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Original poster

Parking fine whilst at undertakers!

90 replies

january123 · 03/04/2023 10:13

Wrote a long post and lost it so I'll be brief.

One hour parking ticket purchased for 1st undertaker's meeting to discuss DM's funeral the day after she died unexpectedly. Big public car park, very quiet.

Without me thinking, the Meeting over ran by 10 minutes, I'm slapped with a ticket.

Appealed, gave circumstances, gave evidence, asked for a bit of compassion.
Just heard back - rejected Sad
Can pay £50 now or take it to ombudsmen, but if I lose fine will be doubled.

Worth appealing again or do I just suck it up? Funeral director also appalled and prepared to help.

OP posts:
MolkosTeenageAngst · 03/04/2023 11:15

I don’t understand what you’re appealing. You paid for an hour but took an hour and ten minutes. The fact you were at a meeting at the undertakers and not at an estate agent or opticians is irrelevant, meetings over-run all the time and the sensible thing to do is allow for that when housing length of parking ticket. It wasn’t an unforeseeable emergency which caused you to overstay and I don’t see why you think a planned visit to the undertakers is a special circumstance compared to visiting any other business in the town? I’m sorry for your loss but it doesn’t mean the parking terms and conditions don’t apply to you, death is a common part of life and if every bereaved person could go around thinking rules don’t apply to them then society would quickly fall into chaos!

mollyoppy · 03/04/2023 11:15

Really wouldn't advise going to the local press or even posting on local Facebook groups. Because you're likely to get some mean sod laying into you or you'll wind up feeling like you've publicly overshared.

It sucks, but if you pay it asap, you can stop thinking about it.

OKFinally · 03/04/2023 11:18

Pay up and move on, put it this way, the extra ten minutes might have been the difference between an OK service and a finely tuned one.

I have to say, when my mother died the last thing on my mind was a £50 fine, you will payout a lot more than that over the next few days.

FullBloom · 03/04/2023 11:20

If it was up to 10 minutes you could challenge it on the basis of the grace period.

Otherwise just pay it. The ombudsman won't reverse it as the company has done nothing wrong- it would be nice if they were compassionate but they are not obliged to be.

Definitely don't go to the papers. The last thing you need at the moment is a load of intrusive press coverage. I'm sorry for your loss.

NewShoesRub · 03/04/2023 11:31

Hollyhead · 03/04/2023 11:12

@NewShoesRub surprised you didn’t get off on the RingGo one, I did the same thing, emailed all the evidence and the ticket was cancelled immediately.

The tone of the letter I received back for this was pleasant, but no, they said in this digital age it's the car owner's responsibility to check the details blah blah blah

I felt like requesting a £4 refund for the ticket I'd paid for but I gave it up for the sake of my sanity!

2bazookas · 03/04/2023 11:31

I'd call your local newspaper and have them print the story.

TomatoFrog · 03/04/2023 11:33

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FiveShelties · 03/04/2023 11:37

I would just pay it. You have so much to deal with at the moment and this is not worth the effort.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Fizbosshoes · 03/04/2023 11:42

bloodywhitecat · 03/04/2023 10:29

This. There is a 10 minute grace period in which they are not supposed to ticket you.

Show quote history

In Central London it seems there is no grace period.

Several years ago DH drove into London for work, parked in a parking bay, went to the meter to pay (about 2 car lengths away). Before he'd got back to the car to put the ticket in the windscreen, a ticket inspector was already issuing a ticket!

Another time we stopped to unload a heavy piece of wood. We got a ticket for staying 1 minute

gogohmm · 03/04/2023 11:46

It's annoying but you overstayed, they have no reason to let you off after all who decides which excuse is worthy enough. Here the cameras are set at 3 hours 5 mins, anything over £100 no mitigation is allow including the lady who had collapsed and been bluelighted to hospital.

Sorry for your loss

Pixiedust1234 · 03/04/2023 11:48

I'm sorry for your loss.

There is no point appealing this further as the ombudsman has to look at it from a legal viewpoint, ie is the signage clear, was the paymachine broken etc. I would just pay it as you don't need any further stress at this time ❤

Paesano · 03/04/2023 11:52

That must feel like a horrible and unnecessary kick in such a difficult time but I would just pay it and move on rather than expend any energy or emotions getting more frustrated by this. I'm sorry for your loss.

Scalottia · 03/04/2023 11:53

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What a disgusting post. They are also trying to earn a living, just like everyone else is.

