”; More information
is found in Annex F.
So under current CoP that appeal would be justified.
Back in the bad old days they were cowboys, but I don't think that it's anywhere near as bad nowadays. YMMV.
OP - The PCN only has a single time, and no additional info like arrival and departure times. The time given is probably the departure time and is within the start/end time on the ticket receipt.
So seems to me that's the basis of your appeal. Up to you whether you disclose that you didn't pay until 40 mins after parking started. Disclosing is admitting breach; OTOH not disclosing might make them wonder why the computer has ticketed you, make them look into it and identify the breach - in which case would they consider you weren't being completely honest with your appeal and make it less likely to uphold than if you told them the real story.
As I said before, if having the time of departure bracketed by a valid ticket is all you need why pay for your real parking, just buy a ticket for the minimum time on your return and then use that as your appeal (not saying that's what you did, to be clear)
but I don’t think that it’s anywhere near as bad nowadays
Stayed at a hotel recently that had a contractor CP, I didn't check the car in, totally my fault, got a ticket through the post. showed them the invoice and receipt for hotel room, and they said, that's fine thanks, there's an "admin" fee; which was conveniently only a little bit less than the fine...While that might be in the CoP, and the T&C that they have with the hotel, that's still a shitty way to do business - which is getting people to pay for parking, not going after them for money you've not earned, and the hotel intervened to get them to back off.
As with any business sector, they get the a rep they generally deserve.
no additional info like arrival and departure times. The time given is probably the departure time
Huh?
in 2021, I received a similar PCN from a management company in Solihull. I appealed stating that I had paid and providing a screenshot of my payment in the parking app. It was timed five minutes after my entry to the car park as there was no signal in that car park so they initially rejected my appeal. I then provided a screenshot of my location and then a copy of my signal - evidence there was no connectivity. Eventually, they cancelled the charge, incorrectly stating ‘goodwill’.
On an earlier occasion, Parking Eye sent me several PCN’s via post in 2019, despite me paying for parking on a monthly basis with the hotel. I used to reply to them with scanned copies of my paid invoices for parking.
After receiving PCN’s for the same period I had already sent them a scanned copy of my paid invoice for in a previous appeal. I appealed again stating that I had provided them with that information already and the PCN reference it had been provided with. As part of my response, I requested a copy of all the personal information they held of me, and an explanation of the process they went through including diligence checks and my accusation of their incompetence. Parking Eye did not respond and just kept sending me reminders and kept doing so until 2023 . They have not sent me any since then - but I still retain hard and electronic copies of my invoices and hard copies of the PCN’s - just in case.
I also sent them a separate letter and email, informing them that I would be prepared to meet with them in court with all of my evidence - including charges for my time. Again they failed to respond. The charges for my time completely outweigh the charges made in their PCN’s.
I have no problem with the concept of paying for parking and would rather pay for a secure car park than park on the street. I do have a problem with PCN’s incorrectly issued.
Not disputing but when was this? They are regularly updating their best practices and the CoP now requires
About 2014 ish. They may update their codes of practice regularly but that doesn't mean they are not a bunch of chancing shysters who actually adhere to them.
I've had two experiences with parking companies, the one above, and my previous example where they point blank lied and said I was obliged to tell them who was driving the car. So please forgive me if I feel their codes of practice aren't worth the paper they are written on.
I don’t, but I am perhaps seeing this from a different angle on the basis of past experience which is why comments like yours annoy me.
As well as finding them reasonable when approached reasonably, I had a need to contract with a firm in a previous life. I’ve told this before but:
I managed a firm that had it’s own car park for employees just outside the town centre.
This was used by residents out of hours and at weekends. We had a good arrangement, as long as they vacated weekdays by 8am, etc.
Then some people started pushing the rules – so we’d have to go and ask people to move so we could park. If we couldn’t find them, I ended paying for parking on expenses for my staff to park in the town centre car parks.
