An East Midlands holidaymaker says he feels "scammed" by a car park operator in Cornwall after receiving a fine of £100. Paul Spooner and wife Christine had travelled to Sennen Cove in West Cornwall for a family reunion in April.
Mr Spooner, 49, parked the family car in the village's beach car park at 2.11pm on April 7 for 24 hours. But the machine, which took his car registration details, did not issue a ticket.
Given that other cars were also without tickets, Paul thought he would be safe in continuing to use the car park. But he eventually received the fine of £100 and when he tried to call car parking operator Armtrac Security to appeal the fine, he couldn't get through for two days, Cornwall Live reports.
He also emailed them armed with evidence of his payment and did not receive any reply until 21 days had passed and Armtrac told him his appeal had not been made within the 21-day period. Mr Spooner, who lives in Lincolnshire, said: "They wouldn't even accept my proof of payment.
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"They were rude on the phone and put the phone down on me twice. When I managed to get hold of them again, it was the same woman I had had before and she even denied ever speaking to me. I think the way these people operate is scandalous. It feels like a total scam."
The email address used by Armtrac did not correspond to the one on their website and the headed paper letter Mr Spooner received about his appeal being turned down had bits of information and further details covered with corrector fluid. The letter also contained information about a link car park users should use, which led nowhere and didn't work.
Armtrac are part of the International Parking Community (IPC) but are not members of the British Parking Association, which means motorists cannot take the matter to POPLA if the company rejects an appeal. POPLA is an independent appeals service for Parking Charge Notices issued on private land.
Paul said: "It very much feels like the appeal system is design to make you pay £100 and not appeal. I don't know what they expected me to do. Pay again at another machine in the hope it would issue a ticket.
"I've come to Cornwall many times. But it's the last time we'll ever visit Sennen Cove. I think the shops in the village need to realise that the way the car park operates will impact their trade negatively if people don't come any more."
Cornwall Live asked Armtrac Security for a comment about Mr Spooner's case, but the company did not reply in time for publication.
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