Local Commies Refuse To Rescind Ticket...
Discussion
There's probably sod all to be done, yet another case of Mr. Average taking it foursqure up the jacksie at the hands of a system designed expressly to squeeze the pips of it's over wrung tax sufferers resolutely dry at every juncture and with brutal zeal.
In this case, a simple parking meter fine.
Recently, on popping into town for a rapid, 5 minute only collection, a nearby ticket machine failed to accept my coinage. Despiote repeated attempts it was having none of it. This was a matter of 30p for the minimum 30 minute stay...
Dutiful to the last, I rang the numbers on the machine to report this fault and ask would I be ok to nip away without being chucked in the tower?
Naturally, this being an office of a provincial, labour controlled council, neither number yielded a response: one just rang out, the other was perpetually engaged although eventually it did default to an answerphone message...
Bollocks, I saw little alternative but to chance it.
Alas, wouldn't you know it, literally 5 minutes later, upon my return, the invisible warden had done his worst (this was a quiet, backstreet on the periphery of town.)
In fairness to the bloke, he was sympathetic: I knew he couldn't tear up the ticket once issued but he could see I was no left winger and listened to my explaination.
Checking my phone's outgoing, dialled numbers, he nodded his approval, took notes and suggested a quick letter which with his confirmation would almost certainly result in the ticket being rescinded.
I obliged in the days that followed but yesterday received a rejection from the Jobsworth Hall, claiming that on the day in question, no faults had been reported!
The dumb f@cks! Ringing the same numbers which had proved so impossible to get through on originally, the same impasse was at hand: perpetual ringing/engaged and only after nearly an hour's attempts did the answerphone chime in.
In a manner not inconsistent with a Fawlty embolism, I explained that no faults were reported on the day in question for the same reason that I couldn't contact them now - they were simply unavailable.
It seems appalling that these pathetic situation arise, that councils and govt in general suffers from such stupefying inflexibilty against issues of reason or fairness.
Is it not reasonable to accept that the phone calls alone to these pointless parasites cost more than the firking ticket in the first place? Yes, people must try it on all the time but where's the ability to discriminate when presented with a clear and simple balance of likely probabilities?
I could burn the lot of 'em; spineless maggots, lazily hiding, protected behind an impermeable fortress of 'rules is rules' bureacracy with absolutely no concept of reality or common sense.
I know, I know; it's nothing, forget it and pay up, etc, etc but for D-Fence frustratees like yours truly, such things are the symbolic irritants occassionally bubbling to the surface in this sea of socialist totalitarianism currently overwhelming Britain.
In this case, a simple parking meter fine.
Recently, on popping into town for a rapid, 5 minute only collection, a nearby ticket machine failed to accept my coinage. Despiote repeated attempts it was having none of it. This was a matter of 30p for the minimum 30 minute stay...
Dutiful to the last, I rang the numbers on the machine to report this fault and ask would I be ok to nip away without being chucked in the tower?
Naturally, this being an office of a provincial, labour controlled council, neither number yielded a response: one just rang out, the other was perpetually engaged although eventually it did default to an answerphone message...
Bollocks, I saw little alternative but to chance it.
Alas, wouldn't you know it, literally 5 minutes later, upon my return, the invisible warden had done his worst (this was a quiet, backstreet on the periphery of town.)
In fairness to the bloke, he was sympathetic: I knew he couldn't tear up the ticket once issued but he could see I was no left winger and listened to my explaination.
Checking my phone's outgoing, dialled numbers, he nodded his approval, took notes and suggested a quick letter which with his confirmation would almost certainly result in the ticket being rescinded.
I obliged in the days that followed but yesterday received a rejection from the Jobsworth Hall, claiming that on the day in question, no faults had been reported!
The dumb f@cks! Ringing the same numbers which had proved so impossible to get through on originally, the same impasse was at hand: perpetual ringing/engaged and only after nearly an hour's attempts did the answerphone chime in.
In a manner not inconsistent with a Fawlty embolism, I explained that no faults were reported on the day in question for the same reason that I couldn't contact them now - they were simply unavailable.
It seems appalling that these pathetic situation arise, that councils and govt in general suffers from such stupefying inflexibilty against issues of reason or fairness.
Is it not reasonable to accept that the phone calls alone to these pointless parasites cost more than the firking ticket in the first place? Yes, people must try it on all the time but where's the ability to discriminate when presented with a clear and simple balance of likely probabilities?
I could burn the lot of 'em; spineless maggots, lazily hiding, protected behind an impermeable fortress of 'rules is rules' bureacracy with absolutely no concept of reality or common sense.
I know, I know; it's nothing, forget it and pay up, etc, etc but for D-Fence frustratees like yours truly, such things are the symbolic irritants occassionally bubbling to the surface in this sea of socialist totalitarianism currently overwhelming Britain.
AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaargh!!!
I used to be in the habit of paying over the odds for parking, on account of not liking to carry small change around. I would pop into a local pay & display and although only stopping for five minutes or so, would end up putting a quid into the machine, enough to pay for several hours of parking. Anyway, I used to do this regularly, two or three times a week. One day, many years ago, I didnt have any change at all, so went to get some, just a couple of minutes, bought a ticket and returned to my car to display said ticket, car already ticketed, and I hadnt even been given at least a full five minutes.
Being in the habit of paying the council several times over for my parking and having actually bought a ticket too, I was a bit miffed, so wrote to ask for it to be cancelled. They wouldnt. Since then, I haven't used any of the pay & display parking locally, I park on the road or the free car park at the top of town. I estimate that on my previous rate of a quid here, a quid there, a few times a week, over ten years, that ticket has cost them over a grand in lost revenue from me as an individual.
