Baffled by parking fine and anxious

[Peanutbutteryogurt]

Absolutely stumped! At the end of November I took DD to a rhyme time at the library in a nearby city. Parked in an underground car park around the corner from the library and I specifically remember paying as it was an absolute faff. Most car parks in the city have the same parking app and this car park had a random different one, couldn't download it as we were underground, DD fussing in the car and i managed to gather enough change in the car and my bag to cover an hour, after which I moved to a different car park as I wanted to go shopping on the high street.

DP picked up post from old address today and we have a parking fine claiming I didn't pay, their only evidence is a picture of my car entering the car park then leaving exactly an hour later. Nothing in the 'evidence' explains why they think I didn't pay. It was pay and display and there was no ticket on the car when I returned.

I have searched my car high and low and can't find the pay and display ticket, which is frustrating as I rarely tidy my car. Without it I can't prove I paid, but they don't seem to have any evidence that I didn't.

As we received the letter late we've missed the window to pay £60 and it's now £100. We're having a very tight few months due to paying off credit card debt and this is such a blow.

Wtf do I do! We've appealed but it's basically 'i did pay' with no evidence. I'm so pissed off.

Also check with the council if the sign you saw saying pay and display has planning approval, crazy i know but my daughter got caught at the doctors surgery, where u register your car once inside, she didnt see the signs, got a fine, pursued them through the right channels, as it turns out the signs were not legal anyway

Might be you paid for an hour but that technically you were over an hour? So that's what the fine is for? PE aren't known for being flexible...

No definitely an hour, there's time stamps on the leaving and entering photos.

Don't worry I'm not going to ignore it, never intended on doing that

Does the app track payments?

Firstly you need to contact the DVLA and change your address. The parking company have got your old address from them. It's illegal to not have updated this.
If it gets as far as court then the letters will go there. If you don't respond because you don't get the letters you could end up with a CCJ without even knowing.

Secondly, I WOULD ignore. Parking companies have 6 years to claim. I had one and ignored. I started receiving letters from a 'solicitor' at 5 years and 6 months. VERY threatening, wanting £280 in fees etc. They really did put pressure on me, even my husband said to pay, but I said no as I would rather take it to court and a judge order me to pay than these scumbags!

They even said THEY would decide if I got a CCJ, that I WOULD get one, really put the pressure on. All a load of bollocks.

I joined a Facebook group -'fight against unfair parking charge notice' - and they helped me loads.

In the end I got as far as selecting the small claims court to attend, but the court then sent me a letter saying they were throwing it out as an ‘abuse of process’.
It was nothing to even do with the parking company’s alleged claim, it was down to the ‘substantial charge in additional to the parking charge’! So basically the horrendous fees they add!

Google ‘District Judge Grand’ and ‘Money Saving Expert’!

This is just MY experience, and some judges are ruling in the favour of the companies, but a lot aren't.

I’ve just had a CCJ letter for a fine from 2016 so they do send them out.

LIZS, yes the apps track the payments, but it's an underground car park so I couldn't download the app while there.

The car should be registered to this address, we had just moved when we bought it. Don't currently have the spare £80 for us to both get new driving licenses with the new address.

It was free for us to update our address on our driving licenses online when we moved

When I tried it was £39 per licence

You don't have to pay to update your driving license or log book address. You can do the driving license online via the gov.uk website

This is the website I used, unless you're not from the UK maybe?

www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence

Hmm okay, I'll look again. We're both from the UK.

The problem is likely because if you Google how to change your address on your licence, it always suggests pages where you can pay another company to submit the form for you. It's an annoying and disingenuous little scam. Just go directly to the address linked above.

If you google changing address on driving licence it may have been there were links from unscrupulous companies who charge you for something that is free.

ShivD - Did you go to court and defend?

we definitely paid to have them changed last time we moved. How annoying! I'm filling the form in now.

You don't pay to update your licence details.
What does the parking notice actually state the offence is? As others have said it's unusual to have ANPR on a pay and display car park. They usually take a handheld photo of the car with no ticket displayed if that's the offence. Photos of the car entering and leaving doesn't prove you didn't pay so it doesn't make sense.

keepingbees

Well exactly, none of it makes sense. My supposed offence is not paying (which I did) and none of the evidence provided shows I didn't pay or even suggests why they think I didn't pay.

If there is a possibility of you giving the wrong number plate, you have the exact date/time, could you ask them if a ticket matches that plate. If so, at least you would work out what had happened.

don't ignore but send a letter to explain and ask them what proof they have you haven't paid.