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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:
SchadenfreudePersonified · 28/10/2017 20:30

It is against the rules, but I've done it, and I've benefitted from it too.

Car parking charges are often ridiculous, and it makes no different to the council whether one car occupies that space or ten, as long as it's paid for.

A lot of car parks make you put your reg in now, though.

Hippee · 28/10/2017 20:30

We got a ticket stuck to a machine in Whitby this week - and it said on the machine that the tickets WERE transferable - I was surprised, but pleased.

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 28/10/2017 20:33

YANBU. I've both given and received tickets, and I always seek out someone to give a ticket to at hospital car parks.

Original poster
Whereareyougoingmouse · 28/10/2017 21:15

The car park I was parked in was a council owned car park. Oh well even if it is illegal
I will continue to do it as I think it's nice!

And to whoever questioned if she called me a "stupid cow" yes she did. Had she of just said "you shouldn't be doing that" I don't think I would have been cross about it hours later!

OP posts:
FooFighter99 · 28/10/2017 21:29

I do this ALL the time and I don’t give a shit if it’s illegal!! Grin fucking sue me! Halo

clockworklime · 28/10/2017 21:31

“Mind your own business and fuck off” works wonders in these situations.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/10/2017 21:32

FooFighter99 Well I'm sure you'd give a shit if they fined you for it.

ilovesooty · 28/10/2017 21:35

You have to put your registration number in on most of the car parks in my city too. Not on the parking meters though.

donquixotedelamancha · 28/10/2017 23:09

@WhatToDoAboutThis2017
"Well I'm sure you'd give a shit if they fined you for it."

Who's 'they'? Based on what law would 'they' issue a fine?

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/10/2017 23:11

Who's 'they'? Based on what law would 'they' issue a fine?

"They" are the traffic wardens; they can and do issue fines to people who accept tickets they haven't paid for.

donquixotedelamancha · 28/10/2017 23:17

"they can and do issue fines to people who accept tickets they haven't paid for."

Fair enough. An enforcement officer can fine (or invoice based on T&Cs if not a council carpark) for not having a valid ticket. I assume Foofighter meant he gives his ticket away and therefore thought that was what you meant could be fined.

Being caught in such a way that the ticket transfer is provable seems a small risk to me. It wouldn't stop me accepting one. Do you really think there is something wrong with it?

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/10/2017 23:21

Being caught in such a way that the ticket transfer is provable seems a small risk to me. It wouldn't stop me accepting one. Do you really think there is something wrong with it?

I don't have any problem with it at all; it's just a few months ago I was issued a fine for accepting and using someone else's ticket, so I want to make sure people are aware that they can and do issue fines for it.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 28/10/2017 23:25

I had no idea it was illegal and do it all the time (and I still will). People who take it upon themselves to police harmless laws like this are busybodies and should be laughed at.

Viviene · 28/10/2017 23:30

Well should the car park owner not offer a refund for the unused time if you cannot transfer the ticket?

kuniloofdooksa · 28/10/2017 23:31

In normal circumstances I don't think it is right to do this bit the situation in the OP is unusual. Having paid for 4 hours but only having used 45 minutes it is fair enough to pass it on so that it doesn't feel like a waste.

The situation which is more normal and a lot more unethical is the kind where there are car parks that charge £2 (or whatever) for any period. In that case the fee isn't about the duration but about levying a charge on motorists for bringing a vehicle into town. It's right and proper that every motorist should pay. It's a deliberate policy to make these charges in order to make people think twice about bringing their vehicle if there is an alternative. Passing on this kind of ticket is deliberately working against efforts to promote the cultural changes needed to save the environment for future generations and yes it is unethical.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/10/2017 23:35

Well should the car park owner not offer a refund for the unused time if you cannot transfer the ticket?

Why should they? If someone overestimates how long they're going to be, that's not the car park owners fault.

It states that tickets are non transferable on the board before you buy them, so they're not hiding anything or being disingenuous.

Waddlelikeapenguin · 28/10/2017 23:41

One of my favourite things about our town is that it's common practice to stick parking tickets with time left on them onto the ticket machine for others to use Grin

DagenhamRoundhouse · 29/10/2017 17:21

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Mrstiggywink49 · 29/10/2017 17:25

Have always done it ...no one has stopped me yet!

OlennasWimple · 29/10/2017 17:27

I do this, both giving and receiving.

I like to live dangerously Grin

Afternooncatnap · 29/10/2017 17:41

The old woman is stupid. It's not illegal, it's not a criminal offence. It's just against the terms and conditions of the car park.

Car park owners charge massive amounts for doing very little . So stuff their terms and conditions and pass tickets on.

I was at the hospital visiting my sick baby. I couldn't get a space. A couple walking past told me they were leaving and gave me their ticket. It was such a little thing but made such a big difference to me.

katseyes7 · 29/10/2017 17:51

Unless it's a car park where you have to input your registration into the machine, l always do this. Even if l just have half an hour left, sometimes that's enough for someone else to use it. And if there's no-one about when l'm leaving, l put the ticket in the slot on the parking machine for the next person to use it.
lf you've paid for it, it's just kindness to pass it on.

Italiangreyhound · 29/10/2017 17:53

I thin it does depend on the car park but sometimes it does seem to be illegal. We were offered a ticket in a car park once and I can't remember all the details but basically someone else was there and for some reason the other person got the ticket (I was reticent to take it because it felt like 'cheating' on paying) and as we were exiting the parking attendant told us it is a £50 fine for using someone else's ticket so we were lucky we did pay (not sure if he had been watching!)

In some car parks it is obvious because you put the licence plate number in, but in this one it was not obvious (I think it was a London transport car park at a station). Although maybe there was a sign somewhere.

So you were being unreasonable to offer it, but you didn't know it then, the young woman was being a bit unreasonable to take it (and should know because the other shouty woman said so). But I think the shouting woman was very unreasonable for not just explaining nicely that taking someone else's ticket could result in a fine!

However, Whereareyougoingmouse now you are definitely being unreasonable and mean "Oh well even if it is illegal. I will continue to do it as I think it's nice!"

It's not nice. It makes you look good but if the person who takes your ticket gets a £50 or more fine they will feel pretty crap. They will be penalised, not you, so if you must offer your ticket be sure to warn them they could get fined!

maygirl27 · 29/10/2017 17:55

Yes it is illegal - but I've done it - still do. There are people committing much worse illegal acts every day.

As for the old girl - obviously forgot to put her muzzle on that morning.

Italiangreyhound · 29/10/2017 17:59

CherryChasingDotMuncher "I had no idea it was illegal and do it all the time (and I still will). People who take it upon themselves to police harmless laws like this are busybodies and should be laughed at." People who point out what someone is doing are not policing things they are not enforcing things. They are issuing a warning. As i said, if a fine is issued you will not get it, the person you give your ticket to will

However, if the tickets are definitely transferable then it is a nice thing to do. So it depends on the restrictions in the car park not on how much time you have got left etc.

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