F*******G parking ticket. advice please!!

sam w · Post by **sam w** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 1:38 pm

Hi Guys,

Back on the 6th of January I got a parking ticket for parking on double yellows at my local train station. I only did this as the double yellows are not really necessary as any cars parked there are not obstructing anything and there's always cars parked their who seem to be repeat offenders. These guys seemingly never get a ticket and yet the one day I leave my car there, BAM I get slapped with a 90 quid fine. Anyway I perhaps did something a little stupid and 'swept it under the carpet' as previous experience has taught that they do often seem to forget about unpaid fines. I've a couple outstanding from about 5 years ago and not heard a word.

Anyway, I've just had another letter through stating that I need to pay the full £90.00 fine and its too late to appeal. It states it needs to be paid within 14 days or it will go up to £165.00 then if this isn't paid, there will be a court summons yadda yadda yadda. The letter is however addressed to a Mr Sam Wolman when my surname is in fact Sam Wolfman. Don't suppose this gives me a leg to stand on??!! I guess at the end of the day parking on double yellows is obviously a no no but I feel pretty hard done by as the same lot park there most days seemingly unaffected.

Anyone got any advice or should I just bite the bullet and pay up when have the funds.

Post by **BazR** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:08 pm

Just pay it before it increases.

Post by **< KEVIN >** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:19 pm

0800-S-T-R-U-T-T-E-R

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzble_ ... direct_ads

Post by **BazR** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:23 pm

lmao, very good.

munky · Post by **munky** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:52 pm

Click here for useful advice on how to avoid parking tickets.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:29 pm

I would just pay it.

matt200vvc · Post by **matt200vvc** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:57 pm

Pay it.. I once didn't and regret it.

In short, got a £60 fine, ignored it.

Ordered to pay by the court, ignored it.

Baliffs letters.... Out of pocket £360, which i payed after they threatened to visit.

Lesson learnt.

Chin. · Post by **Chin.** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:01 pm

munky wrote:Click here for useful advice on how to avoid parking tickets.

ahaha

sam w · Post by **sam w** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:39 pm

matt200vvc wrote:Pay it.. I once didn't and regret it.

In short, got a £60 fine, ignored it.

Ordered to pay by the court, ignored it.

Baliffs letters.... Out of pocket £360, which i payed after they threatened to visit.

Lesson learnt.

This what I'm afraid of. I would deffo just pay it if I could but I bought a new car a few days ago and am now virtually skint

. I'm certain I've read somewhere that if the notices do not state the correct details of the offender, then they're in fact void. Can anyone shed any light on this??

I'm loving the strutter link

munky · Post by **munky** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:42 pm

matt200vvc wrote:Pay it.. I once didn't and regret it.

In short, got a £60 fine, ignored it.

Ordered to pay by the court, ignored it.

Baliffs letters.... Out of pocket £360, which i payed after they threatened to visit.

Lesson learnt.

ditto... Two parking tickets ended up costing me a total of £470... though I contested their charges (they claimed they had visited me twice and had charged me 120 per visit... lies, all lies.

) and got that reduced. But only once I had paid it to shut them up, then claimed it back.

To the question about the irregularity on the letter... do you want to risk it?

If you do, go to www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk and ask them, they'll know the right answer and be able to help you with legal letters etc to sort it all out. A very handy forum indeed.

Post by **Punx0r** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:32 pm

If there is a procedural issue with the ticket I would seek advice and challenge it. It sounds like BS to me that they claim it's too late to contest it.

If they've got you then I would pay up. You can't avoid a council/police ticket and it'll end up costing you much more.

99% sure that balifs have maximum fees they are allowed to charge (letter writing, visits etc). Should be less than £150 all in IIRC for a first visit to your door.

munky · Post by **munky** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:34 pm

iirc its £25 per letter and £125 per visit, plus a nominal fee that they charghe for taking charge of the debt... cant remember what that is though. ... The NCC (northampton County Court) which deals with traffic and motoring fines normally use a company called Equita Bailiffs... they are renowned for charging for things that havent happened., they've been in the news for it.

If they are charging you for visits that you dont think have happened, ALWAYS ask for an SAR. Subject Access Request, you will need to send a standard(ish) letter, which can be found on the link I gave above, to make the request.

It costs £10 which you have to pay to them, but they then have to release to you every single detail of you and your 'account' that they have on file... so if they claim to have paid you a visit and are charging you for it, they will have a record... if they dont, you dont pay.

The CAG forum will answer all this in much better detail than people on here... unless we happen to have a consumer rights lawyer amongst us? If we dont, dont take what we say as writ, and dont act on it until you have the right, accurate advice.

However... instead of believing the man down the pub that told you if they have made a mistake on their letter you dont have to pay, your best option is to just pay the 90 quid and dont park on double yellows again... thus avoiding the whole dodgy bailiff debacle. Even if you manage to contest their charges, you will still have to pay the initial fine.

