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How can I be given a PCN when I'd already paid to park my car?

I ate dinner at the Swan Hotel, Bedford on 19 December 2011. I arrived in darkness and left in darkness. The hotel charged me a £5 fee for the service of car parking (I have the invoice), thus a contract for parking existed between us. On 30th December 2011, I received a Parking Charge Notice from Parking Eye demanding £90 for an unpaid bill for car parking on the same day. This may be a genuine mistake, or it may be an example of the well-known scam of trying to extort unwarranted charges from innocent car parkers, in which case we shall need to resolve this in the Small Claims Court.

Asked on 4 July 2012 by GO, via email

Answered by Honest John
Update: I suggested that GO register his complaint with the British Parking Association at www.britishparking.co.uk/AOS-Enquiries, which he did, and the wholly unjustified Parking Charge Notice was withdrawn.
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