Then they got pushed some more. It reached a head when i was threatened with violence for getting cross with someone when they’d pushed it one too many times. The police told me it was a civil matter on private property and recommended contracting a PPC, or putting barriers in (in which case everyone gets penalised for the actions of a few, when we lock the gate at 5pm and weekends) When I spoke to some of the PPCs, I was impressed by the rules and CoP they have to adhere to, hence why I am a bit more clued up on it.
If people didn’t push the boundary of fairness, paid for the facilities they use, follow basic rules, then we wouldn’t need PPC. People don’t, so we do.
So when someone clearly has not followed the rules (taken 40 mins to pay) and now got pinged for it, to have your response to tell the PPC to **** off over some imagined technicality (which I still don’t entirely believe, I’ve answered a few PCN threads before and commonly the OP often hasn’t been entirely truthful about the details) says more about your approach than mine, I think.
Dealing with them as a customer rather than the accused is most likely a different experience, they want to make money from ticketing people in your car park so they want to look and act like a professional company.
Every single one I've dealt with have come across more like debt collectors, as others have already said they use tactics to intimidate and bully people into paying charges they don't owe. You keep mentioning CoP, yes they all are supposed to adhere to these but in my own experience they treat these more as guidelines, picking and choosing which ones to ignore to suit themselves.
Not one single ticket we've received has been justified, or been paid by us. We don't park where were not supposed to, because it's a dick move, but we still received tickets parking and paying for those stays.
Just for the record, I don't pick up the phone and shout **** off down it the moment a ticket hits the mat, cup of tea and a biscuit first 😉
Wow, this appears to have blown up when I wasn’t looking….
To answer a couple of the specific questions:
The PCN only has a single time, and no additional info like arrival and departure times. The time given is probably the departure time and is within the start/end time on the ticket receipt.
There are no payment machines etc, however, as required, there is an alternative payment method. That method is to pay up to 24 hours later via their website. It was this that made me too relaxed about immediate payment, after all, if you can pay 24 hours later, surely 40 minutes isn’t a problem? This issue is that this retrospective payment isn’t available via the app, this limitation isn’t clear on the signage and of course, you can’t see it on the app until after it’s downloaded.
Not a chance in hell I'd be paying that.
They're crooks and the CoP isn't worth the paper it's written on. They deliberately hide behind poorly worded and incomplete information, as you seem to be finding out sadly.
The independent appeal process costs them money (or at least POPLA does) so they aren’t keen on that, I’ve had a couple back down at that point.
I’m not sure POPLA is all that effective given the Trust Pilot scores. Worth a read of the reviews if you fancy a game of compoface bingo.
We don’t park where were not supposed to, because it’s a dick move, but we still received tickets parking and paying for those stays.
Nor do I so when I got a ticket for the Cornwall beach example, I appealed giving the reasons and the evidence that they were wrong, and got a wholly satisfactory response.
Hi Jon,
Please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. The ANPR cameras did not capture your vehicle registration leaving from the 27th of October, it was matched with the nearest date, this being the 1st of November.
We can confirm that we have cancelled the PCN issued to vehicle registration XXXXX for the stay on 1st November 2024.
No payments are due for the most recent stay as I have created an exemption for your vehicle via our back-office system.
- but I must confess in my appeal at no point did I tell them to go **** themselves.
Errors happen. PPC is not in error for ticketing the OP - they breached T&C's by not paying in a timely manner. The PPC may technically be in error for the absolute information on the PCN not being complete.
but I must confess in my appeal at no point did I tell them to go **** themselves.
You should try it, it's cathartic 😀
It's used after the (failed) appeal, not before, that would be silly.
Judged in our favour when we used them, we've only used them the once but worked as it should when we did.
It’s used after the (failed) appeal, not before, that would be silly.
If you'd only said that yesterday instead of coming in all guns blazing, we could have saved all this discussion!
If you’d only said that yesterday instead of coming in all guns blazing, we could have saved all this discussion!
My advice was worth exactly what you paid for it 😀
OP is at that point now though, two options, pay it or tell them to do one.
My advice was worth exactly what you paid for it
I'd say it was worth less than that as was likely to antagonise the person dealing with it and less likely to 'be reasonable' as a result.
