Parking fines - I've been so stupid

[Branster]

I’m not sure where to post this, not a strictly AIBU thread (I know I am BU as far as rules go) but I’m desperate for some sensible advice and maybe a glimmer of hope.

I’ll try and describe my situation in a rational manner. It might not be a big deal for some people but it is for me.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been partly working away from home driving to an office at various times of the day.
I got in the habit of stopping on the way back home to clear my messages, catch up on urgent calls and do minor paperwork in my car - nice and quiet, no distractions, no weird people walking by etc - before returning home where I wouldn’t get the chance to finish these tasks before 10-11PM. Clear the head sort of thing so I’m ready for doing the full on evening house duty ‘shift’. Like a lot of people, I am at the limit being in a constantly occupied house all the time without any quiet time with zero interruptions. So grabbing a short period of time to get rid of outstanding little work tasks like this does help me be a better person in the evenings at home.

So I stop in a very safe, nearly empty secondary train station car park which has this car number plate recognition parking system which I vaguely noticed. I assumed if I stop just for a little bit and stay in my car I should be OK and didn’t even consider getting a ticket (Not exactly a ticket, it’s a pay system of some sort). Technically I was using the car park but not in the traditional sense of leaving the car there. Who am I kidding?! I was using the car park. Even though it was a stopovers.
Breaks on average between 10-30min max.

Today I got home to an £85 penalty notice dated 8th April. In theory this should be the first fine, maybe I didn’t stop there before that date or maybe there is a grace period of 15min or so and I didn’t stop for too long prior to this date or maybe earlier dated letters are yet to arrive.
If this was the first recorded breach of parking rules, I might get another 7-8 penalty notices, not sure, including today. Nearly £700, potentially. That’s an awful lot of money to me especially when I haven’t budgeted for it and when it doesn’t even benefit anyone in practical terms.

I’m so, so cross with myself for being so negligent and incredibly stupid and I am at a loss as to what I can do to limit the damage.
I know these tickets can be disputed within a certain amount of time. I’d need to wait at least another week to get all the letters and try to write a dispute for all of them in one go on the basis of what exactly, other than utter stupidity.

My first thought was to try and call the company issuing the tickets first thing tomorrow morning to get the total number of offences from them and to tell them the truth and ask if there is any way of reducing the fines.

I can’t think straight, I am in a right mood about it and I feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. I feel like crying with anger at myself (and a bit of self pity).

I can’t ask anyone in RL for advice, I am very embarrassed. I never park illegally on the road and never even got a speeding ticket, I’m always do careful and mindful of consequences and I’ve just failed in a spectacular way.

It is a lot of money, potentially. I would agree to pay 1 fine of £85 in the context of my predicament. Has anyone got any practical advice, experience in this sort of thing? How can I argue my case against all these fines which will be pouring in soon?

I worked for a private parking company for 2 years and one of our contracts was with Chiltern Railways car parks . Sorry to say the signage on the way in will always indicate that there are parking restrictions and it’s the driver’s responsibility to know that. If you park for any period other than a limited drive in / drive straight out, then you are fully liable for the fines 😟 yes it was a mistake, but honestly your best bet is to phone the company and set up a re-payment plan. The parking ombudsman will only side will the driver if the parking company are legally at fault, which they aren’t . Sorry but you’re best just paying and putting it behind you .

Oh, I really felt for you reading your initial post and I'm so glad that it has turned out to be the least bad scenario!

I could totally see myself doing something like that, so don't think you are alone! Sending

I can’t be bothered to read all replies but you don’t have to pay fines to a private company. I’d go in with a figure e.g £100

Say you pulled over as we're having panic attacks. Didn't get out the car.

Private car park anyway, they can't enforce it.

Lots of inaccuracies here- this happens every time there is a post like this. The advice used to be 'ignore' but this is not the case anymore.
Please dont listen to people who really don't know what they are talking about!!!!
They are not 'fines' they are speculative invoices.
These companies rely on people paying up to avoid hassle.
Listen to experts- Pepipoo is great: lots of very knowledgeable and helpful folk there. MSE is good too.
Read up please; no wonder these companies are making millions

Don’t believe the posters saying a private company can’t enforce the signs ...they can. And multiple fines are the ones that are easiest to win at court. Also , ill health, panic attacks etc are not a legal defence. A court will say you would be “reasonably” expected to inform the owner of the car park that you were unable to leave ...for ANY reason . These companies have the law on their side ...emotional appeal doesn’t work .

Private car park anyway, they can't enforce it.

Tell that to the many clients of CAB that I personally have helped who have ended up with CCJ’s for hundreds of pounds - which have a direct impact on their ability to rent, get credit and get a mortgage - in relation to a ticket from a private car park. Promoting the notion that you can just ignore these is dangerous and very costly.

