Anyone had a parking ticket overturned (or failed to get it overturned)?

[Dave7]

A guy on FB has posted his story.
Now, I have zero sympathy with him but his story (together with photograph) is he admits illegally parking in a disabled spot while he nipped into the shop. He CLAIMS he was gone less than 5 minutes and returned to find his car actually being towed (photo posted). He thinks its unjust and he is writing to complain. As I say, no sympathy from me.
My story is........I was doing a survey in central London and the company had allocated me a parking space. On arrival some council workers were doing a job on the road and had a bollard blocking my space. I got out of the car and asked if he could move the bollard 12". The guy pointed over my shoulder and there was a warden writing a ticket......literally 30 seconds!!!.
The warden explained he couldn't reverse it. OK, I can understand that. I took photographs, the wardens name etc and wrote to the authorities who immediately overturned it.
NB
The warden admitted to me that he was skulking and pounced when he had the chance. He further told me that all wardens in Euston were on a bonus scheme with the annual winners being awarded a new car as his prize.

 

[Homers Double]

We've had a parking eye ticket overturned as they just try and pressure people into giving in and paying up.

Long story short - ticket machine not working in the car park, MrsHD went to see optician anyway, came back to ticket in the post.

We appealed on the basis that the machine was broken and eventually it went to court, two days before the case was scheuled we got an email from Parking eye saying it had been settled/cancelled/whatever they called it.

 

[Windle]

I had one overturned in Bury (The Castle car park) about twenty years ago. We'd been to the East Lancs railway diesel gala and ended up staying longer than originally planned. I stayed in the same space and after carefully checking to see if the signage prohibited it (purchasing further time in the same bay) ~ it didn't, bought another couple of hours. A parking ticket was on the windscreen when I got back. To cut a long story short the fine was cancelled after a few letters backwards and forwards with me pointing out it didn't state anywhere that I couldn't do that. The fine was up to £90 by then, from the original £60 (I think). B#st#rds. Oddly enough a few years later I spotted a news article (may have even been on the BBC website) about a lot of parking fines in Bury being cancelled due to an over zealous traffic warden, who'd been handing tickets out without reason ~ I did wonder if I'd been done by the same one.

 

[Dirk]

I once asked a police officer in control of traffic if it was OK to park on the grass verge when I went to watch a championship motorcycle trial in the Cotswolds. It was extremely busy. He clearly stated, in front of witnesses, that it would be OK so long as it was past the point they had coned off with 'No Parking' cones. I drove past the prohibited area, parked on the verge and went to watch the trial. I came back an hour later to find 'No Parking' cones had been placed past my car and I had a ticket on my screen!
Despite several communications with the Gloucestershire Constabulary they refused to budge unless I could give them the officers ID number.
Never trusted a copper since.
Way to go Gloucesterhire Police - you lost an ally .

 

[Homers Double]

I had a yellow sticker on my windscreen once, it said "Parking Fine". Great, I thought, someone appreciates my skills.

 

[Sharky]

Twice, parked in a disabled bay and didn't display the blue badge. Just told them the truth that our daughter was very agitated and we forgot to display
- they let me off both times.

Parked in a country park, paid the fee, but had a "grey moment" and entered the reg number of our other car.
- I explained what I'd done and again, they let me off

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Only time I ever got a parking ticket it seemed a fair cop. The car park I parked in on Sundays for years had, the previous week, changed to charging on Sunday too.

I was just about to pay the ticket when I noted they had made a mistake in the registration number. They entered TNS instead of TNV as the last three characters. Ripped the ticket up and put it in the bin.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Probably 20 years ago, or thereabouts, we received a parking fine, though the exact details I genuinely cannot remember.
It was at the time when people, including the likes of Martin Lewis, were saying that these fines were not legally enforceable, and you just had to ignore them, and they would eventually give up.

I ignored the letters, maybe 3 were sent, but then they allegedly 'sold' the debt to a debt collection agency, though iirc the address of the original company and the debt agency were the same.

Again ignored it, maybe another 3 letters, getting more and more threatening, and of course the amount had gone up to £150 I think it was.

As predicted, they did indeed give up though.

I gather that it has all changed since, and you can't take that route anymore.

 

[presta]

A parking attendant in our multi-storey once put a ticket on my car in the time it took me to walk across to the ticket machine, buy a ticket, and turn around. He must have been hiding behind the roof pillar, because that was the only thing closer to my car than the ticket machine, and there was nobody in sight as I drove in.

 

[teeonethousand]

I recently got one from driving into a car park, deciding not to stay and then driving out of it. If the parking company is a member of whatever they call the association they have rules of conduct. The rules said you have 5 mins to decide if your not staying and pay...I was 5 mins 36 seconds. I complained...computer says no. I did research and did think about fighting it to court but in the end I could not be bothered and so paid while the 'early payment' discount still applied.

I thoroughly begrudged it and attempted to lay a curse on the money 😂

 

[BoldonLad]

got a parking ticket in a Council Car park. I had actually bought parking time, and, had the relevant proof, but, I had miss-read the sign giving details of charges. I emailed them, argued the point that the wording of the sign was ambiguous. They accepted that and cancelled the ticket.

 

[fossyant]

I got one at the Asda near work - I'd gone in two days on a row, but the ANPR didn't record me coming out on the first morning, so got a ticket for being parked 24 hours. Challenged it and it was removed.

I got one in Tenby this summer, parked where I thought was OK - nope, residents. Got caught just 2 minutes before I left. Oh well. My own fault - I should have parked 10 foot on the other side of a 'gap'. Paid my £35 on-line straight away and got on with my holiday.

 

[fossyant]

My son did say, it's sometimes cheaper to get a ticket in London than actually park. I can well believe it, as we're off to Brighton next week. Staying two nights, no parking at most hotels. Council carpark is £80 for 48 hours ! Found a small secure private one for £60 with on-site staff and it's locked overnight - only 10 cars and under cover. Must be a great money earner. Booked in well in advance.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Never had a parking fine.

 

[YMFB]

My wife had one overturned in Salisbury as she was accused of buying the wrong ticke. She had bought the correct ticket, two weeks later she got another as was a few minutes late. No grace given, the parking “ambassadors“ aka as nazis are probably paid on numbers of fines. Salisbury has many empty shops, Wiltshire CC dont care if it’s not Trowbridge.