To appeal this parking ticket

[Parkingtickets]

Most of the streets in my city are paid parking or residents parking. I drove to complete a few chores. Parked up walked to machine. Tried it repeatedly as often doesn't work first time but no luck. Walked to next machine. Also out of order. Took photos of each and figured enough to challenge.

Got ticket. Challenge has been turned down.

Can appeal at next stage. But if turned down I need to pay full ticket. I could pay half if I pay now.

Really I should have gone back to car and found somewhere else to park. I am annoyed my local council makes a fortune out of drivers, parking is awful, equipment poorly maintained.

Was there an option to pay by phone? Other machines nearby?

I'd probably pay the half now, if there were other options to pay.

I've only challenged a parking ticket once, because it was in a blizzard at a motorway services, when the roads weren't safe and I stayed longer than 3 hours. Any parking charges have to be clearly displayed and these weren't, everything was covered in a thick layer of snow, and anyway, taking refuge in a services is what they are there, for in an emergency. The whole thing was daft.

The company didn't fight me on that one. They tried to charge me £10 as a 'compromise' which I knew meant they knew they didn't have a leg to stand on.

Otherwise, I've always paid. Less stressful all round.

Depends- is it a private company or the council?

YANBU if they want the cash then at least provide a working machine.

You can do it by phone but I am not set up. I could have walked further but I thought proof of two machines not working would be acceptable. I had kids with me but was stupid to take a chance.

I guess if my budget wasn't so tight I'd be happier to pay.

It's the local council and there isn't anywhere to park in the city without paying.
Different if it was a private car park.

So other machines were working? In my council car park if the machines aren't working, I call them and they register my car for free for a period of time. By phone, it normally is down via an app, in which case that's quite simple to do. Appeal but if they can show there we're alternative ways for you to pay, I'd be surprised if they waive it.

If there’s an option to pay by phone then I wouldn’t bother appealing. Saying you’re not set up to pay by phone is a bit like saying I didn’t buy a ticket because I didn’t have change. It’s annoying but I’d pay the half and be done with it on this occasion

You just needed to download the app.

Saying you’re not set up to pay by phone is a bit like saying I didn’t buy a ticket because I didn’t have change. It's not really. Likewise download an app. It's generally considered appropriate to give a range of options. This is to park where I live to collect a prescription. It shouldn't be approached on a business model. But I can see the council might take that line.

There should be an option to take it to a parking ombudsman. While you are appealing you do not have to pay. Its a way to frighten you to pay up.

If the parking ombudsman says will have to pay, you will only need to pay the original amount.

Whether it's appropriate to provide a range of options or not, you still had the option of paying by app but you chose not to. This is on you.

Downloading an app is nothing. You chose not to do it and tried to get away without paying.

I haven't downloaded the app because I don't depend on my phone for practical things as the battery is knackered and doesn't stay charged long. I tried the first machine repeatedly and I walked to another machine, I wasnt trying to get away with it.

As it happens though I have just googled and they are removing most of the ticket machines so definitely won't be receptive to the grounds of my appeal.

Was there not a phone number to call? I have never seen pay by phone parking without a number to call.

Yes as per earlier post, there is a pay by phone service.

I thought parking meters were the primary way of paying and I mistakenly thought trying 2 machines was adequate.

My previous car was registered to pay by phone but I always used the meters as the call was slow and annoying.

Lesson learnt though! Will get registered and will be using the app in future.

They'll just say that the option to pay by phone was here so it doesn't matter that the machines were broken as a way to pay was available.

I'd pay half now

I’d pay unfortunately and put it behind me.

I discovered last week that my borough makes £33k a day from parking and driving infringements. On that basis it suits them to make payments awkward.

Sorry this has happened.

I can't download apps to my phone so I'd be up a creek without a paddle.

@Parkingtickets

I went looking to see what your rights were for a broken cash meter. I wasn't successful as I found other information which took me down another rabbit hole. Try that Martin Lewis website or the parking one, pepidoo??

Anyway, apparently most of the main newspapers are mentioning that all parking meters will be cashless in the next couple of months due to 3g being switched off, and these meters use 3g, so it will be app only from now on. I didn't know this either. Its a DM link but I saw the Mirror and the Times have it too
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11850157/Pay-parking-machines-set-removed-city-streets-leaving-motorists-using-30-apps.html

You should probably get a newer phone then - lots of councils all over the country are moving to paying for parking by app so they don't have to pay to update their parking machines to 4G (as nearly all the UK mobile networks are busy switching off 3G over the next year or two).....

@MatildaTheCat "I discovered last week that my borough makes £33k a day from parking and driving infringements."

That's crazy. How can that be justified? That's surely about generating revenue rather than shaping behaviour.