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PCN for Not Clearly Displaying Valid Ticket

Sarahjovi
Sarahjovi Posts: 1,017 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
My husband received a PCN today issued by NCP on behalf of Milton Keynes Council.

He had bought and placed the ticket on the dashboard and the ticket was still there when he returned to the car. However the ticket was upside down and hubby says it must have flipped over when he opened or closed the door to get our daughter out of the car! it was also quite windy at the time. There is the same number on the front and reverse of the ticket, so if they have photographed the windscreen it would show the no. of the ticket (are they usually that clear?) We have kept the ticket as proof of payment and that it was valid at the time.

It seems very unfair to be penalised for not displaying a ticket clearly, when we can clearly prove that we had paid for the parking at the time we were there! And very jobsworth of the Parking Attendant, who must have been waiting to pounce as soon as the football had started. Also the ticket does not have any adhesive on it to secure it!

Any advice please!

Thanks

Sarah:mad:

Comments

  • You should immediately appeal to the council.

    BTW have you noticed that more and more councils no longer have adhesive on their pay and display vouchers - I wonder why.

    Barrie Segal
    Gounder of http://www.appealnow.com
  • Happychappy
    Happychappy Posts: 2,936 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Sarahjovi wrote:
    My husband received a PCN today issued by NCP on behalf of Milton Keynes Council.

    It seems very unfair to be penalised for not displaying a ticket clearly, when we can clearly prove that we had paid for the parking at the time we were there! And very jobsworth of the Parking Attendant, who must have been waiting to pounce as soon as the football had started. Also the ticket does not have any adhesive on it to secure it!

    Ahhh with you now ! Your in the " I can park and fail to display properly the ticket because football is on brigade :rolleyes: "
    Of course the football makes parking charges exempt. And every parking attendant hides in the alley ways waiting for the punters to run off to the pub and not do a simple thing like check you can see the ticket is displyed?

    What is it about people like you, that a bloke doing his job because the ticket is unreadable, puts a PCN on the windscreen and you expect him/her to somehow know because there is a number on it, that he should be able to link into the satellites flying overhead and work out if the ticket is valid?

    You have a recourse by appealing through the council and will more then likely have the ticket overturned. But to just pop off with ridiculous jobsworth @rap when you or your relative failed to carry out their part of the contract properly i.e. pay and display is a bit unfair, but I imagine you totally support the parking system etc, but just dont apply it to me ?
  • Sarahjovi
    Sarahjovi Posts: 1,017 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    You have a recourse by appealing through the council and will more then likely have the ticket overturned. But to just pop off with ridiculous jobsworth @rap when you or your relative failed to carry out their part of the contract properly i.e. pay and display is a bit unfair, but I imagine you totally support the parking system etc, but just dont apply it to me ?

    Yes perhaps my kneejerk reaction was a bit harsh on the poor old attendant, who of course was only doing his job! And I apologise profusely to any attendant I have offended. However, if we were trying to avoid paying for the carparking and had received a fine it would have been a different matter, and we would pay a fine. I took this quote from the other thread I was directed to....
    The purpose of wardens is to make sure people pay for a ticket, to pursue people who have paid, and for whatever reason didn't display, is a misuse of power - the ticket is a penalty, and not the cost of sending the tickets out. Any fair minded person should let you off, complain to your local councillor.

    We did pay for a ticket as we always do so, I have emailed NCP as it says to do on the ticket and I shall be sending a copy of the ticket with the PCN to them asking them to cancel the fine!

    And no I don't agree with the parking system, its just another tax on the motorist!

    Sarah:D
  • waster_2
    waster_2 Posts: 498 Forumite
    Sarahjovi wrote:



    We did pay for a ticket as we always do so, I have emailed NCP as it says to do on the ticket and I shall be sending a copy of the ticket with the PCN to them asking them to cancel the fine!

    And no I don't agree with the parking system, its just another tax on the motorist!

    Sarah:D

    I do not agree with the way some Parking Attendants operate. Unfortunately I believe they are following instructions issued by the local authority concerned. What really irritates me is that often they will issue a PCN if you overstay your time by a few minutes, yet ignore a car unlawfully parked a few metres away!

    However, I always check my P&D ticket is visisble after I have left the car and locked the doors. The offence is failing to display, which you were/are clearly guilty of. The offence is not failing to pay, which is not the same.

    You may be lucky and escape the charge if you appeal, but the reality is your are guilty. After all the poor old Attendanat is not to know you've paid or what day and time is on an upturned ticket on your dashboard. there are many who would like to use an old ticket and then expect to be let off on the ruse that it has turned over when leaving the vehicle.

    Best Advice is try and get a sympathetic ear and take more care and time in future to ensure is displayed after leaving the vehicle. It's your responsibility not the council's or attendant's.
  • slinks
    slinks Posts: 698 Forumite
    I had the same problem with a non-stickered ticket that blew onto the driver's seat - I provided the council with the valid ticket and explanation and they kindly let me off.

    Invest in a small plastic ticket holder that fixes to the inside of your windscreen in case there's a next time! Or do as I do and check that the ticket hasn't blown over each and every time I close the car door!!

    :)
  • Timmne
    Timmne Posts: 2,555 Forumite
    I got a ticket the other day for the same reason (although I could see it; not sure where the ticket gremlin was looking)....

    I could appeal, but cannot see them agreeing with me so I'm just going to pay it - in 5 cheques and a £5 credit card payment. :)

    I'm aware my actions are slightly immature, so please no adverse comments on this, I've read too many keyboard warriors' postings today!
  • Sarahjovi
    Sarahjovi Posts: 1,017 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have sent my letter appealing the PCN. I had a quick look on the local council website and its said that if you appeal and they turn you down, that they will extend the 14 day discount 50% payment period, so you can still pay the £30 instead of the £60.

    Having thought this over for a few days, I can't see why the parking attendant can't make a note of the serial no of the upturned ticket and then ask you to send it in as proof of payment! (The serial no. is definately on the back aswell as the front). This would save genuine payers from paying a fine and stop dodgers from taking someone elses ticket and sending it in!

    Sarah
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