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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not pay this fine?

41 replies

FrozenYogurt · 01/02/2011 20:06

This is more of a wwyd. -

Parking on our street is always a bit of a nightmare, but we normally always manage to find a space. However, at the weekend we came back home after a dinner at friends to find no spaces on our or any neighbouring streets so had to park hanging over a double yellow line.
Woke up the next morning to find a ticket had been issued, fair enough, except they've noted down the registration down wrongly. Would i be unreasonabe not to pay it? They won't be able to track us down surely? It's only one digit out so could they play detective and find us based on the area they issued the ticket?

Only reason we parked on lines is it was freezing and we had our sleeping three mth DD with us and didn't want the walk.

Thanks for any advice, have been lurking on here for a while but this is my first AIBU.

OP posts:

tastetherainbow · 01/02/2011 20:24

hi there i have heard of similar situation, same thing happened to someone i know, they waited till the day the ticket was due up and then just waited around for parking fine payment to come through the door....never did!! so i think u have got away with it but on the off chance they have the time and money to waste on playing detective then you can just say someone took it off your car cos u never recieved it and wonder how this could happen when you park outside your house.... play dumb.... i dont know not been in that situation but i actually think you have got away with it and who ever wrote out the ticket really needs to take a course in there job!!!

QueenStromba · 01/02/2011 20:26

I'm pretty sure they take pictures when they issue parking tickets these days so they'll probably have a photo of your license plate. If you do get away with it then you will probably be causing a headache for the person who owns the car with the registration they've put on the ticket.

mrsjoyfulprize · 01/02/2011 20:26

Well. I think the fact that they have filled in the details wrong means that you will get off. However you MUST write to the council and say 'Hello, I have been issued a parking ticket but this is not my car reg. Kindly please strike this from my record'. If you just don't pay, the fine will increase and could eventually lead to you being taken to court. If you write them a letter, they will realise they have to cancel it.

mrsjoyfulprize · 01/02/2011 20:27

Doesn't matter about the photo, QueenStromba. There are all sorts of arcane rules about issuing tickets. Did you know that if they post your speeding ticket to you second class instead of first it is automatically invalid? True fact.

MrsMellowDrummer · 01/02/2011 20:28

Depends how much you're going to stress about it. Personally I'd have sleepless nights - so I'd just pay and be done with it. And you were in the wrong - regardless of all the other circs.

tastetherainbow · 01/02/2011 20:35

MrsMellowDrummer i have to agree with .... if its gonna worry you and to be fair you logged on here and started this thread it obviously isnt summit u are going to forget i would just pay it.....

TootAndCommon · 01/02/2011 20:40

Log on to yor council's parking fine website - lots of councils post the photo of the car. See if there is one, and if it shows your registration.

frgr · 01/02/2011 20:47

You parked where you knew there was a chance of getting a ticket. Stop trying to weasle out of it by causing another driver some totally uncalled for hassle.

I'm sorry that you had a small child in the car with you and that you couldn't find a space (it's a complete pain, i've lived somewhere similar, normally woke up to find someone double parked and blocking us in on weekend mornings). But that doesn't excuse the fact that you have incurred this fine legitimately. Sorry.

mrsjoyfulprize · 01/02/2011 20:48

Look. It's not going to cause trouble for ANYONE else. The parking warden has filled in the ticket wrongly therefore it's invalid, regardless of photos. She just needs to contact the council and tell them.

MrsNonSmoker · 01/02/2011 20:50

If you google parking fines you'll see how tricky the law is around how and when they can be enforced. I'd leave it and wait, if you appeal it they won't be able to make it stick but that's just imho.

frgr · 01/02/2011 20:50

I'm still amazed people try and wiggle out of this sort of thing on a technicality despite actually being guilty.

I've had genuine tickets for me being an arse, I've also had invalid ones which were later dismissed. I just don't understand how someone would have the gumption to acknowledge the ticket was issued in good faith, albeit incompetently, and then still try to get out of it if they possibly can.

bubblewrapped · 01/02/2011 20:53

You parked illegally. Pay the fine.

One of you could have taken the baby in while the other parked in a legal parking space. So no excuse really.

tastetherainbow · 01/02/2011 20:53

frgr...... how many fines have you had???

mrsjoyfulprize · 01/02/2011 20:57

frgr - what's the point of throwing 30 pounds in the bin? It's not like it actually costed anyone anything to have a tiny bit of their bumper hanging over the yellow line.

