Parking charges

[AsSoonAs]

Need some advice please.

Got a parking ticket before Xmas for incorrectly displaying blue badge, chucked it on the dashboard and it flipped over without us realising.
However, when we checked the parking notice they had got the details of the car wrong. The ticket had the correct Registration Number but has the make/model wrong. We have a citreon but they had marked it down as a Mercedes.
We had to write to tell them this (no phone contact at all) and said we were appealing on these grounds. The original fine was for £30.00, they said we would hear back from them on the outcome of the appeal and if we were not successful we had 7 days to pay still at that rate. We heard nothing more and to be honest I thought we had got away with it, today however I have just opened a red letter, for a charge of £120.00 plus costs, for parking ticket no X, Reg No X, make/model Citreon. Do we need to pay this? To my mind it doesn't match the original ticket thus making both nil and void. Am I right??
Or should I just pay it and put it down to experience..and from now on always always check the bloody blue badge.
does anyone know? Thanks very much, wish to god we'd just paid the £30 now, can hardly afford that at the mo, never mind £120

Firslty, never assume that a PCN has been cancelled simply because you've not received a reply. I don't mean that to sound patronising but things get lost in the Post etc.

Who issued the PCN ie Council or private company?

It might be that your initial correspondence wasn't received or that it was received and responded to but you didn't receive the reply.

Did you send it recorded delivery or email it ie do you have a copy and can prove that it was sent in within the discounted period? Have you Googled to see if there is a contact telephone number anywhere? If there is a contact number you could try and establish whats happened at least.

Re Council Penalties, there is not a legal requirement that the make and colour of the vehicle is recorded but this is taken as additional evidence that the vehicle was there.

To be honest, the PCN was issued correctly in as much as your vehicle was illegally parked. All you can really do is request to pay the reduced/discounted charge based on the fact you did write in (ie if you can provide evidence of the original corres).

Oh yes, if it was issued by a Council and you do end up paying the full amount, you could ask to pay in instalments. Many Council do not provide instalment arrangements but will sometimes give you an extended time period within which to pay.

Lots of info here

IIRC if it is a private company then they are unenforceable, if it is a council then you're pretty unlikely to get it overturned.

Thanks for replies.
Notice from UKPC, so am I'm assuming its not council issued. Honestly, I just wish we'd paid it at the time. It is annoying though when we clearly had a blue badge..it was fairly obvious what had happened, (the badge was all lobsided) I know, I know.. it wasn't correctly showing the details but....
We appealed via email and have heard nothing since today.

So is general consensus is to pay up...

since = till

No don't pay. Its a private carpark, not enfoceable.

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=552563

If it's not the council you don't have to pay - so DON'T.

If it is the council they have to get the make and model right so again don't pay and appeal. They will HAVE to chuck it out.

Just ignore all correspondence from them. I have in the past with no implications.

Laurie that's not strictly true. There is nothing in Law (RTA, TMA etc) that states the Council have to show the vehicle make and model on the PCN. Therefore, if the info is incorrect, the PCN does not have to be cancelled.

Anyway, as its been issued by a private company, it isn't enforceable.

Don't pay! My DH got one of these from UKPC months ago and he was recommended by various people not to pay as they are not legally enforceable. People just pay up as scared of consequences. They send various increased fines then a letter saying they will consult lawyers blah blah blah. We have heard nothing for months now.

Not true HoneyNut, parking attendants still have to get all the details right or it can be sucessfully appealed - if there is a space for make/model then it has to be accurate - if there is no space for make/model then they don't have to be entered.

Any details entered have to be accurate or it is appealable - so for example if they clock your car and record it as 12.15 but you have evidence to show you were somewhere else then you can successfully appeal.

Laurie I didn't mention Civil Enforcement Officers (they're not PA's if employed by the Council).

My issues was that you stated that the Council HAVE to cancel the PCN. My point was that they don't have to. They can and have refused to cancel on the basis that the info is not required by law.

Anyway, I'm going to bow out now as I don't want a row particularly when we now know it's not relevant to the OP circumstances.

Just a thought as you have blue badges do you claim tax exemption on this vehicle?
If your tax disc states disabled let them know and ask them to overturn the fine.

OK...not going to pay. Have got the original parking ticket, clearly asks for make - which they've got wrong. Have also got the appeal email and confirmation email saying they have received it and we will hear from when appeal has been decided. Have written another letter this afternoon stating facts with copies which I intend to post recorded tomorrow.
If you see a crazy lady on news at ten who is refusing to pay a parking charge you'll know its me
Thanks ever so much

It is hard to hold your nerve as they rely on bullying tactics to get you to pay up