HELP!!!! Merton Parking Ticket

leo110303

Hi,
My girlfriend parked in a council car park and genuinely went to buy a ticket at the machine, however the machine would not take her only change of which was a £1 coin, she therefore proceded to the shop literally to do the decent and gain change that would go in the machine, she then walked to the machine and brought the ticket the continued to the car where she saw the CPN on the screen and the attendant leaving, she had a dispute with the attendant explaining her reasons that the machine would not work etc and the attendant laughed and walked away saying 'Take it up with the council'..

She wrote in explaining the situation and we have only just got a 'rejection leter' from them.

I had noticed on one of the other threads that they have to give 3 minutes amnesty, however on the rejection letter it states that 'the issuing civil enforcement oficer observed the vehicle from 13:19 to 13:21 to give the driver sufficient time' therefore the attendant only giving 2 minutes (is this a ground towards an appeal?) ((all of my g'friends actions from first leaving the car to buying the ticket took 6 minutes.))

We have been given 14 days to pay £30 if not, then £60.

Please advise me if you think it is worth me pursuing as she generally thought she did th decent thing..

(sorry for the length of thrad)

appreciate any response

thanks

Leo

theartfullodger

Pay. No ticket, accept the penalty.

Small suggestion/comment: I keep a wee purse in my glove-box (who puts gloves in a glove-box) with a £20 note & a collection of silver/£1 coins...as I know from time2time I forget me wallet/don't have the right change.

No, I try not to be/sound smug. Oh, OK have it your way..

Cheers!

Lodger

leo110303

theartfullodger wrote: »

Pay. No ticket, accept the penalty.

Small suggestion/comment: I keep a wee purse in my glove-box (who puts gloves in a glove-box) with a £20 note & a collection of silver/£1 coins...as I know from time2time I forget me wallet/don't have the right change.

No, I try not to be/sound smug. Oh, OK have it your way..

Cheers!

Lodger

Hi theartfullodger,

I appreciate your comments but she brought the parking ticket before she went back to her car, it was not done deliberately, had the machine of took her £1 coin then she wouldnt of incurred a CPN, the point is the machine didnt accept her money therefore is it worth pursueing.
We normally have change in the ashtray (which is covered) however it occasionally gets low (just like any other person) and with the only coin she had the machine did not accept...

I dont understand your comment on smugness? is that neccesary

cheers

Neil_B

Check 'key cases' on the PATAS and TPT websites for rulings on faulty machines.
-

theartfullodger

Thanks Leo:

I understand she bought the ticket before going back to the car but presumably you'd agree doing that after, say, 3 hours of parking the car but not displaying a receipt & then buying one (at whatever price) it would be fair to have been already given a ticket. If you agree then we ain't talking the principle of the thing, you are arguing 6 minutes is too short a "grace period". Sorry, but I disagree with that viewpoint.

The principle "You can park here if you pay & abide by this simple rule: Display a receipt" seems reasonable to me, but quite possibly many others won't agree..

My remark

No, I try not to be/sound smug. Oh, OK have it your way..

- I was trying to suggest that others (not necessarily you, there are 1,000s of viewers of this stuff) might have thought ME smug. And "OK have it your way" to indicate I quite understand if people take a different viewpoint to me on any subject... it's a free-ish country after all.

Cheers & Best wishes to all, including those who don't agree with me.

Lodger

leo110303

theartfullodger wrote: »

Thanks Leo:

I understand she bought the ticket before going back to the car but presumably you'd agree doing that after, say, 3 hours of parking the car but not displaying a receipt & then buying one (at whatever price) it would be fair to have been already given a ticket. If you agree then we ain't talking the principle of the thing, you are arguing 6 minutes is too short a "grace period". Sorry, but I disagree with that viewpoint.

The principle "You can park here if you pay & abide by this simple rule: Display a receipt" seems reasonable to me, but quite possibly many others won't agree..

My remark
- I was trying to suggest that others (not necessarily you, there are 1,000s of viewers of this stuff) might have thought ME smug. And "OK have it your way" to indicate I quite understand if people take a different viewpoint to me on any subject... it's a free-ish country after all.

Cheers & Best wishes to all, including those who don't agree with me.

Lodger

Not really, we are decent people and beleive in paying for what you get, and facing consequences if not!!! However my point is not the fact of 6 minutes or 3 hours in your case BUT the point that their machine did not accept the £1 coin...

dougk_2

Its difficult because I suspect the problem was with the coin not the machine.
Does the Car Park only have one ticket machine?

leo110303

dougk wrote: »

Its difficult because I suspect the problem was with the coin not the machine.
Does the Car Park only have one ticket machine?

Hi Dougk,

there were actually two machines however one was the machine that did not take the £1 coin and the other machine was out of order, should of took a photo at the time but you dont think of that then, (maybe a lesson for the future). It could well be a faulty coin however she would be none the wiser, but the cashier changes the coin and respectfully the missus brought her ticket..

Coblcris

Get the CEOs notes. I believe they are supposed to test the machines before issuing.