More detail: The machine was faulty, I caught up with the car park attendant, and told her the paying machine was faulty on level 2, and that there would be a couple of cars there that hadnt paid the 20p/hour charge, she phoned her office about it. Half an hour later when I got back to my car, it had a ticket, to pay £60 or £30 within two weeks! I complained to the main office, they told me to write in and challenge it, I did so, and their letter reply was that I would have to pay. Now I want to know what to do about this, its infuriating, all because the machine wouldnt take my 20p! Ive now spent more on phone calls and letters. Personally I think its legal theft.
2007-04-24 09:36:16 · 20 answers · asked by green_womble 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
keep challenging go to your local cab they can help
2007-04-24 09:41:03 · answer #1 · answered by polly 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As I see it, it is up to them to make sure the machine is working, and if a machine is not working, what they ought to have done is direct you to an alternate machine or issue you with a manually written ticket for your parking charge. However, it would probably have been up to you to offer to pay for the charge.
At present you have to pay the penalty charge, because you failed to display a ticket. The fact that you failed to obtain a ticket is neither here nor there. What you have to declare is that it was impossible for you to obtain a parking ticket, and that you asked for one but none was forthcoming. As I read it I do not think that was the case.
Personally I think it is indicative of bureaucratic idleness, not to mention meanness, but I have a feeling it falls in an area of law, that has scant regard to what is fair and reasonable. Your best recourse is to make as much noise about it as possible and just embarrass them into dropping the charge.
You have to make sure that you sling mud in the right direction. For instance, should the attack be made against the car park company, or against the local authority? There is a good chance you are not the only one stung because of that day, so you may get good local support.
2007-04-24 10:39:43 · answer #2 · answered by d00ney 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry not much help except just pay the fine. If you contest this in court it may cost you a great deal more.
What happened to you is a growing menace. In the London borough of Camden, because of it's horrendous parking fine policy of paying bonuses to their parking Gestapo, there is now a new party in the borough of car owners. It really has the council rattled. They've already cut back on their activities. Wait and see at the next local elections here in London.
Sorry not much help. Good luck and try and find another town to go shopping in. If you live in London, head for Blue Water near Dartford - parking all day is free and a massive comfortable shopping Mall with loads of everything. You'll love it.
2007-04-25 04:17:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there was another machine available then you are meant to have tried that.
If there was no other working machine available then you have a strong case not to pay.
Otherwise pay up, though sometimes if you don't pay you can get away with it because the councils are so busy with parking fine backlogs, but that's your risk.
I call this type of thing legalised mugging. It is similar to speed camera and bus lane fines. There are no (or hardly any) extenuating circumstances allowed because the ouncil is after your money and parking fines are an excellent revenue generator.
2007-04-24 09:46:12 · answer #4 · answered by Paul 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What would help would be if the attendant had subsequently put one of those "out of order" notices on the machine. I don't suppose you went back to check. All kinds of things can go wrong with parking meters. They can fill up, so that they can take no more coins, they can have been tampered with or they can have had a "foreign body" wedged into them which affects their functioning. Persist in your endeavours. Why should a faulty machine and a stubborn attendant win?
2007-04-25 00:17:06 · answer #5 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stand your ground. A similair thing happened to me, I got a ticket from the attendant and after I queried it, I discovered that his hand held ticket machine was 4 minutes faster than the roadside ticket machine. Had it been in synch I should not have got the ticket. I wrote in like you did, got a reply saying that I had to pay and even got a summons, to which I wrote back enclosing a letter stating the facts and saying that I was not going to pay because the ticket should never have been issued in the first place and that I thought this was scandalous. I never heard anything again.
2007-04-24 09:50:16 · answer #6 · answered by sassymoomin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i might project their selection, on the inspiration that their representative lead you to have confidence it may be ok, and the gadget grew to become into not working. Ask common techniques to charm their selection (internally). in the event that they want to enforce the parking fee ticket aagainst you, they might might desire to take you to court besides, and if its a close-by authority, then the inspiration of their costs would be a close-by byelaw - locate out what that's, and there might desire to be a factor that states that costs won't have the ability to be made if a gadget is out of order. you may for this reason have a defence in court (yet right this is the sneaky area - some close by government won't take you to court till you have 3 or greater tickets). So, with no court conviction, you will not have a offender record.
2016-10-30 05:03:39 · answer #7 · answered by cabaniss 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most machines have a telephone number on them for you to call in the event of a problem with the machine. Your call is logged and a reference number is given to you to display in the car window.
The onus is upon you to make that call to get that number and you can not rely on a third party to do it for you.
Accordingly, and unfortunately, you will probably have no choice other than to pay...or try your chances with a solicitor for some legal advice, although you may well just end up paying even more.
2007-04-25 12:32:47 · answer #8 · answered by . 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fight it, as much is you can as is more principle at stake here, unless you can't afford the higher fine rate.
Personally I think parking should be paid for by anybody who does not live in the town/ city where they are parked - a special sticker should be available for every town to give to every driver of every vehicle that pays a one-off fee of 10 to £15. Then if you don't make many journeys into your own town you can pay on a trip by trip visit, costing you less. And if you live out of the town where you are visiting, you pay whatever fees are applicable in the car parks.
What you think of that idea?
2007-04-24 10:58:41 · answer #9 · answered by confused 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beat her over the head with a blunt object, or better yet hypnotize her into removing the ticket.
No on a serious matter complain to ure local council about the faulty machine and complain to the parking attendants company.
if that dnt wrk i dnt kno wot else cld b done
2007-04-27 14:05:03 · answer #10 · answered by Mr Arsenal 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if the machine wasnt working then they cant legally enforce it and you should go to court over this. If other machines in the car park were working then legally you are expected to use one of them so it would be an idea to pay up!
2007-04-24 20:38:10 · answer #11 · answered by vdv_desantnik 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