Parking fine in RingGo car park

marks87

I've been given a ticket at my uni for not paying the appropriate charge.

It's a RingGo car park and I normally use the app on my (Android) phone, so don't know how to send texts. However, this morning the app wouldn't work - it showed a green screen then crashed. Normally I'm within WiFi range, but today I was on 3G which might have been what was causing it.

Since I normally use the app, I've never looked in to the format of text messages and by this time I wasn't near a sign to find out.

Anyway, the first opportunity I had to pay was at 11.45-ish, and after doing so I went to check my car and lo-and-behold there was a notice, timed at 11.35.

I know that a lot of private tickets can just be torn up, but I'm concerned that my permit may be taken away. Is "the app didn't work" a valid defence in these situations, especially since I did eventually pay? Or will the fact I paid after the ticket was issued look suspect (even though I didn't know for certain that I had been ticketed)?

SodG24

If you paid to park then the PPC / Uni have no loss so can't even contemplate taking you to court. Just ignore them. You might want to get the Student Union involved though.

Why do you need a permit AND have to pay ?

marks87

SodG24 wrote: »

If you paid to park then the PPC / Uni have no loss so can't even contemplate taking you to court. Just ignore them. You might want to get the Student Union involved though.

Thanks.

The two biggest problems could be revoking the permit, and stopping me from graduating, since I'll have a debt to the university. I phoned the administrator and sent the details by email, so I'll see what she says.

I can see the other side of the argument -- people might try and get away with not paying, then claiming "technical problems" when they get a ticket. But then I'd argue that you should be able to claim "technical problems" once, but with a warning to be prepared to pay another way (e.g. by text message).

Why do you need a permit AND have to pay ?

You need a permit (£5) to be allowed to park, then pay as and when you do (up to £2.70 for 24hrs, free at weekends and 5pm-9am).

SodG24

Do the T&Cs for the parking and your permit mention what happens if you break them ? For example, do they actually they can prevent you from graduating if you break the T&Cs ? You don't have a debt because you paid them what you owed. I really would get the Student Union involved if I were you.

marks87

No, the T&C's don't mention graduation. They only state that the permit can be revoked if the Car Parking Administrator sees fit to recommend such action to the University Court.

Graduation is prevented if you have a debt to the university, which they might see the fine as.

I'll see what comes back from the administrator's office before getting in touch with the Union.

Stephen_Leak

You're safe. It's not a fine.

Only councils, the police, train operators and Transport for London can impose legally enforceable fines or penalties. A private company or individual can't. A private parking company (PPC) call their tickets “Parking Charge Notices”, not “Penalty Charge Notices”. In law, they’re called “speculative invoices”.

You've paid. OK, you paid late, but only because their payment system failed.

If they take this to court, they'd better bring a toothbrush.

HO87

@OP - Would the payment of the parking ticket involve a PO Box in Northampton by any chance?

marks87

No, it's to the university itself.

maninthestreet

marks87

Something else that's just struck me -- the specific regulation I've been noted as breaching is:

"Parking a vehicle displaying a Pay As You Go permit during charging hours and failing to pay the appropriate charge"

I have paid the appropriate charge. If it said "...failing to pay the appropriate charge within xx minutes", I suppose I'd need to grovel. But as far as I can tell, I can (in theory) park at 9am and not pay for my parking until 5pm, provided I do so before leaving.

HO87

I'm trying to understand on what basis the Uni are attempting to assert you owe them money? The fact that their means of collection was not functioning correctly is not your fault. Is it possible to pay using cash in a ticket machine, for example?