How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please 13:32 - Apr 12 with 9169 views | BlackCrowe | Background I parked on a side road. Put the money in Pay and display machine. Pressed green button, no ticket came out. Left a note in the windscreen, explaining situation, went to daughters birthday party. Returned to car 10 minutes later to see warden slapping ticket on my windscreen. Explained situation and asked him had he not seen my notice. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Returned to get something out of my car 20 minutes later, to see warden stood by ticket machine surrounded by 4 other people who had put money into the machine and not received ticket. Saw warden with a ticket in his hand. I asked him I could see that ticket and he put it behind his back. I snatched out of his hand and sure enough it was my ticket (right amount and right time displayed) that had never come, that he had obviously got out of the machine somehow. He demanded it back and I said no. He called me 'a bloody b*stard'. Wrote to council and told them all of the above, enclosing a photo copy of my pay and display ticket . Got a reply yesterda saying that they had received no complaints about the machine being faulty and that I should've phoned the telephone on the side of the ticket machine to report it faulty as that would have corroborated my story. I did not display a ticket and therefore the fine must stand. 60 quid, doubled if not paid in 14 days. I wish I'd taken the names of the other people around the other machine but I didn't. Desperately want to contest this - do I have a fair chance of overturning it? | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:00 - Apr 12 with 7679 views | windsorhoop | I would ask to see the evidence that you hadn't displayed the ticket. Hopefully they haven't got any and will drop it. If they have then you haven't got a leg to stand on. The parking meter clearly displays the process to follow if the machine doesn't work. You didn't follow that process etc. Always ask for evidence with a parking/speeding fine etc. When they provide the evidence they should include the wardens name or employee id which I would then use to write a complaint about his behaviour. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:04 - Apr 12 with 7669 views | SuffolkHoop | I have appealed quite a few parking tickets, won two and lost three. I would appeal this again if I were you, write another letter, emphasizing in the strongest possible terms you feel this is unfair. Ask for proof, even threaten counter action against the council. If they refuse again you could even seek some legal advice. If all of that fails you'll have to pay it and wish evil on the council. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:04 - Apr 12 with 7668 views | BlackCrowe |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:00 - Apr 12 by windsorhoop | I would ask to see the evidence that you hadn't displayed the ticket. Hopefully they haven't got any and will drop it. If they have then you haven't got a leg to stand on. The parking meter clearly displays the process to follow if the machine doesn't work. You didn't follow that process etc. Always ask for evidence with a parking/speeding fine etc. When they provide the evidence they should include the wardens name or employee id which I would then use to write a complaint about his behaviour. |
Thanks Windsor. But presumably as I've admitted in my letter to the council that I displayed a sign in my windscreen that said that the machine was faulty, I have effectively admitted it and given them the evidence? | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:12 - Apr 12 with 7653 views | windsorhoop |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:04 - Apr 12 by BlackCrowe | Thanks Windsor. But presumably as I've admitted in my letter to the council that I displayed a sign in my windscreen that said that the machine was faulty, I have effectively admitted it and given them the evidence? |
Let them make that decision. Remember you want to cause them as many problems as possible. You are dealing with Robots who are basically following a flow diagram of things to do. Every time you send a letter they follow the flow diagram. Ask them for the evidence you didn't display the ticket correctly. If they haven't got photographic evidence of this then challenge them that as you clearly have the ticket that they have incorrectly fined you. Obviously if you decide to go to court then the 1st complaint you've sent might trip you up but thats up to a court and some with more legal nous than me and you are ages away from going down that route. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:21 - Apr 12 with 7633 views | WestbourneR | See it through to bloody end. Outrageous story. It still makes me burn that we elect a council to look after our interests and instead they infest the streets with uniformed thieves. Decades ago we would have done something about it - now we roll over and take it. Robbing £60 a pop off people when times are already tough enough. Makes me sick. Rant over. | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:24 - Apr 12 with 7626 views | jo_qpr63 | When you recieved the letter with the fine, they tell you can appeal with either a written hearing or a personal hearing. Ask for a personal hearing. This would mean the council will have to send the attendant in question to the hearing, which they wont. You will win appeal 99%. I'm not a lawyer but i was once doing a job for one when i got a ticket and he advised me to do that. I've done it twice now and won them both. Bit of a hassle to go,but probably worth it. Hope it helps | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:25 - Apr 12 with 7622 views | A40Bosh |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:12 - Apr 12 by windsorhoop | Let them make that decision. Remember you want to cause them as many problems as possible. You are dealing with Robots who are basically following a flow diagram of things to do. Every time you send a letter they follow the flow diagram. Ask them for the evidence you didn't display the ticket correctly. If they haven't got photographic evidence of this then challenge them that as you clearly have the ticket that they have incorrectly fined you. Obviously if you decide to go to court then the 1st complaint you've sent might trip you up but thats up to a court and some with more legal nous than me and you are ages away from going down that route. |