I ought to write and tell them, as I havent got the satisfaction of them knowing that a one off £30 has lost them over £1000, but that would be oh so sad to send them a ranting letter.
Being in the habit of paying the council several times over for my parking and having actually bought a ticket too, I was a bit miffed, so wrote to ask for it to be cancelled. They wouldnt. Since then, I haven't used any of the pay & display parking locally, I park on the road or the free car park at the top of town. I estimate that on my previous rate of a quid here, a quid there, a few times a week, over ten years, that ticket has cost them over a grand in lost revenue from me as an individual.
I ought to write and tell them, as I havent got the satisfaction of them knowing that a one off £30 has lost them over £1000, but that would be oh so sad to send them a ranting letter.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Saturday 29th July 11:26
skinnyboy said:
if people werent such slaves to the system theyre would of been a revoltion of thousands to the gates of cityhall to lance the head off the council by now! whats wrong with everyone!!!
Ive been saying it for years, and have come to the simple inescapable conclusion that people enjoy being heartily, nay, violently buggered by a faceless system of wankers all hiding behind the facade of local "government".
What other explanation is there?
Balmoral Green said:
I ought to write and tell them, as I havent got the satisfaction of them knowing that a one off £30 has lost them over £1000, but that would be oh so sad to send them a ranting letter.
And, to be honest I doubt a single person will care. At councils unless they are personally losing the money it will go in one ear and out the other. Likewise they won't care if doing/not doing something will cost the council 100x more than another sensible but "against the rules" suggestion.
ALL car parks in my view (being of Socialist mind) should be of barrier control....
i.e. you pay for what you use.....there is NO excuse for the operator!
If it's an "on street" meter then card transactions should be available also
Any "benefit of doubt" should go to the motorist as it is the business of the operator to prove default....
'course, those of a capitalist mind may differ......
i.e. you pay for what you use.....there is NO excuse for the operator!
If it's an "on street" meter then card transactions should be available also
Any "benefit of doubt" should go to the motorist as it is the business of the operator to prove default....
'course, those of a capitalist mind may differ......
8Pack said:
ALL car parks in my view (being of Socialist mind) should be of barrier control....
i.e. you pay for what you use.....there is NO excuse for the operator!
If it's an "on street" meter then card transactions should be available also
Any "benefit of doubt" should go to the motorist as it is the business of the operator to prove default....
'course, those of a capitalist mind may differ......
i.e. you pay for what you use.....there is NO excuse for the operator!
If it's an "on street" meter then card transactions should be available also
Any "benefit of doubt" should go to the motorist as it is the business of the operator to prove default....
'course, those of a capitalist mind may differ......
agree..... point nicely made......
I think they should all be free...
Having paid tax to use the road and more tax to run the engine, having to pay what is effectively more tax to not run the engine rankles like a dead fish. So I won't. I'll drive around until I find somewhere I can park for free. A parking charge equates to quite a bit of petrol...
Having paid tax to use the road and more tax to run the engine, having to pay what is effectively more tax to not run the engine rankles like a dead fish. So I won't. I'll drive around until I find somewhere I can park for free. A parking charge equates to quite a bit of petrol...
In your OP you said that the TW took notes, is this not sufficient evidence that you tried to report the fault but the phone system was crap?
I assume that there is no option to take to Court on this as it will boil down to a civil matter?
I had a problem a while back with a certain London local authority and eventually went to a local Mag's Court to get a statement witnessed by a Clerk of the Court and it went away, can't remember exactly what it was called but I'm sure that someone on here will be able to help.
I assume that there is no option to take to Court on this as it will boil down to a civil matter?
I had a problem a while back with a certain London local authority and eventually went to a local Mag's Court to get a statement witnessed by a Clerk of the Court and it went away, can't remember exactly what it was called but I'm sure that someone on here will be able to help.
derestrictor said:
Checking my phone's outgoing, dialled numbers, he nodded his approval, took notes and suggested a quick letter which with his confirmation would almost certainly result in the ticket being rescinded.
I obliged in the days that followed but yesterday received a rejection from the Jobsworth Hall, claiming that on the day in question, no faults had been reported!
I obliged in the days that followed but yesterday received a rejection from the Jobsworth Hall, claiming that on the day in question, no faults had been reported!
Technically speaking: didn't you actually succeed in reporting the fault by informing the warden? The warden’s details will be on the parking fine (it’s not a ‘parking ticket’
), a quick radio to that warden would surely confirm the condition of the machine? Your rants are the best
Phones that dont answer a!.
The other week I had the note in the letter box stating that the post man couldnt deliver a package, and to ring this number to arrange collection. Yep, youve guessed it, rang and rang and rang and rang no bloody answer.
In frusteration I drove to the main post office, as I entered I heard a phone ringing, I enquired if the number on my note was the phone number which was ringing now. (which was situated about 3 metres behind the chap. Yes they said. So I asked why no one was answering the phone "Aint got the staff mate".
God ever wanted to kill someone.
Dont pay it, fight it all the way. Good luck.
The other week I had the note in the letter box stating that the post man couldnt deliver a package, and to ring this number to arrange collection. Yep, youve guessed it, rang and rang and rang and rang no bloody answer.
In frusteration I drove to the main post office, as I entered I heard a phone ringing, I enquired if the number on my note was the phone number which was ringing now. (which was situated about 3 metres behind the chap. Yes they said. So I asked why no one was answering the phone "Aint got the staff mate".
God ever wanted to kill someone.
Dont pay it, fight it all the way. Good luck.
Edited by vipers on Sunday 30th July 17:08
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