Help appealing a parking ticket when there was no ticket on the car

[trainedopossum]

Is there a way to appeal a PCN if no ticket was on the car? I only found out about it this weekend when I received it in the post a month later, and now it's too late for an informal appeal or reduced fine. It was issued by the council, not a private company.

I actually had paid for parking over the phone (not an app) via RingGo, and the parking session was valid at the time. I had to look at the sign to get the details to pay for parking but apparently was looking at the wrong sign. I would definitely have made an informal appeal on the basis of insufficient/confusing signage, but even if I'd decided to pay, it would have cost half what it will now.

There are several pics of the car, only one of which shows the ticket stuck to the car, but there was definitely no ticket when I came out and drove away. I understand that this is not a valid basis for appeal but 1) it's my first parking ticket in 15ish years of driving and 2) I would not have ignored it!

You are better demonstrating that you had paid by phone. Are you able to show it on your bank statement. In what way did you misunderstand the sign?

The street is 80% residents' parking and maybe four non-residents' spaces marked identically on both sides of the road. I parked on the south side and turned my head to look at the sign where I always get the code, but I now know the four spaces on the north side are for anyone's use and the four spaces on the south are business bays.

It might not fly as an excuse but I didn't have the two week window for an informal appeal.

Oops I can show that I paid and that the session was valid at the time the ticket was issued.

What happened to the ticket then? They're usually in a plastic pouch, massive yellow things that are well stuck on and visible a mile off.

Can you see from the photo with the ticket showing if the ticket was properly secured to the car?

There are three pics of the car showing the windscreen and one of them shows the ticket in the lower corner on the driver's side. I can't tell if it's stuck on or under the wiper.
Eta for clarity, in two of the pics there is no ticket.

Idk maybe Lord Lucan has it.

Do you think I pretended it wasn't there it so I could feign surprise when I got the PCN in the post and come here to post about it?

Sorry this happened to me and I only found out when I had a letter demanding I pay £140 because of non payment of the original fine.
I appealed but had to pay £140. All because some git took the ticket off my car. They had a picture of it on my car so that was all the proof they needed.

I was fuming.

Apple sorry to hear that.
Of course it's annoying to get a ticket - I'd have been annoyed when I got back to the car and found a ticket there - but it's the fact that it wasn't there and I can't prove a negative that's winding me up. And the doubled fine!

If they are business bays, might they be covered by cctv? If you can show evidence someone else took the ticket off then you might be able to restart the clock on the appeals process?

If it’s there in one of the photos, they’ll win.

Unfortunately it seems someone else removed the ticket, for whatever reason…

Have you provided proof of having paid?

Can you write a nice email to explain, and ask if you can be let off on this occasion, or if not if they would consider letting you pay the smaller 1st amount? I would also show them proof you paid the wrong place, so they can see you were trying to do the right thing even though ultimately you got it wrong.
Sometimes they do realise these things happen and try and help a bit.

Granny genius idea so I googled it and they only keep the footage for 31 days. It has been 35 days.

FastCar I'm doing the appeal now, I just want to make sure I appeal on the correct basis. I have the RingGo VAT receipt which has car details, location, date and time of session etc.

Update: the council have replied and will accept the original reduced fine, so all in all a good result.