URGENT 28 days from invoice - McDonalds Maresfield - MET Parking Services

[SamedayCourier]

In this case I am neither the driver nor the keeper.

A Parking Charge Invoice was sent, dated 15th September in relation to a photographed stop of 60 seconds at McDonalds Maresfield. These are new cameras. The vehicle stopped briefly before the drive in, whilst their order was sorted out on the App. The driver did not wish to block the drive through whilst they prepared their order. They were not aware of the new cameras.

After the invoice was received, I went to McDonalds on the keepers behalf on Saturday 26th September and discussed it with an assistant manager in store. She agreed that no payment was due and stated that she would get it cancelled. She said that she would email the parking company and myself.

I received no email so returned to the McDonalds on Saturday 3rd October and spoke with the same assistant manager. She told me that she had not emailed me because she had still not heard from the parking company. I asked her to email me anyway to say what was being done.

I still received no email, so returned to the McDonalds on Saturday 10th October. The same assistant manager told me that she still hadn't received a response from the parking company and that she would chase it up. No real response was given for why she hadn't emailed me as she said she would. I insisted that an email was sent same day to me, which she agreed to because the deadline for dealing with this was rapidly approaching (the following Tuesday).

Still no email received, so I returned on Sunday 11th October. The same Assistant Manager was on site. This time she "promised" me that she would send me an email the same day.

Again no email was received!!

Tomorrow marks 28 days from when the invoice was issued (15th September). I have nothing in writing from McDonalds saying this is being dealt with and the invoice should not be paid. Any advice on what I should do from here? Should I make a placeholder appeal, stating that McDonalds have advised the charge is being cancelled?

I attach the front and reverse of the invoice.
I also attach 3 of the 5 photos from online. (including the earliest timestamp and the latest timestamp - exactly 60 seconds). The red redactions are mine - the black redactions are as supplied.

[b789]

@SamedayCourier, there is a saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result each time. 

You have now visited McDonald's four times, spoken to the same assistant manager and received the same assurances that she would contact MET and email you. Four visits later, you have absolutely nothing in writing.

It should be obvious by now that, whatever her intentions, she is not delivering on those promises. You should have recorded her assurances on video or, at the very least, obtained written confirmation while you were there. Repeatedly returning and accepting another verbal promise is achieving nothing.

Secondly, I would like to see photographs of the actual signs, particularly the wording of the alleged contractual terms.

MET alleges "No Parking at anytime". How exactly is anyone supposed to visit and dine at this McDonald's if parking is prohibited? Unless this is exclusively a drive-through restaurant, there is an obvious distinction between a restriction on parking on an access road and any restriction applicable to the restaurant's customer parking spaces.

We need to establish precisely what the signs prohibit, where those restrictions apply and whether they are capable of forming any contractual agreement in the first place.

Regarding the appeal deadline, you still have time.

The Notice was issued on Tuesday 15 September 2026. Allowing two working days for postal delivery, the presumed date of receipt is Thursday 17 September. That makes Thursday 15 October 2026 the earliest relevant 28-day deadline calculated from receipt.

Section 8.1.2(e) of the Private Parking Single Code of Practice (PPSCoP) expressly refers to appealing within 28 days of receiving the parking charge. MET's Notice instead refers to 28 days from the date of issue.

I would submit the keeper's appeal no later than 15 October, preferably before then, retaining evidence of submission.

As for MET, I have absolutely no respect for this former clamping outfit or its business practices. Its business model depends upon extracting money from motorists through demands dressed up as contractual parking charges. I regard its conduct in pursuing £100 over a photographed stop lasting just 60 seconds as particularly contemptible.

I fully expect MET to reject the initial appeal. There is little financial incentive for it to do otherwise. Consequently, I would not waste time constructing a comprehensive legal argument at this stage. Save the detailed arguments concerning PoFA, signage, the consideration period and the alleged contract for POPLA.

For now, the registered keeper should submit the following brief appeal:

Initial appeal to MET Parking Services

I appeal this Parking Charge Notice as the registered keeper of the vehicle. The driver is not identified.

MET's own photographic evidence shows the vehicle stationary for just 60 seconds. This does not establish that any enforceable parking contract was formed or that any applicable consideration period had expired.

Furthermore, the Notice to Keeper fails to comply with the requirements of Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Accordingly, MET has no right to transfer liability from the unidentified driver to the registered keeper.

McDonald's management has also confirmed that this charge should be cancelled and has undertaken to contact MET accordingly.

Please cancel the charge or issue a POPLA verification code.

Submit that as the registered keeper, not as the driver. There is no legal obligation to identify the driver to MET.

If MET rejects it, as I fully expect, we can address the substantive defects in its case through POPLA. In the meantime, please obtain clear photographs of the entrance signs and the signs applicable to the precise location where the vehicle stopped. Those will be important.

[SamedayCourier]

Yes, I felt a bit stupid to be trusting that I would be emailed!

I went in again this morning on my way to work. For the first time the assistant manager wasn't there, however there was a manager there who had been around during my previous visit. I was a bit more determined this time to stay there until I had something. The manager agreed to email the parking firm again and gave me a printout of the email sent. It simply says: "Please may we have confirmation that parking charge AB00000000 has been cancelled as requested" which was enough for me this morning.

