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I've received a PCN because I had to find an ATM before paying for my ticket. Can I do anything?

I received a letter from a car park enforcement company on 24/08/10, the letter itself issued on 19/08/10 and the date referred to is the 12/08/10. It says that I didn't pay for the car park, which I did and I still have the ticket. The problem was that when I got in to the parking area, I thought it was the type of car park where you get the ticket and pay when you leave, but it wasn't so I asked the car park attendant if I could go to the cash machine first. He said it would be fine and advised me where to go. By the time I came back it had already gone past 26 minutes. Now I have received a letter asking me to pay £60, going up to £120 after five days.

Asked on 26 August 2010 by posie

Answered by Honest John
All you have to do is pay what you contractually owe for the period you parked. If the parking management company wants to impose a penalty then it will have to sue you for it, citing breach of contract through the small claims court. So send them payment for the actual amount owed, plus, say £10 in full and final settlement for their administration costs and see what they do next.
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