British Parking Association Reviews 

In my opinion complete and utter waste of time.

Their rules favour the private car park operators.

Contacted them about UK PARKING CONTROL demanding £100 from me for a ticket I had bought and displayed properly.

UK PARKING CONTROL continue to state the PCN was issued legitimately. However they cancelled it without explanation!!!

BPA don't recognize this a service failure by UK PARKING CONTROL and continue to say that as the ticket was cancelled Without explanation they can do nothing.

As UK PARKING CONTROL site would not allow me to upload photos.

I had to spend time and money to get photos ANd Two royal mail tracked letters.

Both received and signed for at UK PARKING CONTROL reception.

As such one star

British parking control replied that it was up to UK PARKING CONTROL to remedy this situation.

As I repeat. British parking control. Complete waste of time and effort

thieves !!!

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you regarding the relationship between Parking Group Ltd, yourself, and the British Parking Association (BPA).

Parking Group was founded by me in 2020, following 15 years of experience managing various parking operators within the industry. At the inception of Parking Group, I had limited knowledge of the legal requirements that parking operators must adhere to, as my previous roles were primarily sales-focused. However, as an approved operator and member of the BPA from day one, I have received outstanding support, advice, and guidance from the BPA team. Whether it was a minor query or a more significant concern, the team have always been just an email or phone call away. My objective has always been to ensure that Parking Group exceeds the required standards, and with the invaluable support from the BPA, we are achieving this goal.

Each year, like every operator, we undergo an annual audit. This process is vital not only for maintaining our high standards but also for ensuring compliance with the code of practice. The audit provides reassurance to both motorists and landlords, knowing that our operations are fully compliant. Whenever we have uncertainties regarding any aspect of the code, the BPA team is always ready to assist, and we also have access to a comprehensive online BPA library and portal, which is exceptionally user-friendly.

The introduction of the new single parking code has brought about many positive changes in the parking sector. For many operators, including ourselves, this meant updating our knowledge of the new code and implementing training for our staff. We have greatly relied on the guidance and support from yourself and the BPA to meet the deadline and to continue operating within the new framework. Notably, we successfully passed our audit in November 2024, just one month after the new code was implemented. This achievement reflects the commitment of the BPA team in ensuring that their members remain fully compliant.

I would like to express my gratitude for the dedication shown by the staff at the BPA. Without their hard work and commitment, the private parking sector would not be where it is today. The team consistently demonstrates fairness towards both operators and motorists, ensuring that we all conduct our operations with professionalism and integrity.

Thank you once again for your continued support.

Having been on the receiving end of two previous fraudulent demands for payment from BPA members, one of which I had to report to Action Fraud, I have just received two further attempted PCN scams from a third BPA member, 'Civil Enforcement'. This time the predatory outfit waited until *over 5 months* had passed before sending two separate claims for two concocted 'offences', obviously with the intention of increasing the chances that I had not retained evidence of payment. I refused to be bullied or threatened by either of the previous scam companies, and the shysters both eventually backed down, so I certainly do not intend to capitulate to the criminals now. Time to clean up your act BPA—you are a disgrace. I have never paid a parking fine because none of them have had any validity, and I now avoid any property bearing the BPA logo as I know that it signifies a lack of ethics, a devotion to devious practice and a good chance of falling victim to another money-gouging ploy. This poses the question: how much of your members' income is honestly generated and how much is produced by this sort of brazen racketeering? And there is no need to post your stock reply, because, no, I will obviously not be wasting my time on "our complaince portal" because, as you well know, that is a pointless exercise, since you do not bite the grubby hands that feed you. If you really wanted to rid your association of the numerous "bad apples" that riddle your ignominious membership you would engage with those who have suffered as the intended victims of your callous mercenary members.
EDIT 23 Jan 2025 1900 (in reply to your predicted stock copy-paste response): From my previous complaints you already have full details with photographs of my two previous experiences with the scamming operations who are BPA members, and who you have chosen not to investigate over the several years since their attempts to unlawfully rip me off through bogus Parking Charge Notices, notwithstanding the involvement of Action Fraud UK. I have just sent you details of the third company. Why waste my time when you clearly have no intention of doing anything at all? Because you cream off membership dues and it is therefore not in your interest to police your membership and take action against the crooks? Indeed, some of the most egregious offenders sit on your board. Correct? Clean up your act! Since you have my contact information, I await your call—but since you could not be bothered to follow up the previous breaches, even after repeated reminders, I won't hold my breath.
EDIT 27 JAN 2025 2100. After the stock BPA response below I resubmitted my contact details and was contacted by [NAME REDACTED], Compliance Officer, with the usual vacuous BPA guff about "continually striving to raise standards within the Private Parking Sector" while lamenting that BPA is powerless to enforce its own policies until "our members internal complaints policy has been exhausted" (which is already the case). So until BPA is disbanded or comes under rigorous independent regulation we can expect to see the same levels of corruption and fraud in the parking industry that this egregious outfit has long fostered. The Compliance Officer's response echoes the same disinclination to address the rapacious greed of its predatory members shown by one of her more brazen colleagues who took a thorough drubbing at the hands of an interviewer on a recent BBC R4 consumer programme for trotting out similar disingenuous gaslighting nonsense.

