Got a parking fine for incorrect reg

[Objective Alpha]

just really want to know if i have a case or not. Parked my car in a place where you need a ticket, decided to use an app to pay online instead of coins. as it autofill's info in about the reg, i didnt bother to double check (big mistake) and it used my other cars reg.

So i did pay to park there, just with the wrong reg. is this something you think they'd waver?

[MrJuice]

I've had this error waived once by Westminster council and a friend had his waived by Harrow council a week ago. Both letters said this was an exception and they wouldn't waive again.

[aizvara]

Objective Alpha said:

just really want to know if i have a case or not. Parked my car in a place where you need a ticket, decided to use an app to pay online instead of coins. as it autofill's info in about the reg, i didnt bother to double check (big mistake) and it used my other cars reg.

So i did pay to park there, just with the wrong reg. is this something you think they'd waver?

I did this exact thing in a council carpark, via some parking app. I filled in the council's online form pleading stupidity and they waived the fine.
I could show a history of paying correctly to park both cars, which may have helped.

[Toaster Pilot]

Is it council or private? Private parking firms (at least BPA ones) will reduce the charge to £20 if you’ve made a “major keying error”. Not sure what councils will do.

[Nitro182]

I was fined by NCP parking in Milton Keynes for filling out the first 4 letters of my reg and not the rest (ticket machine i previously used only required the first 4 so presumed this was the same) , the anpr picked up my reg as if i hadnt paid and i received a fine, i appealed along with showing the ticket and they still refused to waiver it so i had to pay. Was like £60 ! fuming.

[MDUBZ]

Nitro182 said:

I was fined by NCP parking in Milton Keynes for filling out the first 4 letters of my reg and not the rest (ticket machine i previously used only required the first 4 so presumed this was the same) , the anpr picked up my reg as if i hadnt paid and i received a fine, i appealed along with showing the ticket and they still refused to waiver it so i had to pay. Was like £60 ! fuming.

If you paid on an app you will have used a debit or credit card, I assume that they didn’t refund you for the parking charge you paid but that they refused to honour. You’ll need to check their T&Cs but I would be tempted to start a dispute with your card issuer to cover you for the parking charge (defo get this)and the fine(pushing your luck but why not), and in addition to a forced reimbursement by way of a 2 fingered salute they will be charged an additional £10-20 from their card issuer too for each chargeback for good measure.

[konark]

Nitro182 said:

I was fined by NCP parking in Milton Keynes for filling out the first 4 letters of my reg and not the rest (ticket machine i previously used only required the first 4 so presumed this was the same) , the anpr picked up my reg as if i hadnt paid and i received a fine, i appealed along with showing the ticket and they still refused to waiver it so i had to pay. Was like £60 ! fuming.

You didn't HAVE to pay. NCP are not the law.

[hepy]

As above, just contact them with a cool and calm explanation - no need to quote the Magna Carta, Freeman of the land, etc.

Pretty sure they will refund, happened to me a few times, and always easy to sort.

[silverfoxcc]

Although many posters on here think they are driving Gods etc etc, they are a bit lacking in knowing the difference between a fine and an invoice

A fine can only be levied by a court or a council and failure to pay mean could rsult in a larger fine or a worse


The PPC that run operate in car parks are in effect offering you a contract to park. if you do not adhere to the conditions then they can send out and INVOICE asking you to pay. It is better at this point to get advice from pepipoo or MSE as to the best course of action

If you dont they can go via the courts to raise a CCJ for failure to pay ( not sure if that wording is correct) this can be up to six years from the date of the contract ...you parking... So it is best always to keep parking tickets just in case, and if you are in dispute and move house always let the PPC know of a contaact address. they only have the old one and if letters are not forwarded they will get a CCJ against you by default, This is one of the new tricks they are pulling, as on pepipoo there have been several posts where claims are being sent from tickets issued in 2015/6

With the amount of these type of questions that keep on coming up i cannot see why the Mods dont have it as a sticky so people who get an invoice can check on the way to go about it..

OH and do you know that if you see a sign from a PPC that says No parking or permit holders only, that is a forbidding sign and as such the ppc cannot then send you a letter requesting payment should you park there. they cannot ask to to pay for breaking a contract to park when there was no cvontrat in the first place.. It is a bit murky but there have been several cases where they have taken drivers to court for payment and with good back up from pepipoo and MSE the judge/Msg has thrown the case out. The only way the driver will put his hand in his pocket is to wait until the landowner sues fro trespass and that is not going to be much. Best to read on these forbidding contract ion thetwo forums mentions

I think that with the new law coming out that will tidy up a lot of this there is something that the PPC should not pursdue people for mistyping CRN after asll they have the money it isnt as if there ws any attempt at non payment... but we shall see

[Tommo87]

hepy said:

As above, just contact them with a cool and calm explanation - no need to quote the Magna Carta, Freeman of the land, etc.

Pretty sure they will refund, happened to me a few times, and always easy to sort.

Absolutely this. You hae nothing to lose by admitting the mistake.

There’s no need for soap box climbing and fake stories about driving gods etc..

[Objective Alpha]

Thanks everyone for contributing!

glad i didn't just shrug it off and pay, potential of keeping £100 in my pocket!
ive sent a dispute to them saying i made a mistake and they said they'd respond within 28 days (typical)
if i get any updates ill let you know if anyone is interested

[clarkey]

My wife did much the same - typed in the wrong first 4 digits. I provided evidence that we had paid, explained that it was a genuine mistake, and asked them to sort it out, which they did.

[Ian Geary]

clarkey said:

My wife did much the same - typed in the wrong first 4 digits. I provided evidence that we had paid, explained that it was a genuine mistake, and asked them to sort it out, which they did.

Can't argue with that.

Without enforcement, parking would be a nightmare for landowners /tenants with car parks.

Without automated systems to help enforcement, car parks would be more hassle/ more expensive.

If the automated systems aren't following correctly, the above two get harder for the ppc.