Anyone challenged council parking penalty charge increase?

[CraneBoysMysteries]

I've just opened a letter from the council with nearly £200 charge on it and threat to go to court

It is for parking in a bay on a road without a ticket. Now, I've looked back on Ringo for the date and I did indeed pay for parking at the time and location on the ticket... BUT I accidentally parked our other car reg.

So, I'm not disputed that I should have had a ticket and it's my clumsiness to not check the reg I was parking

But...there was absolutely no ticket on my windscreen when I returned to the car

And...we have not had a letter chasing it (which they say they sent in December)

So the £55 charge is now £200

If I had either seen the ticket or got the follow up letter I absolutely would have paid it. I'm certain I didn't miss it on the car (photo shows it in middle of windscreen) and I'm certain we have opened all post

So my question is-should I try and contact the council and ask to pay the original charge? Has anyone had any luck doing this? I only have 14 days to pay this one so if it will just waste time I'd rather just pay up so it doesn't go further

Advice would be most welcome

I'd try. I got a hefty fine once and it was noted as 'ticket handed to owner' on the letter, and like you I had no idea about it until the increased fine came through the door. Cardiff council accepted that it was the first I'd heard of it, and reduced the fine back to the original amount.

Thank you @Tirnanogg

I'll spend some time this afternoon in the phone queue to speak to someone in the hopes they reduce it 😬

I got a parking fine for selecting the wrong car on Ringo a few years ago. I disputed the ticket and they waived the fine. That was in the initial stages though.

Thank you so much @toastofthetown

That's really encouraging. I have the receipt from ringo so can prove I had paid and parked (just with the wrong car)

It's a side road to a hospital where I was receiving quite bad news but I'm not sure a money making council will care about that!

Look online there is normally an appeal on the website. Does the letter give you a link? Worth asking if any car of the other plate was logged as parking there on that date/time.

Worth mentioning your circumstances to as that may reinforce that it was a genuine mistake.

I appealed when I paid for the wrong car on Ringo and succeeded. I just had a bit of a telling off “we’ll waive it this time but be careful next time” type of thing.

I challenged mine when I'd paid but for the wrong location, I'd chosen 'nearest location' and it was wrong. They let me off so definitely worth a shot, particularly as you'd paid for the wrong car.
Also, they paused proceedings whilst you challenge, or they did for me, so it doesn't progress.

Usual advice is to write a grovelling, but factual letter, setting out the circumstances of your purchase for the wrong car and the fact you didn't see the windscreen notification so can only assume "someone" removed it before you got back to your car... it is the first time that you've make this mistake and will be more careful in future would it be possible for them to review the fine. Don't criticise the council re the missing windscreen ticket either.

Thank you so much all

The letter doesn't offer an appeals process. It says they issued a letter in December and no appeals were made so the penalty charge has now increased.

I have 14 days to respond

Have people had success ringing up or is it best to write (I worry about a delay and I'll miss payment window and it will escalate further)

Ok so the bottom of the letter states

'You no longer have the right to make representations against this penalty charge and the council no longer has a statutory responsibility to respond to any correspondence'

So they won't pause proceedings while I appeal

Since time is running out try and call. Otherwise email rather than a letter. Explain you had no notification of parking charge therefore this letter is very unfair, and how can it now be resolved. Good luck!

Just ring them. You have nothing to lose by calling today and explaining the situation

Normally it does go on hold pending outcome of appeal. You could try to argue the previous letter went astray in the mail chaos over Christmas and therefore that right should be reinstated.

Thank you so much for all your great advice.

I tried ringing but it's an automated line. The council doesn't have a phone number to dispute but they do have an online form so I've filled it out along with a copy of the receipt and proof I am the owner of the car I paid to park also.

I did put a little of the circumstances but I accept the error was mine so expect to still have to pay it - I just hope it's the reduced amount!

we've had a couple of fines where we have missed the initial cheaper period because we are still getting Christmas cards arriving now (!). Who knows what else we have missed in the post! Tried to complain, but we can't prove we have just received the letter.

is this a 'Charge Certificate', £195?

there is a defined process to follow for this very situation where you have not received the previous notice to Keeper etc, which lets the whole process be reset to the start and then you can appeal properly.
Not that the man on the street is expected to know the right way to do all this.

Best head over to the Peppipoo forums here and post a redacted copy of the letter received and the background and the guys there will walk you though the correct steps to get the process reset and how to correctly appeal for the fairly common situation of selecting the wrong car on ringo.

Speaking to the council is unlikely to do anything because of where you are likely to be in the process + going outwith the standard process and applying a bit of sense doesnt seem possible with councils.