MyParkingCharge

MyParkingCharge: a processing gateway for parking Charge Notices

MyParkingCharge is an online portal that sits between motorists and the organisations that issue parking Charge Notices. It is operated and provided by the Central Processing Office, a trading style of the Excel Parking Services Group, and its stated purpose is to handle the processing, management and collection of Charge Notices on behalf of car park operators and other clients.

The service is presented as an end-to-end channel covering appeals, representations and payments, with the aim of giving motorists clearer information and better communication when dealing with a charge.

Who the gateway serves

The portal is used by motorists who have received a notice from one of the clients behind the system, and by the organisations that instruct it. The site names three groups of clients: car park operators, private landowners and local authorities. For those clients, the gateway covers processing, appeal review and collection of Charge Notices.

What a motorist can do through the portal

After entering the serial number of the notice and the vehicle registration, a motorist can securely view the details and status of the recorded contravention. From there the system offers three routes:

• Pay the Charge Notice through the online payment system, which accepts major credit and debit cards.
• Appeal or challenge the contravention, which places the process on hold while the appeal is reviewed.
• Provide details of the person responsible for the charge.

The site states that full details of the available options, including timescales, are contained in the Charge Notice itself.

Appeal deadlines and channel restrictions

For notices received by post, an appeal must be registered within 28 days, counted from the day after the Date of Issue shown on the notice. Where the motorist wishes to keep the option of a discounted payment, the appeal must be registered within 14 days. The gateway states that late appeals and appeals by post are not accepted unless there are exceptional mitigating circumstances and at its discretion.

Appeals and challenges must be made online through the portal. The site is explicit that appeals or challenges cannot be discussed or accepted by telephone.

Payment line and stated objectives

Motorists who simply want to settle a charge can use the online payment button or an automated payment line that the site describes as available 24 hours. The company sets out three objectives behind its service: improving the quality of service to the motorist by explaining why a contravention was recorded so an informed decision can be made; applying a consistent approach in line with the appropriate Code of Practice of the relevant Accredited Trade Association; and what it calls bi-directional accountability, under which both the issuing operator and the motorist are answerable for their part in a contravention.

Corporate details

MyParkingCharge and the Central Processing Office are trading styles of the Excel Parking Services Group, registered in England & Wales. The registered address is 7 Europa View, Sheffield Business Park, Sheffield, S9 1XH.