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

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

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.

By wasting yet more time pursuing a frivolous action? I suppose some
people might think there's logic in that approach, but their probably
the ones with too much time on their hands.

If your time is valuable enough to contemplate suing for it being
wasted, its too valuable to waste in pursuing the course of action you
propose.

Brian

"Carlos" wrote in message
...
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..?

Probably it's a waste of time suing them. But you could publicise it in the
papers, perferably quoting the name of the traffic warden who issued the
ticket if you've got it. The traffic warden was clearly taking the ****. He
was wrong to issue a ticket for two reasons: firstly you were (presumably)
displaying a valid ticket that covered the time when you were parked and
when charges applied (17:05-17:30); secondly parking was free after 17:30.
His managers should be made aware of this fact so it can be entered on his
disciplinary record.

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

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..?

Firstly, you need to check with the cark park owners (not the
ticketing firm) to find out what the extant regulations were on the
day in question. It *may* differ from the notices. However, it is not
unknown for parking wardens to try things on, so if the notices were
current, ring their company and explain the position.

I once parked my motorcycle in a marked motorcycle parking bay in a
local authority car park. The notices did not mention motorcycles.
When I returned, there was a parking ticket jammed down behind the
headlight. Luckily, the wardens were still on site, so I challenged
them. Their answer was that "We didn't know whether motorcycles park
for free or not, so gave you a ticket just in case".

I rang the local authority, who confirmed that motorcycles did indeed
park for free, and gave me the direct phone number for the parking
firm. They cancelled the ticket. Subsequently, the notices were
changed. That was the third ticket that year that I had had withdrawn
- and one of those was issued by a police officer. In each case I had
parked legally. Good Luck.

"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

In uk.legal Carlos wrote:
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..?


Hmmm, by paying 1 pound for an hour at 17:05 you should get an hour's
parking therefore your ticket should be valid until 9:35 the following
morning if the chargeable time is until 17:30 (Every car-park that I've ever
used near the end of the paid-for time has issued me with such a ticket
though I don't know if it's universal).

As for making a stand, what's the point? Maybe a mistake has been made? Have
you never made a mistake? Just send a note back with the evidence and you
will surely get the ticket rescinded.

Cheers

Rob

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.

By wasting yet more time pursuing a frivolous action? I suppose some
people might think there's logic in that approach, but their probably
the ones with too much time on their hands.

If your time is valuable enough to contemplate suing for it being
wasted, its too valuable to waste in pursuing the course of action you
propose.

If I could just rip up the ticket and forget about it then I wouldn't mind
at all.

But I have to be proactive in disputing this to avoid bailiffs knocking on
my door, which means writing a letter, photocopying the tickets, travelling
to town in my lunchbreak and queuing for 20 minutes to send it recorded
delivery........ then wait for them to bestow their gracious pardon on my
parking ticket. Of course they may send me back an inane automated rejection
letter which completely misses the point, giving me a further 14 days to
pay... in which case I have to go through the whole rigmarole again sigh