I ended up down in Cornwall tonight, so cant get further photos at the moment. However to explain the layout - it is a standard Mcdonalds. Dine in or drive through. Shared with a shell garage. As you enter the mcdonalds, you bear right for the drive through, or left for the car park. Short of the drive through, theres plenty of space to stop short without causing an obstruction. Indeed lorries frequently stop short there as they are too big to go into the car park. There are multiple signs up at this stopping point. I confess Ive never read them. My presumption is that they are different to the signs in the car park.

So I have just gone to the appeals website to send the appeal you have drafted, and I am getting this error "Sorry, we cannot find this ticket - please check the details you have provided are correct".I have verified the details and they are definitely correct. I assume (but have no other indication of this) that the invoice has been cancelled!

[b789]

@SamedayCourier, well, at least you have finally managed to obtain something in writing from McDonald's!

The fact that MET's appeals portal no longer recognises the PCN reference is encouraging. It is quite possible that the charge has already been cancelled following McDonald's intervention. However, until you receive written confirmation, we must proceed on the assumption that it remains outstanding.

You now have documentary evidence that McDonald's requested cancellation, which is useful. Do not waste any more time visiting McDonald's.

As MET's online appeals portal is refusing to recognise the PCN, I suggest submitting a formal complaint incorporating the Keeper's appeal directly by email.

Importantly, section 11.2 of the Private Parking Single Code of Practice (PPSCoP) expressly states:

"Where a parking operator receives a complaint that it considers to be or include an appeal against the validity of a parking charge, the parking operator must also treat it as an appeal for the purposes of applying the timescales in Clause 8.4, and should inform the complainant as such unless and until it is clear that the complaint is not relevant to an appeal or the complainant informs the parking operator that they do not wish it to be so handled."

MET therefore cannot simply disregard a complaint containing an appeal because it was not submitted through its online portal.

Send the following email:

To: complaints@metparking.com

Cc: customer.services@metparking.com

Subject: Formal Complaint and Keeper Appeal – PCN [reference]

I am the registered keeper of the vehicle and I challenge this Parking Charge Notice. The driver is not identified.

I have attempted to submit an appeal through your online appeals portal. However, despite entering the correct PCN reference and vehicle registration, your system displays the following error:

"Sorry, we cannot find this ticket - please check the details you have provided are correct".

McDonald's management has already requested cancellation of this charge and has provided written evidence of its request. If the PCN has been cancelled, please confirm this in writing. Otherwise, this correspondence constitutes both a formal complaint and an appeal against the validity of the parking charge.

MET's own photographic evidence shows the vehicle stationary for just 60 seconds. There is no evidence that an enforceable parking contract was formed or that any applicable consideration period had expired.

Furthermore, the Notice to Keeper fails to comply with Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, including paragraph 9(2)(a), which requires the period of parking to be specified. MET therefore has no right to transfer liability from the unidentified driver to the registered keeper.

Under section 11.2 of the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice, a complaint that includes an appeal against the validity of a parking charge must also be treated as an appeal for the purposes of clause 8.4.

Accordingly, you are required to process this correspondence as an appeal, irrespective of the failure of your online appeals portal.

Please confirm cancellation of the charge or issue a formal rejection accompanied by a POPLA verification code.

Attach the screenshot showing the error on MET's appeals portal and the copy of the email supplied by McDonald's. Send this today and retain the sent email as evidence of submission.

There is no need to provide MET with a comprehensive appeal at this stage. I fully expect them to reject it if the charge has not already been cancelled. We can deal with their defective NtK, the consideration period, the signage and the alleged contractual terms in considerably greater detail at POPLA.

Finally, when you are next at McDonald's, please obtain clear photographs of the signs around the location where the vehicle stopped. I'm particularly interested in the precise wording of the alleged prohibition. MET claims "No Parking at anytime", yet this is a McDonald's restaurant with a customer car park and drive-through. The distinction between parking, briefly stopping and entering into a parking contract may prove important.

For now, get that email submitted. There is absolutely no reason to pay MET anything.

[SamedayCourier]

Thank you. Appeal has been sent.

I shall get photographs of the signs next time I am near home.

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This automated response has been received:

Thank you for your correspondence, we will aim to respond to you within 28 days. Please ensure that complaints@metparking.com has been added to your safe senders list, and that you check all junk or spam folders regularly to ensure correspondence is not lost or missed. 

Please note this department cannot handle appeals against the issue or payment of a parking charge and any correspondence received by this department may not be treated as an appeal and will not prevent a parking charge progressing. 

If you wish to appeal against the issue or payment of a parking charge you should click on the following link and go to the online appeals portal at www.appealmetparking.com where you can submit your appeal and any supporting information. Failure to submit an appeal promptly could lead to the loss of the early settlement discount or to the formal appeals process being closed. 

Complaints Team 

MET Parking Services Ltd 

PO Box 64168, London, WC1A 9BE 

E complaints@metparking.com 

W www.metparking.com