It's always worth an appeal.....

boombap

Hi,

I had a PCN notice earlier this year for over-staying in a council ran pay and display car park (left it overnight and retrived it the next day, a Sunday, but got there a bit late).

Me being a pugnacious little bu**er I decide to appeal as I knew that I was entitled to. I hand-delivered my first letter of appeal and when that was dismissed I hand-delivered a second letter - always getting a receipt.

Shortly after sending letter number two I received a 'debt collection' letter that made no reference to my appeals. I contacted the Council to query this, and, as luck would have had it, the stupid fools had gone and lost my letters of appeal. Thankfully due to this oversight they decided to quash the fine.

So there you go - it's always worth an appeal.

Good luck and don't let the ba***ds get you down!

S.

Neil_B

What happened in your case does not make it "always worth an appeal" for others.
Ignoring appeals and issuing a Charge Certificate is an unusual (but increasingly common) occurrence. Their own incompetence won it for you.

To say to others that this is a good reason to 'always' appeal is ridiculous and you are risking other peoples' money.
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boombap

If you are entitled to appeal then why not? It states on our council's websites that 60% of appeals lead to the fine being quashed. Although I am always suspicious of 'offical statistics' I still figured it was worth a punt.

Where we live we don't get a reduced fee if it is paid within a set time - it's £50 to be paid within 14 days or if you are appealing until the appeal has ran it's course.

To demand fifty quid within a fortnight is pretty tight, especially in these econimc times, and a few of my chums have appealed soley in order to get more time to pay the fine (ie to wait til payday)

S

Neil_B

squee wrote: »

Where we live

- and what you went on to explain, RTRA 1984, is used in probably less than 10% of the Country. What your Council do is irrelevant to others isn't it? It's not rocket science to understand that.

Where most people receive PCNs under decriminalised legislation it is entirely possible to lose the option of paying at a discounted rate, while appealing. there is no requirment for Councils to extend that period - hence your generalised statement is dangerous to readers. Some Councils always extend the discount period, others are vague about it and others simply don't.
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Belnahua

Too true, always worth an appeal!

I had to go to hospital quite a few miles away for an emergency visit. When I got there, all the hospital spaces were full, so I found an off street parking space.

I had no change for the meter, but the emergency was far more important than the £30 fine I'd get. Getting an emergency call from a hospital to get there straight away, tends to make you not think about silly things like £3 for the meter! Mind I could have been there several hours, and the £3 ticket would've long expired anyway!

A little while later, a friend of mine got an appeal accepted for a parking ticket, for some obscure reason in law.

So I complained to the council that I paid my fine, despite it being a medical emergency, sitting in the A&E dept not knowing what the outcome would be, and this other person can use "just popped in getting fish and chips" as an excuse and got away with it.

Guess what, I got my £30 back!

Neil_B

Well done belnahua. recouping money already paid is unusual.

Again though, same message to you as to squee. How can you say to people that it is always worth appealing? From the amount you mention, yours again seems probably RTRA 1984 - a whole different situation to most PCNs.
Every case is an individual event and needs to be respected as such.

PS - did neither of you notice that Wendy provided a 'Sticky' thread to discuss these things?
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boombap

Neil_B wrote: »

did neither of you notice that Wendy provided a 'Sticky' thread to discuss these things?
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Are you going to slap a ticket on me?


S.

Neil_B

squee wrote: »

Are you going to slap a ticket on me?


S.

At last - how refreshing! A bit of well timed humour.

No mate, I would be somewhere near the end of the queue.
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