General Chat

[choffer]

Could have sworn we had a consumer advice thread somewhere but seem unable to locate it, so I'm sticking it here for now. (Mods, feel free to move if there's somewhere better for this to sit). 

 

Received in the post this morning, a £100 fine for not having paid a parking ticket last month. So far, so normal, except I've never been to the place where the parking infraction took place. At the date/time the ticket was issued, I was working at home, with my car in view through the window the whole time. The photo evidence provided is the same make, model and colour as mine and the registration matches but there's simply no way it could have been me. Annoyingly, there's no particularly identifying features on my car to distinguish from the one in the photo.

I'm guessing if I contest it saying "It wasn't me, Guv", they'll give me a fairly swift response of "don't care, pay up". 

So, I could pay the fine as I don't have time for the hassle but I'm not sure what other options I have. Any suggestions?

[Genie]

10 minutes ago, choffer said:

Could have sworn we had a consumer advice thread somewhere but seem unable to locate it, so I'm sticking it here for now. (Mods, feel free to move if there's somewhere better for this to sit). 

 

Received in the post this morning, a £100 fine for not having paid a parking ticket last month. So far, so normal, except I've never been to the place where the parking infraction took place. At the date/time the ticket was issued, I was working at home, with my car in view through the window the whole time. The photo evidence provided is the same make, model and colour as mine and the registration matches but there's simply no way it could have been me. Annoyingly, there's no particularly identifying features on my car to distinguish from the one in the photo.

I'm guessing if I contest it saying "It wasn't me, Guv", they'll give me a fairly swift response of "don't care, pay up". 

So, I could pay the fine as I don't have time for the hassle but I'm not sure what other options I have. Any suggestions?

Parking fines are often not legally enforceable unless in some specific instances which I don’t know the details of. Saying that it’s whether you want the hassle of fighting it.

Often they can’t be arsed either so firstly I’d respond go say that it’s impossible to be your car as you were not out that day and see if they just shut it down.

Edited February 21 by Genie

[bickster]

27 minutes ago, choffer said:

Could have sworn we had a consumer advice thread somewhere but seem unable to locate it, so I'm sticking it here for now. (Mods, feel free to move if there's somewhere better for this to sit). 

 

Received in the post this morning, a £100 fine for not having paid a parking ticket last month. So far, so normal, except I've never been to the place where the parking infraction took place. At the date/time the ticket was issued, I was working at home, with my car in view through the window the whole time. The photo evidence provided is the same make, model and colour as mine and the registration matches but there's simply no way it could have been me. Annoyingly, there's no particularly identifying features on my car to distinguish from the one in the photo.

I'm guessing if I contest it saying "It wasn't me, Guv", they'll give me a fairly swift response of "don't care, pay up". 

So, I could pay the fine as I don't have time for the hassle but I'm not sure what other options I have. Any suggestions?

More worrying than the fine is that your car has been cloned

Do you have any evidence as to where your car was at the time? Video doorbell for example? Can you prove where you were and what you were doing? Also make sure you report to the police and the DVLA. Immediately report to the police and get a crime number (important) then report to DVLA quoting crime reference number

I'm presuming this a private parking invoice btw? I.e. one issued by a private company and not a council /police
Challenge the charge (because it is a charge and not a fine, it’s important to understand that.) and again include the crime reference number.

The police can check ANPR cameras across the country to see if the VRN registers in two completely different locations at the same time (or if it is impossible to get from one location to another in the time difference) so don’t think the police can do nothing. You may need to be insistent to make the police report and get it recorded as a crime but that is the toughest part of this.

EDIT: if you think this is too much hassle, stop that thought, it could keep happening

[bickster]

18 minutes ago, Genie said:

Parking fines are often not legally enforceable unless in some specific instances which I don’t know the details of. Saying that it’s whether you want the hassle of fighting it.

Often they can’t be arsed either so firstly I’d respond go say that it’s impossible to be your car as you were not out that day and see if they just shut it down.

