Please help. Followed what council said, got a pcn :(

Cheatedlady

Hello lovely people!
I am really hoping that you could all help me with this unfortunate situation.

During the Olympic period, my granparents road (which is a letter zone) had its parking restrictions extended from Mon-Fri 9-5 to Mon-Sun 9-9.30 (or something to that effect). They were under the belief that the extension was part of the temporary olympic parking zone (it is no longer in effect now, it has gone back to how it was before). They were under this belief because Hackney Council had wrote to them about the new olympic parking zone, and the virtual permits that would be available for their visitors to use during this period.

I arrived on a Saturday at my granparents home and I called the number provided in the letter from Hackney Council, I was asked the address to which I was registering my vehicle (for the virtual permit) and I was given a virtual permit reference number. I asked the person on the phone whether it was valid for where I had parked and I was told yes.

Because of the reassurance and registration over the phone, and because of the letter I was in of the belief that I was not in contravention.

However, I later found my car with a big yellow PCN :mad:

I have twice challenged the PCN, both have been rejected. My next step is to appeal to the adjudicator, but I am in need of a little help.
Please let me know whether it is worth it, they really do discourage people from challenging and getting justice

Also, I was not allowed to challenge the pcn until the discount period had passed. Meaning that by choosing to appeal I was not able to pay the discounted fee even if I wanted to. Is this legal? In effect they are discriminating because I wish to challenge?

Please help
I would like to know what I could include in my appeal form for the adjudicator

Thank you everyone

Coupon-mad

Cheatedlady wrote: »

Hello lovely people!
I am really hoping that you could all help me with this unfortunate situation.

During the Olympic period, my granparents road (which is a letter zone) had its parking restrictions extended from Mon-Fri 9-5 to Mon-Sun 9-9.30 (or something to that effect). They were under the belief that the extension was part of the temporary olympic parking zone (it is no longer in effect now, it has gone back to how it was before). They were under this belief because Hackney Council had wrote to them about the new olympic parking zone, and the virtual permits that would be available for their visitors to use during this period.

I arrived on a Saturday at my granparents home and I called the number provided in the letter from Hackney Council, I was asked the address to which I was registering my vehicle (for the virtual permit) and I was given a virtual permit reference number. I asked the person on the phone whether it was valid for where I had parked and I was told yes.

Because of the reassurance and registration over the phone, and because of the letter I was in of the belief that I was not in contravention.

However, I later found my car with a big yellow PCN :mad:

I have twice challenged the PCN, both have been rejected. My next step is to appeal to the adjudicator, but I am in need of a little help.
Please let me know whether it is worth it, they really do discourage people from challenging and getting justice

You are a bit late to ask but you can get help from pepipoo forum.

Should have gone there earlier as they could have helped with your appeal and probably found more grounds to add. I go on there as SchoolRunMum and have seen two 'LOGOG' cases won on appeal on there I think, as the system didn't work in some cases and people got PCNs when, like you, they had registered for a virtual permit.

Post here with a new topic showing pics of the PCN and NTO front and back and all letters exchanged. Explain what happened and ask for help, tell them you are now at adjudication stage, if you are:

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

Cheatedlady wrote: »

Also, I was not allowed to challenge the pcn until the discount period had passed. Meaning that by choosing to appeal I was not able to pay the discounted fee even if I wanted to. Is this legal? In effect they are discriminating because I wish to challenge?

You have misunderstood this. The appeals process is stated on the back of the PCN by the way.

You/the driver were allowed an 'informal challenge' during the discount period, it says so on the PCN. Then they would have issued a Notice to Owner (NTO), which is when the discount would have gone (I think of the so-called 'discount' as a bribe to pay up and shut up early).

Then you formally appealed, which is the stage open to the owner, appealing the full penalty on an all or nothing basis. Happens to almost everyone on pepipoo because almost no cases are cancelled at early informal challenge stage.

The Councils want your money so they won't cancel early as they know most people fold and pay up because of that bribe. I am glad you didn't, I wouldn't have done either. See you on pepipoo!