Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay half the parking 'fine' my husband got giving my parents a lift?

MSE_Kelvin

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

My husband gave my parents a lift in my car to the GP surgery and got a parking ticket. He parked in the correct bay for patients, but didn't know he had to go in and enter the number plate at reception. He says I should challenge it or pay half the invoice because it was my parents he was driving to the surgery, and he wouldn't have got a ticket otherwise. But I wasn't driving or even in the car at the time. Should I appeal or pay, or is that up to him?

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NCC1701-A

Challenge it, can't believe you're even asking in this sub-forum.  

The only 'money moral dilemma' is whether to fund a rogue industry by paying such tickets for convenience.

NBLondon

One key question is whether this is a ticket issued by a council or by the carpark owners.  Plenty of advice on this site as to whether you should challenge or ignore.

If you ignore it, then I guess there's a small chance that your number will be blacklisted by the car park operator which would have an impact on future visits.

But your husband was driving - if he thinks there was insufficient signage about logging the reg number and it wasn't mentioned when your parents checked in, then he should be the one to challenge it.

barnehurst

Reception should have had notices up - go back and check - if no notice - challenge

Coupon-mad

We've seen this one before! Then again, I've been a fixture here for nearly two decades...

You don't have to 'pay or appeal'! Consumers don't 'owe' money for not knowing to input your VRM at a GP surgery. It's not a bill.

Of course neither options are valid.

This money dilemma is (sorry) a bit naive and not the right message for MSE's moneysaving ethos.

It's a bit like asking:

 "who should pay this scam phishing email?"

Nobody (NOBODY) pays private parking charges, all the time that the rogue industry keeps ducking & diving to avoid statutory regulation, throwing tens of thousands of 'extorted' (Government Minister's word re duped consumers) money at it, to block the intended statutory Code in 2022.

Whatever stage it's at, even laughable £170 debt demands or court action: new posters should read the NEWBIES thread:

**NEWBIES!! PRIVATE PARKING TICKET? OLD OR NEW? **READ THESE FAQS FIRST!** Thankyou!

Alternatively:

If you find the format easier, read this RAC Guide with the same clear messages:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/how-to-appeal-a-parking-charge-notice-pcn/

The Statutory Code is coming, better than before (we hope).

A MHCLG Public Consultation is imminent (necessary first) so please MSE give it a shout out in your weekly email when it comes.

The end.

  

Coupon-mad

NBLondon said:

One key question is whether this is a ticket issued by a council or by the carpark owners.  Plenty of advice on this site as to whether you should challenge or ignore.

If you ignore it, then I guess there's a small chance that your number will be blacklisted by the car park operator which would have an impact on future visits.

You guess wrong. You will not be blacklisted by your GP surgery for not paying a third party scam invoice!

Coupon-mad

barnehurst said:

Reception should have had notices up - go back and check - if no notice - challenge

No need. It's not a fine. Appeals are a farce and not independent.

Easier to just defend a court claim.

IGNORE ALL DEBT DEMANDS but not a Letter of Claim or Claim Form. Easy to defend.

No CCJ risk as long as the scam victim doesn't move house. Almost no chance of losing. Judges aren't stupid.

And most cases never reach a hearing. They just pick off duped people who get scared.

Please all come back for the Public Consultation this Summer. The excessive ANPR surveillance & DVLA-enabled scam must end.

Believe me - change is happening.

Soon. 

Seakay

The owner of the car has to be the one to do the challenge.
Phone the surgery - if they don't cancel it, just ignore the demand,
On a personal level - your husband is all sorts of entitled not nice, and also ignorant.

ie709

I would definitely appeal, you may well succeed. But it's weird how you split your money in that way. If you separate all your spending that way, then I would pick the route that leaves you both most satisfied. It doesn't seem worth a big fight over! I think as you are married all of your assets become pooled anyway, so it's a bit of a moot point.

peterft

I don't get these husband/wife and partner/partner squabbles published on here regularly.  Why can't they sort their problems out in private and leave the really important issues on here to be answered.

formerchef

NCC1701-A said:

Challenge it, can't believe you're even asking in this sub-forum.  

The only 'money moral dilemma' is whether to fund a rogue industry by paying such tickets for convenience.

You can’t believe she’s asking, because you (and numerous others) haven’t understood that the dilemma is not whether she should challenge or pay, but whether it’s her husband’s responsibility or hers. 

My response would be, he was the driver, his responsibility, up to him to sort it out (or to ignore it.) Nothing to do with his wife, or with who was a passenger.