Not sure that is worth pursuing the "prove I didnt display it" argument as you have already imparted a lot of information and they often photograph the windscreen once they have put the ticket on it, so I think you are merely changing your story. I would write politely but firmly that the circumstances whereby there were other car owners surrounding the warden and that he was in possession of your ticket and he would not willingly hand it over to him would indicate he was complicit in hiding the evidence that you had attempted to park legally. He also tried to threaten you and swore at you. I would word it that if they are not willing to withdraw the ticket then it would be your intention to counter sue the warden for verbal abuse, for theft of personal property as the ticket was one that you had paid for and as the warden's number is likely to be captured somewhere within the ticket system that you want confirmation of his name and warden number as you will have to take legal action against the warden for his verbal assault on you. Fight fire with fire, but keep it professional, politely worded but insistent. If you can't be arsed to invest the time and effort into taking them on, then stump up the £60, but for me its not about the money it is about the principle - which is why I always put my ticket on the far side of the windscreen furthest away from the pavement so that a warden has to walk off the pavement and play with the traffic to view my ticket - It's the little victories! | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:28 - Apr 12 with 7608 views | eghamranger | What's the offence committed here? Parking or not displaying a ticket? If it went to court, it would be thrown out as common sense would prevail. | | | | Login to get fewer ads
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:29 - Apr 12 with 7606 views | windsorhoop |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:21 - Apr 12 by WestbourneR | See it through to bloody end. Outrageous story. It still makes me burn that we elect a council to look after our interests and instead they infest the streets with uniformed thieves. Decades ago we would have done something about it - now we roll over and take it. Robbing £60 a pop off people when times are already tough enough. Makes me sick. Rant over. |
Westbourne. I agree where you are coming from but the council also has a duty to the residents of that area to ensure that they can get access to their props etc as well as keeping routes clear. Parking wardens are a necessary evil. If there was nobody to police where people park then it would become chaos. Its worth noting the lesson learnt for blackcrow anyone else who has to pay and display park. If there is a fault with the machine then you should make all reasonable efforts to follow the process laid out on the parking ticket machine if there isnt one, take a picture and make sure you check there are no other machines available to use close by. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:37 - Apr 12 with 7587 views | windsorhoop |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:25 - Apr 12 by A40Bosh | Not sure that is worth pursuing the "prove I didnt display it" argument as you have already imparted a lot of information and they often photograph the windscreen once they have put the ticket on it, so I think you are merely changing your story. I would write politely but firmly that the circumstances whereby there were other car owners surrounding the warden and that he was in possession of your ticket and he would not willingly hand it over to him would indicate he was complicit in hiding the evidence that you had attempted to park legally. He also tried to threaten you and swore at you. I would word it that if they are not willing to withdraw the ticket then it would be your intention to counter sue the warden for verbal abuse, for theft of personal property as the ticket was one that you had paid for and as the warden's number is likely to be captured somewhere within the ticket system that you want confirmation of his name and warden number as you will have to take legal action against the warden for his verbal assault on you. Fight fire with fire, but keep it professional, politely worded but insistent. If you can't be arsed to invest the time and effort into taking them on, then stump up the £60, but for me its not about the money it is about the principle - which is why I always put my ticket on the far side of the windscreen furthest away from the pavement so that a warden has to walk off the pavement and play with the traffic to view my ticket - It's the little victories! |
Bosh, I don't think crowe has got a leg to stand on but id still ask to see the evidence just in case they haven't got it. Its worth noting crowes story. Background I parked on a side road. Put the money in Pay and display machine. Pressed green button, no ticket came out. (At this point the council process dictates crowe should of rang the number on the ticker machine to report a fault, he didnt) Left a note in the windscreen, explaining situation, went to daughters birthday party. (At this point crowe has broken the rules of parking on this street and is fineable) Returned to car 10 minutes later to see warden slapping ticket on my windscreen. Explained situation and asked him had he not seen my notice. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Returned to get something out of my car 20 minutes later, to see warden stood by ticket machine surrounded by 4 other people who had put money into the machine and not received ticket. Saw warden with a ticket in his hand. I asked him I could see that ticket and he put it behind his back. I snatched out of his hand and sure enough it was my ticket (right amount and right time displayed) that had never come, that he had obviously got out of the machine somehow. He demanded it back and I said no. He called me 'a bloody b*stard'. (The traffic warden should of just handed it back because at this point he would have no idea on whether crowe had rang the number on the ticket machine to report the fault, regardless he has done job correctly by issuing the ticket. The warden seeing the machine was broken should really of reported that so the council could get it fixed and take into consideration any appeals for that day, but the process is clearly written on the ticket machine saying if its broken then ring then number,) Wrote to council and told them all of the above, enclosing a photo copy of my pay and display ticket . Got a reply yesterda saying that they had received no complaints about the machine being faulty and that I should've phoned the telephone on the side of the ticket machine to report it faulty as that would have corroborated my story. I did not display a ticket and therefore the fine must stand. 60 quid, doubled if not paid in 14 days. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:38 - Apr 12 with 7584 views | Juzzie | I'm sorry to say but I think you're f**ked. They only see things in black or white. The warden will have taken a photograph of your windscreen showing there's no ticket (any note is irrelevent). There was no report of a faulty machine so they will see it simply as a failure to pay (and maybe even an intent not to pay). A couple of years ago I forgot to pay the congestion charge. A month or so later I got a 2nd reminder, with increased fine, but I'd never received a 1st reminder. I phoned them straight saying that yes, I completely forgot to pay on the day but I never got a 1st reminder. I explained I'd have no advantage by not paying a first reminder and that I was happy to pay the fine (as it was my fault after all) but at the normal rate not the extednded one. They were not insterested and said that there was no proof I never had the first reminder. I told them could they prove they sent it but that didn't matter to them at all and advised me to 'seek legal advice' if I wished to take it further. So, I just had to pay the double amount as I knew I was in a no-win situation. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:40 - Apr 12 with 7579 views | WestbourneR |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:29 - Apr 12 by windsorhoop | Westbourne. I agree where you are coming from but the council also has a duty to the residents of that area to ensure that they can get access to their props etc as well as keeping routes clear. Parking wardens are a necessary evil. If there was nobody to police where people park then it would become chaos. Its worth noting the lesson learnt for blackcrow anyone else who has to pay and display park. If there is a fault with the machine then you should make all reasonable efforts to follow the process laid out on the parking ticket machine if there isnt one, take a picture and make sure you check there are no other machines available to use close by. |
There is keeping the roads in sensible order etc. which is a necessary evil I agree. Then there is having a large army of wardens doing round the clock patrols and sweeping down every street every 10 minutes. It's clearly a revenue raising scheme. And anyway places where it's clearly obstructive to park are marked with double yellow or yellow lines. What does staying 5 mins over your paid and displayed time in a bay have to do with keeping the roads clear? They are like flies on sh*t and will do anything to entrap you. | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:44 - Apr 12 with 7571 views | windsorhoop |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:38 - Apr 12 by Juzzie | I'm sorry to say but I think you're f**ked. They only see things in black or white. The warden will have taken a photograph of your windscreen showing there's no ticket (any note is irrelevent). There was no report of a faulty machine so they will see it simply as a failure to pay (and maybe even an intent not to pay). A couple of years ago I forgot to pay the congestion charge. A month or so later I got a 2nd reminder, with increased fine, but I'd never received a 1st reminder. I phoned them straight saying that yes, I completely forgot to pay on the day but I never got a 1st reminder. I explained I'd have no advantage by not paying a first reminder and that I was happy to pay the fine (as it was my fault after all) but at the normal rate not the extednded one. They were not insterested and said that there was no proof I never had the first reminder. I told them could they prove they sent it but that didn't matter to them at all and advised me to 'seek legal advice' if I wished to take it further. So, I just had to pay the double amount as I knew I was in a no-win situation. |
That drives me f@cking crazy. They should send all fines by recorded post. It would be a very easy revenue stream to not send the 1st one and to double the fine with no appeal for the recipient. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:47 - Apr 12 with 7563 views | eghamranger | Similar happened to a mate of mine in Kingston. It all boiled down to what time the ticket from the machine was timed at and what time the parking ticket was timed at. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:47 - Apr 12 with 7563 views | windsorhoop |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:40 - Apr 12 by WestbourneR | There is keeping the roads in sensible order etc. which is a necessary evil I agree. Then there is having a large army of wardens doing round the clock patrols and sweeping down every street every 10 minutes. It's clearly a revenue raising scheme. And anyway places where it's clearly obstructive to park are marked with double yellow or yellow lines. What does staying 5 mins over your paid and displayed time in a bay have to do with keeping the roads clear? They are like flies on sh*t and will do anything to entrap you. |
