Excess charge notice

twinmummy30_2

Yesterday, on returning to our car my husband and I found an excess charge notice stating that a charge of £70 is due (or £30 if paid within 14 days). We did buy a valid ticket but could only display it on the dashboard as it did not have a sticky bit to attach it to the windscreen. I think that it must have blown over when we shut the door, and realise it was our fault for not checking (won't make that mistake again!)
Anyway, do you think it is worth appealing or are we best to just pay the £30. The thing that worries me is on the back of the ticket it says "if you appeal, the discounted option will not be available to you", and I really dont want to end up paying £70 if I lose the appeal. It was a council car park we were parked in, and the parking fine is from St Edmundsbury BC.

I would be really grateful for any advice
Many thanks
Katherine

peter_the_piper

AFAIK if its a genuins council excess charge notice its best to pay, it cannot be appealed in the same way as a pcn as its issued under criminalised parking legislation. Get other confirmation first just to be sure.

Sir_Roger_deLodger

twinmummy30 wrote: »

The thing that worries me is on the back of the ticket it says "if you appeal, the discounted option will not be available to you",

Are you sure its an ECN, I thought the only way to contest one of these was in the magistrates court?

If its a PCN it may well be worth appealing.

twinmummy30_2

It definitely says excess charge notice, both on the envelope and the ticket. However on the back of the ticket it says, appeals can be made in writing to the borough council or by email.

vax2002

Do you have a valid ticket, Do you still have it, was it valid for the time of the fine ?
If so they may have issued the wrong type of penalty.
scan everything and head over to https://www.pepipoo.com

esmerobbo

You can appeal it seems.

http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/live/pdf/csw/carparks/ECNAppealPolicyApril2011.pdf

However if you lose you pay the full amount of £70.

If you read the PDF they don't seem keen on the ticket blowing off the dash approach!

Welshdebtor

Sorry if way of the mark or misread your post.


Did you find the ticket in your car i.e blown onto the car floor? If so would that not have a time on it that would prove you paid?

Edit - If fact ignore me, I am sure the offence is not displaying it.

twinmummy30_2

Hiya, sorry I probably didnt explain what I meant very well. I do still have the ticket, which has the time I paid, and which covers me for the time I parked etc. The thing is it wasnt displayed as it must have blown over when when closed the door (our fault for not checking :mad:) - when we came back it was face down on the dashboard. I think I will just pay the £30 as it looks like I am unlikely to win the appeal really dont want to end up paying £70!
Thanks to everyone for advice
Katherine

Welshdebtor

twinmummy30 wrote: »

Hiya, sorry I probably didnt explain what I meant very well. I do still have the ticket, which has the time I paid, and which covers me for the time I parked etc. The thing is it wasnt displayed as it must have blown over when when closed the door (our fault for not checking :mad:) - when we came back it was face down on the dashboard. I think I will just pay the £30 as it looks like I am unlikely to win the appeal really dont want to end up paying £70!
Thanks to everyone for advice
Katherine

Follow vax's suggestion before deciding, they will give you clear advice on what to do.

SodG24

Follow any advice from Pepipoo but I thought the whole point of the appeals system that Councils have in place is that, just as long as you appeal in time, the fine gets frozen and you still have the opportunity to pay at the lower rate even if you lose ??? That's certainly what happened when I appealed a Brighton and Hove City Council ticket ( although I won, the information sent to me made it very clear I would be given the opportunity to pay at the lower level even if I lost ).

AlexisV

This ticket has been issued under the RTRA 1984 though. The appeals system only came in in 1991, and not every council signed up to the decriminalised scheme.