My advice remains
So seems to me that [that you have a ticket that covers the time the ticket was issued] is the basis of your appeal. Up to you whether you disclose that you didn’t pay until 40 mins after parking started. Disclosing is admitting breach; OTOH not disclosing might make them wonder why the computer has ticketed you, make them look into it and identify the breach – in which case would they consider you weren’t being completely honest with your appeal and make it less likely to uphold than if you told them the real story.
I’m not sure POPLA is all that effective given the Trust Pilot scores. Worth a read of the reviews if you fancy a game of compoface bingo.
Ohhh I would argue that they are effective, if you play by the rules and the CP operator makes stuff up as they go along POPLA can be quite helpful.
If anyone can buck the system it's Harry Tuttle!
There are definitely rogue companies out there that vary from incompetant to downright cowboys, there are also some that take their responsibilities seriously. Hospitals, big supermarkets, hotel chains can't afford to deal the real wallpapers,hit would damage their business. Nor do most of them bother with parking control unless it is needed, they always get bad press for doing it so they only do when it's needed.
It's interesting people complaining about being harassed for payment when they don't owe anything, the other side of this is the number of entitled people who tell the company to go ***** themselves who do owe money. Also you miss keying a registration does cost the company money however innocent your mistake, the DVLA makes a lot of money out of giving out keeper details and the postal companies don't send post for free, then the ti's time to process the PCN and deal with the appeal.
Landowners can also cause a lot of problems, what's the betting in the case above the hotel didn't actually share the fact the motorist had paid for monthly parking, how often do staff in a hotel or restaurant make sure you know you need to register?
The government (Torys) really missed an open goal to put some proper regulation place with the parking bill to get rid of a lot of the smaller dodgy companies and those that didn't have the infrastructure do things properly. Instead they tried the populist card of dropping the PCN rate. They couldn't even get that right after messing up their own consultation process which they could easily have rigged and then dropped it all when they were threatened with a judicial review they knew they'd lose. They blamed it on the nasty parking companies.
One final point, it is exactly like walking into a shop, you need to make sure you have the means to pay before walking off with the goods, there are still plenty of shops out there that don't take cards and and increasing number that don't take cash. I do agree the 5 minutes isnt realistically enough time to stop safely, read the fine print and leave if you don't like it. In reality most people just ignore the signage anyway and there should be a sign at the entrance of the car park showing you are entering land with parking controls which should be clear enough to see as you drive past.
Not really very relevant, did Tesco have a sign at the door saying pay before you pick up your goods, like Argos for example? A better example would be sneaking into Alton Towers and paying mid way through so you only pay the half day rate. I'm not saying I agree its good practice, there's plenty of car parks that are now pay on exit but so its easily doable, no is is forcing you to park in that particular car park in the same way no one forces you use a particular supermarket, don't like the rules go elsewhere.
Pay on exit does cause problems though as people realise they can't pay as they don't have the app, signal, cash card etc. and they've already had the parking, at least in a supermarket you can abandon the goods at the check out however embarrassing it is.
Time to put your big boy pants and and follow the rules, like 97% of other people manage to do and realise your not being singled out. Its only car parkibg, its not access to life saving drugs we're talkjng about.
Time to put your big boy pants and and follow the rules, like 97% of other people manage to do and realise your not being singled out. Its only car parkibg, its not access to life saving drugs we’re talkjng about.
Have you actually read the detail of what happened to the Op? The signage was obviously ambiguous at best re 24 hr payment..
A better example would be sneaking into Alton Towers and paying mid way through so you only pay the half day rate.
A better analogy for what the OP did would be to sneak into Alton Towers, go "oh shit, I forgot to pay" and paying midway through at full price.
Pay on exit does cause problems though as people realise they can’t pay as they don’t have the app, signal, cash card etc. and they’ve already had the parking,
If it's ANPR-controlled then they have a record of your visit. What difference does it make if a driver pays when they get home so long as they do pay?