To sum up, you parked on double yellows, you got caught, stop whining and trying to worm your way out of the fine. Man up and pay for your mistakes, its the simplest and generally the cheapest option.

matt200vvc · Post by **matt200vvc** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:51 pm

munky wrote:iirc its £25 per letter and £125 per visit, plus a nominal fee that they charghe for taking charge of the debt... cant remember what that is though. ... The NCC (northampton County Court) which deals with traffic and motoring fines normally use a company called Equita Bailiffs... they are renowned for charging for things that havent happened., they've been in the news for it.

If they are charging you for visits that you dont think have happened, ALWAYS ask for an SAR. Subject Access Request, you will need to send a standard(ish) letter, which can be found on the link I gave above, to make the request.

It costs £10 which you have to pay to them, but they then have to release to you every single detail of you and your 'account' that they have on file... so if they claim to have paid you a visit and are charging you for it, they will have a record... if they dont, you dont pay.

The CAG forum will answer all this in much better detail than people on here... unless we happen to have a consumer rights lawyer amongst us? If we dont, dont take what we say as writ, and dont act on it until you have the right, accurate advice

However... instead of believing the man down the pub that told you if they have made a mistake on their letter you dont have to pay, your best option is to just pay the 90 quid and dont park on double yellows again... thus avoiding the whole dodgy bailiff debacle. Even if you manage to contest their charges, you will still have to pay the initial fine.

To sum up, you parked on double yellows, you got caught, stop whining and trying to worm your way out of the fine. Man up and pay for your mistakes, its the simplest and generally the cheapest option.

Equita, there the b*stards i had to deal with.

As you say Munky, they lobbed a charge on for a "baliff visit" even though i never saw one. This was over 6 months ago now, do you know if i can still ask for the account information and challenge there fees?

munky · Post by **munky** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:03 pm

They have to keep all files for 6 years iirc... you've got all the time in the world

I cant stress enough how useful the CAG forum is for this sort of stuff... I cant remember the exact process I went through, but they will help you every step of the way with standard legal letters etc etc. There's no charges and they just love shafting bailiffs.

Post by **Marty** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:58 am

munky wrote:Click here for useful advice on how to avoid parking tickets.

people in my house must think im mad laughing out loud at this time of the morning but that tickled me

MGTurbo · Post by **MGTurbo** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:30 am

You park on double yellows, end of. I once got a ticket for parking in a parking bay, with a ticket displayed on the drivers side window, and still got a ticket for 'not displaying a valid ticket'!!! I even took a photo to prove it, and sent a scan of the ticket to prove it had paid for it and it has not expired, but they still claim their warden was in the right!!! I ended up paying the £30 quid because i couldnt be bothered with the hassle of taking it further, had i caught the bugger i would have strung him up by his nut sacks and shoved the ticket up his arse, teacup.

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:55 pm

Just pay it.

If you don't then it'll only go up even more.

As for others parking on the lines... lots of people get away with crimes, it doesn't make it okay for everyone to go and commit crimes then complain because they were caught and others weren't.

420gazza · Post by **420gazza** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:59 pm

in 2 words fook them

i've never paid a parking ticket in my life and possibly never will.

The baliffs aren't gonna come to your house to reposess anything for the sake of £60.

Post by **Punx0r** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:34 pm

Sorry, but they will! Seen it enough times in documentaries on't Telly. Single parking ticket ends up costing hundreds or even thousands of pounds (after the court fees and mostly the theiving rhubarb ballifs). What like doing is turning up at 5am, clamping your car and then knocking on the door. If they don't get cash then they often haul the car away first off.

munky · Post by **munky** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:50 pm

wow... Gazza wins todays prize for worst advice evAr.

They will pursue it. They will add on numerous charges, and they will call at your house and take your stuff. It will take time, quite a long time... but they will do it.

If you havent ever paid any of your tickets, you're going to have a very nasty surprise some day... maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life....

munky · Post by **munky** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:13 pm

ps, dont forget when the bailiff calls, they charge £125 ish for the visit, £60 per hour per bailiff, plus charges for van rental, they'll charge for the wheelclamping, then charge for removing the goods, then charge for storing the goods, etc etc.

So, that £60 they 'wont bother with' will become approx £800 if it comes to the removal of goods, and £300 odd if you decide to pay the man in the white shirt at your door. Suddenly, that £60 they wont bother with becomes well worth pursuing....

And if its a parking fine or vehicle related fine, they will be county court bailiffs, so they have the legal right to break into your property if you wont let them in.

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:34 pm

420gazza wrote:in 2 words fook them

i've never paid a parking ticket in my life and possibly never will.

The baliffs aren't gonna come to your house to reposess anything for the sake of £60.

WTF.

If you decide not to pay your own fines and take a risk, fair enough, but IMO it's out of order to encourage somebody to do the same when it could result in extremely severe financial repercussions on them.

It's never worth the risk... the price of the fine is minuscule in comparison to the money that you can end up paying.

