Complaints Policy

Trident Management Ltd

Trading as Trident Parking

Complaints Policy

Document Owner: Head of Compliance | Version 1.1 | Next Review: May 2027

1. Purpose and Commitment

Trident Management Ltd, trading as Trident Parking, is dedicated to managing parking operations to a high professional standard. Where we fall short, we want to know about it — and we want to put it right.

This document sets out how Trident Management Ltd handles complaints from members of the public and others who interact with our services. Feedback of this kind is genuinely valuable: it helps us identify where improvements are needed, address training gaps, and maintain the quality and consistency of everything we do.

We handle all complaints in a fair, consistent, and non-discriminatory manner, in full compliance with the British Parking Association (BPA) Approved Operator Scheme, the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice (published jointly by the BPA and the International Parking Community (IPC)), and the obligations set out in the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

Our specific commitments under this policy are:

• To make the complaints process straightforward and accessible to everyone.
• To treat every complainant with courtesy and respect, regardless of the nature of their concern.
• To investigate matters thoroughly, impartially, and within the timescales stated in this document.
• To keep complainants informed of progress and communicate clearly about outcomes.
• To use what we learn from complaints to drive genuine service improvements.
• To handle all personal data responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.

2. Scope of This Policy

This policy governs complaints that arise from Trident Management Ltd’s parking enforcement activities, carried out under the Trident Parking brand, and the conduct of our operations and personnel. It applies to any person who has dealt with us in any capacity — including motorists, landowners, and members of the public.

The policy has been designed to address concerns falling within the scope of the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice and the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. Concerns that sit outside those frameworks are not covered here.

This policy is publicly available and will be provided in full to anyone who requests a copy.

3. Complaints and Appeals — Understanding the Difference

It is essential to understand the distinction between a complaint and an appeal, as each follows a separate process with different procedures and timescales.

3.1 What Is a Complaint?

For the purposes of this policy, a complaint is:

An expression of dissatisfaction — whether or not ultimately found to be justified — concerning the standard of service delivered by Trident Management Ltd, the manner in which our processes were applied, or the behaviour or conduct of our personnel.

Situations that may give rise to a valid complaint include, but are not limited to:

• A service that was not delivered to a reasonable standard.
• An error in how a service was carried out or administered.
• Conduct by a member of staff or parking attendant that you found inappropriate or unprofessional.
• Concerns relating to signage adequacy, site safety, or site conditions.
• Dissatisfaction with how a previous interaction or correspondence was handled.

3.2 What Is an Appeal?

An appeal is a formal challenge to a decision made by Trident Management Ltd — specifically, the decision to issue a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) or Notice of Parking Charge (NPC) — where the person concerned is seeking that decision to be reconsidered or reversed.

Appeals are an entirely separate process and must be submitted through the channel specified on the notice itself, or via our website. This complaints policy cannot be used as a substitute for, or alternative to, the appeals process.

Where we receive correspondence that appears to be, or incorporates, a challenge to the validity of a PCN or NPC, we will treat it as an appeal and will notify the sender accordingly. If the sender explicitly states they do not wish their correspondence to be treated as an appeal, we will honour that request.

3.3 Matters Outside the Scope of This Policy

The following will not be considered under this complaints procedure:

• Direct challenges to the issuance of a PCN or NPC (these must go through the appeals process).
• Matters that have already been fully resolved through either the complaints or appeals process.
• Complaints submitted more than 56 days after the relevant incident occurred.
• Correspondence containing abusive, threatening, or offensive language.
• Anonymous submissions where insufficient information exists to permit a meaningful investigation (see Section 7).
• Outcomes determined by the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service or any other independent adjudicator.
• General observations about our company policies or commercial decisions.

4. How to Submit a Complaint

4.1 Submission Requirements

All complaints must be submitted in writing. A written submission ensures that we have an accurate record of your concerns, removes the risk of misunderstanding, and allows us to conduct a structured investigation. We are unable to accept complaints made by telephone.

Your complaint must reach us within 56 days of the incident to which it relates.

4.2 Contact Details

Complaints may be submitted through any of the following channels:

4.3 Information to Include

To help us investigate promptly, please provide as much of the following as possible:

• Your full name and a return contact address or email address.
• The date, time, and location of the incident you are raising.
• A clear account of your concern and, where relevant, the outcome you are looking for.
• Any supporting material — for example, photographs, letters, or a PCN reference number.

If your contact details are incomplete or missing, we may be unable to process your complaint within our standard timescales. Please note also that we reserve the right not to engage with correspondence that contains abusive or threatening language.

5. How We Handle Your Complaint

Our complaints procedure operates in three stages. We aim to resolve matters fully at the earliest stage possible.

Stage 1 — Initial Review and Response

When your complaint arrives, it is entered onto our complaints log and assigned a unique reference number. We will write to you — by email or post, to the address you have provided — to confirm receipt and give you that reference number. This acknowledgement will be sent within 14 days of receiving your complaint.

