I parked in a pay-and-display area at 17:05. Put £1 in the machine (charge
is £1/hr) and the ticket came out valid until 17:30 after which time parking
is free. The signage also confirmed that parking is chargeable only between
09:00 - 17:30.

Came back to find a parking ticket, time-stamped at 17:36.

Clearly the parking attendant was trying it on, aware that a certain
percentage probably just pay up. But I want to make a stand and sue the
council for wasting my time. Would I be reasonable in charging a £50 admin
charge for having to issue an explanatory note..?

Cheers

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:15:52 -0000, "Carlos"
wrote:

Clearly the parking attendant was trying it on, aware that a certain
percentage probably just pay up. But I want to make a stand and sue the
council for wasting my time. Would I be reasonable in charging a £50 admin
charge for having to issue an explanatory note..?

You can *try* anything you like. But you would be wasting your time.
It will lead only to frustration and possibly a loss of money. There
are more worthwhile "causes" to spend your efforts on.

If you want to create waves, make sure that you get evidence that the
car park was indeed free after 17:30 on the day in question. It is
not unheard of for rules and signs to be changed retrospectively.

--
Cynic

"Cynic" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:15:52 -0000, "Carlos"
wrote:

Clearly the parking attendant was trying it on, aware that a certain
percentage probably just pay up. But I want to make a stand and sue the
council for wasting my time. Would I be reasonable in charging a £50 admin
charge for having to issue an explanatory note..?

You can *try* anything you like. But you would be wasting your time.
It will lead only to frustration and possibly a loss of money. There
are more worthwhile "causes" to spend your efforts on.

If you want to create waves, make sure that you get evidence that the
car park was indeed free after 17:30 on the day in question. It is
not unheard of for rules and signs to be changed retrospectively.

Absolutely positive it was free after 17:30 because a) the signs stated so
quite unambiguously b) the machine capped my parking time to 17:30 even
though I had theoretically put enough money to take me to 18:05.

In any case it is more a point of principal. The Parking attendants in
Barnet are the most unscrupulous pack of hyenas in the country but this time
they really have been caught red handed. Everyone you speak to in our area
complains about their underhand tactics which include pouncing within a
minute of a ticket expiring or telling you that you can park and then
ticketing you when you are out of sight.

Anyway I would happily lose money and time just to give Barnet Council a
headache.

Carlos wrote:

"Cynic" wrote in message

You can *try* anything you like. But you would be wasting your time.
It will lead only to frustration and possibly a loss of money. There
are more worthwhile "causes" to spend your efforts on.


Anyway I would happily lose money and time just to give Barnet Council a
headache.

And just how do you think Barnet Council will recoup the costs you
impose on them?

John B

JohnB wrote:

Carlos wrote:

"Cynic" wrote in message

You can *try* anything you like. But you would be wasting your time.
It will lead only to frustration and possibly a loss of money. There
are more worthwhile "causes" to spend your efforts on.

Anyway I would happily lose money and time just to give Barnet Council a
headache.

And just how do you think Barnet Council will recoup the costs you
impose on them?

John B

In an ideal world, the costs would be taken out of the salary of the misguided
pillock who issued the ticket - unfortunately, councils tend to be somewhat
removed from reality.

JohnB writes:

And just how do you think Barnet Council will recoup the costs you
impose on them?

Maybe by the saving on the wages which used to be paid to the
(ex-)parking attendant who acted outside the rules.

"JohnB" wrote in message
...

Anyway I would happily lose money and time just to give Barnet Council a
headache.

And just how do you think Barnet Council will recoup the costs you
impose on them?

John B

Is that any reason not to request that his costs are not met?

Ham Spunter wrote:

"JohnB" wrote in message
...

Anyway I would happily lose money and time just to give Barnet Council a
headache.

And just how do you think Barnet Council will recoup the costs you
impose on them?

John B

Is that any reason not to request that his costs are not met?

Not if that's what he wants to do.

So, back to my question - How will Barnet will recover _their_ costs?

hint re-arrange: payers, tax

John B

"Carlos" typed


Anyway I would happily lose money and time just to give Barnet Council a
headache.

Please do ;-)

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:57:15 -0000, "Carlos"
wrote:

"Cynic" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:15:52 -0000, "Carlos"
wrote:
[snip]
If you want to create waves, make sure that you get evidence that the
car park was indeed free after 17:30 on the day in question. It is
not unheard of for rules and signs to be changed retrospectively.

Absolutely positive it was free after 17:30 because a) the signs stated so
quite unambiguously b) the machine capped my parking time to 17:30 even
though I had theoretically put enough money to take me to 18:05.

Cynic's advice is good. If you decide to pursue this, you really do
need evidence, preferably in the form of photographs and the testimony
of someone else who's seen what the signs say.

There have been a number of parking cases where the local authority
has changed signage after the event to justify their penalty. Once
the signs have been changed, it's difficult, without suitable
evidence, to prove when they were changed.

Mike.