Parking ticket on a free private car park?

[flymykitehigh]

Today I used a free car park near the tram station, I completely unknowingly parked in an area that wasn't an official bay. There was a car parked opposite me and in a rush I didn't realise that it wasn't a parking bay.

Anyway... I get back to my car and find I have a ticket for obstruction of parking. (I put my hands up I was wrong I should have seen) but I looked around the area and I am not obstructing anything. The fine is £100 yet I am not sure what money they will have lost as the car park is free?

Do you think I should appeal this? (I accept I was wrong but feel the fine is unjust)

It is a private car park

Has anyone successfully won an appeal?

I really wouldn't waste my time appealing. You were in the wrong and to them it really is that black and white.

It'll be less than £100 if you pay it within 2 weeks?

I'd just pay and learn from it.

I hope you took pictures. Exactly the same thing happened to me a few years back. Initially my appeal was knocked back (I sent pics and everything!). My husband then called them and said he was my solicitor and they backed down immediately (he was a solicitor btw). Fight it!

The pictures are below. What are your thoughts?

I definitely hold my hands up I should have seen it wasn't a bay (I saw the lines as I got out the left side and didn't think more of it) in a rush and just one of those days!

Just find it crazy they are trying to claim so much when they aren't losing any money and I wasn't actually blocking anything! I'm not sure whether it's clear but there was an awful lot of room by the side of my car

If your Mini is in the wrong, then the red car in front of you is too?

Is it a left hand drive? If not then why did you get out that side

My car is the mini. Yes exactly; the red car did not have a ticket.

Also I have just looked on google maps and interestingly; there used to be yellow zig zags in the area where I parked, for some reason this has been removed. (See attached)

(Photo from google maps)

Winbigly good point, I was more tired than I thought! (Still am by the sides of it)

Bump

Join the facebook group fight your private parking ticket they will be extremely helpful in working out what you should do.

Sorry it's called fight your private parking invoice

Do not pay the parking notice, go into Martin Lewis site, I can't remember what it's called, and there is a thread on there detailing what letter you have to write and to who to appeal.

Parking notices by private companies are a massive scam. I successfully appealed a parking notice from parking on a paved area at my gym with the tools on his website. I was in the wrong too.

Just had a look it's the moneysavingexpert site.

Don't bother paying a private parking ticket. They have no basis in law. Ignore or follow more complex advice on MSE

Private parking tickets are now potentially enforceable so don't ignore it!

By all means appeal, but don't follow outdated advice to ignore!

Pay it! There is recent case law to say these tickets are enforceable. People are giving out of date advice.

Is the case law the cases where people have left loads of parking fines? So it has accumulated to a large amount, therefore easier to prosecute and obtain evidence of the damages lost?

If anyone has a link to cases that would be fab???

What is the signage in the car park. My understanding is there would have to be a visible warning.

I'm with lucked - if there were no obvious lines to say you shouldn't Park there and no signs saying to only Park in marked bays then I would dispute it and mention solicitors if they try to insist. Yes private parking fines are enforceable but only if they have stuck rigidly to the rules.

Please don't just ignore and assume that they don't have any legal right without a proper check. There was a recent case in Scotland whereby a woman did just that and the court upheld that she was liable for the fine and non payment charges which amounted to over £20k!

I second the advice to go on MSE there is a lot a clear advice on there on how to challenge private parking tickets. There are some quite technical legal points about signage, the ticket, follow up documentation and timing that are very helpful to know.

How come it's a free private car park? Who's it meant to be for? Is it for customers or employees or something? We're you definitely allowed to be in there?