A substantive response will then follow within 28 days of receipt. That response will set out:

• The steps we took to look into your complaint.
• Our findings and the reasoning behind our conclusion.
• Any remedy or corrective measure we are proposing.
• What to do next if you remain dissatisfied.

Where the nature of the complaint requires a more detailed investigation, we may need additional time beyond 28 days. If that occurs, we will contact you before the deadline to explain why and give you a revised expected timeframe. We will not simply let the deadline pass without communication.

During Stage 1 we may ask you to provide proof of identity to confirm you are the appropriate recipient of information related to the matter under investigation.

Stage 2 — Senior Review

If you are not satisfied with our Stage 1 response, you may ask for the matter to be looked at again by our Head of Compliance. Please let us know in writing that you wish to escalate, and explain which aspects of our response you feel are inadequate.

The Head of Compliance will acknowledge your escalation within 14 days and will provide a full written response within 28 days of receiving your escalation request. If exceptional circumstances mean that a longer period is required, we will let you know promptly.

The Stage 2 response will include a fresh review of all the relevant material, clear conclusions, and detail of any internal steps taken as a result. We will state plainly whether your complaint has been upheld, partially upheld, or not upheld, and why. This response represents Trident Management Ltd’s final internal position on the matter.

Stage 3 — External Escalation via the British Parking Association

If, having received our Stage 2 response, you remain dissatisfied, you may take the matter to the British Parking Association (BPA) — our Accredited Trade Association — for independent consideration.

Before doing so, please note:

• You must have completed both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of this procedure before approaching the BPA.
• You will need to supply the BPA with a copy of our Stage 2 final response when submitting your complaint to them. Without this, the BPA will be unable to progress your case.
• A complaint lodged with the BPA runs as a separate process from our internal procedure; the two cannot run concurrently.

6. How We Maintain Complaint Records

Every complaint we receive is entered onto a central complaints log. Entries are retained for a minimum of 36 months from the date the complaint was closed and are available for inspection by the BPA and any other authorised regulatory body upon request.

For each complaint, the log will capture:

• The date on which the complaint was received.
• The substance of the complaint itself.
• A complete record of all correspondence exchanged.
• The decision reached and the reasons for it.
• Any remedial or corrective action that was taken or is planned.

Personal data held within the complaints log is managed in full accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Where records are shared with auditors or the BPA, personal identifiers are redacted as appropriate.

The complaints log is reviewed on a monthly basis by the Head of Compliance and reported to senior management. This review process enables us to identify patterns, address systemic issues, and target staff training effectively.

7. Anonymous Complaints

We will record and give due consideration to complaints submitted without identifying information. However, the absence of contact details will frequently limit what we are able to investigate or resolve, and we will not ordinarily be able to provide a direct response. If you wish to raise a concern without identifying yourself, please be aware that this may constrain the outcome.

8. Data Protection and Confidentiality

Trident Management Ltd processes all complaint-related personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Information you share with us in connection with a complaint will be used solely for the purpose of investigating and resolving that complaint.

Where a complaint concerns a Parking Charge Notice or Notice of Parking Charge issued by us, Trident Management Ltd acts as the data controller for the personal data involved. Depending on the nature of the investigation, we may need to share relevant information with:

• Members of our team who were involved in enforcing parking conditions at the relevant location.
• The landowner or site operator responsible for the car park concerned.
• Any third-party permit management provider whose services are relevant to the matter.

Information shared in these circumstances will be limited to what is strictly necessary to investigate and resolve your complaint. We will not share your data with any other party without your consent, except where required by law or by a regulatory body.

Our lawful basis for processing personal data submitted in connection with a complaint is Legitimate Interests — the legitimate interest of Trident Management Ltd in investigating and fairly resolving complaints about our service, and your legitimate interest in having your concern properly considered. We do not rely on consent as the lawful basis for this processing. You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests; details of how to exercise this and your other data protection rights are set out in our Privacy Policy.

Our lawful bases for processing personal data in connection with parking enforcement matters are Performance of a Contract and Legitimate Interests. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to process data for parking management purposes, which includes the handling of complaints and any associated recovery activity.

For a full explanation of your rights as a data subject, and for details of the categories of data we process, our legal bases, and our data retention periods, please visit our Privacy Policy: www.tridentparking.co.uk/privacy

9. Policy Governance and Review

This policy is owned by the Head of Compliance at Trident Management Ltd. It will be reviewed no later than May 2027, and additionally whenever there is a material change to legislation, the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice, or our operational structure that necessitates an earlier update. In particular, this policy will be reviewed upon the introduction of the Government’s statutory Code of Practice under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, and following the sector’s transition to full compliance with the Single Code of Practice on 31 December 2026, should either require changes.

Any revised version of this policy will be published on our website and made available on request.