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I couldn't get the machine to work in a car park but I was hit by a fine, is it worth appealing?

Having to go into Southport recently on Monday morning we tried to park in a pay by card car park, however after six attempts to pay (in the pouring rain) I could not make the machine work and decided to try and park elsewhere. We were only in the car park five minutes and didn't "park", only visited.

Seven days later I received a charge of £100, £60 if you pay within 28 days. I feel I have been totally ripped off and as a result I will never go near the place again. You hear about these things all the time and rather go through the "appeals" process and to be finally rejected it's simpler to just pay up and put it down to experience. Beware!

Asked on 18 July 2023 by stephen price

Answered by David Ross
It is understandably frustrating to receive a parking fine, but we would suggest going through the appeals process as it is always worth a try and you have nothing to lose. The fact that you were only in the car park for five minutes should be verifiable by the company operating the car park, and you can point to the fact that you made several attempts to pay for parking but were unsuccessful. The ticket should explain how to appeal.
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