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Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - meldrew
Today as usual I parked in the Trafford Borough
Council Car park in Altrincham to catch the
tram to work.

The ticket machine (as often!)was not working so
we all (as usual!) left notes in our cars saying
so.

At 5.30 pm we all returned to find we had got
parking tickets.

Where do we stand and what action should be taken?

Meldrew
(I just do not believe it!)
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - volvoman

Meldrew I really sympathise but I don't think you've got a leg to stand on. I think the same applies to a broken parking meter whereupon if it's not working you can't use it. Stupid I know but that's what I think the policy is.You might be lucky if you complain about the lack of a working machine but in Bromley some months ago all the ticket machines in the main car park had been burgled/broken - they weren't letting anybody off though you still had to pay the attendant.
Worth a try complaining - let us know how you get on. Good luck !
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - meldrew
I am really cheered up by this news!
To add insult to injury there was a train strike
too which upset my journey even more......


>Meldrew I really sympathise but I don't think you've got a leg >to stand on.
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - volvoman

Given the train strike perhaps I should re-phrase and say '... you don't have a seat to sit on'. Seriously though, given the cost of these fines it's got to be worth arguing your point, perhaps having paid the initial sum under protest to protect yourself from getting a larger fine. If you check out my thread 'road sign overkill costs £££'s' you will see that I got done for £40 for inadvertently straying into a bus lane in Croydon because I was confused by all the new road signs they've installed. I think it's all a revenue source for local councils and it may well be that you're a victim of the same sharp practice i.e. let the machines fail then issue tickets to all the people who have no option but to park at that location ! It really does stink so why not try to get a group together and fight this injustice ? Let us know how you get on Victor. Good luck.
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - volvoman
p.s. Why not try your local newspapers and expose this scandal ?
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - crazed
appeal

and complain to the local government obudsman
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Dwight Van Driver
Write in to the parking Authority NOW enclosing the parking fee pointing out that you had no intention of not paying as their meter was defective and there was no other source to collect the revenue.
If that common sense does not pay off then back to volvoman's suggestion and kick up a stink.

DVD.
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Dynamic Dave
You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.' So that was nice. :o)
The Magic Tractor Turned Into a Field!
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Dynamic Dave
The Magic Tractor Turned Into a Field!


How did that get there? I thought I turned my sig off!
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Armitage Shanks{P}
Please go and have a look at www.inkent.co.uk. You will find a story of arrogance and incompetence which may assist you! 80% of all appeals against parking tickets in Canterbury are successful and the Council don't even bother to contest 56% of the appeals. Get into the paperwork and give them a run for their money and Good Luck!
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Thommo
I have succesfully appealed against two parking tickets issued in Northampton, UK home to parking and speed (sorry safety) ticket madness.

Its a money making opertion, 99% of all sheep pay up and they can't really be bothered spending time and effort opposing appeals, no margin in it, so I would say go for it.

I think also there is a wider point here that it now seems open season on car owners, nothing is too nasty to be in inflicted on us and it seems we have no rights. We need political action, the Tory Party is a non-starter, how about a car owners party?

Incidentally soemone told me the other day Gordon Brown does not have a driving licence, apparently because throughout his life there has ALWAYS been an offcial car to ferry him around! No wonder this madness goes on, our 'leaders' do not live in the same world we do.
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Sherwood
If I am right the Minister for Transport is not a car driver at all.So how on earth do we get a sensible format to road and motoring problems.
Up the proletariat
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - BrianW
Some dishonest people have been known to disable ticket machines and then park with a note on their windscreen caying "Machine Out Of Order".

Hence the "No Excuses" policy.
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - volvoman

I can see this being possible in the situation where there is just 1 machine but what about those cases where none of the machines in a car park are working are and there's no alternative ? I think this presumption of guilt is against the concept of natural justice and the more people who challenge their unfair fines the sooner the rules will be changed and the local councils will be forced to stop ripping off car drivers.
Parking Ticket - Meter not Working - Flat in Fifth
Unfair fines, eg street meter pay & display not working, driver walks 25 yards round corner to next closest meter pays there and displays ticket. Gets fine as *that* meter was for the other street and he should have walked 100 yds the other way and crossed the road to another meter but on the same streetn as he parked. Barmy!

As for towns/cities where this stupidity exists, as far as possible I vote with my feet and take my business elsewhere.
Meldrew's Update - meldrew
Wow! I did not expect to stir up such emotion.
I phoned the Council this am and they said why
did I not use the other ticket machine. What other
machine I asked. It turned out to have been stolen!!

They were quite sympathetic over the phone and I got
a real persons name to speak too who said that I need
to write in with the details.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Meldrew
(I just do not believe it!)
Meldrew's Update - crazed
try



John Squires
The Parking Doctor

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Meldrew's Update - life ain't fair! - Highland Idler
Dear all..

Is it just me who never fails to be amazed at People who expect life to be fair? You got charged as per. the "system", the "system" given to us by those "we" elected. Not a leg, not a foot, not a toe, not a toe-nail to stand on dear chap. Who else would you like to provide the funding that comes from such fines? (It is yet another debate about who gets what funding and who wastes what funds, but the money is ultimately all one big pot).

If you don't like it you have at least three choices I think:
a) Go live somewhere where this ain't a problem
b) Get the system changed - if enough other people agree with you..
c) Cheat (see previous Post).

Written from Sale, hard by Altringham.




Meldrew's Update - life ain't fair! - THe Growler
Go for option (c). Less hassle and you can get on with life. Don't sweat the petty things, or as we say here after a few, don't pet the sweaty things.