Excel Parking Sheffield: I faced down parking firm in court - if I can do it you can too

I went to court about a parking claim and I'm thrilled to say that I won!

For anyone going through a similar situation, don't worry - it's not as scary as you might think. This was my first time in court, at 22 years old, and if I can do it, you can too. 

My name is Alex Brozyna, of Swallownest, Sheffield, and I used a car park on Newcastle Avenue, Worksop, in September last year. 

It is run by Excel Parking based in Sheffield and a few days later they sent me a demand for £100, but it was very confusing.

It said it was due to: "Failure to purchase the parking tariff for the registration mark of the vehicle and/or within the time allowed."

So which was it? Failing to pay? Or failing to pay fast enough? 

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Signs at the car park give drivers five minutes to pay. But the letter from Excel says ‘the maximum period allowed at this site is 0 minutes’ which is impossible!

I paid for two hours and only stayed for 50 minutes. But unfortunately I threw away my ticket.

Despite this I was determined to fight the claim. I had a lot of help from a Facebook page called Excel Parking & Vehicle Control Services and in particular Lynda Eagan who has helped scores of people like me.

In correspondence Excel Parking said it had no record of my car in the system and I may have mis-typed the registration number. When I produced a bank statement they claimed I didn’t pay within the five minutes allowed.

Such inconsistencies raised doubts about the accuracy, validity, and legality of the information from the company. I followed all the procedures and prepared a witness statement for court. By the time a date came round Excel was claiming a total of £250 from me.

But the judge said the bank statement proved I had paid and it was unethical to pursue me for mis-typing my registration or anything else. The Excel representative tried to appeal but got instantly turned down by the judge.

Lynda Eagan said the ‘failure to pay and/or in the time allowed’ letters from Excel mean most victims didn’t have a clue what they are supposed to have done wrong.

She also said she hoped other people facing court are encouraged by my success. 

A representative for Excel Parking Services Ltd said: “We are currently considering our position following the Judge's decision and, as such, it is inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage.”