Don't just leave it - it will go to court, when you could just pre-empt it by going 'look - invalid'

tastetherainbow · 01/02/2011 20:59

frgr.... do you work?..... paying a fine like that is a huge deal and would worry someone.... from the amount of fines you have had its hardly like you have accidently got them, this guy is genuine he couldnt park where he lived and had young child cut some slack

Maisiethemorningsidecat · 01/02/2011 21:01

I wouldn't pay it - my bumper hanging over a yellow line in a residential street is not causing a hold up or stopping someone with a disability from using the space. As long as no-one else is going to get the fine, I'd hold fire as tastetherainbow suggests.

Have never actually had a parking ticket, but pretty sure I'd not be parting with my hard earned cash for this.

tastetherainbow · 01/02/2011 21:06

Maisiethemorningsidecat i completely agree

Melty · 01/02/2011 21:17

I think you'll be fine.
See Here: similar quandry

taintedpaint · 01/02/2011 21:30

While I think it's cheeky to pay, since you were undoubtedly guilty, you have grounds to get out of this, so I would.

I honestly don't see why one of you couldn't take the baby inside while the other parked the car legally though. People have to do it all the time.

taintedpaint · 01/02/2011 21:31

Sorry, I meant cheeky to not pay.

sarahtigh · 01/02/2011 21:39

If you were not endangering anyone don't pay it just a revenue raising trick,
if it's issued by police traffic warden it can not be inforced as details wrong, as someone else said they have to issue in a particular way with proper warnings etc
if its council etc... you can safely ignore it; see Honest John colum in daily telegraph about people getting £75 fine for staying 5 extra mins in supermarket

once I thought if you did something wrong even if minor you should pay until I realised that most parking traffic offences are not about safety at all but just an alternative tax, out of all proportion to the seriousness of the offence hit parking attendant fine £100, park for too long £75 to my mind the first offence is at least 30 times more serious so the parking fine should be about £1.50

confuddledDOTcom · 01/02/2011 21:44

You can get out of paying it if the details are wrong as it's not legally valid.

If you're parked in a private carpark you're under no obligation to pay as it's a fee not a fine. If you're parked on the road and it's valid, you can usually get out of it.

frgr · 01/02/2011 22:01

Um, I've had 3 tickets in my time. 1 for parking outside a cinema to get a film time pamphlet, but it was during the hours you can't go in there because it's that until after rush hour (I'd been lazy and assumed it was about 6 it went off - 100% my own fault).

The other for parking at my mum's where it was done totally legit - no fault and got it dismissed - one of those roads whose regulations change every 100 yards and the parking wardens try it on. Plus 1 more for over staying time on a parking meter.

3 tickets, 1 which shouldn't have been issues, in over 16 years of driving isn't bad. I've never ever had an accident (either my own fault or others), touch wood, and never got any points (again touch wood!). :)

So it's not exactly a bad record, IMHO.

And for the record, Yes, I work. So does my husband. I've posted here several times regarding my own financial situation, which isn't great (and no, I'm not talking about the type where it's "we only earn 45k a year, woe is us", it's more the "shit we can't afford the school trip next week" variety).

I still maintain that despite the OP's situation, she should pay up. She's guilty. Unfortunate, but she got caught. A good idea to drop her off and take baby upstairs whilst her driver partner parks somewhere safer, surely?

Isn't that common sense?

frgr · 01/02/2011 22:03

this guy is genuine he couldnt park where he lived and had young child cut some slack

Of course the OP could. Drop off baby, get into the house, whilst driver goes off and parks further away rather than illegally.

That's what DH and I had to do when we lived in a flat with a massive parking problem with the weekly shopping. Glad I'm out of that place, but doesn't mean to say I'd have tried to weazle out of a parking ticket if I'd left it overnight and got caught out.

Original poster

FrozenYogurt · 01/02/2011 22:15

Thanks for all the advice. I was the one driving and yes, I could have dropped off my DH and parked elsewhere and walked. I am thinking I may well pay up since I was in the wrong, however it slightly rankles me that they didn't get the details right and I could get off on a technicality. Hey ho, won't be doing it again!

OP posts:

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