A Wales driver paid a parking fine but had difficulty with his credit due to Parking Eye’s error resulting in a CCJ.
Ashley Pavett parked at a Costa Coffee in Pontyclun where he overstayed the 90-minute limit by ten minutes. He got a £60 fine on April 16, 2024 and quickly paid it on April 30. He thought the issue was over.
In October, his old landlord sent him a letter with a new fine from Parking Eye, who manages the car park. The letter misspelled Pontyclun and it also included a county court judgement (CCJ). A CCJ happens when someone owes money and the lender sues but gets no answer.
In Ashley’s case, he didn’t actually owe money. This CCJ damaged his credit score and impacted his ability to borrow money. Ashley faced many problems because of the CCJ, which was for £192, and he wasn’t sure why he owed that much.
He paid the £192 to resolve it quickly, and then he contacted them to understand the error. Parking Eye could not find his original payment record and thought he did not pay the first fine. Parking Eye sent more fines to his old address, and because he never saw these, they issued a CCJ. WalesOnline saw proof he paid in April.
Ashley finally got a full refund and thinks he also deserves compensation. He said the issues went beyond just the money and he couldn’t secure a rental property because of it, plus he had to explain the problem to his employer. His Experian score dropped significantly because of the parking fine, even though he had paid the original correctly. He felt like he did nothing wrong at all.
He asked the British Parking Association for help who spoke with Parking Eye. In January, Parking Eye found his April 30 payment and said the CCJ would be removed. They refunded both the £192 and the fine.
Ashley received the £192 refund this week and called it a very difficult experience. He feels the situation caused major chaos and deserves more than just the refund. He paid the original charge correctly, and their error caused the whole problem. He said the damage goes beyond the financial cost and he faced a lot of stress.
A Parking Eye spokesperson spoke about it adding that they can’t find his payment. They manage the Costa Coffee car park where signs explain parking rules and customers get 90 minutes maximum. The spokesperson said he parked for one hour and 40 minutes; however, they have no record of his payment. They handle many payments and have solid ways to track payments. Notices went to his registered address.