I have found this forum rather too late I fear.
On 1st Nov 2016 the driver parked at Haywards Heath station car park, managed by Park Indigo. The car park has been recently redeveloped. Prior to this redevelopment (and the last time the driver parked there) they had used Connect Cashless Parking (an orange coloured logo app) to pay. The day before the driver was due to travel, they checked on the Southern Rail site that this was still the correct app to use and updated credit card details.
Upon arrival at the car park on 1st Nov, the driver parked and entered the stairwell foyer. There were purple signs detailing an Indigo app, a phone number to ring and pay and a Southern rail ticket machine. The driver couldn't see anywhere that the Connect Cashless app could be used. To keep it simple they purchased a parking from the Southern machine, entering the car registration and asking for a receipt. The machine issued a rail card voucher which the driver took and caught their train. At no point did the driver see any pay & display signs and there is nothing on the issued ticket (receipt) to say that it must be placed in your vehicle.
When the driver returned to the car that afternoon there was a penalty notice. The driver appealed to Indigo that afternoon with a photo of the paid ticket. Indigo had declined the appeal by 4:30pm the next day on the grounds that the ticket was not displayed. The driver immediately appealed to POPLA.
It is still within the 14 day discount period, should the driver just pay up? Or as the driver can evidence that the parking tarif was paid (in line with Rail Byelaw 14) are POPLA likely to uphold the appeal? POPLA have all such appeals on hold at the moment so the case will run passed the 14 day discount period and rise to £100 which will be hard to find, particularly at this time of year.
Many thanks.