I live in leicester and I have never had any problems, probably because its not seen as a revenue generator to the council but I have seen the number of wardens floating around london and you are right it is a revenue generator just like 80% of speed cameras. Which is completely wrong. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:48 - Apr 12 with 7559 views | SuffolkHoop |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:28 - Apr 12 by eghamranger | What's the offence committed here? Parking or not displaying a ticket? If it went to court, it would be thrown out as common sense would prevail. |
This. A ridiculous story. See it through to the bitter end. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:54 - Apr 12 with 7550 views | Juzzie |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:44 - Apr 12 by windsorhoop | That drives me f@cking crazy. They should send all fines by recorded post. It would be a very easy revenue stream to not send the 1st one and to double the fine with no appeal for the recipient. |
Absolutely, I think I even said they should be sent recorded to avoid this very scenario. I had a similar argument with my local council, I never recieved the letter and they said they sent it, by normal post. I said that doesn't mean I got it, things do go missing. Again, they were not interested and it ended up costing me extra. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:55 - Apr 12 with 7548 views | A40Bosh |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:29 - Apr 12 by windsorhoop | Westbourne. I agree where you are coming from but the council also has a duty to the residents of that area to ensure that they can get access to their props etc as well as keeping routes clear. Parking wardens are a necessary evil. If there was nobody to police where people park then it would become chaos. Its worth noting the lesson learnt for blackcrow anyone else who has to pay and display park. If there is a fault with the machine then you should make all reasonable efforts to follow the process laid out on the parking ticket machine if there isnt one, take a picture and make sure you check there are no other machines available to use close by. |
"Parking wardens are a necessary evil. If there was nobody to police where people park then it would become chaos." Windsor, I would accept your argument if the majority of traffic wardens acted fairly and either were permitted to or chose to use common sense and discretion. The ones that I have come across are usually devious shysters who will do anything to issue a ticket. When a resident parking zone came into force outside my house, a couple of days after I had to move the car off the drive to allow the double glazing van to pull onto our drive to unload. We had a resident permit on one car but not on the other. I spotted the warden sitting on his bike up the road as I got out of the car so ran back in and grabbed a visitor pass from the house, quickly filled it in and as I walked back up to the car I held up the ticket to show him I was putting a permit ticket into the front of the car and he raised an arm. 20mins later one of the window installers shouted that the warden had just a ticket on my windscreen, so I legged it out and he was sat across the road putting his crash helmet back on. So I rushed over and demanded he came back over to my car and point out why I had a ticket. He ambled over and just mumbled "Car not parked legally, car not parked legally. By this time a couple of the window installers had walked over as I was beginning to lose the plot with this guy failing to point out why he had issued the ticket and they surrounded him. Then he started saying, "No inclusion of VRN, illegally parked, no VRN, car illegally parked". Eventually, he pointed to a small box on the visitor permit where you are supposed to include the registration number of the car you are giving the permit to. As it was the first visitor permit I had used I had not spotted the box and had merely scratched out the date, day, month boxes. So my mistake, but the sod decided to issue a ticket rather than call up the ladder to one of the workers to say to put the car reg number on the ticket. One of the installers told me that he had watched him walk over to my car to check the ticket details then walked away across the other side of the road back to his bike. He then obviously filled out the ticket because then he apparently ran back over slapped the ticket on, stood back and quickly took a snap on his phone and then turned and ran back to his bike again. No common sense and no sense of decency. Fortunately LBH cancelled the ticket upon my complaint and the next time I saw him in my road I made sure to tell him that I got it cancelled and that he was a complete w*nker. Not very me, but if there is one thing that sends me over the edge its traffic wardens. | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 15:26 - Apr 12 with 7517 views | N12Hoop | They take a photo of everything to cover their ar5es hence you've got no chance, especially as the machine turned out to be working. If it hadn;t been then you would have had a chance. My bugbear with parking is that if I park on a double yellow I am an obstruction, get slapped with a ticket and am treated as a common criminal. But if i have a blue badge then miraculously my car is no longer obstructing even if it is parked on the same yellow line. To me that is utter bollocks, I'm all for disabled rights but if a car is causing an obstruction it doesnt matter if the driver is abled or disabled. | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 16:22 - Apr 12 with 7472 views | stevec |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:24 - Apr 12 by jo_qpr63 | When you recieved the letter with the fine, they tell you can appeal with either a written hearing or a personal hearing. Ask for a personal hearing. This would mean the council will have to send the attendant in question to the hearing, which they wont. You will win appeal 99%. I'm not a lawyer but i was once doing a job for one when i got a ticket and he advised me to do that. I've done it twice now and won them both. Bit of a hassle to go,but probably worth it. Hope it helps |
