Parking ticket, but wrong registration number

[miasmum]

About 3 weeks ago, I got a parking ticket at our local retail park. Admittedly I was parked in a disabled bay, which I never, ever do, I have a disabled son for starters, but it was 6pm the shops were shutting the car park was not only deserted but flooded and the rain was torrential. I got a parking ticket, but when I got home I noticed they had my registration number as 58 instead of 59 So I sent it back and said this is not my car, the registration number is incorrect and therefore the ticket is invalid.

Today in the post I got a parking payment slip, they have traced me using the photographs.

I have looked online and as far as I can see the legal document is the parking ticket and if this does not have the correct details on it is invalid. All the photograph is, is supporting evidence and just proves that the number is wrong.

What would you do?

[TheOstrich]

Oh dear, sorry, if it was me, I'd just pay the wretched thing. Fair cop and all that. It would be an ongoing worry to me what might happen if I didn't.

Probably not what you want to hear, MM, but that's what I would do .....

[Aggers]

I'm inclined to agree with the Ostrich.

If it goes too far you may find that the penalty will rocket up.

[miasmum]

Apparently at least 50% of parking tickets have incorrect information on but people don't notice and just pay up. As someone on one of the forums said 'all they have to do is type in 7 numbers but in their haste and excitement they can't even do that right. If I can get away without paying £90 I certainly intend to try. I made a mistake, they made a mistake c'est le vie

Plus having looked at the payment slip again it shows a different issue number and a different date That to me says they know their original ticket is invalid

[Osc]

Mmmm tough one this... you did know you were illegally parked though. Two wrongs don't make a right - sorry, I'm sure that's not what you want to hear.

[Workingman]

I'm with you Shell, though I would say that if the parking area was deserted, as you say, even though it was flooded, you should not have used a disabled bay. However, if the flooding only left disabled bays available......

On the other hand the ticket is clearly illegal. The registration is wrong and the owner of the car with that registration could prove he/she was not there. The ticket sent to you would be thrown out if it went to court, the CCTV evidence would not stand up - the car reported is not yours.

The payment slip also has false information and must be illegal. That would also be taken into consideration. I would fight like hell.

[miasmum]

No Osc they don't but I am not paying £90 if I don't need to I am not that saintly. Especially not when their case has more holes in it than a colander

Wrong reg
Wrong colour
Wrong ticket reference number

WM no I shouldn't have parked there and in my defence I never do usually. I am not one of those that parks in the disabled bays to use the cash machines at the supermarket for instance. I did look around and all the other disabled bays, about 20 of them were empty, so there would have been somewhere for an influx of disabled people to park, which wasn't likely given it was closing time.

[Kaz]

I don't know about where you live Shell but here in Gloucester every car park seems to ve a huge amount of disabled spaces, most of which are empty even when the car park is almost full We don't have a badge as H's disability isn't physical, but Luke's is and even though Luke wasn't in the car I don't see what harm you were doing - and they have c*cked up the ticket.........

Worth questioning it IMHO

[cruiser2]

Don't pay. Say you will see them in court as the evidence is not correct. Say the markings were obstucted by the large pools of water and poor lighting.
There is a web site which tells you what to do to challenge parking tickets. I have the details somewhere and will try to post them later. Is the car park on private land, i.e at a supermarket or shopping centre? This makes it easier to challenge than one owned and operated by a local council.
Good luck

[miasmum]

I did know it was a disabled space Cruiser, and I would have paid up and just thought oh fiddlesticks, or something a little stronger, but they made an error and they are now trying to proceed with a re-issued ticket which they can't do. I presume that as I sent the original back they are hoping I didn't keep a copy and won't notice the new ticket registration number which they have had to issue to get the vehicle registration number right.

The car park is on private land, it is patrolled by UKPC parking patrol, based in Uxbridge.

I wasn't doing any harm Kaz, I would never park in a disabled bay if I for one minute thought it was inconvenience a disabled person, but I knew this wouldn't