This is bad advice, the law has changed and ignoring these can lead to a CCJ

[Genie]

13 minutes ago, bickster said:

This is bad advice, the law has changed and ignoring these can lead to a CCJ

I’d start by contacting them and telling them something is up as you weren’t there on the day they say you were. They might drop it at that point.

 

[choffer]

16 minutes ago, bickster said:

More worrying than the fine is that your car has been cloned

Do you have any evidence as to where your car was at the time? Video doorbell for example? Can you prove where you were and what you were doing? Also make sure you report to the police and the DVLA. Immediately report to the police and get a crime number (important) then report to DVLA quoting crime reference number

I'm presuming this a private parking invoice btw? I.e. one issued by a private company and not a council /police
Challenge the charge (because it is a charge and not a fine, it’s important to understand that.) and again include the crime reference number.

The police can check ANPR cameras across the country to see if the VRN registers in two completely different locations at the same time (or if it is impossible to get from one location to another in the time difference) so don’t think the police can do nothing. You may need to be insistent to make the police report and get it recorded as a crime but that is the toughest part of this.

EDIT: if you think this is too much hassle, stop that thought, it could keep happening

Have reported it to the Met. I suspect the reference is all I'll get there.

Will be reporting to the DVLA but apparently they only take written submissions so nothing will happen quickly there.

On the hunt for CCTV from the place I was parked. It's at the other half's place - secure underground residents parking (although how secure remains to be seen!). Hopeful the concierge might be able to look up the footage.

The PCN came from a private company and their blurb said I had 28 days from issue of the ticket to appeal. Clearly they wait until day 29 before the issue the letter. I will plead extenuating circumstances and see what difference that makes. 

Let's see how this goes.

[Genie]

Just now, choffer said:

Have reported it to the Met. I suspect the reference is all I'll get there.

Will be reporting to the DVLA but apparently they only take written submissions so nothing will happen quickly there.

On the hunt for CCTV from the place I was parked. It's at the other half's place - secure underground residents parking (although how secure remains to be seen!). Hopeful the concierge might be able to look up the footage.

The PCN came from a private company and their blurb said I had 28 days from issue of the ticket to appeal. Clearly they wait until day 29 before the issue the letter. I will plead extenuating circumstances and see what difference that makes. 

Let's see how this goes.

Do you have a dash cam?

[bickster]

4 minutes ago, Genie said:

I’d start by contacting them and telling them something is up as you weren’t there on the day they say you were. They might drop it at that point.

 

Again, this is bad advice. It needs to be reported as a crime first and foremost. The crime number is essential here. There is absolutely no point in appealing the parking charge with no evidence, they will dismiss the appeal and go straight to charge, then you have to appeal to the parking ombudsman and again without evidence and the fact that it has been reported to the police they will dismiss the appeal.

[Dante_Lockhart]

I had a fine come through for travelling through the Birmingham clean air zone without paying.

 

Context, I went to a gig at the NIA, parked in Brindley Place, came out and left. I paid for the day, but because of congestion it took from 11pm (when I arrived back at the carpark) until 12:25 to actually get out of the zone. So I had a fine for the 25mins into the next day.

I did contest it, I took it to tribunal, but they threw it out and said although it's unfortunate it's not grounds for cancelling the fine. 25 **** minutes. Because they can't efficiently empty a carpark.

[Dante_Lockhart]

6 minutes ago, choffer said:

Have reported it to the Met. I suspect the reference is all I'll get there.

Will be reporting to the DVLA but apparently they only take written submissions so nothing will happen quickly there.

On the hunt for CCTV from the place I was parked. It's at the other half's place - secure underground residents parking (although how secure remains to be seen!). Hopeful the concierge might be able to look up the footage.

The PCN came from a private company and their blurb said I had 28 days from issue of the ticket to appeal. Clearly they wait until day 29 before the issue the letter. I will plead extenuating circumstances and see what difference that makes. 

Let's see how this goes.

My missus' cousin had a similar thing, but a speeding ticket from London. The kid barely leaves his house never mind drives down to London. They literally wanted to take it to court. He suffers with autism quite badly and the thought of having to go to court really wound him up, they even tried to refuse him someone to speak on his behalf. It's still going on.