Not sure where your incident happened but I was unjustly done in Sheen a few years back, had a couple of letters rejected to the point where you'd want to give up and pay but decided to send one more advising if they persisted I would take it to the local newspaper and copy in TFL and Boris Johnson. All bluff but got a letter back that in this instant they were prepared to withdraw the ticket. Probably just got lucky, but others on here have given some good advice, keep fighting. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 16:23 - Apr 12 with 7470 views | themodfather |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 15:26 - Apr 12 by N12Hoop | They take a photo of everything to cover their ar5es hence you've got no chance, especially as the machine turned out to be working. If it hadn;t been then you would have had a chance. My bugbear with parking is that if I park on a double yellow I am an obstruction, get slapped with a ticket and am treated as a common criminal. But if i have a blue badge then miraculously my car is no longer obstructing even if it is parked on the same yellow line. To me that is utter bollocks, I'm all for disabled rights but if a car is causing an obstruction it doesnt matter if the driver is abled or disabled. |
you need something to give your case credibility, poor signs or "street furniture" would help, take pics to show no signs or those that are there have stickers/grafitti on etc or are not there! also any road markings. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 16:36 - Apr 12 with 7453 views | BlackCrowe | Thanks everyone. It seems to clear to me that I am going to pursue it and will keep this thread updated on how it develops if anyone's interested. Ps. Egham, funnily enough all happened in Kingston where I live. | |
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How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 16:39 - Apr 12 with 7450 views | TearsOfaClown | go to the local newspaper - offer to pose for photo with ticket and daughter holding party balloon. The council hate publicity. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 16:47 - Apr 12 with 7441 views | BasingstokeR | Depending how much time you have left to reply; Google "fight back forums"... This will give you something like forums.pepipoo.com. Register there and explain your story on the parking ticket (PCN) sub forum. Any photos you have, Google streetview link to the exact space etc, plus if you can a scan of the letter(s) you sent/received and most importantly the PCN ticket itself, front and back. I have fought 4 and won 3; from mistakes on the Council's part in following processes correctly. The last one I got the PCN and the tow fee all back ... £265! Nothing to lose, that one I took to PATAS and the council gave up as they'd made themselves look very stupid in their rejection letters back to me. Anyhow the people on Fightback Forums, may suggest what grounds you could appeal on, and check your letter for you before sending (if you have time). You can find templates for the letter you want to write online too. | | | |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 16:53 - Apr 12 with 7435 views | A40Bosh |
How far to push parking ticket appeal - advice/opinions please on 14:37 - Apr 12 by windsorhoop | Bosh, I don't think crowe has got a leg to stand on but id still ask to see the evidence just in case they haven't got it. Its worth noting crowes story. Background I parked on a side road. Put the money in Pay and display machine. Pressed green button, no ticket came out. (At this point the council process dictates crowe should of rang the number on the ticker machine to report a fault, he didnt) Left a note in the windscreen, explaining situation, went to daughters birthday party. (At this point crowe has broken the rules of parking on this street and is fineable) Returned to car 10 minutes later to see warden slapping ticket on my windscreen. Explained situation and asked him had he not seen my notice. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Returned to get something out of my car 20 minutes later, to see warden stood by ticket machine surrounded by 4 other people who had put money into the machine and not received ticket. Saw warden with a ticket in his hand. I asked him I could see that ticket and he put it behind his back. I snatched out of his hand and sure enough it was my ticket (right amount and right time displayed) that had never come, that he had obviously got out of the machine somehow. He demanded it back and I said no. He called me 'a bloody b*stard'. (The traffic warden should of just handed it back because at this point he would have no idea on whether crowe had rang the number on the ticket machine to report the fault, regardless he has done job correctly by issuing the ticket. The warden seeing the machine was broken should really of reported that so the council could get it fixed and take into consideration any appeals for that day, but the process is clearly written on the ticket machine saying if its broken then ring then number,) Wrote to council and told them all of the above, enclosing a photo copy of my pay and display ticket . Got a reply yesterda saying that they had received no complaints about the machine being faulty and that I should've phoned the telephone on the side of the ticket machine to report it faulty as that would have corroborated my story. I did not display a ticket and therefore the fine must stand. 60 quid, doubled if not paid in 14 days. |
I did read his story through a couple of times, but my wife had a similar (ish) incident where the warden said there was nothing wrong with the machine and accused her of lying. We persisted with our innocence and that my wife had put money in the machine but it had only printed a 30mins ticket. She also put more money in in front of him and the same thing happened but he just shrugged and walked off saying the ticket had been given. They let her off when we contested it a third time. Sometimes it pays to be persistent, but it is whether it is worth the time and effort and if they cave in. But as I said, that is me and my hatred of parking wardens!!! | |
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