ArdeteiMasazxu · 03/04/2023 15:02

I'm sorry for your loss.

You are going through a lot at the moment and this little injustice feels like one thing you can fight when the big thing you are really upset about - the loss of your mum - is something you can't fight or appeal against.

It's not worth the aggro to save £50. You will be forking out many times that for the funeral etc. Chalk it up as part of the costs of arranging the funeral and don't think about it any more.

Original poster
january123 · 05/04/2023 08:55

Thank you for all your replies. I know you're right, just feeling extra sensitive at the moment.
Will pay, and move on

OP posts:
Itsbytheby · 05/04/2023 08:57

Sorry for your loss.

Some compassion would have been nice, but you did overstay and they are entitled to fine you. So I would pay - I don't think you would be successful in your appeal.

TheNoodlesIncident · 05/04/2023 09:25

To be fair to them, no doubt a number of people will lie and say something like your reason, and there's no way of knowing whether it's the truth or not. It makes sense to adhere to the policy of no excuses unless the signage is tampered with and illegible (or along those lines). Don't take it personally... I'm so sorry about your mum, but you're right, best to just pay it and move on.

DH's dad and then his mum died within four months of each other, trying to deal with the onslaught of things that had to be done was quite gruelling at times. Look after yourself.

Proudofeveryone · 05/04/2023 09:38

I don't understand why you only paid for an hour's parking.
Surely you wouldn't know how long you would take in the undertakers.
It would have saved you this stress if you had paid for 2 hours then you could
take your time.

Hoppinggreen · 05/04/2023 09:40

Proudofeveryone · 05/04/2023 09:38

I don't understand why you only paid for an hour's parking.
Surely you wouldn't know how long you would take in the undertakers.
It would have saved you this stress if you had paid for 2 hours then you could
take your time.

Not necessarily.
I arranged my Mums funeral recently and I had no idea about anything. My appointment with the undertaker took around 45 minutes but it could have taken 20 minutes or 2 hours, I was clueless.
Plus OP probably wasn’t clock watching.
Also, your comment is completely unhelpful at this point

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 05/04/2023 09:43

MolkosTeenageAngst · 03/04/2023 11:15

I don’t understand what you’re appealing. You paid for an hour but took an hour and ten minutes. The fact you were at a meeting at the undertakers and not at an estate agent or opticians is irrelevant, meetings over-run all the time and the sensible thing to do is allow for that when housing length of parking ticket. It wasn’t an unforeseeable emergency which caused you to overstay and I don’t see why you think a planned visit to the undertakers is a special circumstance compared to visiting any other business in the town? I’m sorry for your loss but it doesn’t mean the parking terms and conditions don’t apply to you, death is a common part of life and if every bereaved person could go around thinking rules don’t apply to them then society would quickly fall into chaos!

Wow... You're nice...

Hope this doesn't happen to you...

After a death especially a sudden one... People are always thinking straight aren't they.....

WeeOrcadian · 05/04/2023 10:17

I'm sorry about your mum Flowers

Mrsherdwick · 05/04/2023 10:35

I received a parking ticket when I was a community nurse giving life saving insulin to a residential care home patient. The home car park was blocked by an ambulance.

The traffic warden who gave me the ticket explained it was the car not the person who is ticketed.

2 weeks later the same warden was happy for me to park on double yellows to assist with a RTC I witnessed when I was driving. She didn’t give me a ticket that time (she stopped my car to ask for help).

Hbh17 · 05/04/2023 10:39

Just pay. It will be less stressful to do that. Plus you did overstay, so the reason is irrelevant.

AxolotlOnions · 05/04/2023 11:03

You could try one more time with a letter from the undertakers, I'm sure everyone gives similar sob stories so a bit of proof may help, then suck it up if they're still bastards about it.

IamKlaus · 05/04/2023 11:07

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Disgusting attitude from a vile individual.

Parking enforcers are doing their job, a job we all need them to do. If people could park anywhere for as long as they like, towns and cities would grind to a halt, businesses would fail and we'd all be fucked.

Just don't park illegally and you'll be fine.

RE the OP, unfortunately it doesn't really matter why you overstayed your parking, you did. There are always a million reasons why people think they shouldn't be fined. You were in an undertakers, someone else was at a pharmacy getting meds for a sick child, someone else had to drive in the bus lane as they were late for court...and so on and so on. But really, you get a ticket if you don't have a valid parking permit, and that's that.