Torridge D C

pustit

Advice please.
We parked in Bideford at The Quay. The ticket machine was out of order (wouldn`t take our coins) so we went to the next available ticket machine which was clearly visible from our parking position as we could see the "Pay Here" sign . This second machine was working so we paid for the ticket placed it in the dashboard and went about our business.
We returned to the car with 2 or3 minutes to spare only to find a PCN on our windscreen.
We saw a "warden" in his hi-vis jacket just up the road so asked him how come the PCN was issued even tho` the time wasn`t up.
Apparently the machine from which we purchased the ticket was in "Manor" car park whereas we had parked in "The Quay". Despite our pleading that the machine was so easily visible from where the car was parked that it could only be assumed it was relevent to us it was ridiculous that we should be expected to know otherwise, he was adamant it was still valid.
Both the ticket and the PCN are from Torridge District Council and we have retained both.
Surely an appeal is 100% certain to be successful ?
Any encouraging thoughts, please ?

Coupon-mad

No appeal is 100% certain to be successful.

And be aware that most Councils reject initial informal appeals, routinely.

You have to appeal further and forget about the discounted penalty in most cases. Go to adjudication in the end if need be, on an 'all or nothing' basis.

Post about this with a picture of the front & back of the PCN and pics of the bay and machine (is it viewable on Google Street View, if not get photos). Put your pics into a new topic on pepipoo here:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=30

The encouragement to do so is that most people win who post on pepipoo. They're a mine of info!

HTH

TheBogsDollocks

Looking at Torridges website and google streetview I'm guessing you parked in The Quay car park, found the machine to be faulty and crossed over the road to the car park opposite (The Manor) and purchased a ticket. Is this correct? If so can you confirm how many machines are placed in The Quay Car Park?

Kite2010

If the parking tariffs was the same, than the council still got their money, who cares that you put the money in another machine to the car-park you parked in? (Apart from a jobsworth target seeking parking warden)

pogofish

Certainly challenge this.

If its any help, I have had a ticket canceled in similar circumstances - The most obvious and nearest machine turned out to be in a different (and dearer) zone whilst the machine I "should" have used was away down the road and obscured by overgrown bushes.

pustit

TheBogsDollocks wrote: »

Looking at Torridges website and google streetview I'm guessing you parked in The Quay car park, found the machine to be faulty and crossed over the road to the car park opposite (The Manor) and purchased a ticket. Is this correct? If so can you confirm how many machines are placed in The Quay Car Park?

Thanks for replying Bogs,
We did exactly as you surmised.
On our version of streetview we parked where the front end of the red van is placed outside Seldons estate agents. The first machine we could see from there was along The Quay outside Nationwide. This was not working so once back at the car we debated wether or not to put a notice in window explaining machine out of order and giving the time. Instead we looked along the opposite direction along this road and from where we were standing could see "Pay Here" by a machine outside HSBC so as that machine was working we bought a ticket from there.
In the section of the Quay where we were parked we could only see the one machine and as it was at the far end of that section it could be assumed it was placed to serve the next section too, if indeed there is another stretch of spaces. (having now looked at streetview there is another lot of parking bays which need to use the same machine)

pustit

Kite2010 wrote: »

If the parking tariffs was the same, than the council still got their money, who cares that you put the money in another machine to the car-park you parked in? (Apart from a jobsworth target seeking parking warden)

Thanks Kite,
The machine we eventually got the ticket from was 10p per hour more expensive !

pustit

pogofish wrote: »

Certainly challenge this.

If its any help, I have had a ticket canceled in similar circumstances - The most obvious and nearest machine turned out to be in a different (and dearer) zone whilst the machine I "should" have used was away down the road and obscured by overgrown bushes.

Thanks Pogofish,
Not disimilar. Our nearest machine was visible but not working.

give_them_FA

Just appeal and keep appealing until you get to the adjudicator, who (IMHO) will laugh out this pathetic attempt at a PPC-style scam.

If you are local contact the local paper (who often shame councils into a rethink) if you are not, find somewhere more hospitable for your next holiday.

Take some pictures if you are still in the area.

pustit

Coupon-mad wrote: »

No appeal is 100% certain to be successful.

And be aware that most Councils reject initial informal appeals, routinely.

You have to appeal further and forget about the discounted penalty in most cases. Go to adjudication in the end if need be, on an 'all or nothing' basis.

Post about this with a picture of the front & back of the PCN and pics of the bay and machine (is it viewable on Google Street View, if not get photos). Put your pics into a new topic on pepipoo here:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=30

The encouragement to do so is that most people win who post on pepipoo. They're a mine of info!

HTH

Thanks Coupon mad.
Have taken pics of tics but will appeal first
Will let you know outcome.

When we get back home we are expecting to have received our 2nd letter from APCOA re our Luton Airport escapade reported here in my first posting (added to an APCOA thread) around 14 th Feb. It doesn`t rain but it pours !

pustit

give_them_FA wrote: »

Just appeal and keep appealing until you get to the adjudicator, who (IMHO) will laugh out this pathetic attempt at a PPC-style scam.

If you are local contact the local paper (who often shame councils into a rethink) if you are not, find somewhere more hospitable for your next holiday.

Take some pictures if you are still in the area.

Thanks FA
not local but relations are. Will tell them to move back up our way! where they can tussle with APCOA at Luton Airport instead.