Edited February 21 by Dante_Lockhart

[Genie]

4 minutes ago, bickster said:

Again, this is bad advice. It needs to be reported as a crime first and foremost. The crime number is essential here. There is absolutely no point in appealing the parking charge with no evidence, they will dismiss the appeal and go straight to charge, then you have to appeal to the parking ombudsman and again without evidence and the fact that it has been reported to the police they will dismiss the appeal.

I’ve done it before and it was a piece of piss. I got a fine once for not displaying a pay and display ticket. I said it had fallen off the dash onto the floor. They cancelled the fine.

I know plenty of others getting fines for over staying times in places like retail parks or McDonalds, a quick call to say “I had not stayed as long as you are saying I was” and they have backed down and moved on.

They often can’t be bothered to have a fight.

 

Edited February 21 by Genie

[BOF]

5 hours ago, Anthony said:

Now I submit an entry to @fesshole maybe once a month or so. That's it. 

Interesting. Interesting.

[Dante_Lockhart]

1 minute ago, Genie said:

I’ve done it before and it was a piece of piss. I got a fine once for not displaying a pay and display ticket. I said it had fallen off the dash onto the floor. They cancelled the fine.

I know plenty of others getting fines for over staying times in places like retail parks or McDonalds, a quick call to say “I had not stayed as long as you are saying I was” and they have backed down and moved on.

They often can’t be bothered to have a fight.

 

I did one once where we'd recently changed cars and I put half of the new reg in and half of the old reg in. I explained and contested it, they checked the cameras and there was no other vehicle come on during the time I paid so they cancelled it off.

[bickster]

6 minutes ago, choffer said:

On the hunt for CCTV from the place I was parked. It's at the other half's place - secure underground residents parking (although how secure remains to be seen!). Hopeful the concierge might be able to look up the footage.

Make a Subject Access Request to the data controller for the relevant camera. The ICO has ruled that a vehicle VRN is personally identifiable information so they can’t refuse the SAR on those grounds, also explain that should they not wish to release the footage all you really need are the entrance and exit times of your vehicle on that particular day.

[bickster]

2 minutes ago, Genie said:

I’ve done it before and it was a piece of piss. I got a fine once for not displaying a pay and display ticket. I said it had fallen off the dash onto the floor. They cancelled the fine.

Was this before the law changed?
A pay and display ticket sounds more like a council run car park, the council is a completely different beast to the likes of parking eye.

[Genie]

2 minutes ago, bickster said:

Was this before the law changed?
A pay and display ticket sounds more like a council run car park, the council is a completely different beast to the likes of parking eye.

This was a council car park. The person on the phone really couldn’t be bothered, just cancelled the fine and accepted my account of things. 

[chrisp65]

The car park for Cardiff Central Train Station had pay by phone app., which I used. A week later I get a ‘fine’. I tell them I’d paid and they said the fine was for not displaying a ticket!!!

I explained my current phone doesn’t have a printer. They cancelled the charge.

 

[bickster]

6 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

The car park for Cardiff Central Train Station had pay by phone app., which I used. A week later I get a ‘fine’. I tell them I’d paid and they said the fine was for not displaying a ticket!!!

I explained my current phone doesn’t have a printer. They cancelled the charge.

 

That’s their database error

[bickster]

1 hour ago, Genie said:

This was a council car park. The person on the phone really couldn’t be bothered, just cancelled the fine and accepted my account of things. 

So utterly irrelevant then.

[choffer]

1 hour ago, bickster said:

Make a Subject Access Request to the data controller for the relevant camera. The ICO has ruled that a vehicle VRN is personally identifiable information so they can’t refuse the SAR on those grounds, also explain that should they not wish to release the footage all you really need are the entrance and exit times of your vehicle on that particular day.

Thankfully the concierge is a good guy. Always goes out of his way to help us with things. Possibly related to the large tip he gets every Christmas. If there's cctv footage, he'll find it. Unless, of course, he's the one that took my car out for a spin!