Advice please chums

[Big Rumbly]

Just been out for the day cos its 1/2 term, and took rumbly junior swimming in bedford, went out afterwards for some eats, and parked in a pay and display in the town centre. I parked at the end of a q in front of another vehicle and then paid and displayed.
When I came back I had a f6uhlkeing ticket on the screen, opened it up and it stated I cave caused an offence by not parking correctly. I checked to see if I'd gone over a line by an inch or something,oops no line, I'd actually parked at the end of a bay, and i must admit I assumed I had parked ok as I was in front of another vehicle, which of course was now gone. Point is I was parked safely. no obstruction to anyone, and I PAID. I'm in two minds to ignore it or write a letter to the council, but I assume I'll get short shrift from them.
I never park illegally, and I always pay if I do park, It's so f86o89king annoying, what would you do?
Cheers Guys and Gals

Big Rumbly

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

I suggest you write to them detailing the circumstances that lead to the ticket. If they give that short shrift get them to come out to the car park and reenact exactly what happened - that'll prove that you were in the right and that they're a bunch of over zealous bean counters.

[Spoonman]

Write a polite letter to the council, explaining the circumstances, apologising profusely and pointing out the council's parking staff does the town/city no favours. Shouldn't fail.

[plotloss]

Yep write to them. I did on reciept of my first and only parking ticket and it took them a while but eventually they responded saying forget it.

Matt.

[Hut49]

Agree with others - polite letter should work and make sure you attach a copy of the parking ticket that was displayed. Also if poss take a piccy or two of the scene - chances are the person dealing with this will never have been there and isn't going to take a trip to check it out. It also helps to show you are a diligent sort of person and therefore less likely to try to cheat the system.

[incorrigible]

Don't forget a copy of the pay and display ticket to prove you bought one

edited bceauses bad of spling

>> Edited by incorrigible on Thursday 24th October 16:23

[Spoonman]

This reminds me of the Get Out Of Jail Free 101 parking excuses that some people used to rely on a few years ago. Never found out what the said excuses were, exactly, but a friend – no, actually, someone I merely knew – at college reckoned he'd got a stack of ready-made letters designed to get you out of a parking ticket from a variety of situations. I see to remember him getting a lecturer to sign one, following which he was in the clear.

Could this be the sort of thing Carzee would have stuffed in a drawer somewhere?

[d1bble]

my girlfriends-housemates-boyfriend....just send an apology letter everytime he gets a ticket..from parking without permit...has so far evaded the fine...

......Good Luck...

[thub]

Oxford council tried this on with me a few years back. After 2 or three letter exchanges they decided not to pursue it any further.

So, get typing, and good luck.

[stc_bennett]

write to them Bedford council are good at doing that, it has happed to me a few time with several arguments with the ticket man.

They have to by law give you a certain amount of time to get from your car to the metre and back (10 Minutes i think).

Write and complain about the conduct of the parking attendents.

Good luck

PS bedford council are crap at replying takes a good 3 weeks.

[yum]

at the very least, it's worth a letter

if they still pursue you for the ticket, then make sure you get the money back for the pay & display ticket that you bought as it clearly wasn't necessary if the car was illegally parked. that'll p1ss them off!

R

[Big Rumbly]

Thanks for the advice, I'm writing them a nice letter now, only prob as I see it, is that they're likely to take more than 14 days to respond, so the fine will go up to sixty quid, if they persue it

[plotloss]

Big Rumbly said: Thanks for the advice, I'm writing them a nice letter now, only prob as I see it, is that they're likely to take more than 14 days to respond, so the fine will go up to sixty quid, if they persue it

Nah, you responded in the given time frame to leave it as £30. Chances are you wont get a response for months anyway.

Matt.

[stc_bennett]

your_fine_wont_go_up_to_sixty_pounds.. _as_your_case_goes_to_appeal_it_will_resort_back_to_the _original_fine_if_your_letter_fails..

Steve

[Big Rumbly]

Well guess what, I got a letter back from the Bedford "Parking shop" informing me that his "officers"
(mental images of cranially retarded arm dragging rock apes")have looked into the case and he cannot agree to a waiver, informing me that the regulations are posted at the site, It's funny but I dont think he actually read my letter. Incidentally there can be no more correspondance in this matter.
I have now 2 choices
1. Pay the 30 quid within 30 days, or
2.As devoted readers of Pistonheads, you may know that I am being made redundant and the company car will have to go back, shall I just ignore it, the notice will have to be delivered to the registered keeper, by the time it gets back to me, I will have left the company,
What do you think?
Regards

Big Rumbly

[Hut49]

Pretty unlikely that the Company you're leaving will eat this when it drops on their desk. They'll pass it straight along to you and then you're faced with the issue all over again. Presume you might be looking to them to provide a reference to a prospective employer? So probably not a good idea to piss them off over £30.

I know it's a principle-thing but it's probably time to settle it and move on.

[CarZee]

I faced a similar thing a few months back.. it made me sick to death but I just had to pay the thing after stringing them along as far as I could.

I just could not deal with going to court over a poxy £30 and have it cost me a day's money, inconvenience to the firm I'm contracted to, and the fact was my wife & I already had plenty to worry about - I'm confidenet that if you're about to be made redundant, you'll have more important things on your mind too & you'll wish you'd just stumped up the poxy money.

They're bastards. We live in a totalitarian, unjust, fragmented, idealogically and morally bankrupt state. It isn't going to improve either.

The only thing you can do is make the injustice and mean spiritedness public - if a backlash of any sort is ever going to gain momentum, there must be all the fuel on the fire that can be mustered.

[Basil Brush]

Move to Madrid. They do know how to park over there.

[Big Rumbly]

Ta all,I'll pay up and forget it, but I think the covering letter will be less "user friendly" than the original.

[CarZee]

Big Rumbly said: Ta all,I'll pay up and forget it, but I think the covering letter will be less "user friendly" than the original.

may be cathartic, but I wouldn't bother - they didn't read the last one & they won't read this one..

they must get more hate mail than Michael Barrymore & hence it's water off a duck's back..

It's your own time your wasting, young man..