Chin. · Post by **Chin.** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:57 am

i hate all this double yellows, single yellow, parking tickets, parking this, parking that - all fooking thieving cnuts

I used to work in a restaurant for 7 month, there was a one way street next to it where you could leave your car for up to 2hrs for £1.80 and no return within 2hrs, so i paid my £1.80 but i left my car for a whole day, what i got ? A fecking ticket, this happend twice, as the second time i left a note in the car that i work in the restaurant, then i tried leaving the car in a loading bay, as i knew the van driver who delivers food, and he only does it once a week so i thought it would be allright, at the end of the day, what i got ? A ticket ! So then i thought i might as well park it on the pavement outside the resturant, so after 2 hours, two coppers came inside and asked who's car is that, and told me to move it asap

as apparently it's blocking the pavement but it was wide enough to fit 2 more cars on it...

sam w · Post by **sam w** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:18 pm

Cheers for everyones input. To be honest I think I'll just pay the fecking thing before it really comes back to bite me on the arse. I've no idea why Maidstone council charge £90.00 rather than the usual 60/70 quid. £90.00 is a total joke. I really wish I had appealed as to be honest as the lines are seriously faded now and I see no point in them whatsoever. I'll remember to get a picture to show you what I mean.

It seems to me the council will stick a couple of yellow lines left right and centre, wherever they think a motorist may be able to park, regardless of whether a parked car could cause an obstruction to pedestrians or traffic. Then they channel us all into tiny overpriced car parks, no doubt praying that it fills quickly so we have no choice but to park 'illegally' giving the thieving ar$eholes the apportunity to pounce.

GRRRR

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:44 pm

I'm not being funny, but it's not our decision whether we think the double yellows should be there or not... you cant park somewhere illegally then contest it when you get fined as you dont think it should be wrong... if it's clearly marked as being double yellows or having a time limit etc and you break those rules then you deserve to pay the fine.

There's lots of things which a lot of people think shouldn't be illegal, be it drugs, public nudity, speeding or even beating the hell out of somebody you really really don't like... but just because they think it should be legal doesn't mean they can get away with it

Post by **Cableguy** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:09 pm

Sheaf wrote:I'm not being funny, but it's not our decision whether we think the double yellows should be there or not... you cant park somewhere illegally then contest it when you get fined as you dont think it should be wrong... if it's clearly marked as being double yellows or having a time limit etc and you break those rules then you deserve to pay the fine.

There's lots of things which a lot of people think shouldn't be illegal, be it drugs, public nudity, speeding or even beating the hell out of somebody you really really don't like... but just because they think it should be legal doesn't mean they can get away with it

He was getting a pic to show how faded they are , not how unfair they are.

munky · Post by **munky** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:38 pm

to show how faded they are, and thus how unfair they are?

Unless he's just got an interest in faded yellow lines and wants a pic for his scrapbook....

Post by **Cableguy** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:53 pm

munky wrote:to show how faded they are, and thus how unfair they are?

Unless he's just got an interest in faded yellow lines and wants a pic for his scrapbook....

No , sheaf was more leaning towards his second part of the rant how council will put yellow lines anywhere.

This is more to do with the yellow lines are hard to see, if you cant see them how can you know not to park there.

Ive got out of multiple parking tickets because the disabled paint was worn down and the signpost was too high up

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:57 pm

Given that the OP says this:

sam w wrote:
Back on the 6th of January I got a parking ticket for parking on double yellows at my local train station. I only did this as the double yellows are not really necessary as any cars parked there are not obstructing anything and there's always cars parked their who seem to be repeat offenders.

Then the reason he parked there was not because he didn't see the lines due to fading, it was because he felt the lines shouldn't be there... it sounds like he was well aware the lines were there, so they cant be that faded.

munky · Post by **munky** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:16 pm

whs^^^^

Post by **Cableguy** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:19 pm

munky wrote:whs^^^^

You cant just make up abreviations like that, its just not cricket

sam w · Post by **sam w** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:36 pm

I know the lines are there because I use the station 5 days a week, 52 days of the year. Like I've said, cars are parked on these double yellows all day everyday and I've not once seen another issued with a ticket. This evidence aswell as the obvious fact that the lines haven't been repainted in years, led me to believe it would be safe to leave the car there. Clearly it is safe to so for the white Astra, smart car and Focus which are the most frequent occupants but not for me. I;ve also just remembered that said Astra was parked in front of me and was in fact missing that horrible square yellow thing that was sealed on my Drivers window when I returned later that day. So either the people that park there are paying the parking attendants in sexual favours, or the parking attendants turn a blind eye (except the one that nabbed me) or I must be severely disliked within the community

munky · Post by **munky** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:13 pm

its clearly a government conspiracy.... Do you have any prolonged periods of your life that you cant remember?

Maybe you were an MI5 assasin and this is how you're being punished for defecting?

oh and whs means What He Said

Post by **Cableguy** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:15 pm

munky wrote:its clearly a government conspiracy.... Do you have any prolonged periods of your life that you cant remember?

Maybe you were an MI5 assasin and this is how you're being punished for defecting?

oh and whs means What He Said

Yeah i clocked that, still shouldnt be used tbh

sam w · Post by **sam w** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:24 pm

munky wrote:its clearly a government conspiracy.... Do you have any prolonged periods of your life that you cant remember?

Maybe you were an MI5 assasin and this is how you're being punished for defecting?

oh and whs means What He Said

Or maybe because I got caught getting jiggy with the council chiefs daughter

Rovertech 2.0

F*******G parking ticket. advice please!!

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