Do I have a chance appealing this parking fine?

[WhatWouldYouDo33]

On Easter Sunday my DC (7) became worse after days of sickness and had a very high temperature, coughing and feeling very unwell. 111 adviced me to go to a walking centre 7 miles away. Unfamiliar with the walking centre I asked if there was a car park and the person said yes.

Upon arrival the car park was closed for repairs (and had been for 2 months) and the nearest car park was 10min walking distance uphill. I couldn’t leave sick DC alone in the waiting room with 40 strangers to find parking and be gone 15-20mins and I didn’t want her to walk in the cold when she was so unwell. I parked at a nearby GP surgery which was obviously closed as it was Easter Sunday.

Today I have received a parking notice as I was filmed leaving the car park without patient or staff permit. The fine is £100 (or £60 if paid in the next 11 days). Do I have a chance to appeal this? Do they care about my reasons or is it only technical grounds that can be appealed?

I'd ask this to be moved to the legal section for accurate advice.
Is the charge from a private firm? If so, I suspect you'll be advised not to communicate with them in any form. As soon as you do that, you're fucked. And, no, I doubt they'll care about your reasons.

@PossumintheHouse there is a link in the letter to an appeal website form. So why are you fucked as soon as you communicate??
I can’t be more fucked over already, I have my fine.

yes private firm

What sort of ticket is it? A council one or private? If it's council suspect it's not worth a fight but if private it's an invoice not a fine so definitely worth a try. Ignore people who tell you to ignore it (that's outdated) and check out moneysavingexpert.com for advice. Since it was Easter Sunday they would struggle to prove you parking there puts them out of pocket plus they should hold the ability to pay the lower amount during the appeal process

If you start corresponding with them you're basically admitting liability. But I'm not a lawyer, so it's best you ask on that sub-forum.

It's unlikely they will go down without a fight, so the only question is how much do you want the fight? All the reasons why you parked there are 100% irrelevant. You would have to fight it on technical grounds.

I'd be tempted to pay the £60 and forget it ever happened, no matter how much it stings.

I hope your little one is better.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets/

Here is the info from moneysavingexpert. You aren't admitting liability by communicating with them, if you ignore them they can try to enforce it

I once won an appeal as they said I was in a disabled bay and I appealed stating it's actually double yellows 😂

I always say it's worth a try.

You are if you try to appeal it.

Really no.

The op has two choices here. Either ignore and the firm could take her to court (which is possible but might not happen) or communicate with firm either to tell them to fu as she's not paying for xyz or go via formal appeals process. If she goes via latter route she is doing opposite of admitting liability, she is saying she thinks she is not liable for the invoice because...(what ever she puts in letter or appeal)

Yes, I would say you have a chance of getting it cancelled. I'd get some evidence of your appointment and explain what you've said here. I've seen people have fines cancelled for lesser reasons.

Another option you could try, and one that's more likely to work, would be to contact the landowner and ask if they will get the parking company to rescind the charge because of the circumstances.

If it's ukpc you have no chance. Bitter experience

Other option is just to pay but it's probably worth an appeal before you do that

There are a tonne of fb groups which will help you. Depending on the company some will take your claim for a £15 fee because they know they’ll get it dismissed. Depends on the company tho. Some you can’t win against

I’d ask the GP practice (very nicely) if there’s anything they can do.

Obviously appeal but unfortunately it's not always understanding. Always best to get a proper parking space, know it's not easy. The times I've been desperate to park, especially with exceptional circumstances and I've not made it in time. Goodness, those are the times you really shouldn't give a shit!

Well I have been photographed twice and they have the evidence, so no way I can pretend otherwise.

Thanks I will not ignore. I can’t deal with more hassle.
i have evidence of the appointment.

i will try this and contact the owner (GP practise) on Monday too and see if they can help.

Thanks everyone I will try and appeal knowing I have no technical grounds. It’s a private company and yes the lower amount will hold will I appeal. I was caught on camera so no way to deny it.

I would do it again, it was the right decision for my child and I was not bothering anyway/stealing someone’s parking spot as it was Easter Sunday. Just a bit of idiot tax I guess. (If I have to pay).

I still think a NHS walk in centre should have a car park, surely this is an inconvenience to many people who are sick/have mobility issues. But that’s a different topic.

Another option you could try, and one that's more likely to work, would be to contact the landowner and ask if they will get the parking company to rescind the charge because of the circumstances

I agree with this. It's likely that the GP surgery uses a private parking company because they have issues with people parking there for other amenities in the area so patients can't get parked when they need to.

Obviously this didn't apply on the day in question so I think it's worth emailing the GP surgery, explaining that you'd been misinformed by the walk in centre and used what appeared to be the solution to your issue at the time and ask them to instruct the parking company to cancel the ticket.

Alternatively you may be able to appeal to POPLA. It says a medical emergency that prevented you from parking correctly, which is not quite what happened here, but along the same lines. So also worth a shot?

https://www.popla.co.uk/appeal-guide

Parking companies are getting harsher. I paid a fine last month. NT property, independently managed. I had been sitting in the car whilst DH was getting the ticket just before we left. After the fine came I assumed he hadn't quite paid, so I handed over the fine. But he had paid , so he wrote and told them that he could evidence it. They replied that tough, he'd paid it now and there were no refunds.

I’d try and get it cancelled. However if they don’t and you ignore it as many people do, be careful you don’t get taken to court by the parking firm. You then can get a CCJ . They are absolute bastards these parking firms !

Update: I got my parking ticket cancelled! Submitted all the evidence and they cancelled as a “gesture of goodwill”. Thanks for everyone’s input.

Excellent update, well done

Brilliant news!

Was it the parking company or the landowner who got it cancelled for you in the end?

The parking company. I wrote a long message detailing I had a sick child and that it was Easter Sunday etc. they asked for proof and I sent a screenshot of my appointment confirmation (text) and her prescription which was issued on Easter Sunday.