Driver beats Sheffield firm Excel Parking in 16-month battle over £2 charge
A young driver is celebrating victory over a Sheffield parking company after it threatened him with court for not paying £2 fast enough.
Excel Parking, based in Sheffield, said Sam Liddle took more than 10 minutes to pay at Belmont car park in Durham and issued a demand for £100 for breaking the rules.
But he stood his ground.
The car park in question has one tariff - £2 for all day - and he could see no reason why motorists had to pay in a hurry, since overstaying wasn’t an issue.
And besides, he had tried to pay, but struggled with the Connect Cashless payment app, he explained.
The app said “location not found” despite him having used the site previously, he added.
He said he continued to try over the next hour-and-a-half, while playing a game of padel with friends.
But it was only when he returned and scanned a QR code on a signboard that he was able to make the £2 payment.
That was in September 2024, and over the next 16 months Excel rejected his appeal and sent warnings of debt collectors and legal consequences, while claims for costs rose to £263.
But Sam dug in, and as a court date loomed, Excel partner DCB Legal offered to settle for £185 and then £60, Sam said.
Then, the day before its witness statement was due at court, Excel discontinued the case.
Sam said: “I think it's an absolute disgrace for them to proceed with this for so long only to discontinue the case on the day before they're required to send their witness statement.
“To anyone reading who is currently in a dispute, make sure you stick with the process and follow it through until the end.
“Don't give in to their scare tactics.”
The case has an interesting twist because the ‘10-minute rule’ was banned by the private parking industry in February last year, following an outcry from MPs.
This was just three months after Sam’s incident. But the firm pursued him for another 12 months before finally caving in.
The 10-minute rule was earning Excel Parking up to £500-an-hour at the Broomhill Rooftop car park in Sheffield.
We asked Excel why it had a 10-minute rule at the one-tariff, all-day car park and why it continued the case for a year after the ban.
A spokesperson said they regarded 10 minutes as a reasonable time to pay. And they had dropped the case after the ban.
“The signage at the Belmont Car Park clearly states that the parking tariff should be purchased ‘within 10 minutes’ from entry. In context of the size of the car park, we regard 10 minutes as a reasonable period of time to comply with the terms and conditions,” the firm added.
“Whilst Mr Liddle claims that he had signal issues when attempting to pay via a third party application, namely Connect Cashless, we do not consider this to be sufficient mitigation.
“We would have expected Mr Liddle to use, either the pay meter, which accepted both cash and card payments and was in good working order during his visit, or paid by calling Connect Cashless and paying over the phone.
“Furthermore, Mr Liddle did not attempt to contact our advertised helpline number on the day to explain his difficulties or seek guidance.
“For these reasons, Mr Liddle’s internal appeal and further appeal to the Independent Appeals Service were unsuccessful.
“Following a change in the industry Code of Practice, which was after the charge was issued, we chose not to pursue the case.”
Excel enjoyed record turnover last year and made £5.5m profit.
Sam had help from the Excel Parking & Vehicle Control Services Facebook group and expert Lynda Eagan.
Lynda said: “I just can’t express my disgust with Excel’s inhumanity. Chasing people to court for something they know was wrong all along and how they have left all of these people with this worry of having to go to court hanging over their heads for so long.”