How can this organisation exist? I paid for parking at Euro Parks but the Pay By Phone app took my previous cars reg plate (my mistake) - Euro Parks utterly useless and scammers - send money chasing letters via post and appeal rejections via junk email folder, so you end up not being able to appeal via POPLA and BPA are just hopeless. I raised a BPA complaint on 19 November, not heard anything and now had to start paying debt collectors (2nd Jan) for a bloody parking ticket I HAVE PAID FOR!! Just checked BPA and it says complaint closed - with no correspondence and can't speak to a human. Let's all just take the abuse and bullying from the parking companies like Euro Parks and pay what they want whilst BPA sit and watch it happen. I am beyond shocked at this. Would NEVER happen in any other regulated industry. £170 down for clicking an old reg plate with nowhere to go.

Same as all their members this body is unfit for purpose and scammers as well . Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 01444 447300 or in person to any of the BPA's staff at the above. This is wrong information and recorded message.

I received a penalty notice for parking incorrectly in the bay when I actually didn’t, plus the yellow lines have faded and the amount of rubbish in the bays dried up leaves 🍂 everywhere so you can’t even see the lines properly, I think it’s absolutely disgusting how they think they can fine you , maybe they should hire some cleaners so the bays are visible to customers instead of their staff getting commission on every ticket they issue, just so wrong ripping people off to make money, you can see clearly I was with in the bay

Just come from holiday and I was parked the car near the airport wich is was costing me 181£ for 3 weeks buy surprise the exit is was where the drop off road and there is was the only exit them M0r.1-? is was charging me with a lovely ticket like a DROP-OFF Ticket wich only I come out from the parking area wich I paid so useless people and greedy f-/2@er

I received a letter from Parkingeye who advised I had parked in a staff car park at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead. They said I was to pay £70 - if I paid immediately it would be £42 or I could appeal and they gave details for POPLA. I appealed as I am adamant as are the two passengers in the car that I did not park in the staff car park. The photograph
sent was off my vehicle approaching the zebra crossing. I askes three times for a photo of the car in a staff car park - not surprising they did not send a photo. My appeal was not upheld with the warning pay now £42 or get charged £70. I wrote back that I had no other option but to pay but was doing so under duress not guilt. I contacted the British Parking Association via email - wrote twice without acknowledgment. I looked on Trust Pilot to see that all these companies are linked!!!! they all work together so the motorist does not stand a chance. All have multiple comments on Trust Pilot all one star - because there is no zero!! This is criminal but they are getting away with it - country wide - who will act? is this reportable to the police as it is a scam on a mammoth scale it has to be stopped. I have written to all concerned including the Facilities Manager of the Hospital it seems all these companies are getting a cut from monies off innocent motorists.

RESPONSE TO YOUR REPLY
As expected total rubbish - if you are not connected why do you not offer help to all motorists who have been scammed - why can’t you get this bogus lot to send me a photograph of a parked car not one in motion Have you read the reviews? I Would be ashamed to work for such an unhelpful disgusting organisation. I emailed 3 times to Alison T whoever she is but no replies - you only reply on here for shame sake.

Please provide a proper reply - if you are not linked to these cowboys why are you not doing something about their threatening behaviour - go read all the reviews then get back to me to advise what you are going to do or tell me what is the point of your organisation

UPDATE TO YOUR RESPONSE
How can you say in one sentence you are not connected then add “they are members”. Why Would you continue to have members like this if not for financial gain? There is no appeal process as such - even a disabled man lost his appeal until the press and the Facilities manager stepped in. I Would be interested to know what the remit of the BPA is - is it to assist the motorist or Parkingeye/POPLA? Please advise. It is up to the organisation who issued the fine to prove to the motorist that they have parked illegally - it is NOT up to the motorist to price they have not - this statement was made following a court case where Parkingeye lost their case.

I have filled in an on line form to advise the police and will also be writing to the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police. It is no longer about the money they extorted out of my pocket it is the principle - especially in a hospital setting - you should all hang your heads in shame.

