Imho it’s standard practice for firms in these situations to refuse the the first appeal pretty much across the board
Depends on the company, but totally not true for the more reputable ones, fair comment for the other end of the spectrum.
ask the landowner to cancel the fine, which they have the right to do
Not true, depends on the contract they’ve signed, some companies will cap the number of PCNs that can be cancelled by the landowner, others will expect the landowner to pay instead if they want the PCN cancelled.