I had this once at the DART crossing. There's no facility to pay at the time, there's a website you have to use. I had a couple of days in London, forgot all about it, realised once I'd got home and immediately paid it. Somewhere like a month later I got a fine for non-payment, something preposterous like £80 for a £2 toll. I pointed out that I'd paid it weeks ago and got a really snotty condescending reply basically saying that they'd let me off but I was a naughty boy and they wouldn't be so lenient if it happened again.
at least in a supermarket you can abandon the goods at the check out
In a supermarket I'd drop my shopping off at customer services and ask them to keep an eye on it whilst I nipped home to get my phone/wallet.
No-one is reading a paragraph of T&Cs at the entrance to a car park. If that's the expectation then it'd gridlock the street at peak times. It's not unreasonable to allow a motorist to stop somewhere safe, read the payment terms and then leave without charge if they don't like it or cannot pay it.
Time to put your big boy pants and and follow the rules, like 97% of other people manage to do and realise your not being singled out. Its only car parkibg, its not access to life saving drugs we’re talkjng about.
The crux of the ruling in Beavis vs Parking Arse was that a charge greater than absolute damages was permitted in order to act as a deterrent against non-payment. That being the case, there's nothing to deter in the OP's case here because they did pay.
No-one is reading a paragraph of T&Cs at the entrance to a car park. If that’s the expectation then it’d gridlock the street at peak times. It’s not unreasonable to allow a motorist to stop somewhere safe, read the payment terms and then leave without charge if they don’t like it or cannot pay it.
Which is exactly what the CoP says the car park has to allow, except in certain specific situations. Such as fast throughput or security type arrangements, and in that case the signs at the start of the parking area have to be even more clear and unambiguous.
FWIW - google maps of Brighton APCOA car park. Although you can't read it from the image, the logo'ed up bullet points tell you all you need to know to make an informed decision, it tells you the costs, it tells you the ways of paying.......and I'm pretty sure the Car and Clock icon (under the Disabled one) says "Charging starts after ?20,maybe? minutes"
https://www.google.com/maps/ @50.8315528,-0.1407415,3a,15y,210.44h,78.34t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_CmH3evQwOFDdDvg8VYYrw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D11.662223928875804%26panoid%3D_CmH3evQwOFDdDvg8VYYrw%26yaw%3D210.43916196466304!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDEwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
That being the case, there’s nothing to deter in the OP’s case here because they did pay.
40 mins after parking. It still might hold some sway if appealing, but is clearly in breach of the T&C.
to sneak into Alton Towers, go “oh shit, I forgot to pay” and paying midway through at full price.
Weirdly, it used to be the rule that if you went to alton Towers after midday, you could go back the following day for free.
Apply that to parking and you have a deal.
Prking co's are shysters. You should never pay them, it only encourages them. If you want to charge for parking, have a barrier. Or clamp miscreants.
The culture of camera enforced extortion should be outlawed; it doesn't always work and they never admit to being wrong.
and they never admit to being wrong
They know full well when they're wrong, it's intentional, knowing that most folk will fold and pay the fine anyway.
the logo’ed up bullet points tell you all you need to know to make an informed decision
Jesus H Corbett, who reads all that shit just to park a car for a couple of hours? The parking you've paid for will have expired by the time you've got to the bottom of it. It's like being presented with a 47-page EULA to install a printer driver.
I would put it to you that that signage is deliberately obtuse in order to entrap people.
To a normal, reasonable user that wants to know stuff like how to pay, how much to pay, how long can i stay for, where am I allowed to park if i have a disabled badge, etc..... You can get the information in seconds from the larger font, icon led bullet points. As others have intimated, it's paying for 2 hours parking, not a procurement contract for a space shuttle.
I put it to you; The only reason it's got all the small print about liability for damages, GDPR, CCTV, etc. etc. is because if it didn't barrack room lawyers would then use that as loopholes for getting out of paying for their tickets. "I'm not paying because I wasn't informed what your GDPR policy was". Like your EULA, you don't HAVE to read it, but it's there so you can if you want.
There could just be a QR code to let someone with a phone access the full T&C's if so desired, but you don't want that either because what if your phones out of battery. What do you actually want then? What does your solution look like?