I hope you have taken the time to read the reviews on Trust Pilot - disgraceful aren’t they

The BPA is funded by private car parking companies like Parkingeye and over 200 others.

Anyone can set up an 'association', and the BPA is self governing, with no links or accountability to the British Government or any other ruling bodies.

The parking companies essentially pay into this scheme to have appeals found in their favour - even when the evidence contradicts.

Protection money, some might say. At the very least, a massive conflict of interest.

I wish I could give 0 stars. I paid for my parking and still received a letter. They did not allow me appeal this, disregarding the fact I could provide proof of the ticket. This should be illegal.

Just like the greedy parking companies these guys are just as crooked as they are.

There needs to a government review into them

UKPA belong to the BPA and are akin to Highwaymen, robbing the innocent travellers. Now when poor individuals get fined, they don't see the pattern but I have colleagues who work on a regular basis in Tesco Yate.. parking "managed" by UKPA/BPA. These colleagues park legitimately, follow the process and still get fined. The process is... you sign into store and the parking wardens should check your number plate in the book, which proves you are exempt. Well folks... they don't.. they issue tickets in a systematic, dishonest way... and treat the public like a cash machine... relying on an obscure and challenging appeals process. It's about time the govt regulated these private parking companies and FINED THEM out of existence. UPDATE: thanks for the pointless reply. We did complain and got reimbursed and yet your people on the ground are still doing it. Shame on you

I had an issue with both POPLA and Euro car parks, I assert that the signage did not comply with the regulations. I made a complaint to the BPA and got a derisory response to my complaint based on things I never even complained about. Then the things I did complain about they just said our member is not in breach but without offering any reason why? They could have stated something like “the signs comply with point …. of our code of practice” but no nothing a zero explanation of why they comply but most likely they do not but they wouldn’t want people to know that would they.
It is my experience that all of these self regulating trade associations have no interest in finding fault in their members who ultimately pay their wages. I found their website image of their staff stood on a balcony like they were having a party, maybe on the poor members of public that get fleeced by their members. The best thing is to complain to the department of transport and when your new MP comes in get them to get rid of all of these self regulating bodies who have no interest in serving the public. The government is letting down the tax payer by approving these schemes. I wonder if the BPA’s members of staff would be satisfied with such a poor response to any complaint if they had they had to make one.
I found that another self regulating company that started another company with the same directors on the board. The new INDEPENDENT company then checked the work of the other companies’s members to check their member’s work and always found in their favour. It maybe legal but totally immoral and there was no real independence they were all just boiling in the same pot.

Update 2/7/24 I did advise the BPA that their response to my complaint was insufficient. They eventually responded stating that they could not investigate my complaint until I have first complained to Euro car parks? How can that be? BPA had already stated that they had concluded the investigation into my complaint and found their member not to be at fault? So I guess they never even carried out an investigation into my complaint but just appear to be trying to send me packing with what can only be seen to be a false statement? I did open a complaint with Euro car parks as per the BPA’s instructions and they basically stated that I should have paid whilst it was cheaper and on your way? No investigation just an abusive response. I then went back to BPA stating I had done what they asked and have not heard anything since? Oh well at least if it goes to court the judge can decide what to make of these companies reputation should they decide to try to offer evidence of due process rather than in my opinion forceful tactics with no redress.

I don’t pay scammers, nice try though!

I wish they would use softer paper, a bit rough on you know what.

Thug company enablers I paid my parking charge and then got hassled and threatened to death by thug company and this scumbag company who supposed to regulate them just support them

Are they working at all? Looks like just name of the organisation exists and noone answers to queries and noone controls parking rules, hence some councils are just playing their dirty games.

The most useless organisation. I am saddened by the state if this country at the moment. Things can't continue like this.

A complete waste of time complaining to this organisation, parking companies pay to be members so the association is biased as they get paid by by the members. Even if you have a good complaint and evidence of breaches of code of conduct and their guidance they seldom remove the big boys as it is them that are causing the most significant problems with breaking codes of practice in collection of private parking charges. In fact some of the big boys also are regularly breaching civil procedure Pre action protocol by harassing people for a debt that may not exist and a person may have a completely legal defence.
BPA should take a look at the reviews on trustpilot for these big boys and their own association as I can’t see that 99% of the general public are wrong in their opinions
I can’t answer for council enforcement officers but making a complaint to BPA is a very difficult process particularly for the disabled, and you have to set out the exact terms of your complaint and what precise area their code of practice or guidance their member has breached within their code of practice.
The day that you can escalate a complaint above this self governing useless organisation to make a decision if their members are fit and proper to be registered or be a member that gives them the ability to obtain details from DVLA will be the day I leap for joy
Useless association self regulating and biased.