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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have given the woman my parking ticket?

153 replies

Whereareyougoingmouse · 28/10/2017 17:43

I went to a car park today and put 4 hours on the car. we only ended up staying 45 mins as my DD had a major melt down which couldn't be tamed so we decided to head home.

As I was exiting the car park I saw a young mother with a small baby rifling through her purse stood at the ticket machine. I drove up to her and asked if she would like my ticket as it still had 3 hours 15 mins left on it and shame to go to waste. As I was saying this an elderly lady walked past and shouted "That's illegal". I said pardon and she said "You stupid cow what you are doing is illegal" and walked off. The young mother shouted after saying how rude she was but the woman carried on walking laughing and shaking her head.

I was genuinely shocked by this. I've never heard it's illegal to give someone your ticket and I've been given countless tickets in my 15 years of driving. I looked at the board and it said nothing about it.

WIBU to offer the lady my ticket?

OP posts:
Kewcumber · 28/10/2017 18:35

Illegal generally means that it is against some statute or common law doesn't it? I'm fairly certain that the British law is silent on the issue of parking tickets on private land... {waits to be corrected)

I think she means that it is a breach of contract.

And the terms that the ticket is not transferable would need to be visible when you buy the ticket.

Of course I may have missed the point entirely.

Kewcumber · 28/10/2017 18:36

And I cross posted with Tartyflette

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 28/10/2017 18:36

Balls is it illegal. Against the rules perhaps, but not illegal.

I turned up at a car park the other day that there was an all day ticket stuck to the machine. I used it for an hour then stuck it back on the machine.

Kewcumber · 28/10/2017 18:36

Why is it that people never shout "I think you'll find that's a breach of contract across car parks"?

Bubblebubblepop · 28/10/2017 18:36

Not necessarily private land though- plenty of council car parks state tickets not transferable

WeAllHaveWings · 28/10/2017 18:45

Most car parks state tickets are non transferable, so the lady you passed to could be fined for not buying a ticket, if someone found out, but no idea how they would.

I give away/take offered tickets if they have plenty of time left on them.

aliphil · 28/10/2017 18:50

I've been offered other people's tickets but don't feel comfortable taking them as I know you're not supposed to, but that's my choice; I certainly wouldn't have a go at them or be so rude as the lady the OP was unlucky enough to meet! As for giving them out, I probably wouldn't unless someone asked; anyway I nearly always pay by phone these days, but even when I didn't I very rarely had more than five or ten minutes left by the time I got back to the car; you must all be faster shoppers than I am!

AcrossthePond55 · 28/10/2017 19:18

Where I am it is actually illegal to pass on a parking ticket. Govt owned lots will enforce it, for private lots it's up to the owner if they want to enforce it or not. It's also illegal to 'feed' a parking meter for a car other than your own. But people do both all the time.

I think it's a piss-ant law. If a meter or space is 'good' for 2 more hours then it shouldn't matter WHO is in the space. In essence, the govt wants to collect double fees (the 'early leaver' and the 'new parker'). That's what should be illegal!

LIZS · 28/10/2017 19:20

I've done this at hospital, bought 2 hours and been straight in and out. It is surely up to the recipient whether they use it or not. Officially they are non transferrable though.

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 28/10/2017 19:21

It is illegal. Did she really call you a stupid cow? It seems so unlikely unnecessary.

Sashkin · 28/10/2017 19:22

Our local car park only sells full-day tickets. So I always pop mine back in the bottom of the machine when I leave, for somebody else to use. Can’t see anything wrong with it myself.

Efferlunt · 28/10/2017 19:23

It’s not actually illegal as in a crime though is it? It’s breach of the contract you made with the owners of the car park when you brought the ticket.

Ignore shouty old woman.

Bubblebubblepop · 28/10/2017 19:31

If it's council owned it's not a breach of contract but as it's only punishable by a fine anyway it hardly matters. You're not going to be arrested

Whereisthegin1978 · 28/10/2017 19:35

A man offered me his ticket once and from behind another car the car parking warden jumped out and said if I took it and put it on my car he would issue me a fine. Me and the guy offering it laughed then realised he was being serious. He then stood watching to check I bought one. Don't know if he could have fined me but for £2.20 it wasn't worth the risk !

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/10/2017 19:37

Whereisthegin1978 Yep, he could have fined you. I've received a fine for it.

thegreenlight · 28/10/2017 19:37

Funny that giving someone your ticket is 'illegal' but the bastarding highway robbery of parking machines not giving change is par for the course Angry

StaplesCorner · 28/10/2017 19:39

The OP wasn't drowning a kitten, she was offering someone a ticket. WTAF has it got to do with cowbag woman?

justforthisthread101 · 28/10/2017 19:41

Goodness there are a lot rude people in the world! What a horrible woman! I used to do it all the time and was always grateful when one was given to me. Now I tend to pay by app so it doesn’t happen but in our town car park you forever find tickets with time left on them stuck to the machine.

StaplesCorner · 28/10/2017 19:42

Why is it that people never shout "I think you'll find that's a breach of contract across car parks"? I think we should all start doing this even if there is no actual breach of contract taking place.

Or we could tut loudly stating "That is a civil offence, and as such you'll have to bring a private prosecution", or "Have a care for the Sale of Goods Act!". I like to go round parks and gardens referring people for a judicial review.

(I haven't had ANY wine at all today promise)

ShellyBoobs · 28/10/2017 19:55

Our local car park only sells full-day tickets. So I always pop mine back in the bottom of the machine when I leave, for somebody else to use. Can’t see anything wrong with it myself.

They will price tickets expecting to sell a certain number per day.

Taking it to its extreme, suppose there are 50 spaces and it's £5 per day, if everyone who bought a ticket passed it on to someone else, the most they could ever turn over in a day would be £250.

They might be expecting most people to only stay 1/2 day max and therefore have the potential to sell another £250 of tickets.

I don't disagree that passing the ticket on is a nice thing to do for someone, though, and have done it myself. Just pointing out why they make the tickets non-transferable and could pursue the subsequent user of the ticket as it would theoretically be an invalid ticket.

Sweetheartyparty76 · 28/10/2017 19:57

Some rules are meant to be broken, this is one of them

donquixotedelamancha · 28/10/2017 19:59

"Actually it is an offence."

IANAL, but I don't think that can be true. Most private car parks have terms that make tickets non-transferable, but not all. Even if they do, that just invalidates the ticket for the new user.

If the owners haven't bothered to collect reg numbers , then they don't care.

I make a point of doing what the OP did. It is the nice way to behave. Don't worry about the loony old woman OP.

CallMeDollFace · 28/10/2017 20:04

I’m sure the vast majority of people have either given or accepted a ticket in these circumstances.

Whether it is right or wrong, it is certainly kind and in my opinion is exactly the kind of community behaviour we need these days.

The other lady has, with her offensive and unkind behaviour, beautifully illustrated precisely why kindness and community spirit are more important now than ever before.

PovertyPain · 28/10/2017 20:10

You're nit supposed to pass the tickets on, but I couldn't care less. I love what people do in a little council owned car park near me. When you go to the machine you will find people have actually taken the tickets from their cars and stuck them to the machine, so quite often you'll get 'free' parking. I think that's lovely.

cantfindname · 28/10/2017 20:30

I once went running across the carpark to give a lady my ticket with over an hour left on it, only to return to the car to find my children cringing. Why?

Seems I gave the ticket to Joanna Lumley lol. She was very grateful.