If you find yourself slapped with a massive parking fine, there’s no need to panic. Here is one major piece of advice that drivers should follow to avoid paying a nasty fee
There’s nothing worse than running back to your car and discovering you’ve been slapped with a fat parking fine. Even worse, depending on where you’ve left your vehicle and who’s issued the ticket, you could be facing costs of between £50 to £130. So, is there anything you can do in this nightmare situation?
The first thing you should figure out is what type of ticket you’ve been issued. The three kinds are: a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN), a Penalty Charge Notice (FCN), and a Parking Charge Notice (PCN). The biggest difference between them is that fixed Penalty Notices and Penalty Charge Notices are issued by public authorities, while Parking Charge Notices are issued by private landowners or parking companies.
If you’ve received a FPN, it was likely from the police, council or Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for some kind of parking violation – such as leaving your car on double yellow lines. In England and Wales, you usually have 28 days to pay the fine before it increases by 50%. On the other hand, PCNs are typically handed out by local authority traffic wardens, and focus on offences like failing to pay for parking or not following the London congestion fee.
Parking Charge Notices are a little more tricky as since these are issued by private landlords or car park owners, they can be handed out for breaking any of their rules. This can be leaving your car beyond a certain time of day or not paying the correct amount for your stay. Ignoring this kind of fine can escalate to court action.
So, if you’ve received any of these, what should you do? The car insurance company MoneySuperMarket advises those who have been fined to appeal in these three circumstances: “Faulty parking meters or ticket machines. Unclear or misleading car park signs. Extenuating circumstances, like a medical emergency.”
However, in most of these situations, MoneySuperMarket warns people to make sure they take video or photographic evidence. For example, if you believe a car park sign was in some way unclear, you need to take a photo demonstrating what you mean. They write, “Remember, you’ll need to back up your claim with solid evidence, such as photographs or witness statements.”
If you do decide to appeal your ticket, you will need to contact the issuer with an informal challenge, which can be sent via letter or email. If this is rejected, you will need to proceed with a formal appeal.
Although, if your initial challenge is rejected, MoneySuperMarket urges people to consider if moving forward with a formal appeal is worth it: “Be warned, appeals have a relatively low success rate and can be quite the hassle. It’s a process that should not be taken lightly.”
