When I scooped up the post from the doormat last month, I had a sixth sense of what one of the ­envelopes contained.

My inkling was based on past experience – and, sure enough, another private parking firm had issued an ­official-looking letter stating we had breached parking conditions and owed £70.

This one was from Parking Eye, the biggest of the bunch, claiming the car my wife ­Danielle and I drive – a Skoda Karoq – had parked at an Aldi store without the registration plate being entered on its machines.

These machines are located near the exit of the shop. After you’ve done your shopping you need to tap in the registration plate details, hit confirm and walk off, no payment required.

We use this store in Wickford, Essex, on average once a month and know to input the details. Unlike most other big ­supermarket stores that offer two or three hours of free parking without needing to input registration details, this one makes you go through the ­rigmarole every time – even though the car park is monitored by ANPR cameras that log your car’s plate.

Even the letter we received ­confirms the fact we’d parked for 38 minutes – well within the allotted 90 minutes.

On the date in question, we are almost certain we inputted our details on the Aldi machine. But the machine doesn’t spit out a receipt, and we never thought about taking ­photographic evidence having used it plenty of times before without a problem.

This is the sixth parking charge we have received in the past seven years for a variety of parking breaches we’ve been accused of, and I never go down ­without a fight.

I immediately went on to the appeal ­section of the Parking Eye website and didn’t reveal who was driving that day (I’ll explain why shortly).

I wrote a simple message along the lines of: we input the details, prove that we didn’t, please find attached our bank statement showing the Aldi shopping transaction.

Lo and behold, the charge was quashed shortly ­after. That means out of six parking charges that have landed on my doormat in recent years, all six have now been ­cancelled.

What worries me is people receive these official-looking ­documents, see a 14-day deadline to pay it if they want to receive a ‘half-price’ discount and then panic into paying without appeal.

Our recent Parking Eye one, for example, says you can pay £40 and the problem will suddenly go away. Fail to pay promptly and you will owe the full £70.

A record number of parking charges have been issued to ­drivers by parking companies in the past year. Note I say charges, not fines – only the police and ­councils can dish out fines enforced by law as they are authorities with legal powers.

However, you cannot simply ignore a private parking charge. Doing so can lead to civil court action. Most recent figures show a huge 15.9 million charges were handed out by private firms in the year to the end of September 2025, according to government data – up 17 per cent on the previous year.

In 2015 it was 3.6million, ­meaning a 342 per cent rise in this modern day blight.

Simon Williams, head of policy at RAC, says the increase shows ‘something must be going badly awry’ with the parking ­system, as motorists ‘try very hard’ to avoid falling foul of parking ­conditions.

Unfortunately, both the last ­government and the current one have kicked the can down the road when it comes to cracking down on the menace of private parking firms. Changes have been mooted since 2019, thanks in part to a ­campaign by Wealth & Personal Finance’s ­sister publication This Is ­Money, which received the backing of Rishi Sunak, before his ascent to Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the DVLA ­continues to sell our details for £2.50 a pop to private ­parking firms who ask for the ­registered keeper of the ­vehicle who they claim has breached the terms of contract at the car park they operate. You cannot opt out of your details being sold on. All of this means that you must fight back yourself.

Previous charges I’ve successfully cancelled include one from a BP garage, where my then ­pregnant wife had stopped due to ­morning sickness; and another at a car park in Clacton-on-Sea, where a private firm accused us of failing to pay. Luckily, we’d paid with cash and I’d kept the paper ticket.

Both of those involved a battle and having our initial appeal rejected. From there, I took the case to the next appeals process called POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals), which is independent, and ultimately won.

You have to appeal with the ­private parking firm before you use this service, where you input details of your case along with any evidence you have. Data suggests roughly two in five charges are cancelled by POPLA.

Even the ones where you have breached the conditions are worth fighting. My wife overstayed at a ­Waitrose car park in Billericay by 15 ­minutes (a long story involving our second child at newborn age being unwell). That one she was willing to suck up and pay the reduced fee of £40. But, I decided to plead her case through the appeals system and the person who picked it up showed ­sympathy and decided to let my wife off.

It turns out some staff at private parking firms do have a heart.

Below are my tips for appealing a charge – always appeal it, even if it seems like a lost cause.

Appeal straight away

You have to appeal within 14 days of the date on the letter – that way, if it’s unsuccessful, you’ll still be offered the discounted rate.

Also, check the date the letter was sent. If a private parking firm has sent it 14 days after the breach is said to have happened, you can appeal, stating that it’s invalid as it’s not been sent within 14 days ­citing the Protection of Freedoms Act.

I’ve managed to appeal once ­successfully using this method, although that was a few years ago and many of the private ­parking firms are now well-oiled ­money-making machines, ­pumping out thousands of these letters daily – and often within days of a ‘breach’ occurring.

Keep the evidence

If I pay for parking with cash, I now keep hold of the paper ­parking ticket in the glovebox for a few weeks. That way, if the ANPR ­cameras have made a mistake, you have the proof to back it up.

Keep receipts for retailers and check your banking app to show spending. For our recent Aldi parking charge, we supplied a screenshot of the £50 shop from our banking app.

Take it to POPLA

If the initial challenge fails, use the independent POPLA service. I’ve used it twice and found it easy to navigate. Similar rules apply – supply as much evidence as ­possible. Ten minutes of work might save you £50 or £100.

Don’t reveal the driver

The appeals process will ask you if the registered keeper was ­driving, or someone else. Reveal nothing. Private parking firms must follow strict rules to hold the keeper liable – if they fail, it’s harder for them to pursue you. I have never revealed who was behind the wheel for any of the ‘breaches’ for this reason.

Get the store involved

If the car park is for a retailer, restaurant or pub, and you have failed with your challenge, try contacting the branch manager and head office.

State your case, how you’re a regular and that a charge is unfair. This method worked for us once – Danielle received a charge after parking in a cafe car park in Brentwood. She called the cafe manager, who sorted the ­cancellation. It’s worth trying.

Vote with your wheels

If all of the above doesn’t work, your best bet is to swallow the parking charge at a reduced rate and vow never to return. It might sound petty, but there are plenty of other businesses vying for our hard-earned cash. But above all, never ignore that envelope that lands on the mat – even when your sixth sense kicks in.