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Hi, I hope you can give me some advice. I received a parking charge notice from NPE after parking overnight at the MJB Hotel in Dereham. I immediately called the hotel and explained that I had complied with their requirement to text through various details to them. I subsequently emailed the hotel with a screenshot from my phone showing that I had texted them details of my car Reg No and also my room number. Following their email response, I lodged an appeal with NPE which has been rejected.
I understand that the hotel needs to deter non customers from using their land. But I was a legitimate customer, sent them evidence of this and how I had tried to comply with their requirements to text info.
It is a peculiar triangular relationship between the customer, the hotel and NPE. In this case, the mistake appears to be by the hotel who sent me an email confirmation of my booking with instructions. According to this, I was to text the Car Reg No, the name of the hotel, the booking Ref No and the number of nights.
I texted my car Reg No and Hotel room number. I could not find the booking Ref No in the confirmation email. NPE have subsequently told me the Ref No is in the address line of the email. How was I supposed to know that 777749656-brwb.sgex.ncpu.swee@property.booking.com contains the booking Ref?
It is true that I did not fully comply with their email instructions... but I had no way of accessing this booking Ref, not knowing at the time it was in the address line of the email which I had printed out. I also did not know MJB had more than one hotel and assumed they knew which one I was staying at.
There is nothing in their email which states that customers must also print off and take with them the confirmation from booking.com which does include the booking Ref No.
As a legitimate customer of the hotel, you would expect they would have the good grace to cancel the parking charge. As they have not, I am tempted to appeal via POPLA. Do you think I have a chance?
Many thanks
Crinkg
I understand that the hotel needs to deter non customers from using their land. But I was a legitimate customer, sent them evidence of this and how I had tried to comply with their requirements to text info.
It is a peculiar triangular relationship between the customer, the hotel and NPE. In this case, the mistake appears to be by the hotel who sent me an email confirmation of my booking with instructions. According to this, I was to text the Car Reg No, the name of the hotel, the booking Ref No and the number of nights.
I texted my car Reg No and Hotel room number. I could not find the booking Ref No in the confirmation email. NPE have subsequently told me the Ref No is in the address line of the email. How was I supposed to know that 777749656-brwb.sgex.ncpu.swee@property.booking.com contains the booking Ref?
It is true that I did not fully comply with their email instructions... but I had no way of accessing this booking Ref, not knowing at the time it was in the address line of the email which I had printed out. I also did not know MJB had more than one hotel and assumed they knew which one I was staying at.
There is nothing in their email which states that customers must also print off and take with them the confirmation from booking.com which does include the booking Ref No.
As a legitimate customer of the hotel, you would expect they would have the good grace to cancel the parking charge. As they have not, I am tempted to appeal via POPLA. Do you think I have a chance?
Many thanks
Crinkg