Private car park anyway, they can't enforce it.
How exactly did this myth originate? It’s baffling.

Some of the advise on here is just rubbish to put it politely.

Scamming private parking companies thrive on people who panic and pay up when they receive an invoice (they are NOT a fine ) because they use threats of courts, debt collectors and a ccj. These invoices mustn't be ignored but can be challenged and beaten for a whole number of reasons. Do not ring them and have a nice chat about setting up a payment plan !!!

There is an absolute mountain on the internet of people and their stories of being scammed by these awful companies, just Google.

They can chase up the invoice for 6 years and it is well known that any appeals will be rejected. They want your money.
They can not give you a CCJ, only a judge can do that.

Do not bother with Citizens Advice, sorry but they are clueless about private parking tickets and will give out duff information.

For help and advice for a private parking ticket go to ' moneysavingexpert.com pcn ' and read the ' newbies' then start your own thread for any queries or help.

For a council ticket, help is available on Pepipoo.

Do not panic. Do not pay.

Unfortunately, people do panic and pay up or just cant be bothered fighting the cowboys and pay. They can and will be beaten.

Sorry, but Citizens Advice is clueless on beating these cowboys.
For help

Dont know what happened to that post, but I think you get the idea

Maybe HQ could tidy it up when they get 2 mins

The rules are different on National Rail land anyway.

Well done op, you did the right thing.

@Neveranynamesleft

Some of the advise on here is just rubbish to put it politely.

Scamming private parking companies thrive on people who panic and pay up when they receive an invoice (they are NOT a fine ) because they use threats of courts, debt collectors and a ccj. These invoices mustn't be ignored but can be challenged and beaten for a whole number of reasons. Do not ring them and have a nice chat about setting up a payment plan !!!

There is an absolute mountain on the internet of people and their stories of being scammed by these awful companies, just Google.

They can chase up the invoice for 6 years and it is well known that any appeals will be rejected. They want your money.
They can not give you a CCJ, only a judge can do that.

Do not bother with Citizens Advice, sorry but they are clueless about private parking tickets and will give out duff information.

For help and advice for a private parking ticket go to ' moneysavingexpert.com pcn ' and read the ' newbies' then start your own thread for any queries or help.

For a council ticket, help is available on Pepipoo.

Do not panic. Do not pay.

Unfortunately, people do panic and pay up or just cant be bothered fighting the cowboys and pay. They can and will be beaten.

Sorry, but Citizens Advice is clueless on beating these cowboys.
For help

You need to read the OPs latest posts. 😅. The OP doesn’t need any advice now.

@Bobojangles @SGChome20

I got stung in November 2018 with a parking fine from a private parking company for a 10minute stay in a car park that I PAID FOR! Apparently, the ticket was blown off my dashboard when I closed the car door as I found it on my seat upon my return to the car. During the 7 or 8 minutes i was seat form the car it must have been pounced on by someone from the company because I received a fine in the post about a fortnight later, by which time I'd cleared out the rubbish from the car (parking ticket included).
I followed Martin Lewis' advice and contacted the solicitor who'd sent the fine and explained that I had actually paid for a ticket but it fell on deaf ears. I tried talking to the parking company but they just referred me back to the solicitor.
Over the following 12 months I received numerous calls from the solicitor and I kept saying that I was not prepared to pay said fine, not least because I'd paid the parking charge on the day but also because of what Martin says about councils/police being able to fine your for parking offences but the private companies can't. They harassed me sometimes 3 or 4 time a week over this until around October 2020 and I thought they'd decided to drop the matter but no, i received another solicitors letter a few weeks ago stating that the company is now taking me to court over a £1 parking charge which has turned into a fine of over £250 and could also incur some court costs.
I have Multiple Sclerosis and stress is one of the worst triggers for this condition and I've told the solicitor repeatedly, I've even been reduced to treats on some of their harassing calls, but they just say they are acting on the instructions of their client.
I'm sticking to my guns because I know I paid the charge, in the early days of this saga I even offered to pay for the ticket again despite the fact that the ticket was £1.00 despite the fact that I'd only used 10mins of my allowed (paid for) 2hrs.

Flipping predictive text....
Reduced to tears..... not treats

My DH got a £60 fine from council after he parked in a car park for 6 mins so our son could use the toilets at the entrance on lower level to shopping centre (he was absolutely desperate) - DH did not get out of car and parking letter even indicates he was there for 6 mins - in the moment it did not occur to DH to get a ticket. Car park had only recently switched to ANR . DH paid within time frame to get it reduced to £30 . I think the added insult was he was the only car on the level . Very expensive wee !

