>Why
Because I looked at my English watch and read the time as being an hour earlier! It was P+D from 0900, and the watch said 0825!
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You failed to pay and display. The fine is 15 euros - why not pay it? OK it may involve you in a little bit of difficulty regarding the cheque, but you could find a way to pay if you wanted to.
In the meantime, please don't let me catch you or the other posters complaining about all these foreigners breaking UK speed limits with impunity, dodging the congestion charge, not paying Road Fund Licence, not being insured, driving unroadworthy lorries, able-bodied people using disabled badges etc. etc.
It's only a tenner - pay up!
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Oops! Misread it - it's only 11 euros, say £7.50.
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Have to agree with Dulwich Estate -- it's one thing to avoid paying, but it excludes you from any right to criticise foreigners in the future who do the same thing.
After all it's this attitude that is leading to all these damn foreigners getting away with murder.....
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Ask your workmates - these days it is possible someone has a Euro account.
Got any mates in Europe? Get them to pay, and and Paypal or similar them.
Nationwide appear to allow you to write a cheque in Euros (and Dollars).
Other methods I can think of are more likely to cost you more in fees.
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There's no telephone number on the ticket, and no way of paying by card. The only payment method is cheque or by a pre-paid stamp which can be bought at newsagents. I've got 45 days to pay the reduced amount, and I expect I'll be there again within six weeks, so I'll buy the stamps and be a good boy..
I had though of sending 11euros cash, but knowing the French they'd just send it back!
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All my workmates are in the USA, by the way!
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Simon
You have personal mail on your work (hrm) mail box.
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pmh (was peter)
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Try having a word with the Customs and Excise people, they should be able to advise you how to pay. Also you could pop into a travel agent and purchase the appropriate amount as a euro cheque.
I don't support those who advocate criminal action by trying to avoid payment of a fine as some replies have suggested, I commend those who have advocated the right and proper thing to do.
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i can't believe how many of you would cough up........ i wouldn't deliberately be a parking pain in the backside in France.........but if the same happened to me..........they could go and whistle
it's called 'swings and roundabouts'. How many Frenchmen would cough up for a ticket received here?
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> i can't believe how many of you would cough up........ i wouldn't deliberately be a parking pain in the backside in
> France.........but if the same happened to me..........they could go and whistle
> it's called 'swings and roundabouts'. How many Frenchmen would cough up for a ticket received here?
In other words you're advocating anarchy ! If we all did what we liked then half of us would drive and on the left side of the road and half of the right, the results from such actions are obvious. Just because someone else does something wrong doesn't mean it justifies another doing wrong, two wrongs don't make a right, that's why we have laws, regulations and the HIghway Code.
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But it may be a good investment!
Next visit, pouring with rain, tight for time to catch the ferry back, quick visit to supermarket for purchase of cheap alcohol, return to find a clamp attached to the car.
Miss ferry, pay penal rate for later departure or even worse a night in a hotel because monsieur le frog will not come and remove the clamp in the rain!
Pay even more for next day travel, get home next day, pay for overnight babysitting (or reclaim the kids from social services), miss important business meeting, loose out on big contract, get poor performance review, culled at the next downsizing. Wife goes for divorce, big settlement, homeless in London, drink the alcohol, and finally oblivion!
Makes 11? a bargain!
:)
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pmh (was peter)
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i take it that your glass is half empty then rather than being half full?
you're in a foreign country, through a mistake you've committed a minor parking infringement...luckily for you being foreign you can get away with it.........just like many foreign people do in this country.........so you do.... end of story.
you've spent your hard earnt cash in their country, hopefully you've been generally respectful of their laws, culture etc......so this minor infringement isn't really a problem....the non-payment of 11euros is hardly going to bring down the Calais local govt is it... and being more laid back than we are, generally i cannot imagine the locals could give two hoots either....there'd be a Gallic shrug and gratefulness for us fuelling their local economy
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I wouldn't pay. Being a founder member of the Society Against Parking Charges (one member) I consider I already pay through the nose to run my car, and rather than charge me for leaving it somewhere the local authorities should be grateful that I have brought my business to their town and contributed to their economy.
Brings to mind when I lived near Romford. The local council raised all their car parking charges and restricted space, then a short while later were complaining that the local economy was suffering because people were shopping at Lakeside instead. (12000 free parking spaces).
I often wonder how thick you need to be to become a councillor.
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If you are going back there in the same car then I would pay up and be worry free for your next visit. If you are not going to France in that car again then I would ignore it. Why pay up if you don't have to? A vast proportion of other people ignore these rules and regulations, so why not join them. We get away with parking infingements over there and they get away with parking infringments over here.
Now if you are going to be changing your car soon, well any comeback in France in the future wouldn't be your problem...
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Following on from Simon's post - when have you EVER seen a continental registered car driving over here with beam deflectors fitted and/or with an 'F', 'D', 'NL' plate or whatever they should be displaying if it isn't on their number plate?
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"when have you EVER seen a continental registered car driving over here with beam deflectors fitted "
I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is because continental lights dip downwards (not to the right) and therefore don't dazzle when over here whereas ours dip and are offset to the left and thus will dazzle when on the continent. Having spent many an hour browsing the "motoring" sections of supermarkets abroad and car accessory shops like "Norauto" I have never noticed any beam deflectors for sale for driving in UK. Do such things exist??
I await correction!!
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Phil
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PhilW - having bought cars in the continent and driven LHD ones fitted out for use on the continent I can cofirm that the dipped bea is flat in the middle and slanted 'up' to the right, to give a view along the road edge. When we were posted to Germany with a UK RHD car we had to obtain continental headlights and these, similarly had a beam stepping up to the right.
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i can't believe how many of you would cough up........ i wouldn't deliberately be a parking pain in the backside in France.........but if the same happened to me..........they could go and whistle it's called 'swings and roundabouts'. How many Frenchmen would cough up for a ticket received here?
I'm with westpig on this and I'm amazed at the "holier than thou attitude " shown.
I have a property in France and spend long periods over there. I always pay and display, but I have noticed that
foreign registered cars never get a ticket if they overstay in the Lot and Dordogne regions. Indeed, when I've sought change for the parking meter I have been told not to bother by the French people whom I've asked. Perhaps it's because they value visitors who contribute heavily to their economy, whereas Calais probably has a surfeit of English visitors from booze cruises, and the powers that be realise that they won't drive them away.
I doubt if anything will happen in the future. The French tend to be pragmatic and it will cost them more to extract your ?11.
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Exactly, if its going to stop you sleeping at night, then you might want to pay it -- but there won't be any consequences if you don't. Most likely the carbon copy from the ticket will just sit in a filing cabinet rotting until they next have a clear out.
The parking ticket issuers are usually police municipale (check the address for payment), and they don't even liase willingly with the other french police forces, never mind foreign ones. Like Robbie says theyre pragmatists, and I don't think its their m.o. to go to a company like eurofines to collect from foreign drivers, especially because the collection company takes a cut of the money and they would be left with almost nothing. If this does happen, then you'll be able to pay in sterling, if you choose to.
Also; even if they do pass it on to a collection company, they won't have looked up your details themeselves so don't worry about being pulled out of the passport line to discuss the 11 euros in the future.
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Wouldn't like to be in anyones shoes come judgement day and they hadn't paid a fine !
Ultimately no one gets away from the ultimate Judge !
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Wouldn't like to be in anyones shoes come judgement day and they hadn't paid a fine ! Ultimately no one gets away from the ultimate Judge !
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Are you talking about Him upstairs or have you been reading too many comics?
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