I havent read the full thread but if it is a private parking company then you don’t have to pay. But you do need to challenge it, don’t ignore it. Go onto MSE and the process for challenging it is explained there.

i don't understand why people give themselves such stress and hassle trying to avoid paying their debts.
and it gallops from a few ponds to hundreds or more.
i think it is the wrong attitude, and unhelpful to urge people to get themselves into a situation where they owe even more.
just pay, asap. it's a lesson learned.

I am in Scotland so the law will probably differ from England slightly but here they need to prove you were the one who has parked the car.

I got two from a private parking company, once when I had overstayed the time I had paid for by three minutes. I wrote a letter saying it was a family car and I was not driving and they dropped the charges. You don't have to say who was driving and it is not worth the hassle of them taking it to court.

@BeaLola

My DH got a £60 fine from council after he parked in a car park for 6 mins so our son could use the toilets at the entrance on lower level to shopping centre (he was absolutely desperate) - DH did not get out of car and parking letter even indicates he was there for 6 mins - in the moment it did not occur to DH to get a ticket. Car park had only recently switched to ANR . DH paid within time frame to get it reduced to £30 . I think the added insult was he was the only car on the level . Very expensive wee !

Council and private charges are different, I wouldn't mess with the council and just pay up!

[quote Harmonypuss]**@Bobojangles* @SGChome20*

I got stung in November 2018 with a parking fine from a private parking company for a 10minute stay in a car park that I PAID FOR! Apparently, the ticket was blown off my dashboard when I closed the car door as I found it on my seat upon my return to the car. During the 7 or 8 minutes i was seat form the car it must have been pounced on by someone from the company because I received a fine in the post about a fortnight later, by which time I'd cleared out the rubbish from the car (parking ticket included).
I followed Martin Lewis' advice and contacted the solicitor who'd sent the fine and explained that I had actually paid for a ticket but it fell on deaf ears. I tried talking to the parking company but they just referred me back to the solicitor.
Over the following 12 months I received numerous calls from the solicitor and I kept saying that I was not prepared to pay said fine, not least because I'd paid the parking charge on the day but also because of what Martin says about councils/police being able to fine your for parking offences but the private companies can't. They harassed me sometimes 3 or 4 time a week over this until around October 2020 and I thought they'd decided to drop the matter but no, i received another solicitors letter a few weeks ago stating that the company is now taking me to court over a £1 parking charge which has turned into a fine of over £250 and could also incur some court costs.
I have Multiple Sclerosis and stress is one of the worst triggers for this condition and I've told the solicitor repeatedly, I've even been reduced to treats on some of their harassing calls, but they just say they are acting on the instructions of their client.
I'm sticking to my guns because I know I paid the charge, in the early days of this saga I even offered to pay for the ticket again despite the fact that the ticket was £1.00 despite the fact that I'd only used 10mins of my allowed (paid for) 2hrs.[/quote]
I do hope you're not planning on going to court with the defence of "I paid the ticket charge to park there" and no proof of that, because I think you'll lose. You do need evidence in court not just "I'm right".

As a general comment, although these things can sometimes be successfully fought IME you need to be someone who works well under stressful situations and able to understand the relevant points of law so you can state your case clearly and effectively. I know OP has sorted her situation now but advising someone to fight the PCN when they haven't got 5min at home of an evening to deal with their daily messages and are panicking about the PCN, I don't feel is in their best interests. It's clear to me the OP wasn't in a situation to fight it successfully (and didn't have any grounds to fight it either).

@Gingerkittykat - you're right the law in Scotland is different. In England the keeper of the car has to give details of who was driving or the keeper is held responsible.

Well done, Branster, for tackling it head on, making the call, and earning yourself the peace of mind that no more notices are coming.

EverythingRuined
I have read the posts, the OP doesnt need any advice as it's too late but other people may do to avoid them lining the pockets of the scammers.

alexdgr8
Telling people to just pay asap is not helpful at all. Yes it is their choice to cough up and be ripped off if they want to but people need to understand that the crafty private carpark management companies will rip people off at any opportunity be it with poor signage or whatever. It's all a scam. Read up on it.
They churn out millions of ridiculously worded tickets every year in the hope that people will just crumble and pay. Yes, people can be taken to court but with the right help and advice the cowboys can be beaten.

Harmonypuss
The forum to go on - Moneysavingexpert.com pcn
Parking Tickets, Fines & Parking
Newbies ! Private Parking Ticket ? Old or New.

People on the forum there (not the wonderful Mr Lewis) with years of experience can and do help people fight and win.

My dd got a fine from one of those systems and we looked at parking cowboys and managed to get it withdrawn. One thing to look at is the photo - is it clearly you? There were other reasons ours got cancelled but that is the only one I can think of that might apply to this situation.